Before & After: A Bright, Budget-Friendly DIY Kitchen Makeover Under $1500

published Jun 22, 2014
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(Image credit: Tanya)

Tanya and her husband have been slowly updating and decorating their house on a small budget, just completing a remodel of their kitchen. In their previous home, they played it safe with design, concerned about resale. But in this home they did whatever they wanted, making some pretty dramatic changes in the kitchen that brightened and modernized the small space.

(Image credit: Tanya)

Tanya says:

When we first bought the house, the kitchen’s upper cabinetry was small, inefficient, and awkward. This house had previously been someone’s summer home so I don’t think they needed as much storage as us – we live here year round. We tore down the upper cabinetry and the not-our-style 90s tile backsplash, and then put up simple paneling for a cottage-appropriate, easy-fix (it was much cheaper than tile, and faster than taping and mudding drywall!). Open shelves and an open pantry (to the left of the fridge) increased our storage and provided a place to display my vintage Pyrex collection — I actually matched the turquoise cabinet paint to the Pyrex Butterprint pattern in turquoise!


Almost everything in our revamped kitchen was a DIY project, from painting the cabinetry, building the pantry – even making wood counters from scratch. AT readers always love to know the cost of projects, and I’m happy to oblige:
the grand total for renovation supplies cost just under $1500!

Wow it’s so cheery and bright now! The blue is so much fun and matches your vintage Pyrex collection perfectly. See more of this kitchen makeover plus “links to all of the projects and inspiration, the budget breakdown, sources, and oodles of before and after photos from different angles” on Tanya’s blog.

Thank you Tanya!

Re-edited from a post originally published 6.22.2014 – cm