There's nothing I love more than a good challenge, especially when it is challenging me to finish something I started this summer - our kitchen. The One Room Challenge is a 6-week challenge, hosted by Linda of Calling It Home, to transform, finish, or fluff a room sharing weekly updates of their blog. I've watched and admired the transformations in the past, but was not in a position to participate at that time.

If you're new to Coastal Collective Co., welcome! This is a newer blog I launched in full force this Fall after taking a year off of blogging at my previous blog This, That and Life. It's been a crazy and exciting transition from being full-time stay-at-home mama for the past 10 years (and part-time blogging the past few years), to full-time blogging now that all of our kiddos are in school during the day.

New beginnings can be scary, especially not transferring any previous content I had built up, but I'm having a blast being back to blogging and sharing with you all - my personal spin on everything from interior design, furniture makeovers, fashion, and what I've learned about blogging over the years and balancing it all!

Ok, so what about the challenge?! Our little beach house kitchen is about to get DONE! Finished! When my husband and I decided to move into our little beach house, he promised I could paint the cabinets white - my dream!! Two years later and this summer I impulsively cracked open my paint can and just started. FYI....I don't recommend that, even after all that scheming in my head for months. I had quite the good and back experience through it all, sharing the occasional post on Instagram, ultimately abandoning the full makeover in its entirety once the cabinets were painted and reinstalled.

I was burnt out. Done. No more.

I was also wanting to enjoy the view, enjoy my kid's summer break, and enjoy a functioning kitchen again. Honestly, I vowed to never do a major project like that during the kid's summer break again. Yikes - but I will share what I learned with YOU, so you don't make the same mistakes I did. PLUS, I'm going to finish, because we still have a list of things to accomplish with the space. You are officially my accountability partner, ok?

Want to see the BEFORE photos already? Here are photos of our kitchen when we had it listed as a vacation rental. Yes...most of the time is spent looking out. We are extremely thankful and our move to this home has been a blessing!

So the kitchen, although very "orange-toned", was well taken care of when we bought it and it has great lines to work with. We have much bigger plans in mind [renovation scale] to move the stove, flatten the island to countertop height, and upgrade appliances and flooring, but this plan is our mid-way "make it better on a budget with little mess" plan.

Here's the vision and plan:

Make it affordable and manageable with the family schedule - so no new countertops, appliances, flooring, etc. at this time.
Paint the cabinets white.
Paint the walls - which color though, still not sure.
Source, buy, and install knobs and pulls for the cabinets.
Source, buy and install a new kitchen faucet. The current sink will stay.
Choose finishing items: window treatments, kitchen rug, kitchen towels, wall decor.
Tackle the backsplash.
Address better storage solutions and organization of items in the cabinets and drawers.
Address the little nook space next to the cabinets.
Address the dining nook by the window.

I'd say that's a pretty good list to tackle over the next 6 weeks! Check back every Thursday for updates and the final reveal with be November 12th - just before my birthday! Woohoo! Here is the vision and a few inspirational photos to give you a better idea of my style and the looks I am drawn to.