We’re making it a point to document the present since we are going to make some changes to the apartment. That way, we can look back and see how far we’ve come!

In case you missed these posts, you can catch up on our living room and our master bedroom. In this post, I’m going to share what our kitchen looked like before and now.

Kitchen – Then

In this part of the world, having two separate kitchens (a wet and a dry kitchen) is extremely common. A dry kitchen is used for food preparation whereas a wet kitchen is used for heavy cooking like deep frying and messy food prep like filleting a fish.

Our apartment layout had an existing dry and wet kitchen setup. I initially thought of hacking some walls to create a large kitchen, but it was out of our budget. So, we kept the layout and designed our kitchen around it.

I have to be honest – I didn’t spend a lot of time working on the design of the kitchen. As a result, I sometimes feel that I may have chosen aesthetics over function. Do I have regrets? Absolutely.

But, I don’t want to beat myself up over it. When we bought this apartment, my husband and I were at the peak of our careers. Our schedules were crazy busy, and cooking just wasn’t a priority. Accepting this kitchen – flaws and all – means embracing that chapter of our lives.

Dry Kitchen

The one thing my husband and I both agreed on was that we didn’t want excessive storage, especially in the dry kitchen.

Storage is important, but we figured floor-to-ceiling built-in cabinetry would make us feel claustrophobic. We settled on a matte white solid surface for our countertops, blue-grey shaker cabinets, and floating wooden shelves for the final look.

Our other must-haves included a double-door refrigerator, a sink, and a peninsula.

We decided to go for a marble peninsula instead of a bar counter because I don’t like sitting on bar stools! I always feel like I’m about to fall whenever I’m on them! How do people find them comfortable?

We deliberately requested no cabinetry underneath the peninsula so that my husband has enough room to stretch his long legs.

The pièce de résistance of our dry kitchen has to be our matte white hexagon backsplash. Our interior designer suggested doing an asymmetrical pattern on one side, and we loved the idea! We thought it was such a clever way to modernize a classic tile.

Finally, we incorporated brass accents like the pendant lighting, cabinet knobs and handles, and faucet. I love how everything came together to create a contemporary yet warm kitchen. The final result was everything I’d envisioned and more!

Wet Kitchen

The original kitchen had floor-to-ceiling grey tiles. I was impartial to them, but I knew removing them would be very costly. Since they were a neutral color, we kept them because I knew they wouldn’t make or break a design.

We used the same cabinetry and floating shelves in our wet kitchen to maintain cohesiveness between the two kitchens. We did, however, add upper cabinetry for additional storage.

Our designer suggested building a custom hood, but we opted out because we’d already gone above our budget. In hindsight, this would’ve elevated the space, but I guess that’s something we’ll have to include in our plans next time!

Of course, we had to include our non-negotiables: an induction hob, a built-in oven, and a double sink for all the necessary cooking and cleaning.

For this kitchen, we decided to mix metals. We chose a chrome faucet and kitchen appliances but stuck with brass for our kitchen cabinet hardware. Mixing metals made this kitchen feel more casual and accessible.

Lastly, we installed a glass backsplash for both walls. I admit it wasn’t my first choice, but our designer recommended them because they were easy to clean and durable. Although that’s true, I really can’t stand how it gives off a green tint, especially in photos!

Kitchen – Now

I love our kitchen. I really do! Here’s a video about all the things I love about my kitchen.

Three years later, our kitchen still feels modern and fresh. We haven’t done many changes to it because why fix it if it ain’t broke, right?

The only thing I want to sort out this year is to organize the kitchen. We’ve decluttered a couple of times, and I’ve moved things around. But, I’m working on putting together a more structured system in place so we can optimize our space.

We don’t have a lot of storage, so I need to be smart about organizing! So far, I’m happy with ONE cabinet, and that’s the under-the-sink storage. Organizing everything is a work in progress, but we’re going to get there eventually.

Kitchen – What’s next?

I’ve been thinking about how to improve our current kitchen to make it more functional. Our wet kitchen leads to our service yard (where our laundry gets done) and a small room with an en suite. We didn’t renovate both areas (again, budget), so they’re looking pretty sad and neglected.

My dream is to have all three areas connected somehow. I don’t have a concrete plan, but I’m thinking of removing the door in the wet kitchen that leads to the service yard.

I would also like to transform the service yard into a proper laundry area. I think the key to tying both areas together is to change the floor tiles so that they match. This might be my opportunity to finally pick a tile that would brighten the wet kitchen!

Besides that, I’m thinking of converting the room into a walk-in pantry cum utility room. The room is currently a hot mess (sorry, no photos!), so the idea of having a purposeful and organized space excites me to bits!

I have A LOT on my wishlist, but I’m NOT going to tackle any of the above this year. Hopefully, we’ll get some things checked off next year.

The only thing I’ll be changing this year is the glass backsplash in the wet kitchen. I’m thinking of trying peel-and-stick wallpaper, which should hopefully do the trick. While I’m at it, I might add a kitchen rail so I can take advantage of much-needed vertical storage.

I can’t wait to see how these minor updates will instantly refresh the kitchen!

The kitchen is far from being completely done, but that’s the beauty of turning a house into a home. Creating a home takes time!

What are some things you’d like to change about your kitchen?

The post Then And Now: What Our Kitchen Looked Like Before And Now appeared first on That Isle Life.

Everything is structurally still the same, but we’ve redecorated some areas and added lots of new home decor items and plants since. There are elements of the home that I still absolutely adore, but there are also some that I can’t wait to change!

I have a few projects up my sleeve, but I think we should document the present before we make any changes. Then, we can look back and reflect on how far we’ve come, which is always fun! Chris Love Julia’s Then, Now, and Next blog posts have also inspired me to capture my own then, now, and next progress photos.

So, for today’s post, I thought I’d share some then and now photos of our living room after three years of living in it. Stay tuned, as I write about each room in our apartment for the next few months!

Related:

• The Best Three Decisions We Made For Our Home Renovation

Before we dive straight in, here’s a little background info about our apartment. We bought the place in 2017, renovated it from Jan-April 2018, and officially moved in in May 2018.

Since both of us had jam-packed schedules at that time, we hired an interior designer to help us manage renovations. We were very involved in the initial design and layout phase but left all the styling decisions to them.

I wish I’d taken control over the styling part, but it was truly one of my busiest years where I was overseeing three retail build-ups for work.

I definitely should’ve paid more attention to my own home though. That remains one of my biggest regrets to this day. I guess that’s another story for a different day…

Living Area – Then

Fun fact: we bought the couch and coffee table even before we received the keys to our apartment! They were the first pieces of furniture we bought. I loved everything about the couch, from the plush cream cushions to the built-in walnut shelves. There’s just something about it that screams “Balinese villa” to me, which was exactly the look I wanted for the apartment.

Our interior designers styled the area with mismatched throw pillows, rattan poufs, and decorative candles. They introduced us to a lot of patterns and colors, and we pulled the entire space together by adding a rug.

Now, I know the rug is too small for the area. But, the rug was on sale, and we needed something inexpensive just in case our dog misbehaved! (Spoiler alert: she has… multiple times!)

For our window nook, our interior designers kept it simple and styled it with a throw and two pillows. On the day of the shoot, they placed my laptop on the seat. I think they can already tell that the nook is a great spot to work from!

Then, there’s our TV console, which was empty for the longest time. Our interior designers didn’t style it, and I kept it that way. I guess I just wanted a clean and sleek-looking console since we already had so many contrasting colors and patterns.

Overall, the living area gave off a whimsical and bohemian vibe that felt fun but didn’t reflect my style.

Living area – Now

After three years, we’ve completely redecorated the space, and it feels a lot more me now. Firstly, I have gotten rid of the bright colors and completely embraced neutrals. I also added MORE throw pillows because I love how they add subtle prints and textures to the couch.

Thankfully, we still LOVE the couch as much as we did then. The only thing is that my husband thinks the couch is cursed. Whoever sits on it will eventually fall asleep! It’s true, but I think that just means the couch is ultra-comfortable.

On the other hand, I wish I could still say I love the coffee table! Now that everything is in its place, I think the overall space feels too angular. A round coffee table would’ve softened the entire look.

Since we don’t want to spend additional money on replacing the coffee table, I restyled the coffee table to make it look cozier. I added a few curved elements like a taupe ceramic vase and a marble pillar candle.

Additionally, I updated the TV console by adding decor on each side of the TV. I freestyled this part of the area because I haven’t found the right things to complement the space yet.

I still don’t think it looks right, but the artwork on the TV makes everything look better. And no, this isn’t the Samsung Frame TV that I wish I’d purchased. This is a hack I discovered recently, and I use it all the time now. All you have to do is type “TV art” on Youtube and choose your fav “artwork.” It’s TRANSFORMATIVE!

Besides that, you may probably notice a few stains on the rug as well. All I can say is thank goodness we didn’t splurge on a rug!

As much as I want to purchase a new rug, I keep reminding myself that I have a dog who throws messy tantrums. We’ll send the rug for a deep clean once things open up, but in the meantime, I’m going to keep adding rugs into my wishlist. A girl can dream, right?

Finally, we have our window nook, which used to be our favorite part of our living room but is now the most problematic. We switched all of the pillows to the other side because we experienced a major leak from the window. Since then, the paint is peeling badly, and one of the cushions is growing mold. Eww.

If you’re thinking of building a window nook, always be sure to have your walls properly sealed!!! I have a feeling this is going to be an expensive lesson for us!

Living area – What’s next?

First things first, our window nook needs fixing. This is our main priority because we don’t want more rainwater to come in and ruin our built-in bench. Since this is new to us, we’re going to call a contractor to see if he can repair and reseal the wall without any hacking work. Wish us luck!

Since one of the cushions has mold, we’re going to reupholster all of them. Part of me wants to use the same cream fabric, whereas another part of me wants to be bold and choose a print. Options, options…

Besides that, I’m thinking of adding a feature wall to our living room. The wall above our window nook is the first thing people see when they enter our apartment, and right now it looks a bit empty and blah.

I have thought about doing so many things to that wall, like adding open shelves or hanging a huge piece of macrame art. But, nothing seems to sit right with me so far.

Right now, I’m leaning towards experimenting with peel and stick wallpaper. But, I’ve never used wallpaper before, and I’m super nervous to bite that bullet. We’ll see.

Lastly, I’ll probably restyle my TV console since it’s not 100% there yet. I’ve been loving mixing traditional and modern pieces lately, so I’m looking to incorporate that aesthetic here.

As you can see, styling makes a BIG difference. We have no plans of replacing any of our furniture yet, so we’re just going to keep playing around with decor and see which sticks. Which version of our living room do you like best? Let me know in the comments below!

The post Then And Now: What Our Living Room Looked Like Before And Now appeared first on That Isle Life.