Six months later. I have a new kitchen!

My current residence is a 1960s split level. Although it does have some mid-century charm, it also showcases some of the worse trends of the era, like my bright blue cast iron bathtub and matching sink. The house was 100% original when I bought it. The tiny kitchen and bathroom were way overdue for a remodel.

I love all things design. Architecture, Interior Design, Product Design, Jewelry Design, and Furniture Design. I went to school for Industrial Design, and although my career took a different path, I still find myself flipping through the pages of I.D. Magazine or swiping through the product design galleries on Behance. I have stacks of Dwell magazines stashed all over the house. I really do live for this shit. I enjoy decorating my house. I have gotten so lucky with some amazing mid-century modern furniture scores off Craigslist as well as interesting art finds from the flea market.

I will rearrange a corner of my living room for fun. Mixing up the furniture or swapping out the art on the wall. I treat it as a design problem. I am trying to turn that corner of the living room into a good composition! Mixing and matching colors, forms, and textures until I find something that works. And then I will do it again a few months later!

When it came time to remodel my kitchen and bathroom, I approached the project as I would any design project. Creating mood boards and sketches. Understanding my audience - me. :) Looking at the problem from different angles…literally. Iterating and testing. Does the position of this wall and island allow enough freedom of movement? What is the process the user will perform when making tacos? Do the positioning of each appliance and location of storage support an efficient taco-making process?

I may have made twelve trips to the tile store because I could not make up my mind about the backsplash. And suffered from debilitating decision fatigue on multiple occasions. But I am so happy with how the remodel came out. I enjoyed the design process so much I have considered a possible side hustle doing Interior Design!