Blk Lava Lamp

People often call me “intense,” but I prefer the word efficient. When I hyperfixate on something, I can’t focus on anything else—or even breathe—until it’s finished. It’s both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, I get things done. On the other, I’m constantly exhausted, and I never really know where my brain will take me next.

One of my biggest hobbies (besides sewing, of course) is making my home feel more “me.” We built our house in 2021, and while I love it, I let the designer talk me out of a few things—well, more like convince me out of them. There were also a few design upgrades I skipped because they were purely aesthetic and didn’t fit our budget at the time.

For example, I originally wanted to paint the whole house in dark tones, but after weeks of back-and-forth, I gave in to the designer’s advice that dark paint would suck the light out of the space. I’ve since realized that I just need to trust my gut. My style is dark, cozy, and rich with color saturation—and that’s okay. Since we have a long list of updates and plenty of rooms to repaint anyway, I tend to jump into a project whenever I’m feeling manic or bored. My partner’s just learned to roll with it at this point—he’s never surprised when he comes home to a new project in progress or random home supplies showing up at the door.

One of the first spaces I tackled was the pantry (ignore the clutter). It wasn’t really what I wanted, but it came included with the house at no extra cost. What I really wanted was more counter space to store and use our appliances—especially the ones we rely on weekly. The pantry is relatively small, but my goal was to give it some butler’s pantry vibes.

BEFORE:

So, like any normal person starting a project, I spent way too many hours looking at hundreds of cabinets. I finally found the ones I loved, slept on it for a couple days, then closed my eyes and hit “purchase.”

The next day, I tore everything out of the pantry to get ready for install along with the door frame. BYE BYE Door. I had ordered two lower cabinets and two uppers. Once they arrived and we started putting them in, we realized pretty quickly that the upper cabinets weren’t going to work in the space no matter how much I wanted them to.

So I pivoted—and honestly, it worked out. I’d been eyeing this wallpaper from wallcolors that is a reprint of an old medieval tapestry and had no clue where to put it. The pantry wall behind the now shelves idea ended up being the perfect spot. It all came together in a totally unplanned, very “me” kind of way.

I painted the ceiling and walls this really pretty dark blue. Things were finally starting to come together… and then, of course, we hit another snag.

Home Depot came out to measure for the quartz counters I wanted, but they couldn’t make my hinged countertop idea work. I was trying to avoid that awkward dead space in the corner, but since quartz is so heavy, the hinged part just wasn’t possible.

So I hit up my friend Larry, who owns a custom woodworking business, and he totally made it happen. He built exactly what I was picturing, and honestly, it turned out so good. Way better than settling for something that wasn’t me. He ended up building the counters, backsplash, and shelves exactly how I pictured them—actually, even better than I imagined. Every little detail was spot on, and it honestly made the whole space feel custom, which I love.

Larry (Reaves Woodworks) has actually done a bunch of pieces in my home, and I’ve loved every single one. If you’re anywhere near Columbia, SC and need anything custom or wood-related—he’s your guy. Seriously can’t recommend him enough.

AFTER: FYI—I know there’s a bunch of stuff on the shelves, but I like it that way. I want my photos to feel real and lived-in, like an actual home, not something out of a catalog. I don’t really “style” them, I just tidy up a bit and let the space speak for itself.

Peep the beige and blue vintage Pyrex bowl that used to belong to my great-grandma Rose—it just happens to match the pantry perfectly. Total meant-to-be moment.

Also, peep my big brown speckled bowl from From Dust Pottery that’s currently holding our ridiculous collection of koozies. She’s one of my absolute favorite pottery artists here in Columbia, SC. Everything she makes is so pretty, and her workshops are seriously such a good time.

Next up: finishing the pantry doorway I ripped out. We’re turning it into the archway of my dreams. It’s going to add so much character, and I cannot wait to see it all come together.