Y’all know I’ve had my heart set on ridding my kitchen of the decorative ‘fruit plate’ backsplash behind my range since last year.  In fact, I placed it at the tippy top of my 2011 home improvement To Do list. 

Please cue the Etta James background music . . .

“Aaaaat laaaaaaaaassssstt . . .”

I can’t tell you how excited I am to finally have a clean white backsplash behind my range!

I feel like I can breathe now.

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You’ll recall that adventure in tile removal from last week where my Dremel MultiMax and some sweat equity yielded a new canvas. 

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Melanie from Washington recently wrote this to me:

“Hey Kate, I read that when you remodeled your house a few years ago, that you designed and built your kitchen.  We’re in the beginning stages of gutting our very dated kitchen and we’re starting over from scratch!  We’re so excited!!  My question for you is, were there any pitfalls you ran into?  Anything you learned along the way you’d be willing to share?  What should we know about building a kitchen starting from four bare walls?  Help!”

Great question Melanie!  Me and my Mister built our kitchen over five years ago, so to answer Melanie’s question, I had to dig through the archives and pull out all my files to refresh my recollection of the process of building our kitchen from scratch.  It resulted in a mild rash and minor heart palpitations, but I’ve since recovered.  

No, I’m kidding.  I absolutely love kitchen design, and loved the entire process of choosing all the details of the one in our own home.  I’m one of those people that if I overheard at the grocery store you were building a new kitchen, I’d butt my ponytail right into the conversation and want to chat all about appliances, countertops and the exact style of door front you’re choosing for your cabinets.  “Really?  Oh, fabulous!” 

Building a kitchen from scratch is an enormous task.  Unlike throwing the latest most popular shade of paint on your walls, a kitchen must be a space that can stand the test of time.  My kitchen suits the style of my home, and also my own personal tastes as well.  While there are a few things I wish I’d done differently, for the most part, I really love the floor plan and finishes we continue to live with every day.  

Ten Lessons I Learned from Building Our Kitchen

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My friend AnNicole over at Our Suburban Cottage is having a party tomorrow called ‘How I Met My House’.  I prefer to be fashionably late to parties, however this time I’m showing up early due to some delays with my latest project.  But I brought jalapeño poppers, so I’m sure I’ll be forgiven.  :-) 

So here is the story of how we met our house, but first, let’s take a little detour.  When I was growing up, I would whiz past this amazing property on the freeway on my way to school each day. 

This is not my house. 

This is the Kendall Jackson Tasting Room and it’s one of my favorite properties in the entire universe. 

Oh my word, I could just stare at it all day.  Those arches, those French doors, those keystones, those dormers, that rose garden, I can’t stand it, it’s just so beautiful. 

*Sigh*

What does this tasting room have to do with my house ?  It inspired us in many ways when we first built our home over a decade ago, down to the exact color of the stucco. 

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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I’m a big believer in making your home your personal refuge from the world. I’d rather spend my money on feathering my nest than taking a grand vacation.  Those new to this blog should know that we expanded our home in a (nightmarish) remodel back in 2006, but never got around to finishing the master bath, mostly due to lack of funds.  Over the past year, we’ve slowly been finishing the space.  And this past weekend, we put the finishing touches on the master bathroom.  Yippeeeeee !

Five years ago, before we expanded our home, our master bathroom was not a pleasant prepping area.  At least not for me.  It was so so very tiny.  So small that Mr. CG and I were elbowing each other and quarreling over counter space.  I finally resorted to primping in the children’s bathroom.  But not any more darlin’.  All of that has now changed. 

We’ve purposely doubled the size of our bathroom and budgeted in room for a separate primping zones.  One year ago, the space you’re about to tour was nothing more than sheetrock and a plywood floor.  At last, at last, at last it is finished ! 

Welcome to our sanctuary.  Away from the world.  Away from the kids !

Come on in !

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I almost didn’t post this article.  This almost never happened.

Not because I don’t want to talk to you all.  Believe me, I do. It’s just that I am dangerously close to disappearing from the earth into a new twilight zone known as my master bathtub.

Now I am a gal who finds no greater bliss than taking an evening bubble bath.  A hot bath + a glass of red wine + a bit of dark chocolate + my iPod + twenty minutes to myself = priceless.  No vacation spot could ever compare.

Since I am an attorney, I feel a warning label is appropriate at this time.

Now that I’ve finally put the finishing touches on my master bathtub space, you may never ever ever EVER hear from me again.

It looks posh, but compared to most designer spaces, it really wasn’t that expensive.

Do you want to see the ‘Before’ ?

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