I love when home reno timelines fall together unexpectedly.

We had no intention of tackling our kitchen this soon, but after purchasing subway tile backsplash on sale on black friday, our gears (well, my gears) started turning.

I was eager to slap the backsplash on the kitchen walls and call it a day. However, the one thing I have learned about home reno is that you have to take a step back and think about all possible issues that can arise before you jump into a project.

The biggest problem I landed on with installing the backsplash at this time is our countertops. Justin and I have been talking about what to do with these outdated laminate countertops since we bought our house in May. None of the options we tossed out felt right, though, and I really did not want to install the new backsplash until we figured out the countertop situation.

After much research, I found a DIY countertop paint kit by Giani. The paint kits give you everything you need to give your countertops a marble or granite look, and they have great reviews. I considered this option for several weeks, but finally came to the realization that I simply do not like the stone countertop look — not for this house, at least.

I went back to the drawing board (well, Pinterest) and eventually found an option that I love. Concrete!

Yes, concrete countertops. After a lot of research, I landed on a DIY method that I am confident taking on and will start transforming our countertops to make way for the subway tile backsplash.

With the countertops figured out, all other design plans quickly fell into place.

I realized that I had Pinned several kitchens for inspiration and all of them had similar features that I adore. So, I took some of that inspo and began making plans and a timeline for completing our industrial farmhouse kitchen.

1 /// Concrete Countertops

The method I am following for our concrete countertops comes from Bless’er House, a wonderful home DIY blog that I am obsessed with. Lauren is incredibly talented and has great ideas and inspiration to pull from. She has a thorough tutorial on the blog that I will be taking on (with help from my dad) before the end of the year. I will admit, it is pretty wild and likely the most complicated DIY project I have ever done. However, I am excited to see how our countertops are transformed, and I am thankful my husband trusts me on this one.

2 /// Subway Tile Backsplash

The backsplash that got us spinning and spiraling into this kitchen reno project is featured at No. 2. We found these 12×12 squares on sale at Lowe’s on Black Friday for $1.99 each. My thought was, even if we didn’t install it immediately, it would still be good to have on hand for when we’re ready.

Apparently, I am ready now.

Once the counters are completely cured, we will move on to the backsplash.

3 /// Cabinet Paint Color

Currently, our kitchen cabinets are a gorgeous medium brown stain. Once the concrete countertops are done and the backsplash is up, though, the cabinets won’t match the kitchen anymore.

In the summer, I plan to paint our cabinets white using Sherwin-Williams “Alabaster.” It is a creamy white (not a bright white) that will look beautiful contrasted against the grey counters and will make our kitchen look bright and big.

4 /// Shiplap

Like any lover of Chip and Joanna Gaines, adding shiplap to every home project is a must.

We have the perfect space around our backdoor for those lovely white wood boards to hang. It won’t be too much, but it also won’t be too little.

5 /// Ceiling Fan

After 7 months in our house, one of the things we discovered that our kitchen needs is a ceiling fan.

We have a ranch style home and the ceilings are extremely tall (that was one of the things that sold us on the house). As gorgeous as these ceilings are, though, they make it difficult to heat the house.

We will be installing a ceiling fan in the kitchen to help with that. Our hope is that a fan, when left on low, will push hot air down in the winter, and in the summer, it will help keep the kitchen cool. Plus, the fan will provide better air circulation when Justin is in the kitchen cooking.

6 /// Chandelier

Since we’re talking about ceiling fans, let’s move on to light fixtures. I loathe the current fixture that hangs above our kitchen table and have picked out this unique chandelier on Wayfair for when we’re ready.

7 /// Floor

Floors will be one of the last things we replace because they will be the most expensive. Also, because when we do the floors, we will be laying the same flooring throughout the entire house, and we can’t do that until the wall between our kitchen and living room is removed. We are hoping that wall will come down in the first 3 months of the new year — as soon as our contractor gives us the green light.

8 /// Faucet

Every updated kitchen needs a new faucet. I ordered this oil-rubbed bronze one from Wayfair (along with a new sink) so it can be installed as soon as the countertops are finished. Since the kitchen will be very white when the backsplash is up and the cabinets are painted, I am keeping the fixtures dark to add contrast.

9 /// Cabinet Hardware

For our cabinet hardware, I am going to paint the door knobs and drawer pulls a dark shade. Painting them instead of replacing them will help us save a little money on this project overall.

10 /// Sink

Like the new faucet, the sink I ordered came from Wayfair. It is a lovely white single bowl drop-in that will help tie together our farmhouse kitchen.

11 /// Appliances

Finally, we arrive at new appliances. We have already discussed that a new stove, microwave, refrigerator, and dishwasher will be our gifts to each other next Christmas, and we love the black stainless steel.

Well, folks, that is a look at our kitchen renovation plans for the upcoming year. Projects will be completed in stages as our budget and schedule allow, but I will keep the blog updated with all the fun progress we are making on this little home of ours.