A Suburban Housewife's Dream

The label “mother” took some getting used. And now I find myself not just that, but a housewife, living in an upper middle-class neighborhood. I am damn lucky and grateful, but I do feel a bit like an imposter in this life playing an adult. Maybe we all feel like that sometimes as adults?

Speaking of being lucky, I am getting a new kitchen, laundry and mudroom! I never thought I’d be so excited about a new space to perform my monotonous chores of cooking and cleaning. We are knee deep in a home renovation that will drastically change the flow of our space and lives. We are adding a new back entrance from the detached garage that flows into a mudroom and laundry room, before you enter the larger kitchen. Three skylights above the sink and a new window with views of the backyard will allow for views of the updated patio. It’s a huge mess right now, but if all goes according to plan, it’ll be pristine and just what I envisioned by the end of August. And it better be, because our plans have already about doubled.

Now that the entryway to the family room has gone from a two to a six-foot opening, I got to pick out a new couch since the old U-shaped sectional blocks the walkway. And since you have a better view of the old built-in cabinets that house our books, we are going to update those cabinets to match the new kitchen cabinets. And since I got a new West Elm credit card to get some cash back, I am going to just get a few more pieces of new furniture. See how this snowballs quickly. Our contractor warned us of the “scope creep.” I knew from the start that I’d fall prey to the allure and ease making everything shiny and new. So to top it all off, we’re giving the exterior a fresh coat of paint in a dramatic dark gray to contrast with Chicago pink brick and white trim.

This has been an overwhelming process that started about two years ago, before we had any idea that our lives would be turned upside down by a global pandemic. Both my kids and I are still finding our footing as we re-enter society and our social circles this summer. So while the timing is good to be displaced from the most important rooms in our home, it’s also still a huge burden since we’ve all been out of a predictable routine since since early 2020. I’ve been cooking meals from a toaster oven and microwave out of the dining room. I’ve been grilling quite a bit too and managed to set the grill on fire (That’s an embarrassing story for a different day. Thanks to the Whitefish Bay fire department for answering the call!)

Look for the full story of the Renno’s kitchen reno, plus before and after pics in the October issue of MKE Lifestyle. You can sign up for a free subscription here. This is the design rendering of the finished product, which includes our best piece of artwork. Shout out to Davis Design and CGI Inc. for helping us get this monumental job done.