Kitchen Makeover on a Budget
The lockdown has meant that we all are spending more time in our homes. To be honest, the more time we’ve spent at home as a family, the more we’ve realised what works, what doesn’t, our most under-utilized and over-utilized spaces in the house, what makes us smile, and what clearly isn’t working!
We spend a lot of time in the kitchen. My husband and I both love to cook, my son loves to play wherever we are, so it is undoubtedly the most used room of the house. It’s not open plan, but it’s a decent size and there’s enough room for a 4 seater dining table in one of the corners. It is what we use on a daily basis because it’s really convenient.
Before: There wasn’t anything particularly wrong with the kitchen, but it just wasn’t my style at all!
Functionally, the kitchen kind of worked for us, however, the style we inherited from the previous owners was just not to my taste. I was never a fan of the dark green tiles (wall and floor), the dated cabinets/units and the black countertops! To add to my woes, the kitchen got the least amount of natural light in the entire house! So it felt really dark, dingy and uninviting. So in the lockdown period, I decided to take matters into my own hands (quite literally!)
I didn’t want to take on a lot of work because I knew I had to do everything by myself and I didn’t want to lose interest midway. Also, the changes were purely aesthetic and there was no ‘tearing down walls’ and ‘pulling out cabinets’ involved. There was nothing I could do about the natural light situation, so I made peace with that. But I did want to brighten up the room a bit and make it feel a bit more cosy, colourful and a place where I would want to spend time. Here’s the moodboard I created for my kitchen 2.0.
Kitchen budget makeover mood board
I went all white because the kitchen really needed some brightening up (plus I have a thing for all white kitchens!) The dark green tiles and the dark countertops were not helping an already dark space. Since this was a budget makeover, I didn’t want to change any units or countertops and keep the changes purely aesthetic. I would add some pops of colour through art, open shelving and plants.
Before: Dark tiles, dark countertops, dark floor, typical 80s kitchen that hadn’t been touched for years!
After: Light and bright, airy and calm.
Doesn’t the white paint make a big big difference? It literally brightens the entire room! So here are the changes I made and the materials I used, along with some tips and tricks to help anyone who’s looking to make quick/budget-friendly updates to their kitchen.
1) Tile paint - Once I thoroughly cleaned the tiles using a tile cleaner and grout cleaner (made it squeaky clean for best results), I used the Ronseal One Coat Tile paint in Satin white for the wall tiles to cover up the dark green. It says one coat, but I needed 3 coats to get the result I was looking for and completely conceal the green. Perhaps for lighter or smoother tiles, one coat could work, but I have my doubts and I would say, be prepared for at least 2 coats. The paint itself went on smoothly, despite the fact that my tiles had a lot of texture, so I had to use a combination of synthetic brush and paint roller to get maximum coverage. Also, I just painted right over the grout and I didn’t really use a grout pen or anything. Since it was all white, it worked! I first painted the tiles in my utility room which is a smaller size, just to get a hang of the application process, and when I was confident, I went on to the main kitchen.
I think when you’re doing a budget makeover, you need to prioritize the things that create maximum impact, and for me, it was getting rid of the dark green. As soon as I finished 3 coats of the tile paint, the kitchen looked brighter and much better!
2) Faux marble Countertops - I researched the hell out of this one. A lot of people all over Instagram were using contact paper to cover up ugly surfaces and it looked fairly straightforward to do, so I decided to go for it! Worst case, I would just take it off with no issues! The contact paper I used was from Amazon - d-c-fix Sticky back plastic self adhesive vinyl in grey. Along with that I also ordered the d-c-fix spatula and cutter for easy application. I would 100% recommend getting the applicator because without it, you will pull you hair out in frustration. No kidding!
I was not very convinced about the vinyl contact paper initially because (a) there was a lot of countertop area to cover (b) what if it stained easily esp. turmeric and oil stains etc (c) what if it wasn’t waterproof? So I decided to do a little proof of concept in the utility room which was a smaller surface area, and I wouldn’t feel too bad if I messed it up. It actually helped that I had a utility room because I first made all the changes to that room before going on the main kitchen. So, if there is scope for testing out your changes in a smaller area, then I would recommend doing that. It’s nice to see how the end result would look and is definitely a confidence booster!
Utility room: Before (L) and after (R) a mini makeover
On the sticky faux marble countertops paper, I have to say that I found it to be extremely fiddly to apply. There were little air bubbles everywhere no matter how much I smoothened it out and it was driving me crazy at one point. You also have to live with a few ‘joints’ which is not a big deal, but not ideal. And the corners - oh boy, if you have slightly curved corners on you existing countertops, it is not easy. I tried using all the tricks - using a hair dryer to warm the vinyl kind of did the trick, however it’s not the neatest corner you’ll see. So be prepared for a few uneven edges and air bubbles. A trick I learnt from a friend on Insta is to use a pin to prick/pop the tiny air bubbles, which I did, but I still have loads. Who knows, maybe I just didn’t get a proper hang of applying it, or there were some tiny specks of dirt which were causing the air bubbles!
Having said that, it has covered my black countertop nicely and I no longer have to see the black, so I’m pretty pleased with the result! To get a more professional look, I sealed all the edges using a white silicone sealant. It has definitely made it look neater and has made it water tight. Will it stand the test of time? Well, it’s been 5 months and other than the sealant peeling off in some places (which is down to my amateur application), the contact paper itself has stayed put! I’ve noticed that turmeric /oil doesn’t cause stains if you’re quick to wipe them off. I avoid putting anything super hot directly on the countertop (which is what I would do for any surface tbh), it has remained water proof and the edges are intact! So, overall it’s definitely worth a shot if you want a temporary solution, or if you want a renter friendly solution. I would definitely say try it out on a smaller area first (if you can), before doing the main bits.
Hopefully at some point next year, we will be changing the cabinets/countertop and even if it lasts till then, I’ll be quite pleased. It will be worth the blood, sweat and tears! :D
3) Feature wall - After I added all that white to the kitchen, it started looking a bit cold and clinical if that makes sense, so I wanted to add some colour and personality to it. I had some leftover ‘Stiffkey Blue’ paint from my hallway project, so I ended up painting one wall that gorgeous blue. I think that just made a world of a difference! The dark wall makes the kitchen a bit more modern, breaks the ‘all white’ look, and ties the kitchen in nicely with the rest of my home. Otherwise there would be a bit of a disconnect between the kitchen and the rest of the home. I like to have some connection between all the rooms in the house to make it feel like a cohesive space and have a nice organic flow in the house. The main (stand-out) colour in my home is this dark blue and I like to have some form of dark blue in each room - whether it’s wall paint, soft furnishings, art or decorative objects. Do you also like to have a main colour? Let me know in the comments section below!
4) Open shelves - The shelves were actually always there but I somehow never made full use of them. Over time, they had become a dumping area for keys, post, little homeless Lego pieces and just about any random thing you can think of! I just had to do something about it! Open shelving can really transform the look of any room, and in a kitchen there is a lot of scope for making the shelves both functional, and pretty to look at! So I added some storage boxes, some plants, art work and random objects to add some interest and make the shelves work for me! Of course, dark blue bowls had to be up there!
Now I’m really happy with the way they look and I am actually using them to store actual useful things! Win-win!
5) Gallery wall - Every room deserves some form of art, and a kitchen is no different! I was very sure from the beginning that I wanted to dedicate one wall to some fun prints and art to add a bit of personality to the kitchen and make me smile very morning when I came down for tea! I added pops of colour through the art work and I often change it depending on the season (or my mood!) It’s just a fun way to add a ‘decor’ element to the kitchen - most of my art is also really inexpensive (or free) wallpaper samples, greeting cards and wall signs that I got as gifts. Art doesn’t always have to be expensive - it just has to be put together in a nice fun way for it to make sense!
6) Rug in the kitchen - This is quite controversial because a lot of people don’t like the idea of a rug in the kitchen, but I loveee my kitchen rug. I didn’t end up painting the floor tiles because I read a lot of reviews where people were not happy with the finish and scratches etc. Plus I was too tired with the wall tile painting and decided that I could live with the dark green floor tiles - you win some, you lose some right? I guess if I do find the right paint, I would love to change the look of the floor with some white paint and stenciling. But let’s leave that for phase 2, shall we? For now, I’m just loving the feel of the super soft, comfy and colourful afghani rug that I have in my kitchen! My son loves to bring his toys and play on that rug while I cook, and for me that totally works!
Here’s a look at the kitchen after my mini makeover! I’m really thrilled with the result and quite proud of myself for taking this on with my limited skills!
So, what do you think of my new improved kitchen! It’s now a place where I like to be, it feels like home. It’s never been this tidy since the day I took this pic obvs :D but it’s where we end up spending a lot of time as a family.
There are a few things from the mood board that I haven’t done - splashback - because I didn’t find one in my budget, the door handles - I was supposed to spray paint them black for the contrast, but I decided to wait till next year when we change the cabinets, and the floor paint - because I’m not convinced it will be durable for a kitchen floor. I’m still researching that bit!
If you have any questions or comments, I’d love to hear! xx