Today I’m finally tackling the last major room in my house that I hadn’t really touched: my 1929 kitchen. It’s always been functional, but stylistically it felt stuck in a warm, yellow, kind of 70s moment—and the cabinets are (literally) crooked because the house has shifted over time. So my goal wasn’t a renovation. It was a renter-friendly reset: make it feel calm, organized, and cohesive with my breakfast nook while distracting the eye from the things I can’t change. This makeover ended up being a lot of trial and error (and honestly, setbacks). We had sketchy wiring that took out power in multiple rooms, but it also gave me the chance to have electricians install the IKEA track lighting I’d already picked out. From there, I painted the walls (and eventually the arch) a creamy white, refreshed the window trim, added under-cabinet rechargeable lights, and tested peel-and-stick tile to bring in that vertical, linear texture I love. I also shared little functional upgrades—like a crumb catcher, sustainable scrub brushes, and a simple DIY noren-style doorway curtain—because in a rental kitchen, the small details are what make it feel curated and truly yours.