By Sophie Syvertson
Photos by Hillary Ehlen
My name is Sophie, and my other half’s name is Logan. We are 24-year-old homeowners residing in Wahpeton, ND. I am the owner of Sophie Grace Photography based out of Fargo. I may have a slight obsession with HGTV, and Logan makes all of my crazy ideas come true. We closed on and moved into our house in March 2018. It is a 1973 model home, and oh boy, was it in need of an update!
BEFORE
BEFORE
Straight Out of the 70s
The kitchen was STRAIGHT out of the 70s. It had dark (fake wood) cabinets with soffits and some crazy design on the front. They were falling off of the walls when we moved in, and it was so dark in the kitchen that I knew it needed to be renovated. When looking at houses, I wasn’t too concerned with the kitchens as I knew I’d want to renovate any kitchen anyway.
From Demo to Dream Kitchen
I started busting out the cabinets and soffit the weekend of June 23, 2018, and I finished the tile on August 15. There are still minor little things I’d like to touch up here and there, but for the most part, that is when it was done.
If you are like us and plan to tackle a big kitchen renovation, be prepared and know you will spend more. Our initial thought was to just re-face and paint the cabinets, then we did a complete demolition instead! Our new cabinets are from Dakota Cabinetry in Wahpeton. They were awesome to work with and super prompt with ordering and questions. Almost everything else, we purchased from your typical home reno stores: Lowes, Home Depot and Menards.
Concrete Decisions
The most challenging part of our kitchen renovation was the waiting time. Certain things had to be done before we could move on to the next. For example, when we DIYed the concrete countertops, it took Logan and I about three weeks of pouring, curing and sealing before they were done.
Of course, we had to have those in before the appliances and the tile, so the process just seemed to take forever! I work from home, so living in a demolition zone drove me nuts, but the end results were so rewarding and worth it.
Now, my favorite part of the kitchen is the open shelving, with the concrete countertops running a close second. I just love how the open shelves make the space feel so clean and bright and how the wood matches the barn wood of the farmhouse table that Loganbuilt for us. Our family and friends helped out a ton in the renovation process, and they really love how it turned out when we have them over.
When we aren’t renovating, Logan and I enjoy traveling, the lake and of course, our two fur babies, Loki and Ivy.
Kitchen Inspo
For kitchen inspiration, I usually look to Pinterest and Instagram. One of my favorite Instagram reno pages to follow is Vintage Revivals. Actually, I also pull a lot of inspiration from the City Brew Hall in Wahpeton. I dig the industrial style and I get a lot of ideas out of that building.
To see more of our home renovation projects, follow @sophiegracephoto on Instagram.
