A “Very Muted and Outdated” Kitchen Goes from “Dentist’s Office” to Darling for $350
Having a home that you’ve lived in for a while that fits your style can provide a source of comfort and stability. DIYer Grace calls this place her “first real solo apartment.” “I knew I wanted to make it feel like home,” she says. “I didn’t want to be hopping from place to place, so I hoped this would be a long-term stay.”
And it has been. “I’ve lived here five years now,” Grace says. Over the course of five years, she’s made DIY upgrades to make the space feel more like her — a far cry from the “very muted and outdated” before.
Grace especially didn’t like the original color scheme in the kitchen. “All I can say is they reminded me of the shades you’d see in a dentist’s office,” she says. “I think the last time it was renovated was probably in the ’80s.” The only thing she liked was the peel-and-stick tile on the floor.
The kitchen design was inspired by Mexico.
For the transformation, “the inspiration started with a picture of a kitchen I found online,” Grace explains. “It turned out to be from Oaxaca, Mexico — although I didn’t know that at the time.”
Grace’s inspo photo had green tiles and terracotta pieces — which you’ll see echoed in her kitchen and read more about in a bit.
“Being Mexican, I … wanted to honor some of my heritage and the role Mexican cuisine plays in my life, Grace says. “Years later, I actually ended up visiting Oaxaca and walking into the exact hotel where that kitchen was. It was surreal seeing the real-life version of my inspiration.” It was meant to be, and here’s how she made it happen.
The green backsplash tiles and black counters are peel-and-stick.
“The biggest and first changes I tackled were the backsplash and the counters,” Grace says. “I just couldn’t look past them. Everything had to be renter-friendly, so I looked into peel-and-stick options.”
She used zellige lookalike SmartTiles for the backsplash, and faux granite contact paper for the countertops.
Free finds and Facebook Marketplace buys helped fill in the kitchen.
Grace’s DIY changes cost about $350, and she spent about $450 on furniture for her 500-square-foot apartment. “A lot of my decorative items came from Facebook finds, either Buy Nothing groups or Marketplace. For example, my bar cart was free, and it has become a staple piece in my apartment.”
A glass dining table and an IKEA shoe cabinet also fit the size of the 100-square-foot kitchen well — plus add some extra surfaces for eating and prepping meals.
Removing the cabinet doors created renter-friendly open shelving.
One of the biggest game-changers was removing a couple of cabinet doors, Grace says. “I hesitated at first because I’d never done that before, but one day I just went for it, and it was super easy,” Grace says.
Her biggest home makeover advice? “If you want renter-friendly materials, make sure they truly are renter-friendly,” she says. “A lot of products are marketed as removable or damage-free, but they can end up harming your walls. Know the foundation of your space, and what can or can’t go on top of it.”
Her cabinet door change was totally renter-friendly and totally worth it. “It made such a difference because it let me display things like my terracotta bowls and plates from Mexico, my coffee and tea baskets, and just some personal pieces I love,” Grace says. “I love that it feels like me. I’m happy to come home to this space every day.”
Inspired? Submit your own project here.