The kitchen is the only (and I mean, ONLY) room in this house that we haven't touched since purchasing our home 2.5 years ago. Several years before we bought this home, the kitchen had been completely remodeled with custom maple cabinets which include a nice 'cottage-y' feel with some beadboard backsplash and range hood, a neutral granite, and travertine back splash. I fell in love with the lay out of the kitchen (we have SO many cabinets and counter space), the fact that cabinets go all the way to the ceiling (no awkward gap or weird soffits!), the recessed lighting, and the paneled dishwasher and fridge. What I didn't love about the kitchen was the color of our cabinets. They were very yellow with an antique glaze and skewed our home very traditional, which just isn't our style. Here is how it looked before:

Some projects take months of finding inspiration, planning, and executing. This one, well, let's just say my husband and I get a little stir crazy when we're on parental leave after a new baby.

After staring at our four walls for several weeks, we decided that our bathroom needed a major refresh and time was of the essence to get it done before my husband went back to work and my in laws came to visit.

Prior to getting a legitimate toy storage system, I had purchased a wicker basket and threw a handful of toys in there to keep them hidden. In theory, it sounded great, but as he got older, he only played with the toys at the top, and the pieces would get missing and sunken to the bottom. Eventually, the basket started to overflow and I was forced to stare at a plastic vacuum cleaner and remote control cars.

Everyone has their own timelines/priorities when it comes to preparing for baby. Obviously, I love decorating and making my house a home, so the nursery is by far my favorite part of 'nesting'. As soon as we found out she was a girl, however, I struggled HARD with the design of this room and actually did a 180 degree shift from what I originally planned.

My son is officially sleeping in a 'big boy bed' and has been evicted from his crib pending his baby sisters arrival in a couple short months.

In true Ashley fashion, this 'big boy room' could have easily just been a new bed. But of course, any excuse to redecorate and update a space, you know I'm all in!

To be fair, this transition from nursery to a big boy room was pretty swift with minimal things we needed to purchase, however, even with the small changes, it made a BIG impact.

So here is the step by step guide on how I hacked out the Ikea Kitchen of my dreams! Jude officially has a nicer kitchen than I do.

The construction part of the attic only took about two weeks from start to finish (and that includes days in between while waiting for carpet to be installed and our electrician to make it back over for finishing touches) but the time it's taken to actually get it decorated and in order, well, that's another story. So, here we are, well over a month later, with the final reveal!

When we purchased the home in 2013, it needed some TLC. Wall to wall carpeting, wood walls and very old wallpaper that crumbled in tiny pieces. We had a limited budget but wanted to bring the house to the 21st century and live somewhere that was aesthetically pleasing.

Sure, we could of added a roof line or an addition to the house, but not on our shoestring budget. After looking at several different options (Retractable awnings, Sun Shades, Canopies, etc.) we decided on a pergola. It added dimension at a minimal cost.

We purchased a pergola kit from Menard's and had to alter a couple of things to make it work for our house. We wanted it to attach to the house to add the dimension we were looking for. We have three large windows that overlook our backyard and we didn't want the view to be obstructed by a large structure, so it was imperative that the Pergola sit above the windows as you can see below.