Before and After: A Cheerful, Sunny Kitchen for Only $2,500
This kitchen is perfectly nice! It’s got lots of windows, a beautiful hardwood floor, and classic cabinets. Its owner, however, wanted something beyond perfectly nice, and, after four years of plotting and planning, made it into something special.
In the full-length shot, you can see that lovely floor, as well as more of the mustard walls. It is always wise to spend some time in a place before renovating, whenever possible, and the results prove that patience is a virtue…
Jolie Dionne of Vintage Meets Glam created this renovation for less than $2,500 in less than two months. Check out Jolie’s full reveal post for a detailed budget breakdown and resource list, but obviously the crucial element is the lemon wallpaper from Spoonflower, which was $2.50/square foot. It’s the sunniest wallpaper ever — a friendly greeting early in the morning.
The creamy, pale grey paint on the cabinets is the perfect foil to the lively wallpaper, though I could see it working well with the original wood cabinets—though that look would be a lot more vintage. Speaking of vintage, that ceiling light has the perfect amount of retro flair. The new basalt slate countertops are also perfect with the wallpaper; black, grey, and yellow is a super-fun and sophisticated color combination.
I think one of the main things working against this kitchen before is the cabinet hardware. More straightforward handles would have looked more modern, but obviously would not have been a very dramatic change. That aggressive mustard paint is certainly making its presence felt as well, especially as it battles with the hue of the cabinets.
Now it all pops. Another excellent aspect of this makeover is that the white stove, refrigerator, dishwasher are now more unified with the rest of the kitchen, thanks to the white background of the wallpaper and the black-and-white cafe curtain. Before, the appliances sort of stuck out, but now they fit right in.
We’ve been seeing gold-toned hardware everywhere lately, but this is one of the best uses of it. The gold coordinates so well with the lemons, further unifying the decor, and there’s not too much gold, thanks to the black faucet. The handles won’t look dated anytime soon, because they make absolutely perfect sense.
Thank you, Jolie and Vintage Meets Glam!