A year ago Matt sold our friend Hayli her very first home!! They scoured for months to find the perfect place (often with me in tow giving unsolicited advice and loud opinions) and landed on this adorable mid-century gem in a sleepy little neighborhood that would be the perfect place for Hayli to make her own. It needed a lot of work—everything from the roof to the floors—which meant there was a limited amount of “fun renovation money”. Fun renovation money is when you do something like build your dream walk in closet, not repair the brick piers because they’re crumbling and your house is gonna fall down go boom (which is our current personal ‘not fun renovation money’ expense).

But Hayli (clearly) got creative! An eye for color and no stranger to a little DIY, she transformed the primary bedroom and guest bedroom into gorgeous and vibrant spaces. She replaced light fixtures throughout the home with nicer, more exciting pieces. And then she painted her entire kitchen—walls, cabinets, baseboards and all—as a mural inspired by the design of the LaCroix Pamplemousse box. Let’s dive into the why and how with some input from Hayli!

*The Kitchen when Hayli bought the house last year*

Beau: We know so well how wall paint, a vision, and a few hours (or days) worth of work can transform a room into a gag-worthy work of art, but we’ve never done anything quite as epic as paint a mural over an entire room. How much did this cost and how long did it take?

Hayli: I had a decent bit of supplies (brushes, trays, tape) because of recent renovations on my house. I really only needed to purchase the paint colors used. I always go for nicer paint so the price for two gallons would run about $140. I used “sample size” paint colors for the accents—the blue, teal, and red—which are about $3 a piece. But if you’re like me and flirt with the guy at the paint store, you can get the project done for about $70 😏 I only worked on it on weekends and it took about 4 full weekends of work. I’d estimate about 40 hours of work went into it, but I was working alone and I don’t always work smart.

Beau: Wow okay queen of budgeting, good for you! I think one of the biggest barriers when considering a project like this is a hesitance to start, or not knowing where to start. So, where did you start and were you freaking out?

Hayli: I started by taking my cabinet doors down and priming them. I was pretty excited to start which made the tedious part of cabinet painting much easier. The freak out came in my second week when I was starting to paint my walls. I’m not the best planner, so I was kinda winging the whole thing. I’d realized I needed to add more color and design to the cabinets after I put them back up. I kind of just stood frozen in the middle of my kitchen for about ten minutes just staring at a box of LaCroix and staring at the massive project ahead of me. I actually have a video of this looking like the math lady gif.

Beau: I’d ask for the video but I feel like it’s a private matter. You say you’re not the best planner but clearly you had a vision and drive to push you through completing the project—tell us more about the “why” of this space.

Hayli: I get asked this a lot and I haven’t really settled on a super fun answer. Basically, the first couple months of home ownership were spent doing renovations, which drained my bank account. I love to cook and bake, but I knew my dream kitchen renovation wouldn’t come for a few years. I thought I’d be able to just live with a kitchen I hated for the few years it’d take to save up for a new one, but I noticed I wasn’t doing as much in the kitchen as I used to, and it felt like a chore when I did. I realized it was because I just hated how drab my kitchen was! I wanted to do something that was absurd enough that I’d be ok with getting rid of it in a few years, but also fun enough that I’d be ok with keeping it for that long. I’m not sure exactly how it came to me, but most of my wildest ideas come in a dream and then infiltrate my conscious brain so much, I can’t let it go.

Beau: That makes sense—and this is something we often talk about specifically with renters who are reluctant to paint (if they’re allowed to do so)—sometimes putting that little time and money into painting a space that you know is temporary is so worth it for changing the way you live and feel while you’re there. I’ll be sad to see the LaCroixtchen go when the time comes, but I’m excited to see what you do to the space next! Do you think that future kitchen will look anything like a LaCroix Box?

Hayli: I don’t think it’ll look like a LaCroix box, but I definitely think it’ll have the same, fun, colorful energy of one.

Beau: Okay fine! Any words of advice to someone who is considering doing a similar project in style or scale?

Hayli: I don’t actually consider myself an artist or a painter, so choosing a design that was forgiving was crucial for me, mistakes were easily covered up and the design itself is kind of funky so I didn’t need a lot of precision. That’s definitely something I’d take into consideration if you’re not used to big painting projects. But my biggest advice is if it excites you, just go for it!

Love the “just go for it” attitude, and we’d say the same thing! Thanks for stopping by the blog to see this show stopper of a kitchen! If you have any questions for us or Hayli feel free to comment below, send an email, or hop into our DMs :)

xoxo

Beau & Matt

Step Inside The LaCroixtchen, Hayli Dupre's Sparkling Pamplemousse LaCroix-Inspired Kitchen