apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

i friend of mine covered hers with cereal box fronts - you could use any number of none damaging adhesives, and what doesn't come off goo-gone can easily fix. alternatives might be photos, posters, vinyl tablecloths and such, or contact papers. good luck!

You could do something really cool using contact paper. Maybe cut out some patterns? It's really easy to remove when needed.

Eric, thanks for providing that link. I love that kitchen! and the decoupage idea.

I'll post some pics of my kitchen, Michele. Monday on Flickr? (I'm not sure how this works). I need some advice on the rest of my apt., anyway. Inspired by the Color Contest to do something (anything) to my bland white apartment.

AAAAAAAAAAAACK!

So who got the kick back for selling all these lousy cabinets to all the buildings we seem to live in?! I'm reading this post and thinking, hey! I've had these same crummy cabinets in three of the places I've rented!

Here's my temporary-renter-solution I'll be trying soon:

Take fabric and cut shorter than cabinet (to at least show the wood strip handle thing). Fold over and iron or sew raw edges of fabric or leave as is. Wrap fabric around cabinet doors and secure to inside of doors with tacks or peel-n-stick Velcro (they sell the kind where one side is sticky for solid surfaces and the other side is sewable).

I like to change up colors and looks and I figure this will allow me to do that easily and if the fabric gets any kitcheny ick on it I can toss the panels in the wash. I figure I can also rig this idea to work as something of a rotating art gallery or to have fun with holiday kitsch fabrics. We'll see. If it works, I'll post pix.

apologies for the double post - the system prompted me to re-enter another code to get it to post at all - technology and Friday nights don't mix well...

strange... i see white board and dry erase swords, foodfight and sustainability, kitchen shelves without doors full of potted plants and dinnerware.
http://www.eltlivingwalls.com/

herstory is history...

You could have a viyl graphic made -- like a bus wrap and cover the cabinets, then remove when you move out. Maybe like a big Fornasetti pattern or something?

My condo have those same ones! Actually my kitchen pretty much is a splitting image of that except it is in a hallway without that much light and the fridge is on the left...stove on right.
Ugh. What were people thinking when they design cabinets? So much bad design in the world!

So, here is my idea:
How about taking the fronts off (just make sure to remember how to put them back on later and don't lose the hardware) and leaving the top ones open... you could perhaps use double sided removeable tape and adhere a cool wallpaper or other printed paper to the backs of the cupboard to bring in some surprising color and texture there. You could also put those small cabinet lights in them that Ikea sells...

For the bottom ones...I like what everyone recommended about the vinyl graphics. Perhaps there is something not made of vinyl that is similar. The eco issue of vinyl slightly puts me off but I am sure you can find something cool.

I have almost the exact same kitchen with the same cabinets and here is what I did:
1) Removed top cabinet doors, papered interior with dark brown kraft paper (similar to postal paper).
2)On the bottom, I used the brushed silver effect contact paper (for sale at ACE) and covered the fronts of the cabinets. The contact paper does (surprisingly) peel off easily.
I get compliments/comments all of the time. And it was all done for ~$14.

I have the same cabinets in the place I'm buying. I'm hoping to do a kitchen makeover when we recover from the financial shock of it all, but I'd like to spruce them up in the meantime.

I like the idea of taking some of the doors off. I'm also thinking about painting them, but that's no help to you, Kelly. Curious to hear the other suggestions...

How did you get a picture of my kitchen!!!!!

Domino magazine did a great story last year showing how you can remove the doors and install a tiny curtain rod (or was it a wire with clips?) and hang short curtains in lieu of cabinet doors on the bottom. On the top they removed the doors and papered the insides, as is suggested by the other posters. The effect was very french-countryside, feminine but not overly frou-frou. Most imporantly, it allows you to still keep messy stacks of pots out view!

Tara...can you post some pics of your kitchen? I would love to get a visual for what you described!

Thanks!

click my name for a DIY cabinet overhaul using posters.

the example is a little much, but if you repeated the same image it would look pretty chic.

Thanks for posting this question, i have the same U-G-L-Y cabinets and I love everyones ideas, Tara's kitchen sounds fab, definitely interested in seeing some pics! Thanks for the inspiration!!

Find a great fabric that you love.

Cut the fabric into pieces for your cabinets.

Place each piece one at a time into a starch/water mixture.

Place the fabric onto the cabinets and it will stick.

It will not ruin the cabinets when you easily peel off the fabric...someday.

I have a similar set of cabinets, and I took off cabinet doors, and lined the back of each cabinet with square mirrors. Once i had all my glassware and plates organized, the reflections made it look quite nice.