Name: Andi Forker
Type of Project: Kitchen Renovation — full gut remodel
Location: San Francisco, California
Type of building: 1890's Victorian condo

After a lot of hard work (and a few unexpected surprises), Andi's kitchen renovation is finally complete, and the results are truly stunning. We've been there every step of the way, watching the cramped, outdated old kitchen being transformed into a beautiful, light-filled oasis. In this final installment of their Renovation Diary, Andi (and bf Dean) share what they've learned along the way. 

There are so many questions to ask when choosing a bedroom color: does this color go with the things I already own? What color is most flattering to be around while naked? What does Pantone say I should like this year? But since we spend most of our bedroom time sleeping, the most important question might be: does the color of your bedroom affect how much sleep you get? A new study suggests it might. 

Name: Sandra & Justin
Type of Project: Kitchen remodel
Location: Arlington, Texas
Type of building: Single-family home, 2,450 square feet

Name: Maxwell & Ursula
Type of Project: Light renovation of a rental apt
Location: Soho, NYC
Type of building: Two bedroom apartment

I had a big unsolved issue for this project, which was how to get a compact bed into Ursula's room along with all the storage she and I needed in both of our rooms for clothing, etc. Then I ran into George Evageliou again after posting about his company back in 2007. He was literally in our offices dropping off his new cards, when I asked if he'd come take a look at this apartment. Within thirty minutes he'd convinced me to rip out all the old, funky closets and work with him to install cabinets in both rooms, one of which would carry Ursula's bed. That's when the fun began. 

The Renovation Diaries are a new collaboration with our community in which we feature your step by step renovation progress and provide monetary support towards getting it done in style. See all of our Reno Diaries here.

This was an exciting week on Renovation Diary, as we kicked off two new projects: in Texas, Sandra and Justin are transforming their cramped, oddly laid out old kitchen, while in an old house in Ohio, Faith and Mike are creating a bathroom out of what used to be a sleeping porch. Also this week, Andi shared the final, detailed budget for her gorgeous kitchen renovation. 

• Introducing Sandra and Justin's Kitchen Renovation
• Andi's Kitchen Renovation: What it Really Cost - A Budget Breakdown
• Introducing Faith & Mike's Master Bathroom Project

Back in 2008, when Ainsley Ryan and Chris Showalter bought a fixer-upper loft in a former Ex-Lax factory in Brooklyn's Boerum Hill neighborhood, they commissioned an architect to design something a little unusual — an OSB-clad 'pod' containing a master bedroom, a bathroom, and a little nook for their infant daughter. 

It's probably a good thing that I'm a renter. Because if I wasn't, I'd actually have to decide on a kitchen design. And with all of the options out there, how would I ever choose?? If you are planning a renovation (or just day dreaming!), here are just a few of the spaces that I find inspiring - find your favorites and pin away!

There's not a long list of industrious uses for that hard-to-reach, cropped cabinet above the refrigerator in the kitchen. Maybe somewhere to hide all those long neglected kitchen appliances you bought but stopped using. But there's at least one great solution: this one. Can you guess what's hiding in this unsuspecting kitchen storage?

Who says a kitchen has to be cold and clinical? With elements of rough wood, stone, concrete, and brick, these kitchens exude an irresistible rustic warmth.