Hard work and determination were the foundation of Melissa Tyler’s expansive kitchen remodel. If you’re familiar with Lake and Lumber on Instagram, you know that Melissa is great at what she does and she would be the first to tell you a few years ago she had never even touched a power tool.


Light gray shaker kitchen with wood hood, white quartz countertops, and a large dark brown furniture-style islandLight gray shaker kitchen with wood hood, white quartz countertops, and a large dark brown furniture-style island
Duluth Pebble and Newport Chai kitchen cabinets

Starting the DIY Instagram Kitchen Remodel

Regardless of experience, she decided to start some DIY projects on her own and now she’s completely re-done two homes. While documenting her entire DIY experience through Instagram stories, Melissa eagerly shows you her “missteps”, and what’s really behind every Instagram-worthy picture so everyone can learn together. 

 

Recently, it became time to do her own family’s 1990’s kitchen. Through nervousness and excitement, Melissa got started with CliqStudios designer, Taylor McFall, and together they came up with a design that completely transformed the Tyler’s existing kitchen. 

 

Before, the original kitchen was clad in 90’s builder-grade cabinets, minimal storage, and an awkward layout. Melissa and her designer, Taylor, decided to make some major changes within the layout.  


Light gray shaker kitchen with wood hood, white quartz countertops, and a large dark brown furniture-style islandLight gray shaker kitchen with wood hood, white quartz countertops, and a large dark brown furniture-style island
Duluth Pebble and Newport Chai kitchen cabinets
Top-down view of CliqStudios 3D design packet floor planTop-down view of CliqStudios 3D design packet floor plan
CliqStudios Design Packet Floor Plan

In the original kitchen, the cooktop was located in the island and the refrigerator and wall oven were across the walkway. Now there’s a combined range where the old refrigerator once sat, the new island is now all storage with a beverage cooler, and the refrigerator sits neatly placed within the new pantry wall. 


Large light gray shaker kitchen with a brown-stained island with decorative legsLarge light gray shaker kitchen with a brown-stained island with decorative legs
CliqStudios Design Packet | Duluth Pebble and Newport Chai kitchen cabinets
Large light gray shaker kitchen with a brown-stained island with decorative legsLarge light gray shaker kitchen with a brown-stained island with decorative legs
CliqStudios Design Packet | Duluth Pebble and Newport Chai kitchen cabinets

Designer Taylor mentioned, “It was fun brainstorming design ideas. I’m really happy with how Melissa’s design turned out. It ended up meeting all her needs.” 


Large light gray shaker kitchen with a brown-stained island with decorative legsLarge light gray shaker kitchen with a brown-stained island with decorative legs
CliqStudios Design Packet | Duluth Pebble and Newport Chai kitchen cabinets
Large light gray shaker kitchen with a brown-stained island with decorative legsLarge light gray shaker kitchen with a brown-stained island with decorative legs
CliqStudios Design Packet | Duluth Pebble kitchen cabinets

Choosing Products & Upgrades

The new design includes a drastic increase in usable storage, and the Tyler’s now have numerous cabinet accessories like roll-out trays and utensil dividers throughout. Their kitchen remodel was done in Mercury line’s Duluth door style in Pebble and Signature Plus line's Newport Chai, giving them a beautiful, updated two-tone kitchen design. Melissa mentioned she really wanted a stained island for her kitchen.

 

During the many Instagram stories, Melissa talked about their sometimes funny and stressful experiences with demo, delivery, and installation. When it came time for cabinet delivery, she half-jokingly spoke about her husband's reaction to all the boxes saying, “He’s not overwhelmed at all. He definitely isn’t panicking that his wife is in over her head (again).” 


Light gray shaker kitchen with wood hood, white quartz countertops, and a large dark brown furniture-style islandLight gray shaker kitchen with wood hood, white quartz countertops, and a large dark brown furniture-style island
Duluth Pebble and Newport Chai kitchen cabinets

After cleaning up some rot, mold, and fixing old leak issues, it was time to place cabinets. Melissa used the floor plans that CliqStudios provided to map out where the cabinets needed to be installed. “They provide you with very detailed layouts with all of the cabinet boxes marked as to what goes where.” 

 

It wasn’t too long before Melissa had most of the pantry wall cabinets installed along with a few drawer bases. She shared, “I can’t explain how happy I am to have all this storage, even if this was everything. It’s still so much more functional for our family already!”. 


Light gray shaker kitchen cabinets with a large KitchenAid gas range and white quartz countertopsLight gray shaker kitchen cabinets with a large KitchenAid gas range and white quartz countertops
Duluth kitchen cabinets in Pebble

DIY Kitchen Cabinet & Molding Installation

Over time Melissa installed cabinets, finished panels, crown molding, toe kicks and trim, decorative wood island legs, hardware, and a wood kitchen hood. She admitted to a few mistakes along the way and happily showed what was required to fix it, making the journey even more fascinating. Every step and fix was surrounded by light-hearted jokes, humor, and a good attitude. 

 

In the end, Melissa was thrilled with the way everything turned out. From the light gray painted cabinets and stained island, to the beautiful quartz countertop and backsplash, and KitchenAid appliances, she was thrilled. 


Light gray shaker kitchen with wood hood, white quartz countertops, and a large dark brown furniture-style islandLight gray shaker kitchen with wood hood, white quartz countertops, and a large dark brown furniture-style island
Duluth Pebble and Newport Chai kitchen cabinets

Melissa talked about her overall experience and said, “CliqStudios has an amazing design service that is absolutely free and will help you create the kitchen of your dreams on any budget.” 


Explore Mercury and Signature Plus cabinets to get started on your dream kitchen today!