One Room Challenge, Week Six: So Close, And Yet So Far Away

Well, I gave it my best, but as I predicted last week, I didn’t finish the pantry during the time allotted in the One Room Challenge. It sure wasn’t for lack of trying, though. I don’t think I’ve taken a day off since the challenge started five weeks ago, and I’ve been working at least until midnight each night for the last two weeks. Three nights ago, I was up until 4:00am, slept for three hours, and then got to work again at 7:00am and worked until around midnight. I finished grouting the backsplash around midnight last night, and then spent another hour clearing tools, supplies and junk out of the pantry.

And I’ll admit that I was disappointed. To work so hard for five straight weeks and not finish was a huge disappointment. And last night, I was disappointed in myself.

But when I went into the pantry this morning to take pictures of my progress, I realized that I have absolutely nothing to be disappointed about, and I certainly have no reason to be disappointed in myself. I may not have finished the room, but this challenge was just exactly what I needed to get myself out of the planning rut I was in.

My pantry sat empty (or rather, gradually filling up with random junk piled on the floor) for a year-and-a-half as I hemmed and hawed over the pantry design. I was paralyzed by fear and indecision, so for the most part, my pantry sat there useless to me. So five weeks ago, at the beginning of this challenge, I cleared out the piles of junk and got to work.

And in the last five weeks, and with my own two hands, I have:

My doors and drawer fronts are finished, and safely tucked away in the corner of my studio where they will remain until all of the other projects are done. I spent way too much time and effort getting as close to a flawless finish on those as possible to chance them getting dinged and scratched while I drag tools and ladders in and out of this room while working on the remaining projects.

The frames and trim on the cabinets have been painted and given their last sanding, so they’re ready for their final coat of paint.

I finished the backsplash last night, so I’m now ready to build the open shelves that will go above the backsplash.

The ceiling paint needs touchups around the perimeter, and the walls still need to be painted.

I also need to figure out how I want to configure the storage in the two cabinets on either side of the center drawers on the back wall.

So no, it’s not finished, but I’ve made an amazing amount of progress in the last five weeks, and I’m very proud of what I’ve accomplished with my own two hands. And I’ll just keep plugging away until it’s completely finished. I’ve come too far to get sidetracked now!



EDIT: Since the One Room Challenge didn’t officially end until Sunday night, I decided to work two more days and see just how far I could get. It’s still not finished, but I got all of my open shelves built!

I’ll just keep going until it’s finished. I think I’ll need about another week to get this room completely finished.

Be sure to check out all of the other participants in the One Room Challenge!



UPDATE:

My pantry is finished! Want to see the entire project from start to finish? You can find every single post about the pantry build right here…

Or you can skip to the end and see how it turned out. Here’s a peek of the finished pantry…

Butler's pantry remodel with dark teal lower cabinets, floating corner shelves, and whitewashed wood countertop

You can see more pictures on the before and after post right here…

 

 

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125 Comments

  1. Kristi! Your progress is amazing, and you have accomplished so much. And that back splash is over the top beautiful! You have made great progress and I can’t wait to see this space complete.

  2. It looks great! Although I voted for purple, I love the teal you chose. And I really love the backsplash tile. Stay with this project, I’m dying to see the final product. Amazing so far!

        1. You are a rockstar when it comes to DIY. You are leaps and bounds above me and everyone I know! Stay on track and stay strong…..the finish line is near!

  3. You made the exact right call with the teal cabinets, I love it. I think the purple in the tiles stands out more with a contrasting, slightly more muted color on the cabinets. You have every right to be proud of your work, it looks amazing. I have to say I’m always scared of color and generally pick neutral stuff but those tiles are the most beautiful ones I’ve ever seen. I’m inspired to try something colorful when I do my kitchen backsplash.

  4. You should be extremely proud of yourself, Kristie! Maybe you didn’t finish the challenge, but look at everything you accomplished! You did everything from scratch. Most people would have bought the tile and bought ready-made cabinets. I’m impressed to no end.

  5. The title is so accurate – so close, but yet so far! You have gotten SO MUCH accomplished. I hate it for your that you don’t get to see your finished room yet.

    Keep trucking! You’ll be done sooner than you think and then you can cross it off your list!

  6. I don’t know whether to give you a high five or a hug, you have really outdone yourself with this project and have no reason to be anything but extremely proud. I would say take a day off to rest and clear your head but if you’re like me I rest for a day then get distracted and do something else
    ;). I admire your ability and perseverance.

  7. Kristi:

    Your progress has been amazing and the tiles, the counter top, and the glam refrigerator look FABULOUS! Keep it up. I thought I saw on ORC website that the deadline to post was Sunday. You are so close and you definitely have a right to be proud of the progress you have made. Thanks for sharing your journey with us!

  8. Well done & ALL from scratch! No purchased tile, cabinets or countertops. No hired installation. The task you took on was daunting & you’ve done it beautifully. Can’t wait to see the finished pantry.

    1. Well said! When you take this into consideration, you’ve far surpassed most of the participants. Not to negate their rooms, but you should be extremely proud of yourself for what you’ve accomplished!! 😱👌👏👏🎉

  9. Glorious! Absolutely beautiful! You should be so proud of yourself! Do you realize that most in the challenge hire out most of the work and only decorate? You rock girl!

  10. This looks amazing and I know I speak for everyone who reads this blog…we’re all proud of you! (I’ve been checking your site for two days for the update…that’s how excited I’ve been!) Your vision is amazing and I’ve enjoyed watching it come to life.

  11. You may not have made the six weeks deadline, but I think you could have it done for the upcoming holidays. It would be really handy then especially if you have any family or friends visit. Keep up the good work and try to get some rest. I don’t even know how you were able to keep going with just three hours of sleep some nights. Amazing!

  12. Wow, Kristi – this is so great! If it’s true – that you have until Sunday evening to submit photos, I think you might be able to “git ‘er done!” And I wouldn’t be one bit surprised if you do. And I know it’s a point of pride (particularly when you’re so far into the game) that YOU have done it with YOUR OWN TWO HANDS, but go ahead – call your brother. Can he paint? Have him paint. Just do it. Big hugs!

  13. It looks lovely! You are so close to another finished room! Do you plan to work on the studio after this? Or perhaps Matt’s game room? I know pushing before you have completed this room. But I also know your brain bounces with ideas constantly. This pantry is to die for. And the freezer is actually my favorite project. It blends with the cabinetry beautifully!

  14. Well done you! You have already accomplished what few others generally attempt (such as myself). This is going to be a glorious pantry. Be proud. Celebrate. Cheers, Ardith

  15. Love what you have done so far! I’m not dissing anyone at all but some of the folks at orc all they have done is buy things in or get workers in do do things. You have built your own cabbinets!!! and worktop!!! You’ve done it all from scratch. Well done! I was one of the purple voters but after seeing your beautiful job on your frezzer,you were right to go the way you have. Love the tiles. It will all come together amazingly.Xx

  16. This is going to be so stunning! Amazing work and progress in just this short amount of time for such a huge project that you took on – you have every right to be proud, just as we are so proud of you! Kudos, Kristi!

  17. I bet you a contractor would’ve gotten less done in six weeks 🙂

    The progress is fantastic! I love that back splash, and the color teal is so classic and perfect.

    I’ve done the “go to sleep at 4, up and working by 7” before to meet deadlines, too. But that’s only good for one or two nights. Take a couple days to rest up so you don’t burn out and get frustrated!

  18. Ahhhh! That backsplash is AMAZING! I’m always impressed by your cabinet making skills as well, but those tiles are a new level of creative and impressive for you.

    I hope now that you don’t have the pressure to finish in a timeline, you will slow down before you get hurt or sick (and so you can provide us with all the tutorials for all the things!)

    It’s going to be absolutely perfect, and I only wish I had a space in my home to decorate like this.

  19. WOW! You did an amazing job!

    I have followed the challenge for year and I don’t think many people start the challenge with a blank room and build and make 100% of the items going in the room. You should be so proud of yourself.

    Now get some rest.

  20. I love how this area is coming together. It has me using big words to describe it. I adore the backsplash. It looks so vibrant.

    1. Matt,
      I think you married Wonder Woman! She is totally amazing! Please give her a big hug from all of us because words just aren’t enough.

  21. Actually this real-time progress is far more useful to us DIY-ers than a completed (and contracted-out) project could ever be. We follow along and learn so much — so thank you Kristi for both inspiring and educating us!

  22. You should be proud of yourself! I’ve never followed previous ORC, and now, thanks to you, I’ve seen some other bloggers. Yes, they finished in time, and showed beautiful rooms, but mostly what they do is order furniture and maybe a bit of painting and tiling. You are starting from scratch!
    Rest a bit and take your time, the pantry will be amazing!!!

  23. I love the teal cabinets, I love the freezer and handle, and I love, love, love your beautiful tile! Your blog is so much fun to follow! If you are a new follower, you need to go back and see this room and the breakfast room pictures (& all the rooms before pictures) from when they bought this house. It is unbelievable. Kristi walk around your house and really take in what you have accomplished. You should never feel disappointed in yourself. You are beyond amazing! Thank you for sharing!

  24. You have done AMAZING work!!! Most people doing this challenge are not building EVERYTHING from scratch!! Ok, maybe not the freezer – but I am surprised you didn’t build that from scratch too 🙂 HE HE HA HA!! BUT YOU PAINTED IT – DROOL WORTHY!!!! So honestly you probably did more than most do in the 6 week challenge and you nailed it! You got past your creative hurdle and made quick, amazing, beautiful decisions -SCORE!!!

  25. It is stunning. Every DIY person looks back and says “I did this myself”. But we are buying products that someone else makes and installing it. You actually made all of your products. You are amazing. My hero.

  26. L I S T E N T O ME!!!!! This was a success by anyone’s standards!!! I don’t know of anyone with the fortitude, talent and determination you have displayed over the last many months. Just w3ant you to know that “disappointment” should not be in your vocabulary.

  27. OMG! Are you kidding me??!! you should not get down on yourself at all my dear!! You have made incredible progress – BY YOURSELF – NO HELP – JUST LITTLE YOU!!! Everyone on this blog would take an ounce of your talent so please pat yourself on the back. And it looks stunning! Pantries usually get hidden away but I’ve never seen a pantry like this. So kudos to you!

  28. It’s funny how we look at things.. I WISH I could be disappointed in myself for building all new cabinetry, painting my own tile, making my own countertop and BUILDING MY OWN CABINETRY ( it need to be said twice) ! While you felt disappointed in “failing” to get it done.. I am almost completely positive if I had done one of those projects, I would be bragging to anyone and everyone! It looks amazing.. I can not wait to see the end product and you are amazing!

      1. RIGHT? I know she’s amazing! And it’s so sad when someone else’s disappointment would be your highest goal!! You would find me crying in the corner , covered in paint clutching a hammer..

  29. Don’t you dare be disappointed! How many Challenge participants can truthfully say that they did EVERYTHING in their rooms?!? I mean from building to designing!! You go, girl!

  30. You are absolutely incredible! I was just thinking last night, “Wonder how far along the pantry is?” It is amazing that you have done all this all by yourself! You definitely should be proud. I am loving everything about it and am especially admiring the pull out shelves. I will for sure be doing a similar thing in my pantry when I finally get back to working on it. The freezer is stunning–I LOVE the gold handle! Just can’t wait to see the final reveal! You rock!

  31. What awesome progress you made! The amount of work you did in 5 weeks is phenomenal. You created everything in that room from scratch. I doubt others who did the challenge did that! Cannot wait to see the completed room!

  32. As a long-time fan I normally know what to expect from your projects and you never cease to amaze me anyhow. But that backsplash is the icing of the cake to me, particularly because I couldn’t envision it at all before today’s photos. I really liked the last version of the tiles but was wary of them being perhaps a bit too busy all put together, but OMG I love the look!!!! The entire pantry is coming along nicely, but the backsplash is a veritable thing of beauty 🙂
    Please don’t be disappointed by the timeframe, you are so amazing and did all of that by yourself (apart from a little project on the wall), when the other participants were clearly having a lot of help. I might have said it before, but you are my DIY hero – and I’ve learned to value your blog and presentation along the way of the ORC, too – you are so clear and precise in what you describe and your pictures are very good and informative, too – so thanks for all that “service” all the time!

  33. Way to go! Looking forward to the completed room as it looks amazing at this stage! You took no shortcuts or compromises on anything less than completely original and custom and should be proud! Congrats!

  34. Your work on this pantry is unbelievable! You have every reason to be pleased and proud of the incredibly exectuted, incredible amount of things you have done in this empty box… FROM SCRATCH. You have creativity, grit, know-how, and perseverance. Gold medal to Kristi!

  35. ❤️❤️❤️
    No words…but I’m so proud of you and look forward to seeing it finished too-also looking forward to an update on your keto life!

  36. Kristi,

    You do Amazing work & should be proud of yourself! And you inspire lots of people. I look forward to seeing your next step.

  37. OMG this is getting so amazing. Every time you build something from scratch my heart starts to flutter wishing I was years younger to be able to do this. You rock the diy. So many things from scratch and custom tiles. When I do a project my husband gets so proud for me. I bet Matt can barely contain his pride in your accomplishments. Keep going we are all waiting for the final pictures. You showed us two new ideas…the tiles and amazingly how to paint a freezer..who knew you could do that.

  38. Kristi, your accomplishments, design, work quality and work completed are staggering.

    In order to have you keep your health and live to enjoy your pantry, consider limiting yourself to work that allows you to get a full eight hours of sleep a night. Not only are you opening yourself up to power tool accidents, when you don’t get much sleep, you are frying your brain, for now and in later life.

    Also consider signing up for another ORC to finish the pantry. Or not. Take a breathe. Pace yourself and allow yourself to go at something less than a superwoman pace.

    And consider taking a full day off with your husband and getting out of the house. How about going to some sort of park and taking a walk around a lake or some other place where you are surrounded by nature and smelling fresh air and not paint fumes? You will benefit very much from the recharge.

    There isn’t a person who follows your blog that isn’t in awe of your talent, skills, and work output. But in order to keep you around to keep amazing us, please, please get some work-life balance!

  39. Fabulous! Your vision is just incredible. I so love the teal and that backsplash in so unique and stunning. Just wonderful!

  40. You have made an amazing amount of progress, I can’t even believe you have made it this far by yourself! When I do projects, (nothing as detailed as this) it is almost impossible not to have an extra set of hands to hold this or line that up, and it always takes twice as long to complete, and that doesn’t even take into consideration the mistakes, and starting over! You have every right to be very very proud of what you have accomplished! I think you have done an incredible job! I can see the paint color better, from that angle and I do love it!

  41. Wow, just wow. I think you’ve got a lot accomplished in those five weeks! The room is looking great and it’s not complete yet, so just imagine how wonderful it will be when you are done? I love the colors and the backsplash. What color are you going to paint the walls?

  42. I feel so lucky that I follow your blog! If I was only being introduced to you through the ORC, I would be BEGGING them for a follow up so I could see the rest of the project. Not only did you design, build, create and execute your own plan, you brought all of us along for the ride as well. I think you inspire many more people than you will ever know!

  43. After reading every single comment, I can see that none of your followers are disappointed in you – and rightly so!! I’ve followed a lot of the ORC entries over time, and I know that very few of the participants do with their own hands – and no outside help – all you’ve done – especially a room that required building cabinets from scratch!!! I think if this was my pantry, I’d have to leave those french doors open to appreciate the beauty! I’m wondering now what color you’re thinking of doing on the studio cabinets?

    1. I haven’t decided yet, but I’ll say this. Matt pretty much lets me do whatever I want in the house, but his one rule has been “no pink walls,” and since they’re so big and prominent in a room, that rule extends to cabinets as well. BUT, the studio is mine. All mine. And he doesn’t expect his one rule to stand in a room that’s all mine. So I’m seriously considering some sort of pink or coral or pinkish red or something like that. But that’s today, and I change my mind on things like that approximately 10 times a day. 😀 So I’m not really sure where I’ll land on that. The cabinets in the “office” corner of the room may actually end up white since you can see them from the kitchen, music room, and breakfast room. Dark pink/coral/pinkish red cabinets seen from those rooms might be too much. But on the cabinets that extend the full width of the front wall of the studio can be any color my little heart desires without being seen from other parts of the house.

  44. Yeah, what they said!!!

    Kristi, if I was there, I’d be bringing a chair & just sitting in your pantry…probably crying at the beauty of it!!!

    You rock!

  45. Dear Kristi,
    Wow! I think you have set the bar for the ORC. Designed and created your own tiles, designed and created your own cabinets, designed and created your own counters, designed and remade your freezer. You are doing all this work with your own two hands! Who does this? Kristi!!!❤️❤️
    I love how brave you are with color. And I think the pantry was worth the wait. You got past your “designer’s block” and really wowed us. You go girl!!

  46. You are actually farther ahead than the pictures show because you have the doors and the drawer fronts stowed in a safe place – wise woman! Take a deep breath, relax and remember how far you’ve come with this room in a short amount of time. It may be a small room but it will be a hard working one, so pat yourself on the back and put your feet up while your brain processes how to do what’s left.

  47. You’ve done great and I can’t wait to see the finished pantry even if it takes a few more weeks. Please take a break this weekend and rest. Love, love, love the backsplash. It looks even better than I thought it would.

  48. Oh Kristi, you are amazing and what you accomplished in this short amount of time is BEYOND! Do not beat yourself up. Celebrate! Pat yourself on the back. It’s a wonderful beautiful pantry. Enjoy it!

  49. WOW, that shade of teal is perfect with your beautiful tiles! I will admit that even though I don’t love purple (well, I like it in small doses), I almost voted for it. But now, seeing the tiles up against the teal, I think purple cabinets & freezer would’ve been purple overload!
    You have done a remarkable job on this project. Please do not be disappointed with yourself AT ALL!
    I went back to the ORC site & from what little time I spent looking at other’s projects, here’s what stood out to me: IKEA, IKEA, IKEA (BLAH! Overpriced, cheaply-made goods); new store bought curtains, pillows & rugs, white walls, etc. Some of the participants had partners to help, which should be a separate category. Some just rearranged their furniture. That’s no challenge to me.
    After I finished dissing most of what I saw, I came back here & found perfection! You took this room down to the studs BY YOURSELF, complete with new flooring! One would be hard-pressed to find anything comparable at ORC. So be very, very proud of yourself (as I’m sure all of your followers are), take some time off & get back to it when you feel like it.
    Quality workmanship can’t be rushed!

  50. AH..MAZING!! Do a big pat on your back for accomplishing SOO much in a short amount of time! I was one in the purple column, however, this is perfect and I don’t believe now that purple would have worked! I’m so dang impressed with what you’ve accomplished in your home!
    Don’t ever be disappointed in yourself. You were given amazing gifts and talents to do what you do! Take a big breath and be thankful for that 😋. Can’t wait to see the finished room but take a breather and be proud of yourself. I AM!

  51. It truly looks amazing! What you are forgetting to give yourself credit for is that fact that while you were working hard you were inspiring SO many people while in the process. You are the reason I built my bathroom vanity top from wood. YOU inspired me to do it and it’s something I’m so proud of. So, thank you and keep on be an inspiration!

  52. Oh my word!!! You had so much to do and you made everything yourself!!! You should be so proud of yourself. You basically have the easy stuff left (if anything is ever easy! :)) It looks awesome and I am so in love with your painted freezer!!!

  53. You should also be proud that you didn’t do a rush job to meet the deadline. Glad you are taking your time to get a quality finish! And those tiles are looking so good – a true artist’s pantry!

  54. Congratulations! What you have achieved is nothing short of amazing And it won’t be long before it is functional and beautiful. And done all by yourself!

  55. NO ONE is disappointed in you! This whole project was extremely ambitious since you started from scratch and did it all yourself! Anyone can slap some paint on a room and order everything — but there is none of that here. My husband has been following your progress over my shoulder, and he is also just blown away, especially with your tiles. You must know that we are all green with envy over your pantry space. It is going to be the gold standard now for all of us!

  56. I can’t agree more with all the previous comments, and I can’t think of any better superlative than what everyone else has said! You have raised the bar for ORC!

  57. Hi Kristi! As a teal gal myself, I have to say that I love how the pantry is coming out. (After we’d been married for about six months, my husband looked at his clothes and said, “Everything in my wardrobe is teal!” He’d come into the marriage with, ahem, a shortage of what I considered to be suitable clothes!) Those tiles are fabulous. I’m glad you didn’t go with purple for the cabinets. And the cabinet surrounding the refrigerator is so clever–as is painting the fridge itself. I’d never have guessed that you could do that! So kudos to you, I say, from someone who’s always putting off projects. You’re such a good kick in the seat of the pants for me. Thank you!

  58. First, I’d never heard of this challenge before, so thanks for introducing me to a place for great inspiration and ideas. I’ve really enjoyed looking through many of the entries. But Kristi, OMG, you did such a tremendous amount of work, not just paint and select new furniture arrangement and accessories. You worked very hard, and it is really paying off. The teal was definitely the right choice with your stunning tiles, imo. And an otherwise utilitarian freezer now looks like it belongs next to your custom cabinets. I can’t wait to see it finished, but geez, take your time and keep on doing the right thing. It’s wonderful and I hope you won’t feel too bad about not completing it in time for the competition.

  59. Kristi, you have accomplished so much ‘by yourself’ with your own hands in such a short time! You have to be so very proud of yourself, making cabinetry, pull out shelves, your amazing and unique bespoke tiles, the transformation of your upright freezer, the countertops……it’s all wow worthy!!!!
    I was on the purple team, but seeing it all come together, you have made the right choice with the teal, it looks perfect with your tiles.

  60. Congratulations, hats off to you for a valiant effort under an excruciating deadline. I’m tired reading this, I think I need a nap!

  61. It’s a pretty safe bet that none of the others who did get done on time will be anywhere near as creative and unique as your pantry. Nor as custom. So there’s that. This is a winner.

  62. Kristi, I think all the comments prove that you are our IDOL!!!!! I painted my French door last weekend – and thought I really accomplished a lot.

  63. Absolutely Beautiful!!!! Love the Teal (please share color).. Love the backsplash.. You could sell these back splashes… This room is coming together perfectly. Also i would never have thought to paint the freezer. Looks great. This room i would hang out in and feel good!!! You are so talented… Great inspiration.
    Alex Janes

  64. It’s looking SO GOOD! I’m far more interested in the ORC makeovers like yours where you really are doing the makeover (far less interested in the ones that just hire all the work out and then come in to arrange flowers 🙄). Keep it up – you’re an amazing inspiration! xx

  65. Amazing progress on your pantry! That backsplash looks super fabulous! You have a lot to be proud of on this project! Yay Kristi!

  66. Kristi i have followed you for years with great admiration. I followed and mirrored your bathroom project. It nearly killed me. I really don’t think there is a contest. You won!!!! You are always so thorough and sharing your go tos. Thanks for sharing! your my hero!!!

  67. Woman! You are a Rock Star! Love how the purple POPS from those tiles with the cabinet color!!! You should finish and take the rest of the year off as a gift to yourself for the huge accomplishment you have made 🤗. Really, you are SO close!

  68. Great job Kristi! You’re not the only one who didn’t finish. You took on a huge task making everything from scratch and even hacking the refrigerator! I’m so glad you took on this challenge. I hope you continue to do them.

  69. All done by one person, everything built from scratch, customized tiles(!) and freezer…in five weeks.

    YOU ARE AMAZING!!!

  70. You accomplished at least 4 months worth of work if a professional crew had been hired, maybe more. You’re amazing. So far there isn’t one piece of this design I could have done with my hands except use the paint brushes. And I consider myself to be quit handy and a creative. And look how far the project has come and how many of those stubborn decisions you’ve made. We’ll be there to cheer you on to your finished dream pantry…but take a few days to rest up first!

  71. UNBELIEVABLE…..FANTASTIC….I could go on and on…you are simply AMAZING…..there is definitely nothing to be mad at yourself for…you got so much accomplished….!!! I could have never done that….I LOVE WHAT YOU DO…!!!

  72. The fourth photo down, the corner shot with teal freezer and cabinets, white walls and counter, and those amazing, vibrant, gorgeous tiles… I literally lost my breath when I saw that… It was a true gasp-and-stop-breathing moment.
    I’ve liked all of your design work, am frequently tickled by the visually interesting choices you make, and impressed by the skill with which you produce them, but occasionally the whole comes together and you blow me away.
    This… this has blown me away. And it’s not even done! I may not survive the final reveal…

  73. I have to echo some of the other comments regarding your pantry. Kristi, you took a blank room and in five weeks build everything, made everything by yourself with the exception of the glitch in the wall. I don’t know what other bloggers or people did this challenge but I’d be awfully surprised if anyone of them build an entire room out of nothing. And without other trades coming in.
    So I am very glad to hear you say that you are proud of yourself and that this was a good experience. So now you can slow down a bit, work a regular eight hour day and be very happy with what you have done. You have hundreds and hundreds of fans and you’re not going to tell us that were wrong.

  74. Oh, girl. Please! Have you looked at the other entrants? I haven’t looked at all of them, but I found one who had a team of carpenters complete her room and another who bought items (through her sponsors) and installed them. They can’t even come close to the amount of time, effort and love that you have put into your pantry. Did they create their own tiles? No. Did they build their own cabinets? No. Did they create their own countertops? No. Did they have a lot of help? Yes. Were their supplies and accent items paid for by sponsors? Yes.

    So, Kristi, when you compare yourself to others, be sure the comparison is fair. OKAY? You’re awesome!

  75. It’s looking good, Kristi! Hold your head high and pat yourself on the back. You did amazing! We are so proud of you and admire your mad skills! You are close to the finish line. We know you will get it done. 🙂

  76. It looks wonderful and will be beautiful when complete. It is an enormous project for one person and you should feel nothing but positive about the work you’ve finished so far.

  77. Kristi, I know you can’t see me right now but if you could you would see me giving you a standing ovation saying “Well done young lady, Well done” using my best theatrical voice, lol.
    You deserve a standing O for every project that you do, but to get this much done in this little time is pretty dang impressive.

  78. Kristi you are way too hard on yourself. You got more done in 5 weeks than most of us did. It was a great motivator and you are so much closer to finishing that room. Consider where you were 5 weeks ago and you have made great strides.

    I am loving all over that splashback. It’s just so gorgeous.

  79. I noticed you didn’t link up this weeks post to the orc site. There were a few guest participants that didn’t finish that still linked up and I thought that was good sportsmanship to let readers know their progress anyways since they’ve all been following along. I encourage you to edit this post to add the orc link anyways and link up to them. You can at least enjoy the extra traffic it gives. And there are still 3 days til the linkup opportunity closes. The progress is still amazing and I’m sure fellow ORC and readers would love to see this post anyway to cheer you on!

    1. Yep, what Jason said. 🙂 I wanted to do my week six post on Thursday since all of my One Room Challenge posts have been on Thursday and I like consistency. But the deadline for posting the link on the ORC blog is Sunday night, so I’m going to keep working until tomorrow (Saturday) night and see how much I can get done. Then I’ll add an updated picture to the end of this post and share the link on the One Room Challenge page.

  80. You are a GODDESS! Do I agree with all of your design/color choices? No. Would you agree with mine? No. But, you very bravely follow your heart and make the perfect choices for YOUR home. And, let’s talk about how versatile you are. You install flooring, you build cabinets, you create your own tiles, you built a countertop…who does that? YOU do and YOU are fantastic! Great job. I can’t wait to see the finished pantry and then what you do next. Bravo.

  81. I couldn’t wait to see your latest post for the ORC. Your pantry is so gutsy glam — I love it. Congratulations on such a transformation. I know you have more to do (and it’s all hard work) but wow! it’s a knockout! Best wishes.

  82. I wouldn’t be bothered with not completing by the deadline, you have accomplished way more than most people would! You deserve a short break and a large soda!😁 It is amazing, and we all applaud you! But we want it finished FOR YOU! (and us!)

  83. You’ve accomplished SO MUCH over the last six weeks! BE proud of yourself for how much you HAVE gotten done! We are all cheering you on and will celebrate with you when the room is complete!! It’s going to be AMAZING!! 😊👍🏼🎉

  84. Never hang your head!!! You did an incredible amount of work and it looks amazing. Go head and finish strong so we can ooooo and aaaaaah over the completed project and you’ll have much needed kitchen/dining storage.

  85. I can only echo what all the other readers have said . . . you so totally rock that you nearly scare me! But only in a good way! Your creativity and persistence are remarkable and your results, every time, leave me breathless. Go take a nap!

  86. Hi Kristi,
    I am commenting for the first but not the last time. I need you to know you are a HUGE inspiration to me. I live in Santa Rosa, CA where the fires came through a year ago and 100s of homes were lost. My home wasn’t one of them but due to the rebuilding it is very difficult to get tradesmen to help with smaller projects and when they do it is ridiculously expensive so I at age 51 have decided “I can do that” and have taken on painting cabinets, tiling and building cabinetry and I credit you with giving me the confidence. I still have 2 kids at home however so my projects go very slowly. I am still in my infancy but I especially love the cabinetry work and would love to try making my own doors and drawers. Will you be outlining how you made your doors and drawers for your pantry project? Or perhaps is there already a post on your site which outlines those projects?
    Warm Regards!
    Amy K.

    1. I love that you’re jumping in and getting things done yourself! I will have the big “how to build cabinets” post next week, and it will include info on the drawers. Now the doors I made for the pantry are the same ones I made for the hallway cabinets, except that I left off the thin trim on the face of the cabinet doors. You can find details on that here: https://www.addicted2decorating.com/simple-diy-cabinet-doors-make-cabinet-doors-with-basic-tools.html