Tweakity-tweak-tweak. That was the sound of a small course correction in our kitchen last night. We recently did a bracket refresh: after taping off positions, mocking them up in Photoshop, and then—gulp—drilling through tile to install them, we were confident about the spacing. We chose it because:
- Those were the locations of the wall studs
- We hoped equal distances from the hood on each side would balance an otherwise asymmetrical wall
But after living with the arrangement and making several other updates—new lighting, a dishwasher, artwork, and new floors—we slowly noticed (first in photos, then in person) that the eight brackets on the left felt crowded.
Several readers had even suggested that six brackets would look better on that side, but we were too thrilled with the progress to question ourselves at the time. It took a little distance and a few more changes for our eyes to catch up. Eventually it hit us: eight brackets on that side looked wrong—six would have been much better. It’s one of those “what was I thinking?” moments, like finally agreeing with your mom or friend about a fashion choice you once defended.
Thankfully, most of the changes we make to our homes can evolve. We’ve reworked rooms before (like the living room) and repainted rooms and trim multiple times in our first house. The lesson: if at first you don’t succeed, try again. Keep your rooms moving and growing until they feel right, even if it takes a few attempts.
Here’s the kitchen after our bracket redux. It feels simpler and more intentional. The center bracket aligns with the counter line and gives the shelves a centered look. (Note: the middle bracket is centered between the two outer brackets; any apparent imbalance in photos is just the camera angle.)
So how did we fix the problem after drilling through tile for those eight left-side brackets?
First we cleared the shelves—the black bits you see are small pieces of removable 3M velcro holding up a frame. Then we unscrewed the shelves from the brackets and lifted the brackets off the wall screws they were hanging on. You can see the pairs of screws in the next picture.
We measured and drilled new holes for the middle bracket using a tile drill bit. Because these new screws didn’t land in studs, we used heavy-duty anchors for each bracket (top and bottom). The outer brackets remain in studs, and with strong anchors in the middle, each shelf is very secure.
Next we removed the old tiles with drilled holes. That part was surprisingly easy: using a flat-head screwdriver as a makeshift chisel and a hammer, I tapped the grout around each tile until it loosened and popped out. In most cases only one tile needed removing because the paired screw holes sometimes landed in grout rather than the tile itself.
We adhered replacement tiles into the gaps with tile adhesive and then mixed a small batch of grout to fill the edges so the repair would blend in. Once the grout dried, it was nearly impossible to tell we’d moved brackets and replaced tiles.
If you squint in these photos you can still see drying grout, but once it cured the repair was seamless. Best part: this tweak cost us nothing but a bit of time.
Here’s a side-angle view of the updated shelves:
And another shot from the side—my favorite angle to glance at when coming in from the laundry room.
The takeaway: even careful planning and mockups don’t guarantee you’ll get it perfect the first time. Live with changes, tweak when necessary, and remember that most home projects can be revised. Think of each project as having multiple lives—start somewhere and refine as you go.
What have you reworked lately? Has something you once loved slowly started to nag at you until it climbed back onto your to-do list? Have you ever chiseled out tiles? It’s oddly satisfying—there’s something about a little demolition, hammer in hand, and watching the dust fly.