Farmhouse Kitchen

“Last year, my husband and I semi-renovated our kitchen after discovering a hidden disaster—our dishwasher had been secretly leaking water, causing mold to grow in the kitchen walls and cabinets. I first noticed a terrible smell every time I opened the bottom cabinets. I kept telling my husband about it, and we finally decided to investigate. When we looked underneath the dishwasher, we found it was leaking during its cycles. It was the last thing we wanted to see!

After being in our home for 20 years, we should’ve realized the dishwasher was on its last leg. Although we had plans for a full kitchen renovation in five years, we had to act quickly. We started ripping out the bottom cabinets, and as you can see in the picture, it was mortifying!

Determined to save money, we tackled the semi-renovation ourselves. We removed the bar area, which didn’t work well for our space, and went to Home Depot for cabinets, countertops, a new dishwasher, sink, and flooring. Thankfully, they had everything we needed in stock. We even decided to update the flooring while we were at it. The whole process took us two months because we both work full-time jobs and could only work on it during evenings and weekends.

One of my favorite additions is the kitchen island. I found the perfect one at a local antique shop called It’s Just Plain Country. It fits our kitchen beautifully and adds a lovely country vibe. While I initially wasn’t sure about the burgundy color and planned to repaint it, the shade has grown on me, so I might hold off for now.

It’s incredibly rewarding to tackle a project like this together and enjoy the results of our hard work. This semi-renovation is something we’ll always cherish, and it’s inspired us to take on more DIY projects in the coming months. Follow along for more adventures to come!”