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If I can survive remodeling my kitchen for a month, you can too. Oh, how I wanted those new beautiful kitchen cabinets I had seen on the BJ Tidwell website. I had my heart set on those BJ Tidwell Monarch Devonshire II Raised Panel Maple cabinets in a Chestnut Finish. We had gone to the visit the showroom not far from our home, and we looked at the entire Tidwell collection of cabinets, doors, styles, finishes, drawers and hardware. I simply couldn’t get those stunning cabinets out of my mind. I finally convinced my husband that it was time to replace the original outdated dingy pine cabinets that had come with our house. Since we were replacing the cabinets, why not get new granite counters to complement our new look and make our kitchen renovation complete? While routine cabinet installation takes just a day or two, it was ordering the granite and replacing the counters that caused the month-long delay and make the project seem endless.

Getting organized amid chaos
Any home renovation is bound to be disruptive but tearing apart your kitchen is a huge inconvenience. Unloading cabinets, packing dishes, glasses, cutlery, pots and pans is time consuming. Let’s not forget the junk drawer; every kitchen has at least one. So, here’s some advice. You need to find alternate storage where you can still access your dishes. If you don’t plan to dine out for a month, you need to set up a space where you can chop veggies, prepare meals and sit down to eat. The biggest inconvenience is having everything set up, but the kitchen sink. After the first week of washing dishes in our downstairs bathroom sink, “light dawned on Marble Head” and paper plates, plastic cups, and disposable utensils became the order of the day.

But what about the dogs?
Dogs and cats are creatures of habit and so if anyone’s nose will get out of joint from the disruption, it will be Hoover’s and Velvet’s. Not only do you need to access fresh water and dog food at least twice a day, but you need to find a new spot their bowls. Thankfully, it doesn’t take long for them to adjust to their new eating spot. Then, there’s the workmen; the strangers coming in and out with tools, materials and debris. They make lots of noise, not to mention a big mess, but most of the time, they are conscientious about tidying up. Let’s just say, my husband and the pets spent a lot of time holed up in the master bedroom with the TV on and door closed.

Improvising through the inconvenience
Life without a kitchen can be a pain, but it can also inspire creativity and resourcefulness. Using paper plates and finding alternate spaces in your home, ordering take out, and pretending we were just camping out were just some of the accommodations we made to make the experience more fun. But the real thrill comes from just watching your new beautiful kitchen come to life before your eyes. That was exciting as we started to envision our stunning space.

Behold – the finished product
Once our new kitchen cabinets were installed and the granite counters were finally in, we were able to put our kitchen back together again only this time with much more usable, functional storage space. Everything was back to normal; our dogs were eating in their usual spot, and we stored the paper plates and plastic forks in under the counter cabinet pull-out drawer. Our new drawers donned my hand-picked designer knobs and handles that added that special touch. I finally had my new beautiful kitchen with my BJ Tidwell Monarch Devonshire II Raised Panel Maple cabinets in a Chestnut Finish and they are stunning. My new kitchen looks like it belongs in a designer showroom and I am already planning my inaugural dinner party for 10! I was embarrassed to entertain with my old kitchen. All I can say is, thank you BJ Tidwell! The short-lived inconvenience was worth it!