Kitchen Remodel Ideas

Remember when every home we saw on HGTV was being renovated with a breakfast bar? They have their place for sure, but they don’t really lend much in the way of design as far as storage or even looks go. Many homes, rentals, and apartments have them, but did you know that overhang of countertop can be doing more for you? Want to see what this space looks like now? Should I keep asking silly questions?

In case you’ve been missing out on Chezerbey, a blog chronicling a young architect couple’s ongoing renovation of a 1910 fixer-upper in Seattle, this reveal of their new kitchen is an excellent start. The chic “after” bears zero resemblance to the “before.”Lauren and Kyle Zerbey (their bathroom was featured on Apartment Therapy) saved cash with IKEA cabinets and put the savings into better countertops (lyptus butcherblock and silestone quartz).

This kitchen seems to be suffering from a bit of a brown overload. With the combination of wood cabinetry and hardwood floors, plus the black appliances and dark green paint, this kitchen is looking a little dark. Jessie agreed with that assertion and decided to lighten up the room:Isn’t it amazing what a little white paint can do? Of course, it’s a lot more than just a little white paint at work here.

A little over a year ago I shared with you the house tour of Derek & Jennifer’s Dashing Digs. It’s an homage to mid-century furniture that they found on craigslist and got amazing deals on. Even though their apartment is fancy and quintessential city dwelling; they’re actually very budget conscious, which is why their subtle budget friendly kitchen renovation is inspiring.

Danika found herself in a spot that many renters and homeowners can relate to — her countertops were dated, and a “real” renovation wasn’t in the cards. Fortunately she has some impressive painting skills, and her kitchen has seen one good-looking makeover.While in my mind “faux” can often immediately go to “tacky,” these results prove that categorization to be unfair.

One look at this kitchen sends me back to the early 1980s, when I was a wee lad ambling about the kitchen in my parent’s Indiana home. This kitchen reminds me a lot of my childhood kitchen, complete with dark wood paneling and yellow appliances. A lot has changed since the 80s… and now it’s time for this kitchen to get with the times, too.Looking at the before photo, it would be easy to think that this kitchen was beyond help.

We’ve seen the transformational power of paint here at Apartment Therapy many, many times. And yet I am still awed when I see that, with a little paint on the cabinetry, an entire kitchen can be transformed …Kimberly, over at Restoration House, has slowly been rehabbing her kitchen over the past five years. She had already added a backsplash, switched out the countertop, and traded out the old appliances for new stainless steel units.

Faced with two sets of mismatched cabinets in her otherwise dreamy kitchen, Alana decided to paint the lower deck of cabinetry to complement the upper deck. After a lengthy color selection process, Alana dived into the project and the results are gorgeous!The upper deck cabinets in Alana’s kitchen are the vintage windowpane variety that were original to her bungalow — but the lower cabinets are all new.

Late last year, Edgaroso shared his “Brave Bathroom Renovation” with Apartment Therapy. Well, he’s back with another room makeover in the small home he inherited from his grandmother — this time he tackled the sweetly retro kitchen on a truly miniscule budget.

Our Homies winner in the Kids at Home category, Meg of Whatever posted Before & After images of her kitchen remodel — and it’s a total transformation.The massive makeover took 3 months and involved tearing down a wall to transform a porch into an expanded family area of the new kitchen.You can see more pictures of the process Whatever | Before and After and see a great list of FAQ and resources from Meg in a follow up post Whatever | Questions.

Let’s just say the kitchen was not what attracted us to our new home. Country rooster decor was in abundance and so were peeling vinyl floor tiles, 80s lace valances, and honey-stained cabinetry — not exactly our dream kitchen. However, coming out of grad school, we weren’t really in a position for a total dream kitchen remodel, so we prioritized our list of essential updates, enlisted a handyman friend, and went to work…FIRST ROW• 1 Before & After views.