One Room Challenge (ORC): Fall edition

Customizing the kitchen one drawer and cabinet at a time as part of the ORC

It’s that time again for another One Room Challenge (ORC). I participated for the first time in the Spring starting phase one of the kitchen renovation. I will do a post later on this month how the spring challenge went. Hint: I finished it this week!

ORC spring 2022 moodboard for a kitchen renovation. Image shows the current kitchen witchery staines cabinets. The plan is to paint the kitchen cabinets a dark color, replace the faucet, tile a backsplash and the three colors in the color story are Tricorn black, Canyon Orange and Agreeable gray all by sherwin williams

This is what was completed in the Spring! I continues on after June and got so much done!

What is the One room challenge?

The One Room Challenge (ORC) is hosted by Better Homes and Gardens and it is challenge where there are no winners and losers. You are challenging yourself to complete a room in any manner you see fit during the specified 8-week timeline. We are not competing against each other only our past self. The goal isa to make a plan, tackle it, encourage others along the way and show your progress each week. I like the format because it gives me a reason to make regular posts and show my progress rather than wait to a big reveal.

Fall ORC Plan

With the Fall ORC, I decided I still wanted to participate but take it easy. So instead of tackling a whole new room, I am continuing with my kitchen but give it the upgrades you tend to see in a showroom, but on a budget! In the spring several things happened that added to the kitchen budget. My fridge stopped working which forced me to get a brand new French drawer refrigerator. It is beautiful but not originally in the plan. Next, when I removed the wood paneling behind the breakfast bar, there was MOLD! I took several days to patch and remediate the issue. Removing the paneling was difficult and along with it the plantation shutters came off. As a result some damage was done but it was weeks before I got it back up.

The moodboard

Mood board showing the plan for the One room Challenge ORC. Board and Batten to go behind orange breakfast bar, custom cabinet door and drawer inserts and a new dishwasher — ORC Fall Mood Board

By take it easy…I really hope this is it because it sort of seems like a lot. The goal is to make the kitchen function better and to have things inside more organized! The only design element is the board and batten. I removed paneling in the Spring and now the walls seem too bare. The board and batten will come in here, it will give the walls a little more texture and will be great for hanging garlands and lights come Christmas!

Dishwasher Replacement

Next is the dishwasher, I currently have a Samsung dishwasher I hate. Nothing gets quite clean and I tend to wait until I can fill it up to run a cycle. Dishes can be in there for a week or more unless I make a crazy meal. The solution for me is a Fisher and Paykel Dish Drawer, there are two drawers. The drawers can run independently and are great for smaller loads.

Custom Drawer Insert

Make it look built in!

Current drawer. Shows a very messy drawer with mismatched wood drawer inserts and utensils not quite fitting inside. This will change for the ORC — Current drawer inserts

Finally, the custom drawer and cabinet inserts…this is what separates high end kitchens from regular ones. I will be doing these on a budget as much as I can, DIY using wood I already have. Why? Part of it to show that it can be done and partly because they are expensive and I want a more affordable option. For example the Rev-a-shelf metal version of the trashcan pull out is $50 -$110. If you look at the image below…the custom looking one is three pieces of plywood put together!

Trashcan Drawer

For the next 8 weeks the nuts and bolts so to speak will be transformed. DIY is to make my home work for me and finishing this kitchen project will do just that. Follow along with me here on the Blog and on Instagram @afroandreno to see my progress on the Fall ORC!

If you are new to the blog, my first post give you a little more information about me, breaking stereotypes both in the DIY community and in Tech.