Kitchen Progress

I’ve had big plans for this kitchen ever since we moved into this house. I was never a fan of the blonde cabinets, I didn’t care for the flooring, and the backsplash was kind of mauve colored…not my favorite. Well, we have replaced the flooring, and now we’re moving onto the backsplash.

This tile was my original choice:

That is, until I realized how much of it we actually needed. Once costs were figured [double what we had expected],a new plan of action was needed. 

But I really, really loved that tile. Sniff.

So, a compromise was made. I convinced Jonathan to go with a 3x6” brick style travertine seen here:

I’m going to use this over the majority of the backsplash area in a brick pattern. Above the stove, I’m going to use my beloved original choice and frame it with matching trim pieces. And since the 3x6” tiles are half the cost of the others, I’ll be saving $$.

Now, as I’m typing this, I’m still wrestling with the decision. You see, as of now, my kitchen looks like this:

 

The guys that will be installing the tile are scheduled to come today, which means I still have time to run to the store and pick up my ever-so-perfect original choice. But while I know that kitchen and baths offer the greatest return on investment, we do run the risk of overspending for the neighborhood.

Our neighborhood ranges from cheaper tract homes to expensive custom estates. We live in a section that is somewhere in between. I think we have a very nice home, but from my window I can see two houses that have the exact same floor plan. I’m trying to strike a balance between making our home feel more custom without pricing it out of the area. I think the improvements we’ve done thus far will give us some return on our investment, but we still have a long list of to-dos, some of which are necessary [i.e. replacing carpet, fixing the roof, replacing the fence] and some of which are for personal enjoyment [i.e. painting the cabinets, turning a bedroom into a studio, building a banquette in the breakfast room], which means I have to make smarter, more budget conscious choices.

And since the doorbell just rang, I guess I am forced to make the smart choice.

xo

nessa dee