When Jules Villbrandt couldn’t find the copper backsplash she wanted, she opted for a copper-colored aluminum version instead.

Ten years ago, blogger, content creator, and photographer Jules Villbrandt made two major life decisions. After graduating from the University of Arts in Berlin, she founded the design “bloggazine” Herz und Blut , and she moved into the apartment that she still lives in today. It’s hard to say which choice has been more transformational.

Herz und Blut, which is named after a German expression meaning “from the heart,” produces curated articles, imagery, and events—and happens to be an official partner site of AD Germany . For the past decade, the brand has been and continues to be Jules’s creative livelihood, while her apartment has been her home through it all. The place has grown with Jules over the years, and now has a brand-new kitchen to show for it. A room that was once fit for a student has been transformed into a functional yet beautifully delicate space. Here is how Jules created the kitchen of her dreams.

Jules’s update to her small kitchen kept the warmth but added some adult touches.

Kitchen location: Set in Berlin’s hyperurban, international Wedding neighborhood, Jules’s kitchen is located in a historical building constructed in 1902.

The before: “Before the renovation, it was a classy student kitchen. It was low-budget but also the best place to host kitchen parties. After nine years, it was time for a change. I was ready for something new,” says Jules.