Up until now, I’ve only had one major home maintenence project since I moved into my condo in 2010.
Now I’m gonna take on the BIG GUNS. It’s time to renovate the kitchen. Well… at least most of it. Oh boy. I feel like a big girl now!
This was the setup when I moved in, and it’s still the same now (except now the countertops are covered in kitchen-y things).
Oak cabinets, blah white tile countertops, ho hum, white everything and some brown neutral tile floors. The plan is to keep the current cabinets for now and change the countertop, sink, and appliances. Not all at once, though.
The microwave recently broke down (just great) and I just bought one yesterday. After the countertops go in, I’ll change out the fridge (which is OBSCENELY TINY). We plan on doing the major reno while Justin and I are in Fiji in May, and Dad will supervise.
The thing is though, Dad has advised me not to get to expensive with the reno, appliances and finishes, since he thinks we won’t be living here within the next 5 years. Renting? Selling? Hmm. >1000 square feet is doable, and it’d be nice to have a bigger place…. but who knows what will happen.
So I’m going to try to do this as cheaply as possible, with nice, polished, yet neutral finishes to please any tenants or future owners in the future.
Since the kitchen is so small, I’m thinking of going with granite countertops in a white, close to marble finish.
Justin requested no granite with lots of sparkles. It’s too bad we’re living together now or else I’d get a countertop chock full of SPARKLES complete with glittery chandelier!! Just kidding.
If I had things my way I’d get WHITE CABINETS ALL THE WAYYYYY but I have to use what I have. So, oak cabinets. Light granite countertops. The backsplash… White subway tile? Is that tacky? Will this scheme go with my weird neutral-brown tile floors? I’m not sure yet.
I’m a little scared. This isn’t some HGTV special with perfect contractors, no designer is going to whip up a color plan for me with stone swatches. Ultimately, I’m going to have to choose who will put everything in. I’m going to choose the finishes. It’s going to be… just me. Of course, Justin will help me decide, but I’ll have to get the ball rolling, as I’m the one big on interior design and all.
#AHHHinternalfreakout! Haha.
First time renovation. So many choices. I just hope I’ll make the right ones!
♥ E&I
Granite is super expensive (IMO) so to keep some money for the rest of your kitchen upgrade, consider a cheaper alternative like quartz, soapstone, or even wood! I think subway tiles are classic but there are so many color/material options out there you can find a more funky/modern version of it. As for cabinets, I love white and I don’t think you can go wrong but dark cabinets are very “in” right now, too. Good luck with your kitchen renovation! I’m doing mine, too (but with no budget for it) and am considering refacing the laminates I currently have. Can’t wait to see what you come up with!
I think it’s better to go with darker cabinets just because the wear and tear aspect is not as harsh as with white cabinets, which tend to look grungy after a while. Plus dark cabinets are almost like a classic in a nice looking kitchen.
Good luck with your renovation! Please show us pictures after!!
I think your dad is spot on with his opinion. Renovating a kitchen and spending upwards to $10k is not worth the investment in a tiny condo/townhouse like yours, esp. since you probably won’t be living there after 5 yrs. Anyway, if you do still plan on going through with the reno, take my advice as I’ve gone through several kitchen renos and have learned from past mistakes. Don’t go with dark cabinets, esp. if you have a small kitchen. It will make your kitchen look and feel smaller and darker, esp. since your kitchen isn’t open floor concept. Seems like you have a beam/wall on the left next to the dishwasher. Sure, it’ll get “grungy” but with 405 cleaning spray and hard scrubbing, it’ll be good as new. Also, I’d probably go with a neutral quartz instead of granite as granite is expensive. Plus with lighter granite, if you don’t have them install an entire piece (which is ridiculously expensive, so you will have to get the granite installed in multiple pieces), you will definitely see the lines of the granite pieces after they are installed. It may not bother you if you aren’t detailed orientated, but in most cases, resell value won’t be high if potential buyers are picky (as I’ve seen with most HH on HGTV). Lastly, don’t go with what’s “in” now because in a few years, it may look dated. Trust me on this one. It may look nice now, but in a few years, those dark cabinets will look dated. I had several friends go with dark cabinets and dark cherry wood floors with red paint in the early 2000s, and while that was the “in” thing then, it looks seriously dated and crappy now. Good luck!
Best of luck Elle! When I moved into my condo I ripped up the rug and put in hard wood. I was so tempted to get some super fancy wood but in the end got the most practical, and best priced version with the same mindset as you have. It’s so tempting to get everything $$$ and beautiful but your dad is right that will rent it out probably. I’m sure it will still look beautiful, you have fantastic taste!
I like your vision of light countertops with white cabinets. An all-white kitchen is just so clean and modern. Instead of granite counters, what about choosing another material that has a similar look but is cheaper so you can use part of the budget to paint/spray the cabinets white (much cheaper than replacing the cabinets altogether).
I’d also entertain the idea of replacing your “weird neutral-brown” (love the description, btw) tile floors first and leaving out backsplash (not sure if it’s really necessary?) Large tiles in a similar color/look to your eventual countertop would be pretty.
One last thing for a future DIY, perhaps adding knobs to your cabinets? This should be a relatively cheap and can look expensive.
This is completely my own personal preference, but I think in the end, I’d rather have a cohesive look (all white/neutrals that go together), rather than a couple pricey changes.
Best of luck and I can’t see the “after” kitchen reveal!
you are so creative, can’t wait to see the results.
You can paint the cabnits. I see them do it all the time and I am about to do mine. The way to do it is to remove the doors and sand them, i would leave the rest of the cabnits in place and sand there, its easier. So sand, prime and paint them any color you want. I have even seen them do it withough sanding just priming and painting. But make sure the doors are laying flat so you dont get any drips, and use spray paint in short smal strokes. If it ever starts to look dated and you want to go back to wood all you have to do is take them down again, sand and stain! I watch too many diy shows but it pays off I am redoing almost my whole kitchen on my own under $4000 with new quartz countertops. And as someone stated earlier, door knobs always freshen up the look. I also like under cabnit lighting for the wall cabnits. Check Ebay for the knobs andLED light strips, I got 15ft for $6 and a switch for $2, you can cut the LED lights and attach them with no electrical experiance its just a small clip you can find or even basic soddering. Good luck!!! Post pictures!!!