We mentioned "Design on a Dime" host Kristan Cunningham's own kitchen remodel, but only in passing, and then we found these before photos. Take a look at how a bit of paint (and plywood) transformed her kitchen!
Cunningham's original cabinet style looks just like the cabinets we see all the time in our readers' photos and kitchens! It's those standard rental oak boxes and faux-country fronts. Cunningham dealt with this by painting, but she also had to get creative about the style of those cabinets.
To really change the look, Cunningham and her husband also attached strips of wood to the fronts of the cabinets and drawers, covering up the cathedral arch in the cabinets and creating a faux Shaker style.
Then they painted and added new cabinet hardware found at a Restoration Hardware outlet.
Cunningham's renovation was relatively inexpensive; she didn't replace cabinets or appliances. She just painted, added beadboard on the walls and hardware to the cabinets. All told the renovation was about $900.
Would you go to that length to update your cabinets?
• Read the whole article: The Amazing $905 Kitchen Makeover at Ladies Home Journal
• More info on the renovation: DIY queen Kristan Cunningham's rental kitchen makeover at The LA Times
Related: Kitchen Makeover: White Walls and Pine Cupboards
(Image: Ladies Home Journal)
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Absolutely, and I will as soon as get the time!!
Yes, I would definitely do this if I had a kitchen with good bones!
I definitely would, and I love the look of the cabinets now. The problem is that she's removed all the warmth and life from the room by painting that wood. Now it looks institutional with all that white, gray, and steel.
i really like that the bottom and top cabinets are different colors. That's what i want to do in my kitchen!
I haven't done it in my kitchen--its just not worth putting th effort in--it needs to be blown up. BUT my sister has done it twice.
The first time was on those laminate cupboards with the strip of oak at the bottom--classic 80s. She painted out the oak to be the same colour as the laminate (in this case, cream) and then put small brushed aluminum bar handles on the strip. The difference was incredible for such a little thing.
The second time she moved into a house built in about 1980. The kitchen cabinets were that heavy fake wood laminate. The handles were those dark metal handles that I guess are meant to be tudor style? I always think they look medieval?? Anyway, we (I) sanded all the fronts of the cupboards, painted the top ones a dark brown--kind of a mink colour, and the bottom cupboards off-white. She put long brushed stainless handles on the bottoms. She left the counters and the flooring and what an incredible makeover. I wish we had before and after pics. Just recently she painted the walls a soft orange colour. Awesome!!
this is so inspiring for us! we redid our kitchen on a tight budget and are slowly adding a backsplash and new countertops...i love seeing that other people use what they have or remove and add shelving instead of busting everything down and starting with all new cabinetry! always a greener option to use what you have and this layout and flow is magical! bravo!
http://www.casacullen.com
A gorgeous kitchen! I really love the open shelves and brackets, but it's too bad they don't carry them anymore at Rejuvenation.com. Anyone know a source for something comparable? And the light blue dishes on the shelf are exactly what I've been looking for, but the source isn't listed in any of the articles. Any ideas?