Dana and her boyfriend Ryan love their beach getaway at Cape May, but nothing could make them love its outdated galley kitchen. From the mixed wood tones to the plastic backsplash, this 1980s kitchen was not the rustic coastal kitchen they knew their vacation home deserved. Despite the tiny budget, they managed to make big changes that capture the relaxed attitude every beach home should exude.
Painting the cabinets cream instantly helped to change the look and feel of the kitchen, and ushering in a more relaxed coastal vibe. The star of this makeover however is definitely the new backsplash, created out of reclaimed wood that started life as a shipping pallet. After cutting and cleaning the boards, Dana and Ryan glued them right onto the old plastic covered wall, mixing light and dark boards to add visual interest. The final result is a wonder galley kitchen that certainly creates the rustic coastal look they sought.
For a lot more pictures of this wonderful kitchen makeover, check out Circa Dee: Paint-n-Pallet.
Image: Dana at Circa Dee.
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The painted cabinets are a wonderful improvement, and I love the idea of the wood backsplash, although I question its functionality. It's not going to be cleanable, and could get gross very quickly.
I like it a lot! Would love to see more photos.
It looks really nice. As long as they are only doing occasional, light cooking the wood will probably hold up OK for quite awhile. Definitely not something you could get away with in your primary residence or if you do a lot of deep frying!
It took me a minute to realize the countertop was the same! That color change makes a huge difference!
Agreed: this is not a backsplash that could hold up to a lot of frying, but it's a very cool and interesting look!
I also had to go back and see if it was the same counters, the paint color made a huge difference in the feel of the kitchen.
Painting the cabinets, if possible, is such a great alternative to just getting new ones.
Thanks for featuring our backsplash. I agree with the comments...we certainly couldn't pull this off at our primary residence but the wear is minimal in this kitchen hence why the 80s features held up so well for so long. It is a great coastal kitchen now that we can't get enough of!
An inexpensive upgrade that updates the look without requiring major surgery. Nice work!
This might just be the greatest "cheap" kitchen renovation I've ever seen. It looks utterly gorgeous!
Who fries food these days?
I love it. SO fab for a beach getaway!
I always appreciate pal être upxyxling and I love that you used the different tones of wood!
Lovely, even with the tragic electric stove. But I'd sure be giving that gorgeous backsplash a few coats of matte or semi-gloss Varathane before I did any cooking in there. Great job.
LOL at the judgey "...even with the tragic electric stove". Oh Apartment Therapy commenters, don't ever change.
To the homeowners: absolutely gorgeous. It's wonderful to see dramatic results from reclaimed materials and some paint.
A beautiful face-lift! I love the texture of the back-splash - way to recycle!
@ Greenkey, wood can be sealed with a varnish and then it's fairly easy to keep clean - not unlike a butcher top counter.
I like to see beautiful kitchen ideas with white appliances because not everyone can swing stainless steel. A lovely option!
Love it!!!
I like this makeover, but I'm a little tired of seeing posts that describe older decor as horrid. It was everybody's idea of what to do once upon a time. What is this stylishness that equals buy, use a little, discard or change for a trendy new look. Buy....buy.....buy
Nothing wrong with a new look. But I'm tired of seeing everything to be changed labeled as ugly, outdated etc. I suppose that in 2030, everyone will be getting rid of that "dated white-cabinet look" and going back to wood. Etc., etc. etc.
Pallet wood in a kitchen! It may look nice, but pallets are chemically treated with wood preservatives as well as fungicides and pesticides and is generally not safe for indoor applications. The goods that are shipped on these pallets are also often fumigated with various chemicals - many of which are highly toxic. It is recommended that repurposed pallets remain outside (patio furniture, etc.) and I would not use pallet wood anywhere inside my home unless I knew for a fact it was not treated with anything, which I imagine would be difficult to come across. I don't know how they "cleaned them" but I think it is irresponsible for Apartment Therapy to not include a note about the dangers of reusing shipping pallets in your home as they are very different from other types of reclaimed wood.
That electric stove is vintage - wonderful analog clock and no stupid flashing digital displays. Love it.
It's like your hair. If you have curly, you want straight. If you have straight, you want curly.
If you have wood cabinets, you want white. If you have white, you want wood!
Fabulous proof that you dont need a huge budget to get a huge impact out of a room!
Love the backsplash! That one element is so transformative.
What a difference, the best $60 every spent! You can get wallpaper now that would give them same look, and you could wipe it clean it easily. I have read they advise not using shipping pallets for things, they carry a high rate of bacteria and can be really dangerous - putting them next to where food would is prepared is scary. Check outhttp://www.pallettruth.com/ for info.
I think using pallets is a great upcycle. I've seen various comments on the chemical treatment/bacteria rate/'scarey factor' that some people are posting. I've done a bit of research on this and found that the 'pallettruth.com' site is actually a plastics.com site...ahem...I've posted further on this on Apartment Therapy on the '5 Inspired Pallet Furniture Designs'. I'm not adverse to using 'any' substance in design but i think it gets to be 'preachy' when commenters are basically 'wrist slapping' ideas.
This is very nice and affordable. Beautifully done, but I'm with Mei-Ling. Not all old decor is ugly or necessarily has to be changed for that matter. As long as it's safe, clean and in good working order, I say go with it if you like it.
Very nice, just make sure you don't lick that scary pallet wood! ;>
the before was seriously yuck, not inviting for a cook at all. the after is beautiful, a nice space.
I like how the pallets look like slate stones. Very pretty. I'm also a fan of the white cabinets, as I painted my kitchen cabinets white years ago. I also find it interesting that they kept the same countertop. It looks very fresh with the other updates!
Wow, it looks luxurious! Love love love
The stove is calming!!
The before is exactly the combo of counter top and cabinet color I have in my rental kitchen. My cabinets aren't wood but some kind of faux wood formica with an ornamental grooved pattern in each door and cheap baroque handles. I've changed the handles to something simpler, but it still all looks hideous. I've gotten permission from my landlord to paint them and these results are very encouraging. Will probably go with black lowers and light color upper cabinets.
Don't fix what ain't broke! Love that you brought the cabinets into the new and recycled materials for the backsplash, I like the price tag even more! As a new Yorker which means long term renter, in the places I've been able to tinker and change I don't want to sink big money into so brava hats off my kind of remodel! ;)
Well done!!!
For a beach getaway, I think this is a hoot! Very clever!
Sealing the wood probably makes a lot of sense, for the reasons noted above (cooking, nature of pallet wood), etc. That'd be an easy tweak.
And hey, my FULLTIME stove is electric, so I'm not throwing stones at that baby.
Been looking to do the same thing, and yes I am also a renter. Has anyone used PANYL? It's probably going to run more than $60, but can anyone here vouch for it?
Love the backsplash! They could even take a piece of plexi and cover the part over the stove if they were worried about grease and such. This makeover is definitely worthy of a whole tour.
Ugly to amazing!! All you would need to seal that wood backsplash would be a few coats of poly. No big deal, and it would only cost a few bucks!
@Jenkies, I thought it was slate until I read the description. Great job.
As for the safety concerns re the use of pallets...would painting them with several coats of sealant solve that problem?
If you can find it in your hardware store bowling alley wax works wonders on wood that need to be waterproof. I use it on the unpainted wood window sill in front of my sink and it works great.
I love Cape May and I love what you have done with your kitchen! Really looks great! Definitely gives it a more beachy vibe.
Some pallet site I was on made the distinction between chemically-treated and heat-treated pallets. Of course I suppose one never knows who spritzed a pallet post-manufacture with roach spray lol.
LOVE IT!!
@Mei-Ling, but isn't that the whole point of decor. It gets old, we change it and keep certain elements, improve others. Some things DO get outdated and are boring or old, or just not in keeping with a modern aesthetic. I don't see how it's possible to think otherwise and be interested in design.
Inspiring post. I really love when AT highlights examples of really affordable, simple upgrades that create dramatic impact. It gives me hope for my fugly rental kitchen, which features dark pressboard cabinets and a counter and sink very similar to the one pictured (not to mention a godawful white board on one wall).
It's true we'll probably all be lamenting our painted white cabinets down the road, though....
I think it is lovely.
Great transformation! I have a galley kitchen myself. Last summer I redid the backsplash and painted the hood over my stove -- it made a huge difference.
If you're inclined, I think you and the kitchen deserve a new faucet. I had a similar one in my bathroom, and replaced it a few months ago with one just a bit more stylish (but still affordable). It made even more of an improvement than I expected it to.
I agree with Mei-Ling! I'm tired of seeing articles and shows where the writer or owner just says "The dated decor seriously needed an update" or "This room looked like something from my GRANDmother's house." Then they just go and replace the look with something that will be just as dated in five years, as if vessel sinks are here to stay.
That Before is nearly identical to my kitchen... I'm not totally crazy with everything in the After, but man am I jealous that they could make those changes. I'd kill for a new backsplash.
a lot of the complaints about the backsplash sound like my mother! Can't someone do something creative without being critisized?
don't fry food. Use your George Foreman grill.