*We updated this post with new photos and a short video, so if something looks different from what you remember, that’s why.
We first shared this room three weeks after moving in, and now here’s a six-month update. We still have long-term plans for a full kitchen renovation, but in the meantime we’ve made a handful of inexpensive changes that have made the space much more comfortable and functional for our family. Photographing a room over time is so fun — it helps you see what works and what evolves.
Since that initial post we made a few small updates, painted the cabinets, and reorganized our storage to fit the smaller kitchen footprint. Those adjustments have made the room feel useful and settled, and they’ve helped us resist rushing into a major remodel before we’ve lived with the layout and decided what we really want.
We’re planning a full renovation eventually, but the current updates have made the kitchen pleasant enough that we don’t feel pressured to start immediately. Living in a space for a while before committing to a big project usually leads to smarter decisions and a better end result — and it lets you save up gradually.
You may notice a few changes in the photos: we rearranged the room, shifted the table toward the center, and added new appliances — scored secondhand in excellent condition. The stove and dishwasher match now and perform better than the older appliances we started with. The whole suite was an incredible bargain and has been a daily joy (yes, I make an excited dolphin noise when I’m happy about the kitchen).
We also moved one of our Ikea bookshelves across the room to open up the sitting area and balance the table more centrally. The change frees up the lounge zone while keeping the kitchen functional. We tested the layout for movement and access, and it passed John’s “let’s leave it this way” efficiency test.
From some angles the table can look closer to the fridge than it actually is, but there’s enough clearance for everyday use. The drawers on the left hold tools — we’re practical people — and the pantry items live on the shelves across the room. When people are seated at the table the drawers are slightly less accessible, but that’s not been an issue so far.
One practical perk: we bought a counter-depth fridge as part of the secondhand appliance suite, so the current fridge that sticks into the room will soon be replaced and give us slightly more space. In the meantime John loves grabbing condiments from the fridge while seated at the table — a small convenience that makes him inexplicably delighted.
The sitting area itself has become a mellow hangout for the family. When someone’s cooking or doing dishes, the kids can sit nearby to read, do a puzzle, or snack without being in the way. Moving the second shelf into the kitchen zone freed enough room to add a small settee, so we now comfortably seat four in this area.
We also added a new coffee table with large drawers, which hides winter hats, gloves, and tool batteries out of sight and keeps the space tidy. The entry dresser under the window is indispensable as a drop zone for leashes, sunscreen, sunglasses, and the small items we grab when heading out the door.
To help illustrate flow we filmed a short walk-through video that gives a better sense of the layout and scale. The video shows a couple of ways we angle the pedestal table and how that affects chair placement; we’ve tried both orientations and currently keep the chairs nested around the base for easier pushing in.
Overall, the space feels settled and very much like home. Most of the big pieces here came out of our moving pod — the Ikea shelves, the table and chairs, the sitting area chairs, rug, dresser, art, and many accessories — yet the small changes we’ve made have had an outsized impact on comfort and function. Burger and the plants have fully embraced Florida life, too.
For comparison, we included a few before photos so you can see how the room has changed. Living in and tweaking the space has helped us arrive at a setup that’s comfortable now and flexible for future updates.
If you’re curious about specifics like removing bulkheads, refinishing the floors, or our decision to have bedrooms on the main floor with the family room upstairs, we’ve documented those projects separately. For now, we’re enjoying the small improvements and the way this room works for everyday life. I’m off to try to capture John’s ketchup-retrieving arm on video — it’s the little things that make a house feel like home.
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