Kitchen Crush: The Best Ways To Transform An Outdated Kitchen On A Tiny Budget

What I remember most about my first condo was how much I hated the kitchen. Actually, hate might not be a strong enough word. It was dark and depressing, with a weird window and aged-orange vertical shades, all illuminated by a florescent fixture with brown burn marks on the plexiglass cover. The condo itself had space and was the right price, but the kitchen was awful. It was tragic. However, my total budget for transforming the space was right around ZERO dollars. Even the grocery budget was tight, at the time, so much that I sometimes worried about being able to buy diapers for my one year old. So, how the kitchen looked wasn’t a priority, regardless of how depressing it was to cook in it.

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see full disclosure at the end of the post.

I’m betting many of you can relate. Stuck with dated, 80s arched doors or a too-dark 70s finish, or even worse, the orangish-tannish builder grade oak cabinets of the late 80s and 90s… the scalloped arches over the kitchen sink, the brown and orange vinyl flooring. All of this made MUCH worse by the endless taunting from Pinterest and Instagram: the gorgeous, highly edited kitchen photos of IG starlets showing off the latest dishes and gadgets they’re creating and using in their maddeningly perfect kitchens.

I understand. I’ve BEEN THERE. But, I’m going to tell you a secret: You CAN transform a kitchen you hate on a tiny budget. I’ve done it, multiple times.

Now, I’m not going to tell you that I’m still in that place, because I’m not. That was twenty years ago and I’ve been Blessed financially since then, so I’m working on planning my FOREVER kitchen in a MUCH larger home and loving every second (keep the FAITH, you’ll get there!). However, I want to share my secrets with you… I want to share how you can make your kitchen a place you like to cook, even take pictures of, especially if you’ve got a little bit of cash for supplies and energy to do the heavy lifting, I’ll tell you how to make BIG impact transformations for just a little bit of money.

So, here’s the big impact list: add moldingcabinet color, hardware, counter kits, counter stools & kitchen furniture, light fixtures, repurposed furniture island, and, yes, backsplashes.

Add Molding:

You may not realize when you look at those horrid 70s, 80s, and 90s kitchens what in particular makes them so hideous, but I can tell you for sure that one main thing is the soffits! Some of them are for no reason at all other than to close the space in above the cabinets, and others house vents, etc. However, this is fixable! You can add molding over soffits or close in spaces above cabinets to completely update cabinets and bring them into this century! There are some really neat molding stackups I’ve seen done and it can totally change the look of a kitchen for not very much money!

Check out this incredible makeover from Remodelandolacasa.com. A combination of paint and some smaller build projects, including adding molding to the ceiling, created a dramatic transformation in this great kitchen before and after:

remodelandolacase.com

remodelandolacasa.com
Isn’t that amazing the difference? Adding molding completely changed the look and feel of the cabinets. To see this whole transformation, go to https://www.remodelandolacasa.com/2012/01/kitchen-remodeling.html

 

Cabinet Color:

Cabinet Painting is ALL the rage these days, and with good reason. A new color can totally transform the space. On the positive side, if you have a 70s or 80s kitchen, chances are the cabinets are solid wood and will hold up really well to sanding and painting.

Pro tip: beware of the tutorials that tell you to slop on some paint with a brush. It’s going to turn out like poo and you’ll regret it. There’s a cheaper way to do this that has GREAT results. There’s a cute little basic paint spray gun that you can get for about $35 bucks that will take your cabinet paint job from “Yikes, she painted her cabinets” to “wow, how did you afford new cabinets?”

I recommend the paint from Benjamin Moore that makes it look and feel like a hard factory finish. If you’re one of those farmhouse gals that’s dreaming of a white kitchen, Benjamin Moore’s White Dove in CO-INSL-X Cabinet Coat is the BEST option. This is an enamel and will dry to a hard finish. It’s AWESOME. But, that paint is NOT cheap. If you can’t afford it, run down to the local hardware store and the paint guy should be able to tell you which paint to buy.

One of my favorite transformations is from Laura at inspirationformoms.porch.com. She did a heavenly flip on her kitchen:

Collage-before-and-after1
How’s that for a fantastic before and after on kitchen cabinet paint (and did you notice the molding at the top of the cabinets???). To see this whole transformation go to https://inspirationformoms.porch.com/kitchen-before-and-after-reveal/

 

Hardware:

New hardware, and swapping out dated hardware, can completely transform a kitchen all by itself. It’s like remembering accessories when you get dressed up: the perfect necklace and jewelry to accent and improve your cute outfit. Think it’s expensive? Think again.

One of the coolest things that has happened because of Amazon in the last few years is that competition has SIGNIFICANTLY reduced the cost of cabinet hardware. The 3″ Stainless Steel Bar Kitchen Cabinet Pulls I purchased for a renovation in 2011/2012 at $25 each you can buy on Amazon today for a quantity of 25 for the same price (try to visualize the steam coming out of my ears). Yes, THEY’RE LITERALLY A DOLLAR APIECE. This is a project you can afford, and you don’t need any specialty tools to install them. If you purchase hardware with the same hole spacing as the old ones, you won’t even need to drill.

Country Living Magazine has a great blog post on easy DIY and inexpensive hardware updates. It’s amazing to me what a difference hardware makes, and how it can COMPLETELY change the style of a kitchen.

diy-kitchen-cabinet-hardware-ideas-1558648318
From Country Living Magazine https://www.countryliving.com/home-design/decorating-ideas/g27572367/kitchen-cabinet-hardware-ideas/

 

Countertop Update Kits and Butcher Block: 

I know you want solid surface countertops. I get it. I love them, too. But, guess what, you can’t afford them right now. So, you’ve got two GREAT options:

Tiny budget: Vinyl contact paper. There are very convincing vinyl self-adhesive countertop paper kits that can make your laminate countertops look like Carrera Marble. They have great reviews and cost about $29 bucks. But, be careful with these: they won’t stand up to abuse or hot pans.

Small budget: Butcher block! It’s super popular right now and I have a great post on Where To Find The Best Deals On Butcher Block Countertops if you decide that’s the right option for you! To give you a ballpark idea, when I wrote the article, you could purchase 50 inches of butcher block countertop from the Home Depot for $105 plus tax. You’ll need some special oil to treat it and some screws to install it. How awesome is that?

Pro tip: You can find left over granite slabs on Craigslist and letgo for around $50 if you scour the internet and be patient. It’s not an easy project, but if you have any experienced craftsmen in the family, they can help you, so be on the lookout!

One of my favorite countertop updates is from my friend Krystle at Spruceandabide.com. She and her husband did a kitchen flip and I just love how it turned out (and definitely give them a follow on Pinterest and IG, they are the cutest couple ever):

Spruceandabide.com
Krystle from Spruceandabide.com did a gorgeous butcher block countertop update. You can read all about it at https://spruceandbide.com/our-rustic-kitchen-makeover-a-mini-tour/

 

Counter Stools: 

Maybe your parents and friends donated some furniture to you when you moved in, and you know what? They were so generous because they didn’t want it anymore. Because it’s ugly. How are your barstools? Kitchen furniture can make your space look dated really fast. You can buy some VERY reasonable new bar stools both on Amazon and, my personal favorite place to find deals, Overstock.

One of my favorite types of stools are tractor seat stools, they’ve been a thing in my native Vermont for several decades but have picked up steam more recently (thanks, Joanna). If you watch for antique tractor seats on Craigslist, you can add them to the top of a basic wooden stool, for about $25 each (plus the cost of the tractor seats and a little spray paint)!

Tractorseatstool
Tractor Seat Stool From Overstock https://bit.ly/2X53QN8

 

Light Fixtures:

I’m not suggesting that you can get REALLY NICE light fixtures at this point in your life. But, what if they looked just like really nice light fixtures but were a lot cheaper (come to think of it, why are there more expensive fixtures when you can buy cheaper ones)? Once again, thanks to global competition, you can get some really nice looking light fixtures for a lot less than you’d imagine!

But, which ones should you swap out? Well, the giant florescent light fixture I would leave alone. I know it’s a bummer, but changing those out is not a straightforward process and I don’t want you to get mad at me for suggesting it (the replacement fixture isn’t that much, but it leaves an area of the ceiling needing repair and it’s a big mess). If you REALLY hate it, go get a new piece of plexiglass (they have seeded glass and rain pattern plexi panels cheap) for it and paint the wood on the outside to match your cabinets.

However, some light fixtures are very straightforward to swap out: if you have an outdated dome light over your kitchen sink, that’s a great opportunity to swap it for a pretty pendant for about $25 bucks. You can get a Three Pack of Industrial Edison Bulb Pendants to replace island lighting for $35 bucks! These might not be Pottery Barn fixtures, but I’m betting that your friends can’t tell the difference and YOU are going to love them.

 

Edisonbulbpendant
Edison Bulb Pendants (Pack of 3)Find on Amazon at https://bit.ly/2X53QN8

 

Repurposed Furniture Island:

One of my favorite kitchen updates is seeing furniture transformed into functional kitchen islands (for a LOT cheaper than a custom build or using store bought cabinets)! If you want to see lots of ideas on this, check out our design inspiration post on Kitchen Islands Out of Repurposed Furniture and Materials! Craigslist finds are my favorite source for these, or dressers you couldn’t find a purpose for, etc. The point is, the island adds counter and storage space for next to nothing in cost if you’re creative!

My favorite idea is fancy antique pianos that are no longer working… how cool is this?

Mashup Monday: Kitchen Islands Out of Repurposed Furniture and Materials
Mashup Monday: Kitchen Islands Out of Repurposed Furniture and Materials: From This Old House “Salvage Projects You’ve Got To See”

 

Backsplashes:

What’s popular right now? At the Home Depot you can get 3X6 Bright White Subway Tile for 15 cents each (and they generally ship free to your house)!  That means that for the entire run, let’s say you have 10 linear feet of counters (and an 18 inch tall backsplash), the tile would cost you $19 plus tax. Now, once you add in the mortar, grout, and basic tools, the total will probably be closer to $100 bucks. But, what a HUGE impact! One of my favorite subway tile transformations is from my friend Krystle @spruceandbide on Instagram. Isn’t it cool???

kitchenremodel-spruceandbide-5
Kitchen backsplash update from Krystle @spruceandabide on Instagram. Check out the whole kitchen update athttps://spruceandbide.com/our-rustic-kitchen-makeover-a-mini-tour/

 

The point is, just because you’re broke doesn’t mean you have to live and cook in your depressingly outdated kitchen. There are absolutely ways to update your kitchen without spending a bunch of money!

How have you updated your spaces on a small budget?  I’d love to hear about it!

Thanks for stopping by and check out more design inspiration and DIY on our blog. Cheers!

*Legal stuff:

I am honest about my experiences with different products and write because I enjoy it.  I do however, have the opportunity to earn money for my writing, also.

Slavetodiy.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.  Amazon offers a small commission on products sold through their affiliate links.  Each of your purchases via our Amazon affiliation links supports our cause at no additional cost to you.

If a blogger links to an Amazon product (with a special code for affiliates embedded in the link), and a reader places an item in their “shopping cart” through that link within 24 hours of clicking the link, the blogger gets a small percentage of the sale.  Amazon links are not “pay per click.”  If you click on the product link and stay around Amazon and purchase something else, however, I will get a commission on that sale.

Slavetodiy.com is also a Sovrn affiliate advertiser which works similarly.

Mashup Monday 13: Kitchen Islands Out of Repurposed Furniture and Materials

I’ve been super focused on kitchens lately because I am perpetually in designing-my- forever-kitchen mode and I just finished designing my mom’s new kitchen. One of my favorite inexpensive, quick updates in kitchens is adding either a permanent or rolling island to the existing kitchen layout. My favorite way to do this? Thrifted finds that you can pick up super cheap on Craigslist!

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see full disclosure at the end of the post.

You may not realize it, but some of the most loved images on Pinterest for kitchen islands are repurposed, and relatively inexpensive, thrifted finds. I just did a massive kitchen island out of cabinets for my mother (I’m not co-located so I was unable to do a repurposed island) and even with my blogging discount the cabinets were $1500, and that doesn’t include the top.

Some repurposed islands are great if you’re strictly looking for additional counter/prep space and don’t need more storage, others provide both. This antique sewing machine base is a really cool idea for one with no storage. They’re sturdy and you can find these pretty cheap if you wait for a good deal (stalking Craig’s list is a hobby of mine).

 

Mashup Monday: Kitchen Islands Out of Repurposed Furniture and Materials
Mashup Monday: Kitchen Islands Out of Repurposed Furniture and Materials: Source Unknown

 

Although I have no idea where it came from, I’ve seen this image about a million times of Pinterest and it’s one of my favorites. It has limited storage plus lots of counter space.

 

Mashup Monday: Kitchen Islands Out of Repurposed Furniture and Materials
Mashup Monday: Kitchen Islands Out of Repurposed Furniture and Materials: Source Unknown

 

I know a lot of people that don’t love antique dressers that they are handed down from relatives… but they are absolutely LOVELY and functional repurposed as islands! Storage and counter space, win win! And, oh by the way, pretty cost effective, right?

 

Mashup Monday: Kitchen Islands Out of Repurposed Furniture and Materials
Mashup Monday: Kitchen Islands Out of Repurposed Furniture and Materials: From diyshowoff.com “Eclectic Vintage Modern Farmhouse Kitchen”

 

I ADORE these architects cabinets! They are perfect for a wide variety of kitchen storage items and I have saved searches for these in my local area. I wish I knew where to find them!

 

Mashup Monday: Kitchen Islands Out of Repurposed Furniture and Materials
Mashup Monday: Kitchen Islands Out of Repurposed Furniture and Materials: From Nordicdesign.ca “Unique Home Iceland Mid Century Modern Flair”

 

This is another image I’ve seen a million times but have yet to find a source for. It is the PERFECT island, produce storage bins and I’m pretty sure it is a reclaimed General Store Counter. I’ve seen these for sale online upward of $10k but I’m sure there are some hiding in barns in different places. Keep your eyes open and you might accidentally stumble across one!

 

Mashup Monday: Kitchen Islands Out of Repurposed Furniture and Materials
Mashup Monday: Kitchen Islands Out of Repurposed Furniture and Materials: Source Unknown

 

This wine barrel island is super cute if you’re looking for a small countertop space. You could cut out a door and put a shelf in if you wanted to include storage (or if you’re really handy put in some wine storage cubes)!

 

Mashup Monday: Kitchen Islands Out of Repurposed Furniture and Materials
Mashup Monday: Kitchen Islands Out of Repurposed Furniture and Materials: Source Unknown

 

If you’re looking for something a little edgier, this industrial cart is about as cool as it gets and offers lots of styling opportunities.

 

Mashup Monday: Kitchen Islands Out of Repurposed Furniture and Materials
Mashup Monday: Kitchen Islands Out of Repurposed Furniture and Materials: Source Unknown

 

Here’s another cart that came out very cool!

 

Mashup Monday: Kitchen Islands Out of Repurposed Furniture and Materials
Mashup Monday: Kitchen Islands Out of Repurposed Furniture and Materials: From This Old House “Salvage Projects You’ve Got To See”

 

Here are two more great examples of dresser conversions: Inexpensive, lots of storage, and the opportunity for ample counter space!

 

Mashup Monday: Kitchen Islands Out of Repurposed Furniture and Materials
Mashup Monday: Kitchen Islands Out of Repurposed Furniture and Materials: From gullycreekcottage.com “How I Got My Very Own Island And You Can Too”

 

 

Mashup Monday: Kitchen Islands Out of Repurposed Furniture and Materials
Mashup Monday: Kitchen Islands Out of Repurposed Furniture and Materials: Hometalk.com

 

This next one is my MOST FAVORITE ISLAND EVER and has me on a perpetual search for antique pianos (under a million dollars). This is on victoriaelizabethbarnes.com: She is my FAVORITE BLOGGER EVER and I recommend checking her out. She shares my passion for all things old and fancy and making her husband repurpose impossible projects: see the incredible piano re-work below!

Mashup Monday: Kitchen Islands Out of Repurposed Furniture and Materials
Mashup Monday: Kitchen Islands Out of Repurposed Furniture and Materials: From Elizabethvictoriabarnes.com “Antique Piano Into Kitchen Island

 

Below are two additional piano/island conversions that are also awesome (where in the world are they finding these pianos???).

 

Mashup Monday: Kitchen Islands Out of Repurposed Furniture and Materials
Mashup Monday: Kitchen Islands Out of Repurposed Furniture and Materials: Source Unknown

 

Mashup Monday: Kitchen Islands Out of Repurposed Furniture and Materials
Mashup Monday: Kitchen Islands Out of Repurposed Furniture and Materials: From This Old House “Salvage Projects You’ve Got To See”

 

Have you done any cool repurposed island projects?  We’d love to hear about them in the comments below!

Thanks for hanging out with us and check out more of our design inspiration and projects over on the blog.

Cheers!

*Legal stuff:

I am honest about my experiences with different products and write because I enjoy it.  I do however, have the opportunity to earn money for my writing, also.

Slavetodiy.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.  Amazon offers a small commission on products sold through their affiliate links.  Each of your purchases via our Amazon affiliation links supports our cause at no additional cost to you.

If a blogger links to an Amazon product (with a special code for affiliates embedded in the link), and a reader places an item in their “shopping cart” through that link within 24 hours of clicking the link, the blogger gets a small percentage of the sale.  Amazon links are not “pay per click.”  If you click on the product link and stay around Amazon and purchase something else, however, I will get a commission on that sale.

Slavetodiy.com is also a VigLink affiliate advertiser which works similarly.

Kitchen Crush: Old World Dine In Kitchens

Welcome to the first installment of our kitchen inspiration and design series: Kitchen Crush! I am working on an impossibly difficult and involved task: simplifying kitchen design. I soon realized that although I could probably get the design guide down into a bite-sized checklist that people could use without a designer, I really wanted to provide an explanation for a lot of the recommendations and ideas I offer as kitchen options so there are visual aids for each section.

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see full disclosure at the end of the post.

Watch for our free printable kitchen design guide/checklist, coming soon!

One of the concerns I hear from every client is being afraid that an investment in a shiny new kitchen will result in a dated kitchen in less than ten years (ten years used to be the guideline for remodeling dated kitchens). That is a legitimate concern! I usually point out that it happens a lot faster than that now, because of platforms like Pinterest and easy visual access to what the pros are currently doing. It’s easy to feel sad when you sink a fortune into a beautiful kitchen and then start seeing that the pros are doing something new, something cooler, and you’re already regretting your design choices just a matter of months into the process.

We have a simple solution for that: don’t chase trends. Period. (Watch for our design post on trend chasing, coming soon!)

Pro tip: if you MUST chase trends (we know, you can’t help it that Pinterest keeps showing you that new cool tile shape for backsplashes), follow trends in areas that are cheaper and easier to replace than the bones of your kitchen, including: cabinet color, hardware, counter stools, light fixtures, and, yes, backsplashes. I promise that if you like your existing layout, cabinet style, flooring, etc, with the mini changes I just listed, you can have a whole brand new kitchen for a relatively miniscule investment if you’re itching for a trend change later.

However, back to my point. I advise against trend following. What does that mean? That means use authentic materials, they never go out of style. Rethink what the cabinet companies are telling you that you need to have a beautiful kitchen, and design a kitchen you’ll love forever.

One of the items I talk to my clients at length about is the concept of how they really live, how they really cook, and how they interact from the kitchen on a day to day basis. Do they entertain a lot? Do their kids do homework at the kitchen island while they cook dinner? Do they have multiple family members cooking together on a regular basis?

One of the biggest laments I have regarding the modern kitchen is that the family kitchen table went away, and the table was moved either to a corner or to a completely different room. So, mom cooks in a space far away from everyone and doesn’t get to join in the fun.

So, to start: rethink your space.

What if you had a long space that was an eat in kitchen, plus kitchen, plus dining room? Get out some graph paper and draw the footprint of your kitchen AND dining spaces. What would it look like if the family table was in the middle of the kitchen and the surrounding space held kitchen furniture and cabinetry that holds the things you need for that area?

Think outside of the box, and I don’t just mean the cabinet box.

The kitchen table is just ONE timeless component of your kitchen design, but check out these inspiration images that feature the dining table as the central hub of the kitchen, and tell me what you think!

 

Kitchen Crush: Old World Dine In Kitchens
Kitchen Crush: Old World Dine In Kitchens: From lameredelamule.canalblog.com

 

Kitchen Crush: Old World Dine In Kitchens
Kitchen Crush: Old World Dine In Kitchens: From the_essense_of_frenchness.blogspot.com

 

Kitchen Crush: Old World Dine In Kitchens
Kitchen Crush: Old World Dine In Kitchens, From: My Stylish French Girlfriend

 

Kitchen Crush: Old World Dine In Kitchens
Kitchen Crush: Old World Dine In Kitchens. Source Unknown

 

Kitchen Crush: Old World Dine In Kitchens
Kitchen Crush: Old World Dine In Kitchens. From Shutterbugsage.com

 

Minacciolo Country Kitchens with Italian Style
Kitchen Crush: Old World Dine In Kitchens: From Minacciolo Kitchens: Minacciolo Country Kitchens with Italian Style

 

Black French Range, Mary Evelyn Interiors
Kitchen Crush: Old World Dine In Kitchens: From Mary Evelyn Interiors (Black French Range)

 

French Industrial Country Kitchen Kathy Kuo Blog
Kitchen Crush: Old World Dine In Kitchens: From Kathy Kuo Blog (French Industrial Country Kitchen)

 

What do you think? Could you see your family living with an informal, in-kitchen table? Are you casual or formal when dining? We’d love to hear about it in the comments!

Thanks for hanging out with us in DIY land and check out more great DIY and design inspiration over on our blog.

 

*Legal stuff:

I am honest about my experiences with different products and write because I enjoy it.  I do however, have the opportunity to earn money for my writing, also.

Slavetodiy.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.  Amazon offers a small commission on products sold through their affiliate links.  Each of your purchases via our Amazon affiliation links supports our cause at no additional cost to you.

If a blogger links to an Amazon product (with a special code for affiliates embedded in the link), and a reader places an item in their “shopping cart” through that link within 24 hours of clicking the link, the blogger gets a small percentage of the sale.  Amazon links are not “pay per click.”  If you click on the product link and stay around Amazon and purchase something else, however, I will get a commission on that sale.

Slavetodiy.com is also a VigLink affiliate advertiser which works similarly.