Kitchen

This DIY kitchen redo is full of smart savings.

Name: Graeme & Rebekah Molloy Type of Project: Kitchen Remodel Location: Chautauqua Park, Des Moines, Iowa Type of building: 1920 Tudor The Renovation Diaries are a collaboration with our community in which we feature your step by step renovation progress and provide monetary support towards getting it done in style. See all of our Reno Diaries here. Graeme and Rebekah crossed the finish line!

I am giddy over my new pretty, pretty pantry shelves. Just days ago, they were a hodgepodge of mismatched boards and faux-wood stickers. It’s amazing what a little paint and the old switcharoo will do! When we started working on our new house, I was pleased to find a set of shelves in the pantry. They were nothing to write home about, but they would hold things and they were free and they were fine.

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

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.

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.

Here's what you need to know.

Here's the great reason why.

White kitchens have their place, but these might just be better.

You'll want to steal the new cabinet color ASAP.

This unexpected marriage transforms a utilitarian bathroom or kitchen into a bold style statement.

Wait until you see the ceiling.

You may have to give up your gas range for the greater good.

It's a little last century, a little this century, and a lot stylish.

A redo of a 1912 home's galley kitchen makes room for bold pattern.

Open, airy, with farmhouse flair? Count us in.

This DIY gut job yielded seriously impressive results.

The after's lighter, brighter, and way more modern.

It makes a huge difference in the look of your cook space.

Yes, really.

These simple changes have seriously big impact.

With disaster comes the opportunity to rebuild.

This one-time rental kitchen's total overhaul made it way more functional—and lots prettier, too.

This small change makes a huge difference.

Tiny space, big style—and a whole lot of inspiration.

Consider these drawbacks.

This was the year of statement-making tile, and these redos are the best of the best.

Add these easy tricks to your to-do list and reap the rewards.

This budget-friendly trick is timeless, and these stunning projects prove it.

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.

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.

Project by: Sabina Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania We moved into our house three years ago and it was love at first sight. We loved everything about it—except the fact that it was incredibly outdated. So, after putting up with our dated, depressing kitchen for three years, in June of 2015 we finally started our dream kitchen renovation. We had replaced a few of the appliances with our own when we moved in, so we didn’t opt to get all new appliances during this renovation.

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!

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.