Samia Verbist
Oct 10, 20192 min
Updated: Sep 14, 2022
I am really proud to participate for the first time in the One Room Challenge (ORC) as a guest participant! It is not a competition but a great way to show you all the process of a make-over in six weeks for one room!
The One Room Challenge (ORC) was started by design blogger Linda Weinstein several years ago. It was a way for her and a group of fellow bloggers to focus on decorating a room in their homes over six weeks. The Mission Statement of the ORC is to provide participants with a supportive, enthusiastic forum to share the process of transforming a room. The ORC is not a competition but a celebration of creativity, inspiration, and original ideas. The designers document their process every Wednesday while sharing their sources and professional advice over six weekly posts.
So, now you know a little more about the ORC, let's start with my first room for this challenge: my kitchen. My husband and I just bought our first house in California six months ago, and of course, I tried to find a home I could remodel and found it in Huntington Beach, close to the beach! We have several rooms to update, and we decided to start with the kitchen.
First remodel project: the kitchen.
This house was built in 1968. Only one owner before us, and the kitchen was more than 20 years old! Here are some photos:
As you can see, I have to change everything, but I like the floor plan of this kitchen. I love to cook, and this space is functional for me! I can cook and new countertop because of the large countertop I will create. And I'll be able to discuss it with my husband, and my friends simultaneously! It is fantastic!
To give you a better understanding of the space, here is a floor plan I created. As you can see, the kitchen is open to the dining area, and the living room, which is an extension made 20 years ago by the previous owner! I bought this house because of this living room. There is something special in this room, but I will show it to you another day!!!
The budget is limited, so I decided to keep the existing cabinets. They were made of solid wood, but everything else will be brand new: A new countertop, a new (calacatta quartz), backsplash in marble mosaic, faucet, sink, and the appliances will be unique too! I will add two pendant lights above the countertop, and I will add cabinet handles (there are no handles to the cabinets right now)!
This is my concept board for the kitchen: coastal with this beautiful greenish/turquoise color from Benjamin Moore (Bali 702) and chic with all the faucet, cabinet handles, and lighting in gold! I love gold!
It is time to start working on it, and I will see you next week with the first step: Demolition!
See you next week!
Your Dedicated French Interior Designer
Samia