“I really wanted it to look more pleasing to the eye,” Sheri says of her “20-year-old builder-grade kitchen in the suburbs.” It had orange-toned maple cabinets, tan tile floors, and laminate countertops.
“I did not like the floors, cabinet color, microwave, [and] basic closed-in feeling,” she adds. “It felt very dated and cramped while cooking at the stove with a microwave right over it.” Sheri revamped the kitchen on a $7,000 budget, especially focusing on the stove and microwave wall, where she took down the upper cabinets and added dramatic texture to the walls.
But first, paint.
Sheri painted all of her cabinets with Amy Howard Home One-Step Paint in Graphite to match the walls. Sheri initially considered replacing her cabinet doors with Shaker-style ones, but she says painting the cabinets to give them a new look saved her over $10,000. She added new hardware to the cabinet doors and installed new pantry doors, too.
On the wall of the stove, she actually took down a lot of the cabinets to make things feel more “open and airy,” she says.
$200 bookshelves replaced the upper cabinets.
Taking down the cabinets was more difficult than Sheri thought it would be due to some stripped screws, but she made it happen — and she replaced the cabinets with two solid maple bookcases found on clearance for $200 apiece.
“The open shelving is one of my favorite parts,” Sheri adds. “I can now display my favorite vintage finds on one side; on the other side, I keep our all white daily use dishes.” Between the bookcases, there are two rechargeable sconces.
The tile was a first-time DIY project.
Sheri also added a new white tile backsplash behind the stovetop and replaced the tan floor tiles with a laminate wood plank option.
“I had never laid tile,” Sheri says. “I watched a few videos and went for it. It is a lot of work —and a bit messy — but totally doable. I also purchased my first miter saw to cut and install all the new trim work, bar front, beadboard, and trim details I added to the base of the cabinets,” she says.
The countertops are budget-friendly.
When Sheri took out her cabinets, she also took out the two-tiered 20-year old countertop and had quartz installed for the bar area (plus a new undermount sink). On the oven wall, she used butcher block countertops.
“My butcher block counters were only $600,” she says. “I finished them myself with Tung oil. So inexpensive … I opted not to invest in a stove hood yet, as my home is not vented for that; however, I can add one at a later date if I choose.”
She says she’s in love with the way all of her changes came together to enhance the kitchen. “I love how well all of the elements blend together to look classic, yet contemporary, yet cozy,” she says.