First - a secret I need to share. We are pretty good at getting things done around the house. David can build, we can paint, and I'm A+ at buying things, especially shopping online. But when it comes to picking out things and deciding color schemes, accessories, furniture, etc. - we both freeze. And then I run to my laptop to email Bri Moysa at Emerson Grey Designs. Bri is amazing. We first met her when commenting on a pin on Pinterest of a nursery she had designed. One of my best friends reached out to Bri and got her to design her daughter's nursery, then we reached out to her and she put together a design for Sagan's nursery. It was amazing. The guidance, attention to detail - and she just gets us and what style we're going for. We later had Bri's assistance to redesign our living room and kitchen in our old house, which we equally fell in love with. Her talent is amazing! Out of respect for Bri, I won't post source links to all the details, but will try to include them for main pieces.
So, as soon as we planned to buy the Olive on Olive, I reached out to Bri and let her know her assistance would definitely be needed. All that to say - while we're doing the physical labor here, it's under the guidance of the very talented Bri Moysa. :)
To the kitchen...first, I think you need to see some before pics. Excuse the mess - I'm pretty sure this was the week we moved in, so boxes. for. days.
Before: Kitchen Entryway
Before: Light Fixtures
Before: Green Island, Unexposed Brick
Before: Microwave Shelf
First, the island. I didn't mind the green color it was before, but we felt it needed an update. We worked with Sherwin Williams to figure out how to paint over the catalyzed varnish that was on there. We lucked out and found that we needed only to lightly sand the varnish then use oil-based paint with penetrol added to help it self-level for a smooth finish. We chose SW's gauntlet grey. It's perfect - not too dark, not too light. David painted it and I'm so proud of how it turned out!
The island is painted SW's Gauntlet Gray.
Next, the walls. The walls were a light shade of yellow before. We went with Benjamin Moore's Sweet Spring. It has a hint of green, hint of gray. It's perfect for brightening up a room. It's insane what a transformation a coat (well a couple of coats) of paint will do. ESPECIALLY if you also paint the trim. We are huge fans of Sherwin Williams Pro Classic Semi-Gloss in Bright White. We love the bright white and the sheen it provides. It gives the entire room a facelift.
Another thing that immediately changes a space is replacing light fixtures. We swapped out the brass ones that were there for these, and love the huge difference it made!
Sources: Light Fixture | Pendants
You'll notice a special project we have going on over in the corner. We are exposing the painted brick, and it looks amazing so far! It's taken probably 14 hours to uncover as much as you see there. Slowly but surely, we will remove the paint off every one of those bricks and it will be glorious. I'll have an entire post about exposing the brick, the process we're using, and more.
In the entryway, we wanted it to be functional but still pretty. Bri chose a bench, coat rack, and cabinet for us that we love. I think the olive tree, quote, and tray perfectly round out that space, along with the feather prints and pillows. As for the quote - "today is a great day for a great day" - that was a fun DIY project I'll share details about soon!
Still to come is a command center (David's finishing up the brackets he's making to hang the shelves) next to the door. We also plan on replacing that door at some point this spring. The one other piece we're missing is cabinet doors above the fridge. The previous owners kept a TV up there, but we'd rather have cabinet doors so it's more functional for us and provides additional storage. One of the biggest transformations on that side of the room is the addition of a new microwave and trim kit. Above the oven was an open space with a microwave sitting in it when we first moved in. We love the finished look of the microwave + trim kit.
We're really proud of how the kitchen is coming along. We still need to finish accessorizing and a few of the projects I mentioned above, but we absolutely love how it's coming together.
