The time has officially arrived. It’s been a rough 7 weeks for us and our DIY kitchen renovation, but we are so happy the job is finally complete!
We embarked as guest participants in the “One Room Challenge”, hosted by Linda at Calling it Home HERE and sponsored by House Beautiful HERE.
The One Room Challenge is a biannual event every April and October. Each round, twenty design bloggers take the challenge and transform a space. Every Wednesday, the designers document their process while sharing their sources and professional advice over the six weekly posts. If you haven’t had a chance to check out these amazing transformations, you will be wowed by what these designers have put together HERE.
As for me, I love participating in this challenge. Adhering to a strict timeline is a great motivator for me, and a wonderful opportunity to transform a room in our home. During a previous season I renovated our master bedroom in a prior home HERE.
This season, we decided to give our kitchen a makeover. We started 7 weeks ago, and the time has flown by. You can catch up on all the progress along the way by clicking on the links.
Kitchen Renovation (Week 1) Before Pictures
Kitchen Renovation (Week 2) The Design Plan
Kitchen Renovation (Week 3) Painting Island Cabinets & Steam Cleaning Natural Stone
Kitchen Renovation (Week 4) Range Hood Transformation
Kitchen Renovation (Week 5) Fireplace Surround & New Cabinet Hardware
Kitchen Renovation (Week 6) New Lighting
Our to-do list for the renovation included the following:
Paint cabinets on the center island dark grayPaint wall cabinets on island #2 a creamy whitePaint range hood creamy whiteReplace textured glass on cabinet doors with clear glassReplace all cabinet hardwareSteam clean the travertine floorsReplace the pendants hanging over island #1Replace the chandelier in dining areaDecide on furniture for dining area and front of fireplace- Replace bar stools (on order)
- Replace backsplash
Install under cabinet and in cabinet lightingPaint kitchen walls
All the items on the original to-do list have been completed with the exception of replacing the backsplash. Instead of replacing the backsplash, I color sealed the grout lines in the area under the range hood, giving it a fresh, clean and new look. You can read about how easy it is to color seal grout HERE.
As for the backsplash under the wall cabinets, we decided against replacing it because we were worried about damaging the countertops during the removal process. Our backsplash under these cabinets is a slab of marble, the same marble as the countertops.
Our soon-to-be new bar stools are a custom order and unfortunately didn’t arrive in time for the final reveal. But I will update you with pictures when they do arrive.
Let’s take a look at the before pictures of our kitchen space.
The travertine floors were filthy, we steam cleaned the hell out of them, you can read about how to steam clean natural stone in my post from Week 3 HERE.
Obviously a large space, making the windows and doors look very blah and boring.
The cabinets and island are a dingy gray color, bringing the whole look of the kitchen down, and the stain colored corbels, have to go!
Those 4 pendants over the island look ridiculous and feel crowded in the space.
*This post contains affiliate links for your convenience*
Don’t get me started on that range hood! And the monogramming?! That’s a story for another day.
Ugly textured glass on the cabinet doors.
The fireplace area feels un-inviting and cold.
Going back to my design board, these are existing and new elements I am working with for the remodel:
Now, lets take a look at the newly renovated space!
We increased the height of the windows and doors by adding more millwork, you can read about that HERE. The additional wood and trim makes a grand statement in the space, especially with 11 foot ceilings.
I painted the center island a dark gray, the color I used is “Slate” by Restoration Hardware. The paint I used is Benjamin Moore HERE, and primer HERE. This is by far the best cabinet paint out there, I highly recommend it! Check out previous posts for more information.
Painting the corbels the same color as the island makes a huge visual difference to the space.
We replaced 4 smaller pendants over island #1, with 2 lantern pendants HERE. Love them! No glass, nothing to clean, totally smudge free.
All new hardware in a french country style HERE. The old hardware consisted of knobs…replaced all knobs to all pulls in brushed stainless steel.
The fireplace got a complete overhaul, you can read about that HERE.
We decided on a simple settee for the fireplace, and we love it. It fits the space perfectly and is so comfortable SIMILAR HERE . A white sheepskin rugs HERE adds to the coziness.
The fireplace area is now inviting to sit in front of and enjoy a glass of wine…or two.
A simple raw piece of timber makes a wonderful fireplace shelf. Check out Week 5 HERE for more information on the fireplace remodel.
For the dining area, we finally decided on a farmhouse table SIMILAR HERE in a gray finish. As I mentioned in a prior post, this isn’t the first table we bought for this space. Another bad decision…lesson learned. But this new table is fabulous and oh so elegantly rustic!
The chairs are simple HERE, lightweight and very economical. I bought 10 of them, I like to keep extra on hand for large gatherings.
The end chairs HERE are super comfortable, tall, and look great in the space.
I love this dining set with straight rectangular legs, it adds the perfect amount of casual elegance to the room.
Eucalyptus and white roses for a simple table centerpiece.
I painted the cabinets white, color is “Sand Dollar” by Restoration Hardware, using Benjamin Moore paint.
The clear glass is attractive and elegant.
Notice the under cabinet lighting? Check out Week 6 HERE for all the details on in cabinet and under cabinet lighting options.
Added a runner to the space to warm it up, this one is from Frontgate HERE.
Loving my gooseneck faucet HERE and apron farmhouse sink HERE.
The wine barrel chandelier HERE is so pretty and grand. The candelabra lights are perfect and add the right amount of charm to the space. Check out Week 6 HERE for more details on lighting.
Finally the walls are painted in the color “Ash” by Restoration Hardware, using Benjamin Moore paint HERE.
I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to have participated and completed a remodel of our kitchen. Now, the space feels so bright and inviting, a few changes made a world of difference.
Our future goal is to do a full kitchen remodel in a few years, with new cabinets and range hood, but this intermittent DIY makeover (excluding furniture and lighting) costed less than $1,000.
If you’re thinking about a mini makeover for your kitchen, there are many DIY changes you can make on any budget to update your space.
If your budget is $100, I suggest painting the walls, it makes a dramatic difference.
If your budget is $300, paint the walls and replace a light fixture.
If your budget is $500, paint the walls, replace a light fixture, and update the faucet. If you can add another couple hundred dollars onto that, consider replacing the sink.
If you have $1,000 to spend, consider the items listed above, paint the cabinets and add new hardware.
Little changes go a long way in updating a space. Thanks so much for visiting, I hope you enjoyed seeing our transformation. I’ll see you next time! Feel free to tweet, pin, and repost this article. Follow along on Instagram HERE and subscribe to Happy Haute Home to get bi-weekly posts delivered to your inbox.
Holy shit holy shit holy shit! it looks great! I can’t believe it’s the same kitchen. It may be weird, but I think my single favorite thing is the FLOOR. So much brighter and warmer.
Aww thanks Joe! I’m really happy with the results…it’s so much brighter! And yes the floors look great too!
Beautiful transformation, love the new colors and aesthetics of the place! Lovely blend of colors and design, great job 🙂
Thank you Sammy! Sure was a tremendous effort but well worth it, I’m very happy with the transformation.
You should be, looks lovely.
SOOOOO GORGEOUS!!!! I love it! You are extremely talented!!
Thanks Lynn! Really happy with the results 🙂
Just beautiful!!! I can’t wait to see it on Thanksgiving!!!💕
Thank You! Very happy to be done 🙂
Ok, this looks AMAZING! You really changed the entire feel of the space Denise! And I love the light fixtures you chose. Those, along with the paint really made a huge impact!
Thanks Lisa! It feels like a whole new space 🙂
Amazing
Thank You!
Wow oh wow! I love the paint transformation! Thanks for the feedback on Advance BJ paint. I plan to paint our kitchen and have been considering that paint. The fireplace, lighting, table, chairs, everything supports the “look”!
I highly recommend Ben Moore Advance for cabinets, so far so good…hoping it holds up to daily use 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.
Absolutely Amazing!!!! You have put me to shame as I have been trying to refinish my kitchen cabinets for about a month lol!
Thanks for stopping by! That’s what I like about the challenge, I’m stuck to a timeframe and I have to deliver.
I love the added height you added to the windows! So beautiful and love the island color!
Thank you Ruthie! It all came together and feels really good now. Thanks for stopping by.
Looks stunning, Denise! Congrats on finishing a beautiful kitchen!
Thank You Elizabeth, appreciate you stopping by. Have a great Thanksgiving!
Congratulations on the update. It’s a lot of work to tackle in 7 short weeks. I bet you were thrilled with the bonus week. You did great job. Enjoy your new space.
Thank You! I am so happy it’s done…yes it was an incredible amount of work. Thanks for stopping by!
Stunning! Love the new ambience of your kitchen!
Thank you so much! So do we 🙂
Its such an amazing work.. It looks so elegant..
Thank you very much!
That is truly gorgeous! My kitchen is desperately in need for redoing, so some really great ideas for a cheap fix.
Thanks, yes the fixes make a great impact for minimal cost. Good luck! Share pics of your renovation.
Looks great! Love the large moulding added above the windows makes the room feel very grand.
Thanks! Yes we added that feature and are very happy with the impact it has on the room.
Awesome! How many coats of sand dollar did you need for the cabinets? Did you deal with anything? Love this and your hood (even though you want to replace it!) I’ll take it!!! ❤️
Hi Adrienne, I used 1 coat of primer and 2 coats of Ben Moore Advance Paint in the color “Sand Dollar”. It turned out really nicely, we are happy with it.
No I did not seal the paint. It’s been over a year and holding up very well. Are you thinking of painting your cabinets? It’s really not the hard.
Seal*