Kitchen Remodel Ideas

Is this the worst kitchen you’ve ever seen? Well, it may not look like it. But behind its benign, if somewhat bland, appearance lurked a dirty secret… a really dirty one. Mouse poop. Rob and Liz, the homeowners, were only using about 25% of their cabinet space, thanks to these uninvited guests. Additionally, the kitchen was freezing in the winter — standing in the right place, you could actually feel a breeze blowing across your feet. Lovely.

When Sarah, an editor at Vanity Fair, and her husband Michael, a writer for Bloomberg News, bought their home on the Upper East Side, they knew the kitchen could use a little work. Their apartment, which dates back to 1910, hadn’t had many improvements since then. The kitchen, in particular, was a strange mish-mash of styles: the upper cabinets, original to the apartment, were beautiful, but riddled with wood putty spots and pockmarks from the past 100 years.

While house hunting, Holly and Ryan nicknamed this 1974 abode, “The Depressing House” due to its dark, cave-like feel.  They bought it anyway.  Want to see this kitchen today?Over the course of a year, they tore down the upper cabinets to open up the sight lines, ripped out three layers of linoleum and painted the cabinets a chic gray (Martha Stewart Zinc).

When Chris and Julia moved into their home in 2011, one of the spaces that really needed major attention was the outdated, builder-grade kitchen, complete with almond-colored appliances, pink countertops, dingy cabinets and fluorescent lighting. Although they were initially planning to tweak the layout, ultimately they decided to save money by keeping the floor plan and refurbishing the existing cabinets. They worked on the kitchen in phases, replacing appliances as they could afford it.

With a lot of research, planning, and smart shopping, Judy transformed this kitchen for only $13,000, including all labor and materials. The fixtures are from Overstock, Wayfair, and eBay. The cabinet boxes, countertops, and range hood were purchased during an IKEA kitchen sale. The marble was their only splurge. We brought costs down by doing away with the general contractor, keeping the existing appliances and floor, and getting materials that looked high-end-ish, but were really not in price.

My kitchen Before.. just two-three months ago. Name:Type of Project:Location:Type of building:Whenever I am asked how you learn to make good interior design decisions, how to trust yourself or how to just plain have style, I say the same thing. Start by copying. I don’t mean the type of copying where you cheated in high school by looking at someone else’s answers.

If you’ve ever lived in an apartment, this ‘before’ picture might look a little familiar. In fact, I’m pretty sure my very first rental had the exact same wood-trimmed cabinets and white laminate countertop. But when Brooklyn residents Mark and Erin bought their own place, they decided it was time for an update — one that would make their outdated kitchen more beautiful and more useful.

Tonya lives in a “fantastically old” house that’s filled to the brim with home improvement projects. The target for one of these projects was a blank corner of her kitchen that needed seating beyond just the high chair that usually lived there. Check out what she was able to do with this little corner in just one weekend.  The idea seemed logical and simple and kind of a no-brainer.

Before: The kitchen, although graced with beautiful large windows, left a little something to be desired. After: A new kitchen from the studs inward, including a new Kohler sink and industrial task lighting above the windows for more functionality.From Andi: Possibly the most luxurious thing is the increased square footage (we went from 95 to 170 square feet).

For all of us who have been following along with Claire and Jeffrey’s renovation, the ultimate moment has finally arrived. That’s right — the kitchen is finally complete, and it’s time for the big reveal. Before: The space viewed from the living room entry. After: Now, the kitchen is wide open, with an uninterrupted view of the window to the backyard.From Claire:We spend all of our free time in this room.

Aesthetically, Jane’s kitchen wasn’t her cup of tea, but it wasn’t in bad shape. The real issue was the lack of functional storage — and the lack of a vent hood, which meant that every time Jane cooked anything it would set off the smoke alarm. Yikes. Enter Brooklyn-based Famurat Builders, who Jane met through The Sweeten, an online resource that connects New York-area homeowners with architects, interior designers and contractors.

I see a lot of interior transformations, but I’m a little obsessed with this one cottage renovation going on in Finland. So far it’s comprised a series of teaser photos over the past couple of months, and I am just waiting for the final reveal. And waiting. And waiting. But now I can’t stand it anymore, so I’m going to let you in on my exquisite pain. Suki and her family are currently restoring a little cottage, transforming it into a simple and stylish retreat.

When I shot Andrew’s Vintage Berwyn Bungalow house tour, the kitchen was in the early stages of being torn apart for a rehab. It took almost two years but Andrew finally put the finishing touches on his new kitchen and is ready to share it with the world. Before I show you the “after” photos, let’s take one more look at the dated old kitchen that Andrew inherited when he bought his house: Those cabinets! That ceiling fan! Oof!

Who hasn’t opened their pantry or cabinets to a mess and thought — there’s not even any “real food” for dinner? Kimberly’s pantry needed a clean out and some order. If this ‘before’ photo looks familiar to you, check out what some labels and dollar bins did for her: From Kimberly: I decided I’d just take one shelf at a time one night a week and organize everything. That idea lasted until I finished the first shelf.

When Kyle moved into her San Francisco home two years ago, she knew that remodeling her kitchen was a priority. She loves to host dinner parties and the layout of her kitchen was not conducive to entertaining. Opening the room to create a welcoming space for friends to eat, drink and interact was a must.Kyle turned to pinterest for design inspiration. Ready to ditch the yellow and blue color combo of her old space, she fell in love with the fresh, clean aesthetic found in shades of whites.

From Lilly: When we were shopping for our home and walked through what is now our kitchen, I was really taken aback by the dark and cheap looking laminate counters and back splash. However, I thought the ceramic tile floors and off-white cabinets could be a great base for an update.

By the time we were completing construction on our kitchen, I was nine months pregnant. Nothing will motivate a contractor to wrap things up faster than his client going into labor before his eyes. I waved away an offer to be driven to the hospital and said between deep breathes, “I just need it done!

I had the great fortune of moving into my grandparents house on our family farm a couple of years ago. It hadn’t been touched much since it was built in 1971, so we saw it as an opportunity to make it exactly what we wanted… starting with the removal of the mostly original carpet. It covered the entire house from kitchen to bathroom!  Since it’s a working farm, our house projects are limited to winter time.

Mai’s pantry redo is a treat for the eyes — how many of us can relate to her “before” image? Standard wire shelving, jumbled up goods… essentially a dark hole in the wall that just gets the “keep the door closed” treatment. Come see this simple, refreshing makeover that will inspire you to tackle even the scariest of pantries!

This NYC apartment kitchen got the job done. But there were a few things about it that irked — the L-shaped layout blocked part of the window, and there wasn’t a lot of storage space. The appliances were outdated, and the laminate cabinets had seen better days. Plus, the whole room just felt, well… little. What to do?Can you believe it’s the same room? Architect Nalina Moses removed the sink cabinet that was blocking access to the lower part of the window.

When Liz and her husband completed their kitchen renovation, they still couldn’t agree on whether or not to add an island. Liza was a fan of the idea, but her husband was concerned about overwhelming their space. After months of debate, and recent entertaining experiences, Liz decided to take the bull by the horns.Once Liz started searching for an island with the proper measurements for her kitchen, she realized that such a specific size might require a custom solution.

Updating old laminate countertops without having to completely replace them can be a big challenge. Faux finishes can often look, well… faux, and tackling a DIY project (like pouring your own concrete countertops) can be tricky and exhausting. That’s why I was so impressed with this project from interior designer Kara Paslay.Kara managed a realistic concrete look without the hassle and weight of fully-formed slabs.

Niamh of Seek Design had a client with a wish to revamp her entire apartment on a budget. Follow me after the jump to see what she was able to whip up in her outdated kitchen…To cut costs, Niamh painted the kitchen backsplash and cabinets and just replaced handles and knobs. An upper cabinet was removed to give a small open shelving area. The biggest cost was new appliances (isn’t that always the case?) and the new tiled floor.

At last night’s Apartment Therapy design meetup, we heard from Frank Potash (aka Mid-C Frank), whose quick — and very dramatic — kitchen remodel was featured on the Kitchn a few years ago. Before, the kitchen was clean and cozy, but a bit generic. Jump below to see the after, and a floor plan of the changes.Check out the full tour at The Kitchn to see how Frank re-did his whole kitchen with Ikea cabinets — in just five weeks.

Ever since Denise and her husband Brad moved into their 1937 California Ranch style home six years ago, the dark and dated kitchen was always a sore spot for her. Not only was it stuck in the ’80s, it also lacked adequate storage.It wasn’t until the birth of their daughter that she realized she would be spending a lot of time in the kitchen as a stay-at-home mom — and she needed a space that was open, warm, and reflected her love of old world glamour.

When Kalie and Travis moved into their house a year ago, they knew they had a lot of things to change to make it feel like home. Thrilled to finally have an outlet for their passion for decorating, they have been gradually implementing their big plans in their self-defined little house.They changed out the light wood floors for dark, and installed new custom cabinets built by a friend.

After Rachel had her new wood floors installed, it was clear she had a problem- her always darker than desired kitchen was now even more basement-like because her cabinets now matched the tone of her floor. Determined to create a lighter, brighter space without spending a lot of money, Rachel decided to use paint to transform her kitchen.Rachel used a Rustoleum Countertop Transformations Kit to transform her counters from dark grey to desert sand.

When Ashley and Greg purchased their home they knew that a kitchen remodel was in their future. The existing space was poorly designed, with dated appliances, unattractive cabinetry, and a fair amount of plumbing and electrical issues. Starting from scratch, they designed and built a beautiful, modern, and functional space that makes you wonder – is this even the same house?!Not afraid to get their hands dirty, the couple did what they could on their own.

Here’s a great example of how paint and new cabinet hardware can easily and inexpensively upgrade a kitchen. The family over at Keeping It Cozy made over their kitchen with these upgrades, and a few other finishing touches to make the space look bright and brand new — with a budget of only $1000!

This 80’s kitchen was in need of updated appliances, cabinetry, and an overall space adjustment. By taking extra space from adjacent rooms, the kitchen was opened up into a light and bright gourmet chef’s workplace. Check out the difference after the jump…Although it may not look like it from the before photo, this kitchen was very dark and narrow.

Brooke has turned her very generic and all too common country kitchen into a classic, clean space which will no doubt increase the value of their home.It may have taken five months of work, research, hunting and juggling two two-year-olds to get this project done, but it was worth every minute. The result is simply lovely and creates an updated and warm new feel for the main area of Brooke’s home. I think it’s a good example of refreshing a kitchen on a budget without demolition.

While researching yesterday’s post on the comeback of wood paneling, I was delighted to discover this beautiful remodel of a kitchen from the 1960s. Homeowners Bret and Mary Peyton did a great job of updating the kitchen while keeping the design true to the home’s midcentury roots. Take a look.The wall between the kitchen and the dining room was removed, which really opens up the space.

When Lee moved into his apartment rental, the kitchen was stark white and sterile. Check out what some color and black and white self adhesive floor tiles can do…With the help of a hair dryer, he removed the old, cracked vinyl tiles, and replaced them with Armstrong self adhesive floor tiles (cost $90). By positioning them at an angle, he created a diamond pattern that helps to distracts the eye from the railroad apartment’s “long & skinny” shape.

We love it when readers send us their projects to be featured. Kelly emailed us about her fabulous kitchen makeover, taking it from the dark and dated room you see above to the bright and updated space you can see after the jump…When Kelly and her husband bought their 100-year-old house that needed renovating, she was thrilled to get the chance to design her dream kitchen. And a dream kitchen it is! Kelly had the old kitchen torn out and started fresh.

Many of us can relate to Gemma’s situation. She knew that, down the line, she’d be taking on a full (read:expensive) renovation. But she wanted to do something to make the kitchen a fun, fresh place to be in the meantime.

Jenna sent us an email about her recent renovation project: Last week we just completed our big kitchen reno… on a budget! Here are some before & after details:Before:Pink walls, beige formica counters, old white tile floors, chrome and brass fixtures, 90’s whitewashed oak cabinets, mismatched fluorescent panel lighting, empty unused walls and lack of counter space.

This kitchen was a total disaster when owner Dorie bought her 1916 bungalow in Mesa, Arizona. The builder-grade cabinets and oven were fixed awkwardly in the center of the room while a huge custom wine rack took up the entire back wall — perhaps because it required serious wine goggles to look at that room without cringing? Dorie’s new kitchen is gorgeous even when you’re stone-cold sober.

While having a “green” kitchen is a desirable trait these days, it had a whole different meaning in the 1940’s. A green floor, green walls and even a green ceiling is what Linn and her husband faced when they purchased their bungalow last year. But after a month of hard work the only green they’ll have to live with now is the envious kind.

Dana and her boyfriend Ryan love their beach getaway at Cape May, but nothing could make them love its outdated galley kitchen. From the mixed wood tones to the plastic backsplash, this 1980s kitchen was not the rustic coastal kitchen they knew their vacation home deserved. Despite the tiny budget, they managed to make big changes that capture the relaxed attitude every beach home should exude.

There’s a big misconception in the renovating and real estate world that kitchen remodeling needs to be flashy and expensive to be good. That’s simply not true! We’ve found that with a little creativity, some reuse, a new coat of paint — and sometimes not even that much work, kitchen renovations can be not only eco-friendly, but also inexpensive. Here are our 15 best before and after kitchen posts of the year!

Brooklyn to West‘s Ariele has done it again. In my opinion, she’s the junkyard, dumpster diving, demo-ed house DIY Queen. This gal finds discarded household materials throughout Brooklyn and transforms them into artistic, thoughtful, and beautiful everyday objects. Most recently, she’s taken floorboards and changed them into cheese boards. Genius? YES!Ariele never ceases to amaze me.

I know, I know, they did more than just knock out a half wall, but I would argue that it was the half wall removal that really made the difference in this kitchen. If they had done nothing else, the half wall removal would have transformed this kitchen completely. Find out more after the jump.This is a great kitchen renovation on a budget any way you slice it. The surfaces that were replaced were high impact and the surfaces that stayed were easily refinished.

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?

Rental kitchens are tough, you don’t want to put too much money into them but there isn’t much incentive for the landlord to make them top notch and gourmet. Here’s a great kitchen makeover that completely transforms the entire look of the kitchen for only $17. You really can’t miss this one.This great makover at HGTV really shows how far you can take $17. As the renters describe: We are renting right now and this kitchen was GROSS! I couldn’t live with it.

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.

Name: Stephanie Rearick and Jon Hain Location: Madison, Wisconsin Years lived in: 20 Stephanie and Jon had wanted to redo the kitchen in their 680-square-foot Madison home for 18 years. They knew the space was sad; as it was, there was little storage and workspace, cabinet doors didn’t close, and the room lacked any and all personality. Then they saw that, thanks to a grant, a local green-building consulting firm was offering design plans at a discount.

After lighting struck their Texas home, Jeanne and Richard were forced to rebuild their kitchen from the studs. Rather than constructing a carbon copy of what had been lost, they decided to start anew celebrating their love for Danish Modern design and reminiscent of their parents’ open ranch-style homes.Armed with dozens of images for inspiration (including some from AT, which they discovered through their research!

This is a great kitchen makeover. Using budget items from IKEA, repurposed materials and creatively placed chalkboard paint, this kitchen was completely transformed without ripping the cabinetry out. You don’t want to miss this one!We spotted this one over at Notes from the Heartland and don’t you just adore that island? A beadboard backsplash, chalkboard paint on the bulkhead and great lighting have made this space look fresh with a vintage vibe.

So many people dream about redoing their kitchen but look at the cost of new cabinets, new counters, new appliances and put it squarely in the one day pile. Thankfully, clever makeovers like this remind us that it’s not always about getting more – sometimes it’s about doing more with what you have.By removing cupboards and doors, repainting, making her own curtains, and adding DIY pieces Rita at harbour breeze completely transformed her kitchen for under $200.

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.

This month on Apartment Therapy we’re looking at some of the biggest projects we take on when designing our homes, kitchen and bath renovations. Deciding on all the new features can be daunting, but sometimes the choice of a single element literally makes the project click, instantly transforming the space and practically guaranteeing the success of the makeover. That was the case with Rebecca’s kitchen…After!… when she decided to install a “thin brick” wall.

I love to watch the evolution of people’s spaces. As soon as you remodel or paint one thing you begin to think about what you would have done differently and what you can do next. Katy from Mom and Her Drill has documented her kitchen as she painted it, and repainted it over time. Without any major renovations she had changed up her kitchen in a sustainable way more than once. Check it out after the jump.Immediately after moving in Katy knew she needed to make a change.

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.

Last spring, when my husband and I bought our first house, we hadn’t painted a full wall between the two of us. That changed within about two days of us getting our keys. We soon learned that the greenest (and most budget-friendly) trick in the book is to work with what you’ve got—so click through to see how our kitchen has progressed from dark and dated to light and lovely on a dime.

When I moved into my home, only one out of the three units was livable. The downstairs had been gutted and wasn’t much more than a glorified storage unit. You’ve gotten a glimpse of the bathroom via my Ace Hotel-inspired shelving post. Now I’m going to share my mostly recycled kitchen-on-a-shoestring.Diving into this project as a novice homeowner included lot of naivety and the necessity of getting a unit rented ASAP to help pay the mortgage.

Having a food storage area or pantry is a true thing of luxury. But for many it can also be a real headache. But an organized space not only leads to better shopping and food use, it can also add value to your home for very little money. Check out what this pantry looks like now, after the jump!At first glance this just looked like another pretty pantry.

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.

With only 75 square feet to work with these homeowners decided to go up with their renovation rather than out. Using light colors and simple lines has transformed this room incredibly. Check out the beautiful before and after here.With thoughtful design and an ability to take advantage of light incredibly well, the folks over at Design with ADD have make a dramatic impact on their tiny kitchen.Here are their thoughts on the design: Because we opted not to move the 75 sq. ft.

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.