This “Lifeless ’80s” Kitchen’s Makeover Adds Fun and Drama (for Under $4,000!)

When Kimberly Awad (@misskimmy___) first toured her rental studio apartment in Brooklyn, it checked all of her boxes. It had unique features and tall ceilings (15 feet, to be exact!), plus plenty of character. She signed the lease immediately after touring the space, but even though the entire apartment was wonderful, she had a vision for a redesigned kitchen. 

“I loved the overall feel of the kitchen, how it was industrial like the rest of the space, with exposed wood beams as shelves, solid quartz countertops that were in great condition, and glass subway tile backsplash,” she explains. “The only element that wasn’t my favorite was the color of the backsplash tile: golden orange.”

In previous rentals, Kimberly had used peel-and-stick tiles to get the aesthetic she was looking for. She knew that was an option, but she could also tell that the existing tiles were high-quality and in great condition. “Instead, I decided to lean into the color and actually paint the kitchen walls orange from top to trim to create a monochromatic look,” she says.

The kitchen has two side walls that jut out, and she saw painting the kitchen walls as an opportunity to separate the kitchen from the rest of the home. (The rest of the apartment’s walls are white.)  

“The backsplash color set the tone, and then I realized that the color complemented the rich orange shade of my Hermes blanket which I lay over the side of my sofa next to the kitchen,” Kimberly says. “This helped me see the vision to lean into the color further and pull out that same shade of deeper orange.” 

Originally, she wanted a lighter orange: a “faded light terracotta color.” But she met with a Farrow & Ball specialist, who recommended going in the opposite direction: a bold orange that matched the tiles exactly. She landed on Farrow & Ball’s Dutch Orange, and a TaskRabbit pro painted the room.

Once the room was painted, it was time to accessorize. A Burke Decor acacia wood table that’s more than 6 feet long serves as additional counter space and a dining area, and orange is carried through the space further with a SMEG toaster and Le Creuset Dutch oven. 

Overall, Kimberly spent around $3,600 total to reimagine her kitchen (including furniture and accessories) with a brilliantly unique way to lean into — and actually disguise — an undesirable element without doing a full overhaul.  

“My kitchen makes me so happy every day. It’s so elegant and special and makes the space feel intentional and larger than just one room,” Kimberly says. “I love how the color flows with my Hermes accessories and how my toaster adds pattern and dimension. The counter table is so large, it’s great for so many uses, from working from home to cooking to hosting.”

Check out more super-colorful kitchens here.

This post originally ran on The Kitchn. See it there: Before & After: Color-Drenching This “Lifeless ‘80s” Kitchen Adds Fun and Drama (for Under $4,000!)