Coe Casa: Projects on my Radar for 2020
Hello and Happy New Year! Hope you all have had a great start this first week of 2020!
Luke and I are back to our regular work schedules and Nathan has gotten used to going to daycare every day again - crazy how just one week off can really throw a wrench into our routine.
I titled today’s post “Projects on my Radar for 2020”, but to be honest- random home projects are ALWAYS on my mind. I’ve been thinking about some of these for a VERY long time… but I’m glad I have because I think moving slowly on certain ideas gives me clarity on how spaces could be used better. There are a few areas in our home that I’d love to tackle this year: kitchen, master bath/closet area, and the guest bathroom (yes, again).
This post will just focus on the ideas I have for our kitchen. Our kitchen layout will always bother me (the cooking area is just not big enough for 2 people), but unless Nathan can graduate daycare and go right to kindergarten like tomorrow… OR either Luke or myself gets a MASSIVE raise, we aren’t going to be renovating ANYTIME soon. BUT there are plenty of changes I can do myself with minimal spending!
And because I’m always up for showing off how much progress we’ve been able to make, here is the listing photo of our kitchen:
We painted pretty much everything white. Cabinets, backsplash, walls, and yes - even the counters (see blog post on that here)! I also removed a few of the cabinet doors to mimic the look of open shelving. The cabinets and backsplash paint are still in great shape, but sadly the counters have yellowed in some areas (due to the natural light coming I think) and certain liquids (like gatorade) tend to leave stains on them for a little while if spilled. I think (but not totally sure) that these issues are caused by the type of epoxy we used to seal them. I really want to address the countertop issues because I know that time will just make them worse. SO… here are my ideas for this space:
please excuse this very rough looking mock-up :)
1) BUILD SHELVES
I’ve always thought this space on the other side of our counter was super awkward… and it doesn’t help that there is an outlet just sticking out there (the dishwasher is on the other side so it can’t be set in)! It hit me after I saw the beautiful kitchen of one of my insta-friends, Alma (see post here), that maybe this space could be utilized for more storage. I think I could easily build some simple shelves to fit into this little space. Since our table and chair are currently pushed over a little more to the left, it definitely wouldn’t feel too crowded! We’d just have to make sure to not put too much stuff on the shelves.
2) RE-PAINT COUNTERS
To solve my issues with our counters, I think painting them a dark gray/black color (to mimic the look of soapstone) is the best temporary option. I would like to find an epoxy that’s as strong as the one we previously used (it hasn’t scratched off AT ALL) except in matte. Since the counters will be dark, I won’t have to worry about whether or not the epoxy is prone to yellowing. Also the staining won’t be an issue anymore!
3) REMOVE DATED DETAIL
Once and for all, I’m going to remove that UGLY little wavy piece of wood above our sink! Now that my parents got me a huge set of tools for Christmas, I can definitely just do that part whenever I want!
4) SWITCH OUT HARDWARE
This is one I’m not 100% positive about, and it’s actually kind of hard to see in the mock-up. But our black knobs have always felt a little too harsh for me.. especially with how traditional the detail on our cabinets is. I’m thinking an antiqued brass would suit them better.
5) NEW MICROWAVE
This last improvement is more of a necessity… I’m pretty sure our current microwave is actually a fire hazard. Seriously.. I don’t know much about microwaves, but I don’t think the noodles should BURN (literally- they smell and turn black) when I heat up some mac & cheese for 15 seconds!!
Those are my 5 goals for our kitchen this year! At some point I would definitely like to remove some of the upper cabinets and install proper open shelving + new backsplash… BUT those are definitely not a priority right now.
I’m going to start working on getting my ideas for the other spaces I mentioned into blog posts, so stay tuned for those posts! And of course, I’ll be sure to document any progress or DIY projects both here and on my Instagram account! Thanks for following along!
