"We set up an outdoor kitchen under a tarp. I had our camping stove and a propane tank with just two burners. I made meals like that for us for almost a year. It was terrible, but now it’s worth it," says Joanna of what she went through to achieve her dream kitchen.

One year after Jojotastic blogger and Pinterest pioneer Joanna Hawley-McBride’s beloved grandfather passed away, she found out he had left her something special. He had set aside money for the down payment on a house. With the gift, he left specific instructions for Joanna to settle down—so she did.

Rather than live on the fringes of the city in a multibedroom home on her own, Joanna prioritized location. In the charming Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, she opted for a 640-square-foot bungalow that dates back to the early 20th century. This meant cedar shiplap walls galore. Over the past four years, Joanna and her now husband have gradually renovated the space.

To tackle the kitchen, Joanna called in reinforcements. While she has a design background that includes creative roles at Nordstrom and Anthropologie, Joanna wanted to collaborate with a professional interior designer. She teamed up with fellow blogger Sarah Gibson to help her make big, expensive decisions and validate the functionality of her choices. Though this partnership was smooth, Joanna did face problems with her first contractor, forcing her to find another one midrenovation. Despite this stressful complication, Joanna ended up with a deeply personal and luxuriously practical kitchen. Here’s how she did it.

Lucy the long-haired dachshund lounges on Joanna's vintage rug and beloved H-shaped tiles that are a nod to her late grandfather Harvey.