The Real Chic Life

I don’t share as much home stuff in this space as I probably should. I tend to focus on style, beauty, and life advice- The things I believe help us look and more importantly feel our best. But I’ve loved home decor, art, and small renovations that make your house feel more like home for as long as I can remember. There was a whole chapter dedicated to it in my book. As the fashion and beauty stuff grew (they also had their own chapters) I didn’t share as much home stuff, but over the last year and a half we all realized that having the place we live in feel like home made us actually feel better too.

This year we didn’t just update (you might remember our patio makeover if we’re connected on the gram) but we actually moved! It was only a street over but we bought a place in our same neighborhood because we love it here. It’s the kind of neighborhood where neighbors stop to chat on walks or lean over fences to say hello. And if they don’t know you by name, they’ll identify you anyway-“Oh yes, I know her.  She’s the one with the little white dog.” Apparently, Harley is more memorable.

Our new home came with all the bells and whistles including a newly renovated bathroom with a huge glass shower and rainfall water heads. It might just be my favorite place. But everyone knows the kitchen is the heart of the home. So I wasn’t overjoyed with the brown cabinets and yellow paint. The kitchen itself was beautiful and checked many of our boxes. Gas stove-check, stainless steel-check, island-check, bay window-check, plantation shutters-check. I almost lost my nerve when my daughter’s friend visited and exclaimed it was “ the kitchen of her mother’s dreams!” Was this small but still expensive renovation worth it? It was a beautiful kitchen (we’d already had it painted Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray) but I’d been dreaming of a white bright kitchen for a while so we decided to go for it. 

We’d originally planned to have the renovation done while we were on vacation prior to moving. It seemed like the perfect plan, but my husband wasn’t sure we were getting the best price and didn’t love that the painter didn’t share samples of his work. While discussing his hesitation at work a friend and co-worker suggested Barrel and Brush .

Although I wasn’t initially happy with the “switch a roo” I was intrigued. I decided to support the switch. Here are the steps they took.

1. I submitted pictures online and within hours got a quote (2k less than our previous one). The downside was I’d have to wait a month. Not my strong suit but I survived.
2. The painter-Turtle, showed up on time on our scheduled day and prepped the entire kitchen. I’d already been asked to clear the counters and push everything back. It took him several hours to sand everything down and remove the doors. Which he took with him (the most important thing you should look for is a painter who will take your doors off-site).
3. The next day Turtle showed up again and spent a full day painting-earbuds in, humming quietly in the kitchen, while I worked in my office. We took a quick break after I ran out to get us lunch but other than that my day was pretty intact-no huge reno project that upset my day.
4. For two subsequent days, I had newly painted cabinets but no doors. On the scheduled and much-anticipated finale day Turtle returned, affixed the doors, and cleaned up everything. I could not stop smiling at my new kitchen.

As you’ve most likely gathered by now our experience was outstanding. Turtle was professional and kind. The process was easy from start to finish. And the cabinets themselves look like they came straight from the factory and there isn’t a brushstroke to be found anywhere! We couldn’t have been more pleased. And now I have the kitchen I’ve been dreaming of!

I’d love to hear about any new renovations you’ve done or are planning to do soon.

Until next post!

xo Tonya