In our family history, 2016 will go down as the year of the kitchen remodel.

We moved into our 1912, Mission Hills home half way through 2014. It needed some work and the kitchen was first on our list. We lived with a 30 inch wide walkway, red and white striped wall paper, small cabinets and peeling linoleum while trying to decide on our new layout and getting on our contractors calendar.

Looking back on the process, it wasn’t easy. We had to eat out too often, clean dishes in the bathroom sink, and I think we’ll be finding dust until we’re old and grey. A house built in 1912 is going to come with surprises and there were no shortages of those once we opened our walls.

BUT! The new space has completely changed our home and routines for the better. We begin and end our days in the kitchen. We cook more, we eat healthier and we spend more time talking and hanging out in the new space. Instead of dark corners and cramped space, we’ve created an open, bright, communal space and we couldn’t be happier.

The change also created an intangible we weren’t expecting. This being our first home together we didn’t expect to have the positive after affect of making a space our own. The feelings of accomplishment goes beyond bringing personal items and furniture into the house to make it our home. With structural changes the house is becoming a true reflection of our personalities and tastes. Our home reflects us more and more with each project, which was unexpected and extremely exciting.

As we decorate the space, I’ll share more photos but here are a few for starters.

We begin with end of day 2, demo in progress. Then jump to the 3rd month, near completion.

Enjoy!