reader re-do: vanessa’s kitchen

Fresh Home reader Vanessa sent me pictures of her gorgeous kitchen and bathroom re-dos, and I couldn’t wait to post them. She and her husband did the renovations themselves and both were on an impressive budget.

First up, Vanessa’s kitchen.

BEFORE:

Vanessa says, “When we moved into our house, we knew that one of the first rooms we wanted to work on would be the kitchen. It is a little galley kitchen, so we knew with hard work it could be a quick project. We managed to finish in a few weeks. We did everything ourselves except for the lighting which was the best $150 we could have spent … We replaced the countertops, sink, faucet, flooring, lighting, stove hood, fridge, and backsplash.”

AFTER:

There were holes in the plaster and concrete blocks behind the backsplash, so we decided to use beadboard sheets as the backsplash.  It is so easy to care for! We used a 1×2 to finish off the beadboard. It was more authentic to the style of house than a fancy trim cap and it matched our window frames: 

The cabinets were nice wood, just really dark. They also have a ton of dents that weren’t really noticeable until we started to paint:

The stove hood was pretty gross so we replaced it and made a cover to conceal it: 

In the corner is a tall cabinet that we use for a pantry. It didn’t come with a cabinet door so I had a door frame made for $100 to match the rest of our cabinet doors. To save money and give a little character, I had him keep the center of the door open and I used a curtain from Pier 1 instead: 

I am not a fan of microwaves on the counter taking up space so we had an electrician re-route the plug into the pantry so I could hide it. Our trash can also had to go in here since it couldn’t fit under the sink. We still want to reorganize and improve the shelving in here but we just haven’t gotten around to it yet:

Drumroll, please … here’s Vanessa’s final bill:

• Countertop (Ikea): $393
• Backsplash: $115
• Cabinet Paint (Benjamin Moore Soft Chamois): $76
• Wall Paint (BM Nantucket Gray HC-11): free!
• Cabinet Hardware: $40
• Lighting (Ikea + install): $220
• Floor (Premiere Tile Heritage Pavers): $358, at cost
• Curtains: $20
• Pantry Cabinet: $100
• Faucet (eBay): $60
• Sink (scratch & dent Home Depot): $67
• Stove Hood: $55
• TOTAL: $1,449.00

All that for less than $1,500! Really impressive.

Read more about Vanessa’s projects on her blog, this & that. Great job, Vanessa! Stay tuned for her bathroom makeover later this week!

Plus, see more kitchen design ideas from Fresh Home Ideas:

• Before-and-after: $1,200 kitchen makeover >>
• Traditional kitchen ideas >>
• White kitchen cabinet ideas >>
• Wood kitchen countertops >>

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(images by Vanessa Kleypas)