Kitchen Remodel Ideas

This cottage kitchen had a lot to overcome: a less-than-functional layout, old cabinets, dated floors, and popcorn ceilings. Sarah from The Estate of Things gave it a whole new look (and usefulness, too): From Sarah: As is customary for this historic renovation and interior design blog, readers of The Estate of Things joined along in the design process throughout. The designer gathered input on a banquette build, readers weighed in on lighting choices, paint colors and appliances.

Lisa’s kitchen was in need of an update. Realizing the faux terracotta tile wasn’t working, but not wanting to commit to a full retiling of the whole space just yet, she came up with this graphic Greek solution. From Lisa: We changed out the damaged bullnose laminate bench tops for Caesarstone Frosty Carinna with square edge, and changed the overhang of the breakfast bar so that it was no longer in a walk way and can seat four now.

Brooklyn homeowner Ketrina loved her new condo… but as time went by, she became more and more disillusioned with the tiny, cramped kitchen. The cabinets weren’t properly installed, nothing was level, and whenever the refrigerator opened, it would chip away at the kitchen doorway. To make things worse, water leaks from the apartment above were taking their toll on the walls and cabinets. It was time for a change.

Megan was tired of her kitchen, and after gathering inspiration, began a slowly-but-surely remodel, tackling projects on the weekends. It took six months, but she’s pretty thrilled with the results: From Megan: This project started in January and ended in June. Slowly but surely, one step at a time, every weekend. I learned how to paint my upper cabinets using The Critter (check it on amazon.com) and Advance Paint by Benjamin Moore (Amazing!

John and Jami’s 1925 Craftsman had a kitchen that hadn’t been updated in any significant way since the 1950s. The couple hired local tradespeople to renovate the room and acted as apprentices on the job to keep costs down and acquire some renovation skills… First up: the cabinets. Upon moving into the house, there were mouse droppings in the uppermost cabinets and it was apparent to John and Jami that new cabinets were the way to go.

Maïla’s tiny Paris apartment was lacking both a dining table and counter space. When her woodworker father heard she was thinking of going without a proper place to eat for more prep area, he came up with a genius small space solution: From Maïla: I am a keen cook and I pointed out to my dad (a woodworker by trade, and a very skilled one at that) that I’d rather have more counter space and storage and eat on the sofa.

Dan and Mike made a great purchase that they’ve since gone on to make even greater: a one-bedroom condo in an old converted piano factory, in one of Manhattan’s most coveted neighborhoods. Although their apartment had a lot of things going for it, one thing that they didn’t love was the kitchen, hidden away from the rest of the apartment by a wall with an awkward passthrough.

When Sue De Chiara first saw the butler’s pantry in her (now) new house, this was what it looked like: Storage for miles, dark wood cabinetry, and black countertops. It’s undoubtedly a phenomenal space, but Sue found a way to make it a total showstopper. Leaving the countertops and sink as is, she painted the cabinets a glossy deep blue and switched out the hardware. It just goes to show how dramatic a change can be made with just paint!

You know when something doesn’t quite fit. For Violaine and Gaëtan, the style of their country kitchen just wasn’t a reflection of their preferred industrial style. A Belgian architect now living in Montreal, Gaëtan designed the new kitchen himself in his spare time. They sold the old cabinets, tiles and appliances on the internet and grabbed a hammer to start renovating. The result is unique and simply gorgeous.

Shelby’s new cute Craftsman style home had a lot of old charm….except for the bland builder-grade kitchen.

Paige’s ’80s kitchen needed to time travel a few decades forward. Now, hardly any wisp of the past remains; say goodbye to the cabinets, appliances, floors, counters, and even a wall. This kitchen transformation is truly stunning! From Paige: Last August we set out to destroy our ’80s nightmare of a kitchen and replace it with something fresh and unique.

Jill purchased a foreclosure last year, and her first project was fixing up the kitchen which had seen better days. This casita said adios to laminate, honey cabinets, and fire-starting stove! From Jill: I bought this casita in August of last year. It was a foreclosure and a fixer-upper – and it had apparently not been cleaned, much less updated, in what appeared to be a long time. My first priority was improving the horrible kitchen.

Amy Pigliacampo and her husband Corey Szopinski purchased their Echo Park home two years ago. Their house is a very modern prefab design from Sunia Home, which came with a raw material lined kitchen and open floorpan. “We always knew that we would need to redesign the kitchen. It looked cool, but lacked the functionality we needed for our growing family. Our kitchen is the most heavily used area in our home since we cook and eat at home most of the time.

Claire and Mike loved everything about their co-op in a converted Brooklyn industrial building, except for the kitchen. In appearance it was rather inoffensive — not nearly as terrible as some of the ‘before’ kitchens we’ve seen on this site — but in storage ad counter space it was seriously lacking. Also, with its standard-height cabinets, the kitchen looked awkward and squatty in such a tall space.

When Pallavi and Keyur bought their one-bedroom Murray Hill co-op, it had a couple of pretty common NYC apartment problems: a teeny-tiny kitchen, and a bedroom with nearly non-existent clothes storage. The little sliver of the kitchen that you see in the photo above was all that would fit in the picture — it was really that small. But since there was no way to expand the footprint of the apartment, to make their kitchen bigger, they had to get creative.

Lana’s home was built in the 1930s, and the separate rooms made it tough to entertain. She was also lacking counter space on either side of the stove. See how she opened up the space while keeping the same layout: From Lana: Our old kitchen was a great size and decent layout, but was difficult to entertain in— I always felt like I had my back to the conversation and only had 12 inches of counter on either side of the stove.

With Erica and her husband hoping to sell their home, they wanted to differentiate their builder-grade kitchen from their neighbors’— without spending a ton of money. See how they transformed the space: From Erica: With the knowledge that kitchens sell homes and our goal being to move out to the country, we needed to upgrade our builder-grade ’90s time warp.

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. 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.

For those amongst us who have a strong urge to stick with “perfectly good” spaces that have “nothing wrong” with them, either look away or be inspired. Becky’s kitchen was fine, but she didn’t love it. So she and her husband ditched what they didn’t like and made it a room they truly love: From Becky: Right from the start we kept the upper cabinets empty, just to see if we could live without them.

If Stephanie’s kitchen layout looks a little lacking, that’s because it used to be a laundry room. Thankfully, she had some friends to help her reimagine the space and make it more functional. From Stephanie: This kitchen was a laundry room originally and part of a cozy little apartment. It was difficult to hide things like fuse boxes, verizon hubs, etc. Also layout was a bit of a challenge.

Andrea’s rental kitchen was lacking a backsplash… and personality. Enter Etsy with a colorful (and temporary!) solution that complements her space. From Andrea: I had been looking for an answer to my rental kitchen woes for over a year when I found these removable wall/tile decals by Bleucoin on Etsy. I was instantly inspired to refresh my dark and boring galley kitchen with them.

Every so often, someone sends in a project that 100% reaffirms my belief in the power of paint along with good diy and decorating skills. This is one of them. Take it away (and OMG, amazing job!

Jason’s studio apartment lacked sufficient counter space, so when he saw this IKEA dresser on the side of the road, he snagged it. See how he made it work for his kitchen: From Jason: I was driving home from work when I glanced over to see a couple moving out of their house. Three Ikea dressers were sitting on their front lawn with “Free” signs taped to each. 20 minutes later I had all three loaded into my truck. This is the first one I attempted to tackle.

When the last of their kids moved out, Hafeeza and her husband decided to make a big change: they sold their 4,500 square foot house in New Jersey and moved to Manhattan. They were tired of the maintenance a big house requires, and wanted to be close to the city and all it has to offer. After a year in a temporary spot, they found the perfect apartment. The kitchen just needed a little tlc.

I’m so excited to share with you today a before & after of my very own kitchen! I live in a converted hard loft in the eclectic neighbourhood of Kensington Market in Toronto. It was converted to lofts in 1999 — which you can see by this before photo. There was nothing absolutely terrible with this kitchen (well maybe those countertops), but it just felt dated and didn’t match my colorful and eclectic personality and the rest of my space. I decided to give it a major makeover.

Project by: Karen We just moved into a 1929 Tudor bungalow. The kitchen is small and has only one window. The upper cabinets made the room seem darker. In addition, they were hard for me to reach (I’m 5’2″). So I took them out and replaced them with open shelving in gloss white. The room was instantly brighter. I added storage in the pantry to make up for the lost cabinet space. So I took out the upper cabinets and replaced them with open shelving in gloss white.

Project by: Amber Location: Belton, South Carolina After dreaming of this foreclosure for years, it finally became ours two years ago. But when we started knocking down walls, of course, we quickly ran out of money. Yet, we still had to renovate a kitchen. We literally had nothing in this kitchen but floors, a door, and windows! With a LOT of sweat, TEARS, and lonnnnnngggg days and hours…we made it happen for just a little bit over $5,000.

The kitchen in Sam’s new house couldn’t have been much worse. There were mice everywhere, the units were filthy, the cooker was condemned by the gasman, the back door could only be opened with a crowbar and worst of all, there was a mysterious smell, which they eventually tracked down to an open waste pipe running straight into the kitchen.

Renovation by: Kristyn Location: Pittsburgh There was nothing WRONG with the kitchen when I purchased my first home except that it wasn’t me. It didn’t fit the 1920s Tudor Revival style of the house or my preferred bright, colorful, organic modern look. Although I don’t love bead board, there was no reason to replace the clean and sturdy cabinets. So I embraced it, adding more to the side and back of the island that separates kitchen from dining room.

Renovation by: Patti Location: Phoenix, AZ We moved into our fixer-upper exactly one year ago and finally finished the last room – the kitchen. I think the previous owner must have fantasied about being a princess because every single room was painted pink (including ceilings and doors!) and had wall to wall purple carpeting.

Despite the kitchen’s laminate counters, sloping floors, drop ceilings, and other quirks, John and Edwaard fell for their home in Columbus’ German Village neighborhood. A seven-month gut renovation followed, and the space is completely transformed: The extensive renovation, which started in February 2014, included updating the floor and ceiling, replacing the exterior door, installing new IKEA cabinetry and countertops, and moving the stove to the opposite wall.

Renovation by: Becca Location: Kansas City, MO We purchased our 1926 Dutch Colonial from foreclosure, and it had been a rental before then, so much of it was in very rough shape as much from poor past work as from years of neglect. The kitchen was by far the worst, with misfit and poorly installed thermafoil cabinets, broken laminate countertops, wood floors ruined by water stains and glue and numerous other issues.

This summer, my husband and I embarked on our first renovation project — a 1950’s terraced house with what we like to call “potential.” It has been a long, hard slog with a tight budget but we are beginning to see progress. You may have seen the results of our efforts in the living room here recently. In the kitchen, the long-term plan is to extend the room to make a big bright kitchen diner with glass doors out onto the garden and a little bit more room to swing a cat.

2014 saw a lot of great kitchen remodels here on Apartment Therapy. In this post, we’ve rounded up the best of the best: the projects that really wow. Check ’em out and prepare to be amazed. Click on the slideshow to see the projects. To learn more about each project (and see more pictures), click the links in the captions. → Welcome to Apartment Therapy’s Best of 2014 roundup!

In 2014, our Before & Afters proved again and again that you don’t need a ton of cash to have a fresh new kitchen. Here are ten of this year’s best budget kitchen remodels. Click on the slideshow to see the projects. To learn more about each project (and see more pictures), click the links in the captions. → Welcome to Apartment Therapy’s Best of 2014 roundup! From December 21 through January 1 we are rounding up our favorite (and your favorite) posts from the past year.

Alison Dahl Kelly shared photos and the story of her amazing kitchen and dining room makeover with us. Take it away, Alison: Purchased in 2009, our artfully restored 1880’s townhouse has been taken apart and put back together again, restoring some old and adding some new. What attracted us to buy this house were the still-intact original details—parquet flooring, tin ceilings, marble fireplaces, built-in cabinetry, his and hers vanities.

Renovation by: Katy Location: Decatur, GA We bought our 1958 ranch style home last year and right away knew we wanted to completely overhaul the kitchen. Everything except the appliances were original to the house and there was a wall that closed the small space in, making it feel even smaller.

Think you can’t afford a new kitchen? Think again! These five budget kitchen renovations prove that you don’t need a ton of cash to get a new look in your kitchen — just a lot of elbow grease (and a little bit of creativity). Pictured above is the kitchen of Mandi Johnson, spotted on A Beautiful Mess. Mandi painted her cabinets instead of replacing them, and opted for a budget-friendly butcherblock countertop and plank backsplash.

Last week, we witnessed the transformation of Elizabeth’s tiny bathroom, and today we’re taking a look at the rest of her tw0-bedroom co-op. When Elizabeth bought the place, she originally planned to only remodel the bathroom, but her contractor helped her realize that with only a few small changes, she could have a whole apartment that she was really happy with.

If you’ve ever done a kitchen makeover or thought about it and did a little research, you know that things get really pricey, really fast (I can speak from experience). That’s why I was so impressed by Brooklyn Berry’s $500 kitchen makeover. That’s almost like pennies in the kitchen makeover world. The key is being a really savvy shopper, getting creative and getting your hands dirty to do most of the work yourself.

Makeover by: David (check out David’s bathroom makeover, too) Location: Glendale, CA We purchased our mid-century ranch house in 2012. We were only the 3rd owners. The first owners commissioned Robert L Earl architecture to build the house and it was complete in 1962. They lived in it for ten years, the second owners for 40 years.

Kelsey and her husband Heath had their work cut out for them when they moved into their new home with an outdated kitchen. But they worked with the home’s bones for a makeover that both fits the house and their personality! From Kelsey: This project is/was the most time and energy intensive DIY renovation we’ve sunk our teeth into, but it has also been the most gratifying.

We’re all about the affordable makeovers that completely transform a room for not a lot of money. And though this kitchen does get a new floor (the price of which is not reflected in the $500 budget mentioned here), pay attention to the rest of the room where the $500 was spent. Alex got creative and outlines everything done to achieve a fresh new look. From Alex: I’ve wanted to redo my kitchen since I bought the house five years ago.

This Park Avenue apartment, while blessed with features that a lot of New Yorkers would kill for, like a gorgeous roof terrace, also had a problem common to a lot of older homes: a cramped, oddly shaped kitchen that was a bit of an afterthought in the original floor plan. The space was small and awkwardly broken up, with the kitchen a long walk away from any dining area.

Project by: Kara and Matt Location: Charlotte, NC This past spring we purchased a 1960’s style brick ranch that aesthetically was still stuck in that decade. The home had great bones, but like most houses built at that time, contained lots of tiny “living” spaces, like a small L shaped kitchen, a super dark paneled den and a long, narrow living room.

This “before” kitchen shot needs no explanation, nor serious questioning about its readiness for an update. It looks like a room from a bygone era with dated and peeling wallpaper and linoleum tile. It’s subsequent makeover is refreshing and do-able. Reddit user High Volkage didn’t rip everything out and start from scratch. Instead, he repainted the original cabinets, tiled the backsplash with basic subway tiles, and installed vinyl tiles on the floor.

Six months after moving into their home, Jill and her husband were ready to tackle the kitchen remodel. The plan: IKEA cabinets and appliances, moving the cooktop, and adding bold tile. The result perfectly embodies the “cozy modern” style they love. As with all remodels there were a few bumps in the road—namely the project took about twice as long as they’d anticipated—but they got their dream kitchen when all was said and done.

Sometimes when faced with a very outdated room, say like a kitchen, your first instinct could be to pour a lot of money into it to try to bring it back into the present day. But as Sabrina proves with this simple and subtle redesign, you can make a big impact on the look of a space with very small but potent changes (and only a bit of money). From Sabrina: Believe it or not, I bought this home at an estate auction, and these people were looking at it as well.

Jordan and her growing family were looking for a home, but knew with San Francisco’s high prices they would probably have to settle for a home that didn’t quite match their dreams. Even though friends warned her of the high prices of renovating, discounts were searched for and they did a lot of work themselves. From Jordan: My husband and I recently bought our first home together in San Francisco. We wanted a large home that had space for our growing family.

This kitchen before and after is a little different from our usual fare because it doesn’t involve a change in style: it involves a change in function. Blaise, Kristin, and their three kids had just made the move from Manhattan to Brooklyn. Their new home was almost twice as big as their previous one, but the kitchen, they found, was prohibitively small. They loved the way it looked, but they didn’t love storing kitchen basics in the basement and pots and pans in the oven.

After 10 months of searching, Alison and Jovito purchased the home of their dreams: a charming 100-year-old brownstone in Brooklyn’s Ocean Park. There were lots of things that needed updating all over the house, but they decided to focus first on the most egregious spots: the upstairs bathroom and the very, very, brown kitchen. We’ll leave it to Allison to describe the extent of the former kitchen’s ickiness: The kitchen needed a gut renovation.

The kitchen is number one on my list of areas in our house that I want to re-haul. We are in it all the time and it opens into the dining room and living room, so I am always daydreaming about how I can make it feel brighter and maximize the space. Naturally, these makeovers serve to feed these daydreams and give me inspiration about how to go about doing this for my own kitchen someday.

Lots of old houses have these maddening, inexplicable gaps between the top of the kitchen cabinets and the ceiling. What do you do with that awkward extra space? You could stuff it full of cookbooks or fake plants, or you could steal this genius solution from Mandi Johnson of A Beautiful Mess. Can you believe it’s the same kitchen? Of course, painting the cabinets and replacing the countertop and backsplash make a huge difference.

When you’re faced with a bland, beige rental kitchen in an apartment you otherwise love, what do you do? If you’re Kerry, who has a gorgeous New Orleans apartment, you infuse your rental kitchen with some color! From Kerry: I’ve lived in my 800 square foot French Quarter apartment in New Orleans for five years now. I have the perfect combination of low rent and a hands-off landlord. This summer I decided to make some big changes.

When faced with an outdated kitchen, it’s a natural reaction to want to go for the gut and simply start with a clean slate. It takes a a good eye and plenty of design confidence to recognize a situation where not everything has to go and instead, successfully build on the old, seen-better-days bones of the room.

Renovation by: Takbir Fatima from DesignAware Location: Hyderabad, India This kitchen had been through a lot of wear: the original construction was faulty, causing leakage in the floor, the original design allowed for almost no natural light to enter the kitchen, and previous tenants’ lack of maintenance had made an entire wall stubbornly greasy. Before moving in, I brought down the wall separating the kitchen and dining areas, opening up the space.

Before her renovation, the kitchen in Sanaya’s Clinton Hill co-op wasn’t much to look at. But the issues with the kitchen went far beyond appearances: the cabinets were falling apart, and cans of food were holding up shelves in some places. A well separating the kitchen and pantry made both spaces seem small and cramped. It was time for a change — time to tear everything out and start anew.

We love a good transformation, and some of the biggest happen in the kitchen. Here are 15 of our favorite kitchen makeovers sent in from our readers that are sure to inspire you to get cooking. → Before & After: A Brown & Tiny Kitchen Gets Brightened and Space Maximized!

It’s not that Pauline was ungrateful for her kitchen nook — it was a convenient corner with a desktop that could be a great place to do work. It’s just that it didn’t fit her needs (or aesthetics). So she came up with a plan to mold it to be a space she could use, came across some surprises while tearing out the old stuff, and got clever to finish out what turned into a very creative corner! Bonus: There’s inspiration (and a link to instructions) for DIY art inside!

Jenny describes the “before” of her compact kitchen best: it was safe. White walls, white cabinets. Not a lot of color, accessories, style or windows. It gave off about as much charm as a doctor’s office. So she decided to add color — but in a practical way. She’d keep the black floor tiles that hide dirt, but add a cheery pop of color in an unexpected place, and throw in some efficient storage ideas for good measure.

Project by: Lauren N. Sellers/Trust the Vision Decor Location: Yardley, Pennsylvania You know those beige breakfast nooks that sometimes show up in the corners of otherwise lovely homes? Don’t start your day off boring when you can surround yourself with bold. Designer Lauren N. Sellers of Trust the Vision Decor turned this nook into an exciting place to drink morning coffee with only $600 and just over a week of time.

Compared to their last kitchen, the kitchen in Anna’s new home was amazing. Two people could cook at the same time, the appliances were made in her lifetime and it was bug-free. Once with newness wore off though, it was time to tackle all that wood that did not fit their style. The challenge? How to make this dated kitchen look brighter and more modern with the tiny budget of $2000!

Yellow kitchens can be cheerful and sunny or they can leave you feeling kinda queasy. Katrin, who blogs at Taking Notes, found herself with an acid bright kitchen that fell firmly into the latter camp. But armed with a paint brush and various shades of white and grey paint, she has worked a magical transformation.

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.

Kendra started her own business in 2011, REmix Design, a perfect way to use her interior design skills plus her passion for home design and working with tools. She loves saving furniture that “has seen better days.” She mixes old with new, rusty and shiny and this $10 table turned butcher block island is a perfect example! From Kendra: I took it home and immediately began tearing off the metal top with the help of my dad.

Have you ever hated the outdated look of a room so much that you wanted to paint every single surface? Tasha didn’t love her kitchen, and paint on every nearly single surface (along with some new hardware and furniture) helps transform it into a completely new space! Tasha says: Our kitchen was functional and in good condition, but outdated in style. We totally transformed it into a space that we love for under $700, including new hardware and furniture.

Sometimes our favorite before and after projects are the ones that take a small addition to a home and create a big impact on the look. This tiny kitchen is a great example. Christina made a small but bold choice —and it really paid off! From Christina I recently bought my first condo — a small and beautifully renovated 475 square foot one bedroom.

A lot of people remodel their homes right after (or right before) moving in, but by the time Kyle and Angela decided to take the plunge and redo their kitchen, they had been living in their Clinton Hill apartment for 11 years. They had a lot of time to save, and scheme, and they knew exactly what they wanted: more counter space, a more open floor plan, and a kitchen with a little bit of midcentury style.

When Meghann bought her first house last year, she didn’t have enough money to do a complete remodel of her kitchen, but the home’s original “orange-y” wood cabinets just weren’t working for her. With dark appliances and only one window, her main goal was to brighten her space up, as affordably as she could. She didn’t do a lot, but the $90 she did spend over a weekend made a surprising impact!

When Kelly and her husband moved into a 1950s fixer-upper in late 2012, they knew their kitchen — with original (in Kelly’s words, grime-encrusted) pine cabinets, aluminum-wrapped laminate counters and linoleum floors mixed with asbestos — would need some aesthetic upgrading. They even started working on this room two hours after closing on the house! From Kelly: To say that it was a labor of love is an understatement.

A "before & after" bonanza of reader-submitted projects, organized by budget.