Updated Kitchen Nook: Before & Afters and our Process Working With Wanderash Studio
- Brooke Amidei
- Aug 4
- 7 min read
Updated: Aug 11
There has been a spot in our house, which was built in 1905, that has always been oozing with potential. Almost so much so that I've put off doing anything with it because I wanted to make sure we gave it the time and energy it deserved to be spectacular. My husband and I purchased this house eight years ago with big plans. It is a beautiful old home in the middle of a historic district in Boise, Idaho, and although it was already lovely, we couldn't wait to get our hands on it, embracing and excited about the fact that it would be a "project house". And it has been just that for us since we moved in.
In the last seven years we have painted every wall (except one) in our entire house, remodeled two bathrooms, refinished all of the wood flooring inside and hand scraped seven layers of old paint to refurbish the wood floor in our sunporch. We've painted the exterior, replaced the roof and refurbished the inside and outside of two fireplaces. Of course the not so exciting things like a new HVAC system and the fun, shiny things such as creating a coffee and cocktail nook where there was once a frustrating under stairway pantry, and installing a new gorgeous chandelier as the centerpiece of the dining room and home. We have also worked through the historic district to get rid of an unsafe tree and then installed the most fun backyard shed bar and sunken fire pit, as well as a gorgeous brick/wood fence (I wasn't on board with that one and now I'm a strong believer that good fence can make or break a house). We DIY'ed a not too invasive kitchen makeover, but this one particular section went mostly untouched mainly because I wanted to get it just right.
Why were we able to do ALL of the things to this house, but felt a roadblock when it came to a small section in our kitchen?
Thankfully I found just the company/person to help walk us through how to approach this project and how to make this spot spectacular when I met Ashley with Wanderash. She came to see the space and honestly right out of the gate understood the assignment, maybe better than we did. She was also giddy about what this area could become and the feel that it would have in our home. I had a very basic idea of what I wanted and just wasn't sure how to pull it off and put it all together. I knew I wanted a booth in this space. Something cozy and approachable, almost like an old pizzeria booth feeling, but it had to work in our kitchen space. I had also been toying around with the idea of wallpaper on the ceiling even though after browsing hundreds of photos of rooms that had wallpaper on the ceiling I literally couldn't find even one that I liked (crazy right?). Overall, I wanted this particular part of my kitchen to feel special and maybe even a little whimsical. It isn't the workhorse part of the kitchen where all of the cooking is done. This is the spot you want to sit and have a cup of coffee with a friend, or the spot the kids drop their backpacks and have an after school snack. The layout in our kitchen doesn't allow for an island, so this corner is the spot where the kitchen fun happens- just far enough away from the mess of cooking that you can relax and enjoy. So after sharing some inspiration photos, but even more importantly just general concept ideas and discussions with Ashley, we got started.
First up would be the pinnacle of the design that we would build everything else around- the booth. What was so fun about working with Ashley is that she is a trained and experienced professional. After years of DIY projects it was awesome to have someone with real design experience bring up ideas that I never would've thought of, or elements of what works together and why. When choosing the color and texture for the leather of our booth, she incorporated the hues from our flooring and other parts of our house so that it would feel cohesive. We talked a lot about our lifestyle and how we would use that space, including as a spot for our two teenage boys and their friends, which meant it really needed to be durable and spill and scratch proof. Ultimately, we chose fabrics that I never would've thought about if it weren't for Ashley and her design expertise. Our booth bridges the gap between diner feel and residential home to feel both familiar, cozy and classy as opposed to kitchy.
Another great part of working with Ashley was that she brought over numerous options for us and helped gently guide our decision, as I can be annoyingly indecisive. Her suggestions always made sense and took into account what feedback and ideas we had shared while also on occasion giving us a different avenue for thinking that we hadn't (and wouldn't have) come up with. She found the magic middle where there wasn't too many options that we were overwhelmed, but enough where we felt like we had plenty of options to choose from, and thankfully some that were within Ashley's own vision for the space to give us something new to consider. She was well versed in what types of fabrics would work well and be durable in this space and sourced the businesses and people who would build and upholster the booth. That had been a major roadblock for me when originally thinking about this project. I knew the scope was out of our DIY abilities and we would need a professional, but how do you go about finding someone for the project if you don't have any connections in the business? I can't imagine how hard it would've been for me to source someone to build a booth all on my own.
Everyone had to work around the quirks that come with historic homes and in the end created a beautiful and functional custom piece of furniture that is both classic and classy in our space. Ashley was up for the challenge of simultaneously helping us choose wall coverings and different fabric choices for the booth which I thought would be one of the most difficult parts of the project. What comes first- the booth or the wallpaper? We narrowed down both at the same time and had a couple of options to choose from. Amazing somehow Ashley understood that even though I really liked the idea of wallpaper saturated on the ceiling and walls, I couldn't find a single example to show her after scouring all of Pinterest. Was I sure I liked this idea? Initially I was drawn to very bold and bright statement wallpapers, and while we considered some of those, it was Ashley's suggestion of the more subtle design that really started to speak to me. Something we wouldn't get sick of in a few years time and that was cohesive with the style and age of the home without being dated.
This wallpaper choice was the perfect marriage between statement and whimsical (with the drenching of ceiling and walls) while keeping it classic, classy and understated. It is exactly that special part of the house that everyone is drawn to without it screaming at you.
Ashley's ability to come in and make sense of this project, which was anything but straightforward including sourcing a custom piece of furniture and getting the overall vibe and aesthetic of the space correct with very conflicting ideas from me on what we wanted for this space, was pretty incredible.
I love the way it turned out and that she understood and worked within our budget. She really liked our existing table and light fixture with the new design we were creating, which made it all more affordable and feasible. It's funny I have a lot of friends ask where we got our new light fixture and they are surprised it is the same one we had before, they just never noticed it.
This may be dorky, but I just finished reading the book Who Not How and feel like this project and working with Wanderash is a perfect example of the concepts outlined within its pages. Could my husband and I have come up with a plan and executed it on our own? Most likely, but we do not have the skillset, connections or eye that Ashley has. It would've taken us three times as long, maybe more if you include all of the design inspiration research we would've been doing on our own, and it would not look nearly as incredible.
I love when guests come into our home and fall in love with this little space at the back of our house. I love it too! It's functional, pretty without being overly feminine, and special- not boring. A perfect fit for our family and our home.
About the Designer:
Ashley Jons creates interiors that merge timeless elegance with purposeful design—spaces that feel fresh and considered, yet durable enough for the rhythms of daily life. Her process is thoughtful, collaborative, and holistic, grounded in meticulous attention to detail, clear communication, and meaningful partnerships. Each space honors both the architecture and the individuality of the people who inhabit it, resulting in environments that are as functional as they are beautiful.
Prior to founding Wanderash Studio in 2024, Ashley earned her Master of Architecture from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Less interested in designing skyscrapers and drawn to the intimate, secret lives of interiors, she began her career at a prestigious national interior design firm learning craft. Years spent living, working, and traveling abroad have cultivated a deep appreciation for history, art, and architecture, bringing a collected and distinctive perspective to her work. With more than a decade of commercial and residential design experience, Ashley now serves as Principal and Founder of Wanderash Studio in Boise.
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