My kitchen renovation, Part 4: phasing the project : Annie Elliott Design

In my last post, I alluded to the gray area at the left side of Aidan Design‘s floor plan for our kitchen renovation.

Floor plan for DC kitchen renovation for DC interior designer Annie Elliott — Aidan Design’s kitchen plan

The gray part would be the addition to the kitchen. The place where we’ll be able to sit down and eat. You know, the main reason for wanting to do this renovation in the first place ;) (Although I really, really also wanted to get rid of the salmon-colored Formica. Charming though it may be.)

1980s kitchen renovation by Aidan Design and DC interior designer Annie Elliott — Can you believe I’m even showing you the horrid “before” pictures? I’m so brave ;)

Nadia Subaran of Aidan put the addition in light gray to illustrate how we could do the renovation in two phases: Phase 1: Current Footprint, and Phase 2: Addition.

My first thought: UGH. My second thought: No!

The idea of stretching the kitchen renovation out even longer was not appealing. John and I were chomping at the bit to have a new kitchen, dining area and all. (Ok, I was chomping, John was nibbling around the edges. Still.)

Eat-in kitchen by Blair Harris as a model for DC kitchen renovation by interior designer Annie Elliott — Is an eat-in Kitchen going to have to wait? Say it ain’t so! A lovely, clean dining area by Blair Harris in Desire to Inspire

But Nadia and her team were able to start IMMEDIATELY on the renovation of the existing footprint. The contractor could start IMMEDIATELY. The cabinetry layout was pretty straightforward, so we could order those ALMOST IMMEDIATELY.

AND — this is no small thing — if we started right away, most of the renovation could take place during the summer, when the kids would at overnight camp or with grandparents. As anyone who has lived through a renovation with kids knows, this is huge.

Kitchen with yellow stove and artwork, inspiration for DC interior designer Annie Elliott — A happy, sunny kitchen by Escapade in Apartment Therapy

There were several good reasons for a two-phase plan.

An addition requires an architect (the gray addition in the plan above is a placeholder)
An addition requires a bunch of permits, which can take months to secure
An addition will cost more than staying within the existing footprint (obviously), but we have no idea how much more until we have a drawing

So it was either do the project in two phases, renovating half now (and to be fair, it’s really more than half, since the current footprint encompasses the functional part of the kitchen); pausing for design, pricing, and permits, and building the addition later; or wait goodness knows how many months more and build the whole darn kitchen at once.

Glossy blue butler's pantry with marble counters by Ashley Whittaker as inspiration for DC interior designer Annie Elliott — A bold Butler’s Pantry by Ashley Whittaker in The Glam Pad

I’m usually an “all at once,” “rip off the Band-aid” kind of girl, but I’m also not patient. I’d lived with this kitchen for 11+ years, and I couldn’t wait any longer. The thought of making another Christmas dinner in this kitchen was too depressing to contemplate.

So. Two phases it is.

Now we get to think about cabinetry, countertops, flooring, tiles, hardware…you know, the fun stuff.

Bossy color | Annie Elliott interiors is based in Washington, D.C. We create outrageously beautiful homes, starting with color.