Budget Kitchen Makeover

This post is brought to you by my husband.  I've been itching to share our kitchen makeover with you all for the longest time, but it just kept getting pushed to the back burner.  Well a few weeks ago, while helping my sister in law move, my husband came across a magnolia tree limb that had fallen and he brought it home to me.  Some women prefer flowers, I'll take a giant fallen tree branch. :) He knows me well.  I couldn't let that beautiful branch go to waste so I used it to style my kitchen and took the opportunity to take some photos and share this with you all!

When we purchased our house all of the finishes were already picked out.  Although nothing was really offensive, the finishes they chose wouldn't have been my first choice.  Here's a picture of what it looked like when everything was almost finished before we moved in.  

This post is heavy on the pictures so I decided to truncate it.  Click below to finish reading.

I knew from the beginning I would probably end up painting the cabinets.  The way the house is positioned, we don't get a lot of sunlight in the room and the dark cabinets didn't help.  So when our dishwasher broke and flooded the kitchen I took it as a sign to get started on this project.  It was a huge ordeal, but in the end it worked out for the best.  Our insurance paid for the floors to be replaced throughout the entire downstairs too so I was able to pick something that better suited our style and was more functional for our family.  We also took the opportunity to have the backsplash replaced at the same time.  Our countertops are a little busy so we went with a simple, classic white subway tile to help brighten things up.  I chose a sand colored grout to add a subtle contrast and tie the countertops in to the backsplash.

As you can see just making that one change made such a huge difference.  I also removed the cabinet to the right of the window and replaced it with some DIY open shelving to help let more light in.  I'm amazed at what a difference that made too!  It was such an easy and inexpensive change.  You can find the details for that project here.

This host is heavy on the pictures so I've decided to truncate it.  Click below to finish reading.

Then came painting the cabinets.  It was a big project, but was pretty budget friendly and made such a difference.  Now that it's behind me I can say it was totally worth all the trouble and something I would definitely recommend if you're looking for an update in your space.  I'm planning to do a full post on the how to for the cabinets and some of the other details but for this post I'm just going to focus on the before and afters, which is always the most exciting part.  

To save money I kept the knobs and switched out the pulls with these.  They are a great, affordable basic cup pull and come in lots of different finishes.  I really wanted to avoid having to redrill the holes for the pulls so that was a big factor in choosing these.  If you've ever looked at cup pulls before you'll notice that most of the time the holes are located on the back at the bottom.  These are located on the back on either side of the center of the pull so if you are replacing a regular handle you don't have to redrill the holes to keep it centered on the drawer.

I also switched out the pendants for something much more substantial and that instantly changed the space.  Switching out lighting is one of the first things I suggest to clients wanting to change up their space.  It always makes the biggest difference and instantly customizes the room.  My friend Jesse from Scout & Nimble graciously provided me with the lights for my kitchen.  You can find them here.  Scout & Nimble is a home decor website that partners with interior designers to help you design beautiful spaces for your home.  They have so many beautiful shoppable spaces!  So if you see a room you like you can click the links and easily recreate the look for yourself or just shop for individual pieces to suit your style.  It's a great resource!

The biggest change has been how much bigger this space feels now.  In person it looks at least twice as big.  I'm planning to do a separate post with all the details of the painting process and other finishing touches so stay tuned!

Sources: 

Wall Color: Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray 

Cabinet Color: Sherwin Williams Extra White

Kitchen Stools - here

Dining Chairs - World Market (similar here)

Dining Light - here

Pendant Lights - here

Desk Chair - Homegoods (similar here) 

Wood Bowl - Hobby Lobby (similar here)

Sink Light - here

Runner Rug - here 

Driftwood - bought locally (similar here)

Drawer Pulls - here

**This post contains affiliate links.  When you purchase some of the items in this post I receive a small commission at not cost to you.  Thanks for your support!