how “it all started with paint” …

 

It dawned on me recently that I’ve never really shared how my blog name came about.  I mean, on the surface it appears to be self-explanatory …

 

… you know, with me and some paint …

 

But when you dig deeper, there’s just so much more to the story.

 

Because it really started with me deciding it was time to paint the kitchen …

 

… and that decision set in motion a series of unforeseen and unplanned events.

 

You see, our kitchen was builder’s grade circa 1990’s.  Complete with honey oak cabinets and hunter green counter tops.  And for close to 15 years, I mistakenly thought making over the kitchen was an all or nothing thing.  An all or nothing thing that would cost anywhere from $25,000 – $50,000 …

 

So I had resigned myself to the fact that a new kitchen was far, far off in the distance …

 

sometime after the kids graduated from college …

 

or after Mike and I won the lottery …

 

But I knew of the power of paint.  And how I could give the kitchen a whole new look with a new coat of paint.  And how I could do this project all by myself.  On a tight budget.

 

So up went the paint samples. Blues.  Grays.  Beiges.  Greiges.

 

But no matter what color I put up on the walls, they just made the ugly oak cabinets look even uglier…

 

… and more orange.  Not exactly the change I was going for …

 

So I made an executive decision.  The cabinets would be painted too.  That’s right.  A much bigger job, but one I was willing to take on myself …

 

…. only problem?  No matter what color I wanted to paint the cabinets, it would clash with the hunter green counter tops.

 

So the counter tops needed to change too.  Which found me at Home Depot in my favorite, most visited section: The kitchen design center.

 

Oh the hours I’ve spent strolling through those mini kitchen set ups … touching backsplashes … open and closing drawers and doors … thumbing through cabinet door samples … dreaming of my dream kitchen ….

 

But this time, I was an actual customer.  Picking out a White Zeuss Silestone counter top.  On a super special sale.  With a free new under mount sink thrown in …

 

And when my very own personal Home Depot kitchen consultant asked me if my kitchen cabinets were level … because they would not install the counter tops if it wasn’t … I emphatically shook my head yes.  Yes.  Yes, of course my kitchen is level!

 

My kitchen isn’t level.

 

So in came my contractor/friend to help level the base cabinets.

 

And while were were pulling off that hunter green laminate counter top, why not tear off that ugly generic white tile backsplash and put up something new …

 

So my little “I’m going to paint the kitchen walls”  idea steamrolled into painted cabinets … and a new counter top … and a new under mount sink … and a new sink basin cabinet … and a new faucet … and a  new dishwasher … and a new microwave …. and a new glass tile back-splash … and a new light fixture …

 

and a contractor, a plumber, and an electrician.

 

* Phew *

 

And that, my friends, is how it all started with paint came to be …

 

 

… and, in hindsight, I should’ve probably called the blog “it all started with the kitchen.”

 

Now if you think making over your kitchen is an all or nothing $25,000-50,000 investment, let me assure you ~ from personal experience ~ that it doesn’t have to be.  And if you’re looking for some budget friendly kitchen remodel ideas, check out the video below to see why Home Depot should be your go-to kitchen remodel place …

 

 

 

 P.S.  You can find out more about my kitchen remodel by clicking here …

 

P.P.S.  Would you think I’m crazy because I plan to make over my kitchen again.  Hopefully soon.  With more paint on the cabinets.  Going with something lighter.  Like white up top and blue/gray down below.  And maybe some new, chunkier mouldings on top …

 

and a chalkboard wall …

 

and open shelving …

 

and a new base cabinet with a butcher block top under those open shelves in place of an underused table that just takes up space and is a dumping ground for random stuff …