Shelfology + Semihandmade + Danielle Donohue: A Northern California Kitchen Gets a Fresh New Take
Danielle Donohue is known for her ability to transform her space on a budget, finding gorgeous bargains along the way. Follow her organic modern home, as she updates, designs and brings warm neutrals to life with her 40K+ followers.
Danielle Donohue likes things light, bright and airy. From finding good deals to furniture trades and refurbishment, her Northern California home has become her ultimate creative canvas. We interviewed Danielle to learn more about her signature style and get a glimpse into her recent kitchen renovation.
Shelfology: “Tell us about your background and how you got into design?”
Danielle: “I don’t have a degree or anything. It's just a passion of mine that I love doing! I used to buy and sell furniture off of craigslist and Facebook marketplace, I enjoy doing that and found I had a passion for it. I started sharing on my Instagram account in August of 2018 and the rest is history. Although I’ve moved on to bigger projects, I still sell things I don’t use and trade furniture around which keeps things fresh.”
Shelfology: “Have you just been redoing room by room in your house?”
Danielle: “We moved into our current house a year ago, so the kitchen was my number one priority, it didn’t need a ton of work, and it’s one big open space so I wanted to focus on that first. It’s nice and bright. It’s amazing to live here- we’re in the trees and there are a lot of windows, so it’s tricky to take pictures, but I do love the feel of it. The kitchen became my main focus though, I wanted to take advantage of all the good aspects of the space, but give it an upgrade.”
Shelfology: “What's your favorite type of project to take on?”
Danielle: “I like sharing about buying on a budget- finding deals, making something work on a budget. How can you do things within a budget but still be able to get a home that you love? And kitchens are my draw for sure. I love finding ways to get good deals. I love posting about outlets and other stores that I find. You have to run the gamut of styles and random objects to find the treasures– but it’s worth it.”
Shelfology: “What type of trends in design gets you excited right now?”
Danielle: “Having more organic elements in the house. I’m adding modern accents with organic stems, and bringing more organic plants in- but no more pampas grass! I like elements that are curved, things that are warm and inviting. There’s a movement to have things that are lovely, white and neutral with warmer accents and still keep it bright and airy. I love that.”
Shelfology: “Give us an overview of the project: what were your goals for this project and your thought process behind the solution?”
Danielle: “We couldn’t change the footprint of the kitchen, so working with our cabinet bases was a priority. The kitchen felt chunky and heavy, despite being all white. The counters were concrete and heavy and I just really wanted to lighten everything up. We took out the oven hood, and created a new faux plaster hood. We just ripped out all the upper cabinets and replaced them with open shelves and refaced the wall with Riad Tiles Zellige tiles.”
“I wanted the kitchen to look more “me,” to display things on open shelves and change the vibe and energy of the room. I really like the two-tone feel. We did Semihandmade Tahoe wood on one side, and white on the other. I didn’t want to go all white again, but I did want the end to feel light. I was scared to commit to the darker Tahoe wood, but I love it and I’m glad I didn't try to match anything specifically to it. I feel like they pop and there isn’t a heaviness to the wood look.”
Shelfology: “What were the challenges in this project?”
Danielle: “We had some issues fitting the shelf for the microwave next to the cabinet, but overall the project was pretty smooth. We could have taken out a board on the side, but we ended up fitting it in - it’s very tight- tho!”
Shelfology: “Any favorite touches in the room?”
Danielle: “The tiles- I am in love with the tiles! They are just so pretty and different from subway tiles. Why do I love them so much? I think it really is that they are not perfect, they have character. They contrast with the very clean shelves and I like that they are not run-of-the-mill tiles. They feel unique.”
Shelfology: “How did Shelfology come to play in your design?”
Danielle: “The team at Semihandmade referred me over and I was in love with the curved shelf option. The RADius. I had been asking people over and over where they got their floating shelves and Shelfology came up time and again, and they were perfect for this project!”
Shelfology: “Any tips you'd like to share with other designers for using Shelfology in their projects?”
Danielle: “Yes! We installed the wood shelves over the finished tile. I wish we had more time to plan to do the tile first and tile around the shelf bracket or back bar first. My communication with the tile guy could have been better, and it was more complicated to install that way. So definitely install the bracket first before tiling around it! Other than that, the shelves were really easy to install!”
Thanks, Danielle! You are Certified RAD!
Danielle Donohue: Certified RAD
Danielle Donohue is known for her ability to transform her space on a budget, finding gorgeous bargains along the way. Follow her organic modern home as she updates, designs, and brings warm neutrals to life with 40K+ followers
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