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Before & After: A Teeny Kitchen is Transformed on a Tiny Budget

Adrienne Breaux
Adrienne BreauxHouse Tour Director
Adrienne loves architecture, design, cats, science fiction, and watching "Star Trek." In the past 10 years she's called home: a van, a former downtown store in small town Texas, and a studio apartment rumored to have once been owned by Willie Nelson. She currently lives in her colorful, maximalist dream home in New Orleans, Louisiana, with her partner, a perfect dog, and a cute cat.
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published Jul 22, 2016
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(Image credit: Submitted by Brittany )

In the hunt for the perfect apartment—one that’s located where you want and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg—you sometimes have to make sacrifices. For Kimberly’s search in Philadelphia, she was willing to settle for a small “kitchen” since she doesn’t cook often. But she wasn’t going to settle on it being boring and beige. Her quick, contemporary makeover of the kitchenette in her new living room is totally cute and affordable—and we’ve got the resources you can buy to use these ideas in your own small kitchen!

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(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)
From Kimberly: “When looking for an affordable apartment in one of Philadelphia’s most sought after historical districts, I knew I was going to have to make some sacrifices. As someone who cooks very little, a small kitchen was not at all a deal breaker. As such, I scored big time with a cute tiny apartment in the exact location of my choosing, which happened to fit my rent requirements due to its dated, hideous kitchenette. With only a $200 budget, I painted the cabinets, added a faux backsplash, purchased an island for added counter space and storage, a new bright rug to complement the neutral kitchen, and a fun cookie jar to add to the new look. I have transformed this eyesore into a conversation piece.”

Get the look!

  1. Kitchen Cart — IKEA, $199
  2. Backsplash — Wayfair, $35
  3. Rug — Target, $19.99
  4. Owl cookie jar — Target, $19.99
  5. Marble and wood board — Target, $19.99
  6. Storage boxes — Similar: IKEA, $3.99
  7. Wooden tray — Similar: Bed, Bath and Beyond, $29.99
  8. Tea kettle — Similar: Overstock, $21.89
  9. Wooden bowl — Target, 14.99

The paint Kimberly used on the cabinets is Sherwin-Williams Interior Quali-Kote in Extra White:

“This is a commercial grade paint that needs to be asked for “behind the counter.” I stole this from my apartment basement, as they use this to repaint apartments when a tenant moves out. The high-quality commercial grade did not smell and sat well on top of cabinets I did not sand or prime due to laziness.”

(For those without access to a free stash, try Sherwin-Williams’ SuperPaint® Interior Acrylic Latex Paint, $36.74/gallon)

More terrific kitchen transformations:

Thank you Kimberly!

Re-edited from a post originally published 7.22.16-NT

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