See This “Beige Box” ’80s Kitchen Get a Polly Pocket-Inspired Makeover
For some, a neutral-toned, minimalist kitchen is what will truly make the space the heart of the home. For others, it’s a bright and bold design. While there’s no right or wrong way to decorate your kitchen, Amanda Davies (@maximalist.interiors) opted for a vibrant kitchen makeover that speaks to her eclectic style.
“The kitchen before can only be described as a beige box,” she says. “Everything was beige, from the floor, to the walls and the cupboards … honestly it didn’t feel fun cooking surrounded by beige!”
As part of the One Room Challenge, Davies went all in with the fun colors and patterns — in fact, the inspiration for her new kitchen was Polly Pocket.
The first step was removing some upper cabinetry and adding shelving.
Amanda started by taking off the cupboards she wanted to remove and then doing a deep clean to make sure the cabinets she did want to keep were prepped for the makeover. “Making sure to take time to prep properly saved so much time in the long run,” Amanda says.
“Taking a kitchen apart is way easier than I thought, although our kitchen was built in the ‘80s and seemed to be held up by a couple of screws and a wing and a prayer,” she adds.
Replacing some of the cupboards with open shelving helped to make the space feel airier — and that’s before any of the bright paint was added! Plus the shelves are ultra-fun to decorate, Amanda writes on Instagram.
Pink and blue paint packs a punch.
Amanda went for a custom mix of lavender and white on the kitchen walls, a cotton candy pink (Valspar’s Daydream Believer) on the top cupboards, and a frosty blue hue on the bottom.
It was the first time Amanda had painted kitchen cupboards, and it was something she really enjoyed — including the setbacks. “The pink doors looked amazing, and I didn’t want them to get marked, so I decided to use a spray sealer,” she explained. “That completely ruined the paint, so I had to sand them down and start all over again!”
The light blue lower cabinet color is a custom shade. “I decided to mix the blue as a custom color as I couldn’t find anything I wanted,” Amanda explains. “I’m still in love with the color now, but if I ever get a big scratch, I’m going to have to repaint them all as I didn’t take note of measurements when I was mixing.” (Take note, all you future customizers out there!)
The cabinet paint project cost Amanda around £36 (or $46 USD) and she is delighted with the results. She learned not only to plan ahead but to go with her gut and trust herself. Although she had never painted cupboard doors before, she knew she would succeed at it. A tip for anyone looking to do something similar? Match up your doors!
“Number match all the doors to the cabinets when you take them off to paint,” she advises. “It’ll make putting them back on a breeze.”
Other DIY accents complete the kitchen.
Amanda also revamped her floors with a vintage-looking star stencil, which you can see here, and she covered her cabinets with marble laminate. “It’s fairly easy to use as long as you have something to smooth out the bubbles and a Stanley blade to cut off the excess,” Amanda shares on Instagram.
To further add to the whimsy, she also painted a swirly green pattern on one of the walls, which has now become a feature wall of sorts — although with a kitchen this bright and wonderful, it could be argued that every wall is a feature wall.
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.