Perhaps 2013 is the year you are determined to refresh your dated kitchen! Perhaps you pine for a new paint color, long for a new backsplash, yearn for new cabinets, and dream of new light fixtures. If so, I can completely relate. Five years ago, we purchased, completely gutted, and renovated a home in the city. I was able to design the floor plans, choose the paint colors, and design the kitchen. The only problem is that in order to “save money” I decided to use my existing color scheme from my previous home. Little did I know that in just two year’s time I would come to hate my cherry-colored cabinets, tiffany light fixtures, and screaming red walls. The transformation of my kitchen from what it was–to what it is now–was a very slow and gradual process. Today I will show you stage-by-stage all the ways I “diy’ed” my way to a kitchen I now adore!

Stage 1: Change the paint color on the walls

My reddish cabinets, red walls, and reddish-toned floor just were not working. I really wanted to paint the cabinets white, but I wasn’t ready for that commitment. Changing the wall color seemed like an easy fix. The picture below is a photoshopped picture of what my kitchen might look like with blue walls. Many paint companies offer free online software that will help you test a paint color before actually applying paint to your walls.

After seeing how much brighter my kitchen looked with different paint, I chose to paint my walls Sherwin Williams Sea Salt. This small change made a big improvement in the overall appearance of my kitchen.

Stage 2: Take off cabinet doors & add character

I really wanted a cottage kitchen with an “open shelf” look, but couldn’t justify the expense of taking down cabinets to add kitchen shelves. An easy solution was to remove a few of the cabinet doors. I backed the cabinets with white beadboard wallpaper (taped in place for quick removal) to help set off the dishes. Taking off the cabinet doors cost me nothing and helped me obtain a more cottage kitchen look that I desired.

I longed for more character in my kitchen, so I replaced the pantry door with a screen door painted in a fun turquoise blue. My kitchen was finally starting to feel more like me with just a few simple updates.

Stage 3: Install a new backsplash

I found some outdoor garden stone tiles at a discount store for around $2.50 a square foot.  They weren’t intended to be used as a backsplash, but I knew they would work. I think it cost around $75 total in stones for the entire kitchen on all three walls.  Not too shabby . Thinking outside the box always helps when it comes decorating on a budget!

Stage 4: Paint the cabinetry

This was the absolute scariest step for me, so I eased into it by taking baby steps. I first painted just the peninsula and lived with it for awhile.

After seeing how great the cabinetry looked in white, there was no turning back! We finally took the plunge and updated the light fixtures and had the cabinets fully painted. I loved it! I finally had a kitchen that I adored. Of course, I would have loved to have been able to have my kitchen look like this a few years ago but finances prohibited it.

If you are on a tight budget this year and yet still want to make changes in your kitchen, I hope my kitchen story inspires you to make small changes as you can afford them. Each small change will get you one step closer to a kitchen that feels like YOU!

 

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