This topic has been taking up a lot of my mental space for the last few months, and for some reason, I’ve been avoiding talking about it, but I need to just get it off my chest.
I’ve been dying to remodel our kitchen since we purchased our home in 2017, and earlier this year, I mentioned we started planning the reno for 2024. Some back story, which you may or may not know, but when Angelo and I bought our house in June of 2017, we were both living with our parents because my ~ v traditional~ Italian parents forbade us from living together before being wed. But we were getting married in November, so we felt rushed to buy a house with the little savings we had because *heaven forbid* we still lived with our parents after we were married while looking for the perfect house.
So we settled, and almost immediately knew we didn’t want to be here forever. We always talk about the “what if” houses that we looked at, which at the time, were not too far out of our price range, and I seriously regret not pursuing them because if we just went for it, they could have been our forever homes. Like, beautiful, spacious, center hall colonials that didn’t cost much more than our lifeless bi-level.
Oh, the blissful pre-Covid market.
But for the last few months, we’ve been torn about what to do about our kitchen since we both don’t want to be here forever and have been talking about moving within the next 5ish years (if the market ever gets better).
With that said, we decided that we’re going to leave the kitchen as-is because the appliances are decent, and ultimately, I don’t want to spend money on a kitchen unless it’s going to be exactly what I want. And to be blunt, the value of our house just isn’t worth what I want to do, especially in a non-forever home. My style is too grand for our home/area.
It’s a hard pill for me to swallow because I’ve been scheming up kitchen ideas for years, and I was beyond excited to watch it come to life while sharing the process on my blog and IG. I really do think our kitchen has a lot of potential.
One of my many kitchen inspiration photos by Maddie Hughes Design
But thinking long term, I’d rather save that money for a dream house instead of spending it on a dream kitchen in a non-forever house.
We may make some minor updates, but nothing like I’ve dreamed and schemed. I’m not the type of person of who wants to spend time or energy on a sub-par space; I either go all out and create the room of my dreams, or nothing.
Instead, we’re going to focus on the areas of our house that could really use the improvement; mostly the pool, deck, and fence, and save the large sum of money we’d be spending on our next home…
whenever that comes (if ever).
I just want to recognize that we are *extremely* lucky and very privileged to even have a home, a decent-sized one at that. We are also grateful to both be able to work from home, as we each have our own bedroom to use as our office. But we’d like to, at some point, expand our family, which means our 4-bedroom space will be limited.
Our house is a decent size, but I’d be lying if I said I’ve never wanted more. I don’t necessarily long for a much larger house, just a better house. I’ve lived in a bi-level house my whole life, and my dream is to live in a house that actually has an inkling – just a glimmer of character.
With the decision to not move forward with a kitchen renovation, I’ve been feeling unmotivated and uninspired to do any house-related projects.
I’ve put in a lot of effort over the years to make this character-less house our own and more beautiful than when we bought it, and we still have plenty of fun projects to complete (our whole downstairs, a powder room, a dining room, our porch), but I’ve never felt this unmotivated to pursue a project since I started my blog in 2017.
I’m not the type of content creator who churns out project after project before jumping to our next home to repeat the process (nothing but respect for those who do, but that’s just not me/us). My brand has been built on the idea of slow, secondhand design, and I intend to keep it that way because that’s what I truly love to do.
I know I’m not alone in the concern that this *may* be our forever home if the housing market doesn’t change. I despise the unknown. Of course, there are more important future things to worry about. My family’s health and happiness are always first. But I also wonder, will I ever be able to live in a house that excites me every time I walk through the front door?
Anyway, that was a long-winded way of saying we’re not renovating our kitchen (for now). I truly think everything happens for a reason, and we were meant to live here during this season in our lives. This house has taught me so much – it’s been the perfect blank canvas for me to learn through project after project while discovering my personal style.
I miss being in the depths of projects (i.e. manic paint swatching) and sharing that here. Maybe getting this post out of my drafts folder and off my chest will ignite that spark of motivation and inspiration again, which will, in turn, inspire my audience again too
xo
Alisa
What an incredibly wise and thoughtful decision!
Alisa I too live in a split entry home. Like you I never felt this was our forever home but, being a designer I have tried to add character to our home. We have been in this home for 43 years and there are things this home will never give me. I have finally accepted the fact that this is my home and it reflects my funky design aesthetic. I am blessed to have the opportunity to work on homes that are 3-10 times the size of my house and I still pull in the driveway and say there is no place like home. I have so enjoyed your blog and your DIY’s your home is stunning. Please check out my blog because I think you might enjoy it. I love antiques as well and always buy second hand. I too try to work in real time and let my spaces evolve. I want my blog to represent what is real not what is forced. https://fortheloveofold.com
this post was refreshing. I always appreciate your honesty and ability to design in a slow and thoughtful manner.
I could have written this post myself, me and my husband constant kicking ourselves for not stretching our budget a little more when we bought in 2015, now we feel stuck. Pray the market will get better!
You are making the best decision! Once we realized that our house was not our forever home, we had to make the same call. It was tough, but we just sold it in July and are renting as we look. Thanks to the profit that we made, it’s honestly a very liberating process, and you have to have faith that the right house will come along!
I feel this in my soul. It’s hard to make any big financial decisions not knowing if or when things will pan out. Can’t wait to see where you redirect your energy!
I randomly thought about your kitchen and whether you were still planning to renovate it the other day! #whatacreep haha!! Thanks for this update. Totally understand your rationale, you’re making a smart decision! I’m sorry you feel a little stuck in your house, you’ve made it beautiful but I understand wanting something more *you*. I believe it will come to you in time!!! Waiting for your white whale house, you’ve got this!
I think you are very wise. As I have followed along I thought that it would be a mistake to upgrade the kitchen the way you want it to be and way over building for the house. As a designer and former Realtor for 20 years you will find something charming when the time is right and make it your own. A client whose kitchen I designed not long ago was so happy she made the same decision and was able to have her dream kitchen a few years later.
As a Realtor in CA (crazy making place to buy RE) I would suggest you contact an agent in your area where you want to buy and establish a relationship with he/her now. Their advice as to what further projects to do for your home and value may surprise you and lead you in the direction of your “forever” home. Good luck!
Wise decision. It’s a hard pill to swallow now, but you’ll be thankful in a few years!
You’re so lucky that you bought prior to 2020. Whenever you sell your home, you’re likely going to make a huge profit that will hopefully help you buy your dream home. If I were you, I would make the necessary additional renovations while looking for your forever house now!
We had the same builder grade cabinets and bumped out soffits as you and were able to DIY our dream deVol-esque kitchen with creative moulding to hide the depth difference, faux upper cabinet doors on the soffits, and cohesive paint to get the cabinets to the ceiling effect. Also the range is such a focal point in yours just selling and getting one you love and trimming out a wood cover for a recirculating vent would move mountains! the new range you could take with you when you move. OR swapping the existing range handles and knobs with straight line faux brass would totally transform it! Sorry, I’m probably not helping your coming to terms with not touching!! I can never come to terms in my house ???? Pinterest has too many answers..
Alisa, I constantly find myself coming back to your blog. I love your style (it isn’t my same style but there is some cross-over for sure and I still enjoy looking, and have been A-mazed at what you’ve done. And that comes from someone who has done some DIY). One more thing before I make the comment I wanted to make. I love green and you’ve been persuading me to lean green with interior design. Anyway, you’re amazing. And I appreciate your frankness with cost and your approach.
Moving on. I’m currently living in our 2nd home that I know for sure is not my “forever” home. I’ve been reluctant- extremely slow and reluctant- to do much with this home for that reason. Even more so because our plan is to make this a rental. Far from getting a return at sale with updates, it’ll be a rental. You see what I’m saying? My husband is disappointed because I don’t even feel like buying decent furniture (ha!). I’m going to have to move it and what if it doesn’t work in the next home? Our plan is that the next home will be our forever home. But we’ve been stuck here much longer than we planned and so it’s getting harder and more frustrating. Hubby wants to spend a little $ in the mean-time, and I would rather save it. I get you! But time & hubby are wearing me down for a few updates that more or less make sense. I just wanted to give that shout-out: I get you. I don’t want to burn all that time, ENERGY, and $! It’s frustrating when you don’t feel like you can even move forward. Getting what you want is on complete hold.
That all being said, I read another comment on here about some additional cheap upgrades that can be fun and make a diff. while you wait. Such as adding height to your cabinets without getting new cabinets. Don’t get stuck! But you do also have other projects in the mean-time. So work on those!