Before & After: Former Rental Kitchen Gets Pop of Personality
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(Image credit: Kari Boss )
Kari’s cottage used to be a rental. The kitchen had been “updated” with the cheapest options available, so she set out to give it a bit more style and functionality, while sticking to a first-home budget.
(Image credit: Kari Boss )
From Kari:
I purchased my home in 2012. It is a 1950 post war cottage with 2 bedrooms and 770 sqft. Prior to closing, it had sat vacant for 8 months and prior to that it had been a rental. Though it had been updated, the materials that had been used where the about as inexpensive as you could get. When you opened the doors, there was exposed particle board. A ceiling fan had been installed that was so large you would never turn it on as it felt like it was going to chop off your head. There was no stove or any cabinetry on the opposite wall. As for the bright yellow paint…
Nine months later I had painted all the walls with Benjamin Moore Snowfall white, updated all the mismatched woodwork to a single profile, and redid the disaster of a broom closet that had multiple layers of latex paint that just came off in sheets due to the oil based paint it covered. I left the soffit above the sink as I wasn’t planning on many upper cabinets, and when I punched a hole in the end, there were all sorts of wires running through that would have required lots of rewiring work and money.
As the house was an entry level home, budget and costs were super important. I used IKEA cabinets and wood countertops, and opted for the white appliances over stainless as it lent to the bright white theme I had going through the house. The green doors give it a pop of personal taste. The dishwasher is my favorite, as I had not had one in 3 years and it was such a treat to not have to hand wash every dish.
Thank you Kari!