Those lucky enough to build their own house, allowing them to choose everything from paint to lighting know how much fun it can be. But it is so much easier to do it on the front end, rather than later. I purchased my craftsman-style bungalow 5 years ago when it was already completed. I loved it and still do. Obviously there were a few things I would've done differently, specifically the kitchen.

Don't get me wrong, the custom cabinets are beautiful, I just feel like with the hardwood floors, it's SO much brown. Only one window really allows light to come in from the side, so the kitchen feels dark a lot of the time.

Initiate: Open up the kitchen. I've found that managing a remodel has had it's snafus, playing project manager and wrangling 5-6 different people (painter, carpenter, counter-top company, tile installer, etc.). But, after combing Cultivate, Houzz.com and Pinterest for months, collecting examples of my ideal kitchen, given the space I have to work with, I knew what I wanted to do.

I saw so many examples of smaller kitchens like my own that were opened up by tearing down some of the boxy cabinetry and installing exposed shelving. I decided that's where I'd start. I'd tear down the cabinets on each side of the sink, install shelves to house my items, most commonly used e.g., bowls, plates, glasses, thrown in with a mix of decorative items.

Additionally, I wanted to tear out the under-mounted stainless sink and replace it with a farmhouse, apron-front sink.

So far, the sink and shelving have been installed and it already opens up the kitchen SO much. Next on the list is new granite, panting all of the cabinets and shelving and adding the backsplash.

Stay tuned for the big reveal!