A 200-Square-Foot “Break Room Kitchen” Feels Twice as Big After a Stunning Makeover
Small kitchens certainly aren’t unusable. In fact, there are plenty of space-savvy kitchen finds that can make tiny studio or galley kitchens work successfully. But sometimes, a small kitchen begs for a total renovation, which was the case for Bri Williams (@bri.hop) and her husband, Denver, and their 200-square-foot kitchen.
“I just wanted it to be functional and more colorful,” Bri says of her dated kitchen, which had undergone one renovation since it was built in the 1958 but was still “VERY outdated, small, and plain,” she says. She and Denver embarked on a DIY renovation during the Spring 2024 One Room Challenge.
Opening up the right side of the kitchen made the whole home flow better.
“We had to demolish the space entirely,” Bri explains. “We opened up the right wall that connects the kitchen to the living room, which made a massive difference in how the space felt.”
Bri says she doesn’t necessarily mind small, closed-plan kitchens, but in this case, shifting everything to the left wall was a game changer. (Bri and Denver’s real estate agent and family friend, Lorie, helped them design the new layout, and Denver’s dad, Brad, helped with rewiring electrical, painting, tiling, and building.)
The sink is now in front of the window, the stove is in the back, and the fridge is much more accessible. “It quickly became more of a ‘hosting’ space rather than a break-room kitchen,” Bri says. Re-configuring the layout was definitely not without its challenges for Bri and Denver, though.
“There were lots of moments where we’d take one step forward and three steps back,” Bri recalls. “We had to figure out how to reroute pipes and remove that giant column on the left side of the kitchen to flatten that back wall. I went back and forth a lot on where to put the stove and fridge, and because it was such a small space we had to be really mindful with our measurements.”
Green cabinet paint brings the pop of color the homeowners were after.
Speaking of measurements, because the homeowners were working with store-bought cabinets to save money, their measurements had to be incredibly precise so everything would help. Brad helped Bri and Denver build some cabinets and shelves for smaller nooks and crannies so they could maximize the space.
The three of them painted the cabinets a sage green (Sherwin-Williams’ Dried Thyme). “I love the pop of green, the warmth of the wood, and the shelves that are made perfectly for my short stature,” Bri says.
They pinched pennies where they could.
Bri really loves that the kitchen is so in tune with her and Denver’s routine. Her kitchen renovation advice is to “take note of your habits and what you want MOST out of a kitchen, functionality-wise.”
For example, she wanted some open shelving but also knew she needed to incorporate closed cabinets to keep some things tucked away and looking nice. She also debated butcher block countertops, but ultimately went with a white quartz for easier upkeep and cleaning. “Think about the must-haves versus the nice-to-haves — especially when you’re on a budget,” Bri adds.
“We definitely tried to find great deals on anything we could!” she says. “Like I said, our wood cabinets were not custom. We picked them up at a discount warehouse … our hardware is from Amazon. I searched for great deals on our appliances and tile. We got our lights at The Home Depot liquidation store. There were lots of opportunities to save money, and I think the biggest way was by handling as much labor as we could ourselves!”
Bri says she’s definitely glad she won’t have to tackle another kitchen renovation anytime soon, but she’s proud of the tiling, painting, and renovation skills she learned along the way. “It’s only made us appreciate the space so much more, knowing all the sweat that went into it!” she says.
This project was completed for the Spring 2024 One Room Challenge, in partnership with Apartment Therapy. See even more of the One Room Challenge before and afters here.
Inspired? Submit your own project here.