Turning our Builder-Grade Kitchen into a Beautiful Blue Dream

Good day everyone! 

If you've been following along on Instagram, you couldn't help but notice that we officially wrapped up our kitchen update last week. From the teal backsplash to the sunburst brackets I am OBSESSED with every nook and cranny. I actually find myself sitting on the couch, glancing over at our completed space, just smiling because I am so proud of what we accomplished. Like a crazy kitchen goof...I know.

A few of the to-do's we crossed off the list to achieve our dream kitchen included:

• raising the upper cabinets
• removing a cabinet
• painting cabinets 
• adding a backsplash 
• hanging shelves
• adding hardware
• trimming out the window 

Everything on the list was pretty straightforward...except for the backsplash. We had never tiled anything before yet alone almost an entire wall. But more on that later. 

For reference, here is a shot of when we first moved in. It was a pretty standard builder-grade kitchen, with ample room above the cabinets and not much underneath. I have never been one to decorate on top of cabinets especially when the ceilings aren't particularly high. Adding stuff up there just makes the whole room look even smaller and everything gets covered in dust and grime. So to create the elusion of height, my plan included creating a modified "to the ceiling" look. 

First up, raise the upper cabinets. To determine how high to raise them, we thought about what would still be functional for me (short-er person) as well as what would look natural to the space. We landed on 4 inches. Enough to give us more room underneath and make a difference while working on the countertops, but not too high so it would be difficult for me to use. 

This is where our kitchen progress halted for a few months. It wasn't until we took time off for the holidays that Eric and his dad spent a day "bridging the gap". By that, I mean adding plywood and crown molding to the top of the cabinets to create that to-the-ceiling look. 

Eric first installed 2x4s to the ceiling joists to create anchors, then attached the plywood and crown molding. Lots and LOTS of wood filler was used to hide the seams, as well as quite a bit of sanding. But this prep work was key to achieving a smooth look after painting. 

And speaking of paint, we had the best helpers. They don't particularly have an eye for detail, but they make up for it with enthusiasm. 💜

The color we chose was white, but not just any white, the perfect white paint I have been using ever since reading about it on VintageRevival.com. The people behind the paint counter may give you an odd look when you ask to add "more white" to your already white base, but trust me. It's beautiful. 

After a day of prep, painting, and removing the loner cabinet to the right of our window, we ended the day kind of in a mess. But as chaotic as our kitchen looked, that was how pumped we were about the next day. Because that, my friends, was the first day of our adventure into the world of BACKSPLASH TILING! 

From the moment I began dreaming about reworking our kitchen, I knew I wanted a bold backsplash. My first vision included a black and white pattern with teal lower cabinets and white uppers. But after Eric made the request, "pleeeeeeease don't make me paint all of those cabinets." I pivoted and came up with a design that incorporated our current wood tones by bringing in a teal backsplash. After mocking it up, I was in love. 

To find the perfect tile I ordered approximately 10 samples from various sources, but in the end, decided on Moze 3" x 12" Ceramic Brick Look Subway Tile in blue. I liked the irregularity of the coloring, price, and size, plus the high-gloss made for a great "easy to clean" kitchen choice. 

After measuring the amount of space we wanted to cover, 8 boxes was what the site recommended we buy which included extra for waste and reserve. We decided on a classic 1/2 offset pattern (hoping that wouldn't be too difficult), consulted a few friends, and watched a handful of tutorial videos before getting to work. 

Once we got started, the process really wasn't too intense. Slather on your adhesive, use the trowel to scrape away excess so there's even coverage, place your tile, add spacers, and repeat. Set your bottom rows first, measure twice and cut once, and don't get too far ahead with the adhesive because you only have about 15 minutes to work before it begins to set. Since our tiles were kind of long, we also used these wedges in combination with the spacers to keep tiles from shifting. 

When it came to cutting tiles to size, we borrowed a friend's tile cutter (example here) which worked great for straight lines and was extremely satisfying to use. It was like my scrapbook paper trimmer on steroids. For any cut more elaborate (window corners, outlets) Eric used a special blade he purchased for his circular saw. 

Even with the right tools, we definitely still broke our fair share of tiles. Broken tiles though are all just part of the process, that and making a huge mess. Thank goodness we planned on sending the kids to daycare a few days that week so we actually had time to work uninterrupted. No offense to our children, but their "helping" is kind of anything but. 

After those two full days of childless labor, plus a few extra nights post-bedtime, we officially completed the "put up the tile" part of our project. 

Next came the grout. 

With our backsplash, I wanted the minimal amount of grout showing as possible. The size of our spacers helped with this, but when it came to choosing a grout color, I knew it couldn't be anything bright. It had to blend in with the tile. That is why I decided to go with dark charcoal. Was it messy and ruined more than one of my dishrags? 100%. Am I confident it was the right choice? 10000000000000000%. 

Like installing the tile, once we got into a groove of slathering on the grout, working it into the cracks, and wiping away the excess, we were able to move pretty quickly. The more time-consuming part came after, which included cleaning away the "haze" of grout dirt so those beautiful tiles could really shine and applying an extra coat of sealant. 

But with those final steps came the VERY satisfying moment of crossing "install tile backsplash" off of our to-do list and adding another skill to our ever-growing resume. 

And what do you do with a brand-spanking new tiled wall? Drill into it to hang shelves of course!  

And can we talk about those brackets??? 😍 I can't take full credit though, I first saw Liz Morrow use them in her own kitchen renovation but immediately knew they were what I had been searching for. 

OK, logistics on the shelves. Three brackets per shelf may seem a little overkill to some, but hear me out. In that area of our kitchen, the studs were in odd places. We needed at least ONE of the brackets to be on a stud, and in this situation, it was the center one. The left and right have additional anchors to make them strong enough while only being drilled into the drywall. Using a bracket at the very end of each shelf also gave the edges a clean finish. Plus when I planned on using them for glasses, dishes, and books...the extra support was a bonus. 

With the shelves hung, final touches were all that remained. Hang the cabinet doors, reinstall hardware, touch up paint, install new outlet covers, clean, and STYLE! 

So what do you think!? I think I'm in love. 

I also think that having crisp white cabinets has convinced me that white could be the winning color for the remaining kitchen walls as well as for our living room. I never thought I'd see the day when I became a "white wall" girl, but guess that'll make hanging bold colorful art all the easier. 

There are still a few details left to tackle; like the black accent details behind the large counter and the entire area around and above our fridge. For now, I'm dubbing it complete. Seeing this vision come to life from concept to creation has been a lovely start to 2023. 

I wonder what the rest of the year will hold? 😊

Check out all of our home improvements, by visiting the OUR NEST page.