I’ve taken on two kitchen renovations and am left with one big question – was it really worth it in the end?
The reality of renovating and what it teaches you
Interior designer Natalie Jahangiry is one of Ideal Home's new Open House contributors, sharing her thoughts on decorating a home to suit a busy family life while sticking to your aesthetic values, too. See the rest of her articles here.
We’ve been here before, extending our last home to build a new kitchen, and now renovating our current one with the addition of little ones thrown into the mix. Different projects, same question. Once the dust has settled and life returns to normal…was it all worth it?
Lessons learned and honest advice
It’s hard to explain renovation fatigue until you’ve lived it. This time round I felt more prepared, but many of the same challenges resurfaced.
Here are the lessons I’ve learned from our latest kitchen refurb, along with a few practical tips if you’re considering taking on work at home.
It always takes longer than you think
Even though I work in the industry and know that good, skilled trades take time, it can still feel endless, especially when you add children, dust, and the natural impatience of wanting it finished and ready to live in.
Build in more time than originally scheduled and try to stay patient. The end really will come, I promise.
At some point, it will suddenly click into place
And not necessarily at the very end. Around week four, it started to look and function like a kitchen and dining space again.
We had friends over, gathered around a makeshift cardboard worktop balanced on units, the kids used their area, and we could finally put things away. It wasn’t finished, but it started to feel like home again.
Keep a sink for as long as possible
This made a huge difference for us. If our old sink had been removed at the start, we would have really struggled.
Luckily, our carpenter kept the original sink and a small section of worktop in place until the end of week three, which really helped us function day to day instead of using our tiny WC sink (which we did when it had to come out) to tackle the washing up.
Set up a small temporary kitchen
This was a lifesaver. We used a sideboard to store plates, bowls, glasses and everyday essentials.
I would also recommend a small plug-in induction hob and keeping out the slow cooker so you can cook properly and not rely solely on the microwave.
The dust will get everywhere
No matter how much you prepare or how carefully you cover everything, dust will still find its way in. Even if you're not knocking down walls, it has a way of appearing in every corner. You do learn to live with it, but it takes time to settle.
Ours came mainly from chasing the electrics through walls and ceilings, but it even reached the top floor of our house somehow! After a deep clean and plenty of wiping down, it has finally settled.
Other areas of the house will need some attention afterwards
Our hallway took a bit of a hit, which we expected in a narrow Victorian house where everything comes through the front door. Nothing major, just a fresh coat of paint.
The living room saw the most wear, becoming our only real functioning space downstairs, filled with delivery boxes and toy overflow.
I am working on refreshing this as we speak, but again, nothing drastic. A lick of paint, a new sofa cover and some soft furnishings should hopefully bring it back to life.
You learn to live with the imperfections
Some elements of the design had to be compromised for practical reasons. We kept the existing tiled flooring, which has underfloor heating underneath, as changing it would have pushed us over budget and meant added additional time. This meant we needed to find another way to get power to the island, so we channelled it from the ceiling.
Rather than trying to hide the pipe, we chose to make a feature of it with an industrial style metal finish. In the kids area, I had originally planned to build a bench coming from the red cupboards, but we decided it was better to keep the space open and let go of the cute seating nook I had designed. In the bar area, we had planned for glass wall units, but they felt too heavy against the run of cabinetry, so we pivoted to open shelving with panelling instead.
Balancing practicality with design is key. Learning to let go of certain ideas and embrace the compromises made the whole process feel much easier.
The Final Verdict
So...is it really worth it? I think the results speak for themselves, but I’ll let you decide… although I’m sure you can guess my answer.
Abso-bloody-lutely!
