We’re getting to the kitchen designing stage folks and it’s getting good! Before deciding on colors, door styles, hardware, and accessories, I want to nail down the mood/vibe of the space. I think it helps to identify a clear personality for the room - especially when it’s a utilitarian space. Hear me out.
Read MoreOne of my favorite buildings in all of San Diego is The Marston House, a 1905 home historic house that’s oozing with original charm and innovative design. With kitchen planning on my mind, I’ve been taking in the unique features of the butler’s pantry and cooking space in the old house, so I wanna show you!
Read MoreI shared a couple of weeks ago that I was inspired to paint my dining room a super dark moody color. So, in an effort to write more popping-in-to-share-inspiration-and-thoughts-blog-posts I wanted to well, pop in to share inspiration and thoughts about giving my dining room a dark hue. I’ve compiled a bunch of inspiration images and mocked up the dark hue in Photoshop to give you a good look at the potential
Read MoreI’ve rounded up the things I’ve been digging this past week!
Read MoreWowza. This season of the One Room Challenge has some stunners! Over 200 bloggers transformed a space as guest participants and 20 were featured. I looked through all of them and compiled my favorites. Be sure to click over to their blogs to see the full spaces!
Just in case you forgot, I also participated this season! You can catch up on all of my room progress here.
Without further ado, here's a compilation of both guest and featured blogger spaces.
Nicole's guest room and home office combo is so dreamy. I can't decide which I like more - that velvety green wall or the cloud wallpaper.
The Gentry project is coming along so swimmingly! Jenny nailed it with this bedroom. Those DIY curtains and the IKEA dresser hack are such great examples of how furnishings don't need to be crazy expensive to be crazy beautiful.
Megan does it again! This cabin gives me all the feels.
My friend Cathy is restoring her own home in Washington State as well as one that she's dubbed the Porch House. This master bathroom is as gigantic as it is gorgeous. You have got to see the humungous shower that's outside of the frame from this pretty custom vanity.
We all know I'm a sucker for marble hex floors and subway tiles with dark grout. So, Erin is speaking my love language with this bathroom remodel.
Candis and Andy. Period. They really know what they're doing!
That black floor tile and black ceiling! I'd ogle this bathroom even if it weren't designed by my friend, Sarah!
I won't blame Natasha if she never leaves this room of her house.
There was no shortage of gorgeous wallpapers and wall paneling this season. Be sure to click over to each of those images to take a close look at those papers - one has a bird motif and another is covered in dinosaurs! Birds and dinosaurs, people!
While the half wainscoting and half wallpaper look is dreamy, Brittany's bathroom with floor-to-ceiling floral paper (even over the wall outlet) is to die for. She also transformed the rest of the bedroom that you MUST admire.
Tim used the wallpaper that was the inspiration for my ORC room!
The artwork and those directors chairs. *thumbs up emoji, Erin!
I wonder if one day I'll live as minimally as Lisa's bedroom. Maybe some day!
I love Cara's pink tile and Lee's wood vanity in these bathrooms, but the artwork is what really got me. Yes, I'm a fan of paint-by-numbers but the others are gems, too.
While I'm afraid to do this much color in my house, I adore Ariel's style.
More bird wallpaper! And if that weren't enough, Nicole entirely redesigned her office to boot!
The fall ORC was a magnet for beautiful wall treatments. Gwen's molding for her daughters' room is rich!
And here we go with more wainscoting! Swoon.
This is just a small sampling of some of my favorites, so check out the full collection of featured and guest blogger room transformations!
A few weeks ago, Sarah of Room for Tuesday shared her favorite blogs. Some are the tippy top bloggers, and others aren't yet the hot shots (she even included me. meee??? I'm still blushing). It has me inspired to share some of the Instagram accounts that I adore, but don't (yet!) have the biggest following.
Without further ado, my favorite up-and-coming home/design/interiors Instagrammers with fewer than 2,000 fans.
Be sure to follow all of those folks - they're doing great things!
Who did I forget? Am I missing anyone? Please share your favorite accounts that are still growing!
The phase 1 kitchen earned several upgrades already, like new paint, hardware, concrete countertops, and even more countertops. However, the floors didn't get much love other than a coat of poly when we refinished the the rest of the floors. As much as I love the fir, the wood was pretty damaged. Nearly every plank had either huge gouges or was brittle from years of termites gnawing on the softwood. The previous owner made attempts at repairing the mangled boards by filling the cavities with wood putty, but it definitely didn't help the aesthetics.
These photos don't do justice to the damage. We lived with the flooring as-is for a couple of years letting those termite gaps fill up with a hefty amount of cat litter and crumbs. But, I lost my patience and had to remedy it. Knowing that the kitchen will eventually get a full gut renovation, I had the opportunity to do whatever I wanted without it impacting the future plans - even if it pushes my design boundaries. So, I jumped on to the graphic look and committed myself to installing a funky pattern that I like, but wouldn't be my first choice for a permanent kitchen floor. This transitional renovation fix lets me get the bold/graphic/retro vibe out of my system before having to make the forever-flooring decision. Win win.
Sources clockwise from top left: Megan Pflug Designs/A Beautiful Mess/Allison Burke Interior Design/The Art of Doing Stuff
At first, I was sure that I would install the checkerboard pattern to get that retro diner vibe. But after a few Photoshop mock-ups, I realized that with the large amount of uninterrupted floor space, the high contrast of black and white was too busy and could give us vertigo. The idea of modern geometric shapes was also appealing, but I worried I'd spend years cutting the tiny pieces. It didn't take much for me to fall for the buffalo check pattern. The grey neutralizes the high contrast black and white, while also adding texture with the illusion of the weaving pattern. It also has enough style that I can feel confident I didn't play it too safe.
Since this was merely a temporary solution that really only needed a bandaid, I found a flooring solution that was quick, cheap, effective, and super easy to install. The perfect improvement project for a newbie DIYer or renter.
I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. The installation went swimmingly and the result is sleek, clean, and full of personality. Come back next week to get the full tutorial and link to all of the sources! Subscribe, so you don't miss out.
Now, I'm definitely not into commercializing our national holidays, but I also don't shy away from a sale. I mean, why pay full price?
Please, enjoy your 4th of July if you're in the States or any of the many other countries celebrating their independence this week! But if you're taking a break from the sunshine, BBQs, or porches as gorgeous as Melissa's, then why not take advantage of some of those sales?! I've rounded up some great deals and also a few of the products I have my eye on (if money were no object.)
Rejuvenation - 20% off lighting / no coupon needed
Society6 - 20% off + free shipping / no coupon needed
Wayfair - lots-o-sales / no coupon needed
eCarpet Gallery - 50% off +additional 35% off / code: JULY4
Minted - 15% off wedding, baby, and kids / code: FIREWORKS
ASOS - more $$ off when you spend ++ / codes: FREE50, FREE70, OR FREE100
Murchison-Hume - 20% off / code: MHJULY4
Anthropolgie - 30% off sales / no coupon needed
AllModern - extra 20% off deals / code: USA
Target - up 50 30% off sales plus an extra 15% off / code: AMERICA
Article - up to 25% off select items / no coupon needed
CB2 - sales on sleepers, desks, outdoor, baskets, and clearance / no coupon needed
Artfully Walls - 25% off site wide / code 4JULY17
West Elm – 20-30% off and an extra 20% off markdowns / code: SUMMER20
Artifact Uprising - $10 off framed prints / 4THFRAMES
Pottery Barn - Buy more, save more + free shipping / code: FIREWORKS
House of Antique Hardware - 25% off / code: FJ1725
Serena & Lily – 20% off everything / code: HAPPY4TH
Old Navy - tons of sales plus 20% off / no coupon needed
Domino - 10% off / code: FIREWORK
Okay, that's enough! Enjoy your holiday!
There are two types of approaches I take to DIY.
Permanent projects designed to last forever using solid materials
Quick fixes using cheap, semi-permanent materials designed to be band-aids (with the caveat that it doesn't get in the way of future permanent projects nor damage the integrity of the home)
The kitchen project? I'm taking the latter approach. In the next year (hopefully!), we're going to tear out everything and replace it with our dream kitchen. Yet, we aren't ready for the permanent kitchen for a bunch of reasons like $$$ and my lack of decision-making skills and the fear of taking the plunge without being sure it's as perfect as can be. However, I'm totally embracing the slow evolution of the future kitchen plan. Each recipe gives us insight into functionality, each party better highlights ideal flow, and each trip to the store enlightens us on the best kind of storage. I'm taking my sweet time, but I'm learning oodles that I can apply to the big remodel.
Now, there is no way that I could ever cook a meal or host a get together in the kitchen in the state it was in when we bought it. No. Way.
Shall we revisit what she used to look like?
How do you like those twig and rooster cabinet pulls?
It really doesn't look that bad, but the smell, folks, the smell.
Since we couldn't wait it out for our permanent kitchen in this space, the clean it up and cover it up method was the route we took. Since we were going to do something with minimal investment that wouldn't last forever, I used the phase 1 kitchen update as an opportunity to play with styles that I wouldn't install in our dream kitchen.
So, I bring you the inspiration. These are among the MANY photos that I pinned for the kitchen two years ago when this project got started. They are a bit more vintage country than our future kitchen will be and they have a touch more color than I would gravitate towards today. But when you're going to do multiple phases of renovation, why not explore all sorts of design styles!
Sources from upper left: 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10
See some trends? Muted colored cabinets, vintage drawer pulls, natural material countertops, semi-open cabinets, lots of white and light, patterned flooring/rugs, wood accents, beadboard, and nods to yesteryear.
Come back to get all the sources, the tutorial on installing linoleum floors, a how-to cover existing counters in concrete, tips on making a space feel new even when it isn't, the installation of the backsplash, a step-by-step on adding more counterspace, and a check-in to see how it's holding up two years later. If you're itching to see what she's become, click here. To follow along on the progress, subscribe!
Ashley has been restoring her craftsman bungalow since early 2015. The Gold Hive chronicles the journey of DIYs, restorations, renovations, and stories.
I'm Ashley, a type-A homebody fixing up my historic home at a snail’s pace in California. I share home improvement DIYs, tips for sustainable living, and renovation stories - all while aiming to add more color and present real, lived-in spaces.
© 2025 Ashley Goldman / All Rights Reserved
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Margot is getting an upgraded room to make space for baby sister in the nursery.
With an additional family member, we want to shuffle the rooms of our 3-bedroom house around. The one off the living room was being used as my home office, so now it’s time to convert it into an actual bedroom. The initial thought was to give this room to baby sister and keep Margot in her room. But we ultimately decided to put the baby in the room designed to be a nursery, then convert the home office into a space designed for a bigger kid. Plus, the office has more windows, and is right off the living room (Margot’s playroom) so it’s better suited for all the daytime play, whereas the single-window nursery is cozier for lots of daytime naps.