With less than a gallon of paint (we turned to Olympic's low-VOC Ultra White Semigloss for the cabinets and Olympic low-VOC eggshell in Quill for the walls), about $50 worth of cork shelf lining, and a little bit of elbow grease, we transformed our galley kitchen over one weekend.
Having a large window in our tiny kitchen definitely helps keep it bright, fresh, and clean, but another secret to our small-kitchen happiness is to make sure everything has a home. We don't purchase anything that won't fit (so no extraneous appliances here), and try to keep the counters clear of anything unnecessary.
We were surprised at how much cleaner and bigger the entire room looked once we lightened up the paint. The hardware that looked dated in Kitchen 1.0 suddenly looked crisp and homey with the new paint colors of Kitchen 2.0. We saved around $100 by not replacing the handles throughout the kitchen. Take-away lesson: start with the path of least resistance and work from there.
To be fair, our kitchen is definitely a work in progress; we've decided to leave open shelving above the sink, but still need to spackle in the holes and remove the last bits of hardware! And, one of these days, we're hoping to install a subway tile backsplash behind the stove and along that wall. And hopefully replace the 1966 countertops with good ole butcher block.
It's worth mentioning that this was our first home improvement project, so be encouraged, all of you out there who aren't sure of your DIY talents: you might end up surprising yourself just like we have.
Have any tips for our kitchen? We'd love to hear.
Related posts:
• Before & After: My cheap, Green Kitchen Remodel
• Before & After: Taking a Kitchen from Dark to Light
• Before & After: Compact Kitchen Remodel
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wow this looks great. just that white paint alone helped. great job!
by the way, where are those glasses from on the bottom shelf in the fifth picture?
Paint is indeed miraculous. Good start on your long-term project!
@JacylnS: Thanks! Yes, amazing what white paint can do... The glasses are from Crate & Barrel—their recycled glass Reno collection. LOVE them because of their heft and slightly green color. They're on clearance right now for $2 a piece. http://www.crateandbarrel.com/dining-and-entertaining/bar-and-drinking-glasses/reno-11-oz.-double-old-fashioned-glass/s569227
@RMF325 - thanks! Hopefully I'll be back with an even more impressive kitchen before & after a little later this year. :)
I'm always thrilled when people resort to paint instead of ripping out perfectly good cabinets and sending them to a landfill. I painted my cabinets too and it looks worlds better.
Cute! Very inspiring too, as we're in the midst of the buying process :)
Looks great!
One thing, though. Why not flip the refrigerator door? Most of them made past the 80s have the option to switch the handles and hinges. Never understood why anyone would live with a fridge that opened so inconveniently!
@loviedovie good suggestion, but it looks like they already got a new fridge :)
I would remove the backing on the upper cabinets over the sink. Then you would have cabinets that are open from both sides and it would make the opening between your kitchen and dining room feel more open and connected. As long as you keep the cabinets relatively organized (as it appears you do!), I think it would look great! Those upper cabinets really feel block-y now, even though they are painted white and an improvement over the original.
I would so turn that window into a door! when I could afford it, and a large porch or small deck outside!
@TKPKgirl....just because someone rips out perfectly good cabinets, doesn't mean they go into a landfill.
It's great that painting your cabinets worked out for you. Sometimes perfectly good cabinets just don't work in an imperfectly structured (...and poorly wired...and uneven) kitchen and resorting to paint just won't do.
I'm starting a full kitchen gut job. I'll be posting my cabinets on Craigslist, and if that doesn't work, either send them to Habitat's Re-Store or repurpose them in my basement.
@LovieDovie: Believe me, that fridge drove us crazy! Talk about inefficient cooking. And it was energy-inefficient to boot. It was recycled last month and replaced, much to our delight.
@barnwoodurbanist: absolutely love this idea! The plan is in the works; as it stands now, my husband and I have to duck in order to have a conversation on either side of those blocky things. So yes, someday, it'll all be open. But, we'll be sure to send those cabinets to Habitat Restore when we take them out.
@Keritha: love this idea too! Although just yesterday I put in a raised herb bed outside that window, but who knows! Maybe someday.
Where are the chairs from? They are exactly what I'm looking for.
@inspiredkara - The chairs at the table are from Ikea. I just searched on the Ikea site, though, and couldn't find those exact chairs. We bought them about 4 years ago, though, so they may be out of production.
Nice!
You know what you should consider? Framed photos or art on the white cabinet extension above the counter separating the two sides. That would work!