The Day's Journal

Finding beauty in the everyday pieces of life

Kitchen remodel

Leelanau Lake House

0 · ·

In 1985 my grandparents bought a tiny cottage on lake Leelanau (you can read about their spontaneous adventure here), which coincidentally was the same year I was born.  That was the start of my forever ties to Leelanau.

Time as moved forward, as it so often does.  They have since left this world, leaving behind a place of nostalgia.  A home that has been filled with laughter, joy, uncountable family gatherings, bonfires by the water, unfruitful fishing trips, sandy toes, wet beach towels, winter blizzards, root beer floats, raspberry bushes, and a whole slew of other memories.  This list could go on for hours.  When my grandparents passed, I thought those memories would leave as well.  I thought that summer might just cease to exist.  It was more than just a peninsula and region that I loved visiting, it was home.  While I could certainly pack my bags and stay at a hotel for a little summer get away, it just wouldn’t be the same.

Lake House | TownLine Journal

Photography: Samantha James Photography

Fortunately, my parents were able to keep the dream alive.  They are now living in my grandparents dream cottage.    But along with it came the outdated burgundy and blue wallpaper, the tacky laminate floors, the original 1970s paneling, years of additions onto the original home which left for an inconsistent flow and a bathroom that was once a closet.  Yes, this place is anyone’s dream house.  Classy.

It’s become a labor of love.  And while I, myself, haven’t exactly been the one laboring, I have been extremely involved in the overall design of the improvements to the space.  The master bedroom has been completely redone with hardwood flooring, a walk in closet and a full bathroom with laundry.  The guest bath has also received an unrecognizable face lift.  The guest room proudly boasts fresh white paint, a gorgeous chandelier and beautiful hardwoods as well.  And the icing on the cake is the brand new kitchen, which is about 85% finished and I get to see for the first time this weekend.  I haven’t been there since they unveiled the original gold linoleum floors and toile(ish) paneling that were buried beneath piles of ‘improvements” through the years.

I’d love the think that this home will be our family for generations to come, but who really knows what the future really holds? Either way, we’re going to love it while we have it.

PS – I will share some pictures soon and I know it’s annoying that there aren’t any in this post, but I just don’t have them yet. However, you can follow along on Instagram and I just created a highlight in my stories catching you up on all the goodness.  Stay tuned!

Touring Our 1950’s Ranch :: Into the Kitchen

0 · ·

I’m married to a chef, so naturally having a nice kitchen was pretty high up on our wish list.  But nice isn’t the way that I would describe our kitchen when we first moved in.  It boasted the original 1950’s cabinets that had been refaced, laminate counter tops and an awkward cabinet that hung down making conversations between the eating area and main space nearly impossible.

When we purchased the house, we were naive enough to think that little paint and new appliances would be all needed to make the space livable.  It didn’t take long for us to realize our mistake.  The upper cabinets were so low a coffee maker couldn’t even sit on the counter, that awkward dividing cabinet loomed over valuable counter space.  There weren’t enough outlets, the stove wasn’t in a very convenient position being stuck in the way and the dishwasher was across from the sink.

We lived a couple of years like this before finally tackling the project.  This was the biggest renovation to our house and we did almost the entire thing ourselves.  Soon the entire space was gutted down to the studs. A far cry from the new coat of paint we had originally planned on. I’ve always dreamed of a white kitchen but our pocket books said otherwise.  So we purchased semi-custom, unfinished cabinets and painted them ourselves.  We were fortunate enough to find a leftover piece of granite clearanced out making the upgrade to solid surface a bit more reasonable.

The idea of adding classic and cottage style was especially appealing to me.  We used leftover pine flooring from our dining room and hung it horizontally on the walls.  Thick crown modeling made the cabinets feel really high end.  I then a took a little chance and painted my ceiling aqua, adding just a touch of color to the space.  And the corner breakfast nook with new windows might just be my favorite part.

Aqua and White Kitchen Remodel | The Day's Design | Hetler PhotographyGranite Countertops | The Day's Design | Hetler PhotographyWhite Kitchen Remodel | The Day's Design | Hetler PhotgraphyVintage China | The Day's Design | Hetler PhotographyBreakfast Nook | The Day's Design | Hetler Photography

Photography: Hetler Photography

In case you missed the first part of my home tour, you can see the living room here.  And that little tidbit from Monday’s post about putting an offer in on a house, our offer was not accepted and their counter was not acceptable to us.  We’re still searching!

Shelby signature