My Dramatic & Budget-Friendly Kitchen Transformation!
I really, really, really hated my kitchen!
It may sound like a strong statement, but in my opinion it’s not strong enough. I could barely stand the sight of it.
My husband and I moved into our home in the fall of 2018. We knew that the 20-something-year-old house needed some TLC. The most pressing design challenge was the kitchen. There wasn’t really anything that I liked about it—the beige tile floors clashed with the pickled-wood cabinets, which clashed with the mushroom-colored granite, which clashed with the slate backsplash. The cabinet fixtures were bizarre. Despite the face that the kitchen was huge, it felt dark and oppressive. The layout felt awkward, andhe sink faucet sprayed me every time I turned on the water.
When life gives you lemons…
When our built-in double oven unexpectedly caught fire and self-destructed, I saw an opportunity to make some changes. We were confronted with a big choice: do we do a comprehensive remodel, or a facelift? The choice came down to two things: 1) budget, and 2) expedience. I knew that a facelift would be the quicker option, and we needed to have a functional kitchen ASAP.
Selective remodeling with a big impact!
The big-ticket item of the kitchen facelift was the replacement built-in oven. Of course, I chose a Wolf oven that didn’t fit the current cut-out space in the cabinetry. However, a whole kitchen remodel wasn’t something that I had planned, and the cost was going to be prohibitive. With the help of a capable professional, the existing cabinetry remained, and a strategic piece of custom-cut stainless steel covered the gap under the new oven.
We decided to paint the outdated pinkish-pickled cabinets white (Benjamin Moore Winter White, OC-21) and to replace the dark slate backsplash with white marble brick subway tiles. The transformation was dramatic and immediate. Before, the light was sucked out of the room. After, the kitchen appeared brighter and, incidentally, much cleaner!
The finishing details
After choosing a brushed nickel kitchen sink faucet and stainless steel cabinet hardware to match the new oven (bye-bye, dreaded sink faucet!), I finally love my kitchen! Including the oven, we spent around $15,000 and now have a kitchen that closely matches the grandeur of our new home. With a lighter color of cabinetry and backsplash, the kitchen feels much more expansive. Although I didn’t like the mushroom-colored granite before, it actually looks very nice against the white cabinets, which saved us the expense of new countertops.
A kitchen facelift is an alternative to a complete remodel, and can still produce amazing results! You might be amazed at how much you actually love your space!
Resources
Paint: Benjamin Moore Winter White (OC-21), semi-gloss
Wall Paint: Benjamin Moore Gray Horse (2140-50), eggshell
Faucet:
Cabinet knobs & pulls: Myknobs.com
Backsplash: Floor & Decor, Avillano marble subway tiles with white grout
