GORGEOUS. I am envious of those who have such vision... definitely keeping this in my "inspiration" folder. Beautiful.

Thank you for posting my kitchen! Really appreciate the shout out. Means a lot to me that you recognize my work.

All my best,
Elizabeth

Holy smokes.

This is true design. Taking a drap kitchen and making it fab.

I cannot wait to see more from Elizabeth.

Debb

Wow! I love the transformation ... and for $500 (had to read twice - thought it was a misprint!!)

- wall treatment is wonderful - really gives the room depth.

A little paint, a lot of elbow grease (I'm sure), and an amazing eye for design. I'm with debbmac ... Elizabeth: we want more!

That amazing!!!

It's safe to say I'm floored.

It is truley fabulous! I would love to see more of Elizabeth's designs!

OH MY! This is amazing. Would love to see what you do with the rest of the house!

Very, very nice.

that is amazing. so gorgeous. i'm inspired!

Thank you LowBrowLawnParty (love that user name!) for your comment - and the rest as well. You can see my "Before and After" photos of what I did with my office and how I used an old drugstore pharmacy cabinet in it at this link to my blog:http://elizabethhousestlouis.blogspot.com/2010/05/creative-company.html

Like my kitchen, it is all paint as well and tiny. I explain how I did it and show the before photos as well. Thanks for asking.

Elizabeth

What exactly is the finish on the kitchen walls? Could you also include colors? Love it!

Hi r2b2,

The kitchen wall are a mix of joint compound with a texture finished covered with a cream paint (flat latex) then I used a glaze aging technique to age the joint compound texture. It is more of a hand applied technique you are seeing, than a paint color. But I do use flat finish which is harder, most use an egg shell finish which tends to be easier.

Elizabeth

Amazing kitchen transformation, and amazing blog!

I want that oven. So stylish

I was so bowled over by Elizabeth's stunning makeover that I turned a gateleg table into a pot-rack just like hers: (http://cabinonthewater.blogspot.com/2009/12/new-workroom.html)~
Sadly it really doesn't fit - so if anyone wants it, please get in touch with me! Put a comment on my blog. (it has l.e.d. lights now too)

I prefer the old kitcken. The transformed kitchen looks too dark and depressing for my taste. The old kitchen brings a smile to my face and with a few changes and far less than $500 bucks it would have been perfect. Just my opinion!

Old kitchen: depressing.
New kitchen: happily inspiring.
I really love what you did with the finish over the crappy old faux tile...looks like it was linoleum. Amazing transformation. You're patient and skilled! The colors are wonderful!

Thanks Elizabeth, and I would pay for a tutorial on your aging technique. It is the most real and natural one I have seen. Gorgeous, nothing faux about it. Keep up the amazing work! Let me know about that tutorial.

Oh, I wish you'd kept those beautiful tiles!

Meant to add: but I think the floor is terrific. How did you do it? How is it holding up?

For everyone who wanted Elizabeth to keep the old tiles: not being there in person versus looking at photos can make a big difference. Go back and look at the photos again, there are tiles missing for one. We don't have any idea about the condition of the grout, mold or mildew issues and so forth. She obviously loves old things, so lets give her credit for the decision she made.

This is just beautiful and remarkably unique. It really shows some careful planning and vision on Elizabeth's part.

It's really nice, I like the cabinets, some are white and some black. Although there is one thing I do not like. The burlap "curtains".. Way too outdated for me.

Hi everyone,

I just love reading all the opinions - so very cool. You are right - the old "tiles" were PLASTIC - yuck! :-) And yes, many were broken and chipped and missing. They were in "sheets" not individual and the sheet was pulling away from the wall behind the stove.
Yeah, the curtains aren't for everyone, but I lived in Europe for almost 6 years and those are 1800's German grain sacks that the farmers used to carry their harvest into town with - very collectable and very hard to find the real deal anymore. The floor I painted right over the top with paint. I use TSP (found in Home Depot ) full strength to clean really well. No sanding needed. I use flat, latex PORCH paint. Then I do the design. Then I seal it with THREE coats of WATER BASE Minwax poly. The kitchen is almost two years old and it looks exactly as you see it. The key is to paint the floor with "straight painting" meaning - NO technique. So when you do get a tiny chip here and there - just do a quick touch up - and no technique needed. Once in a while, I will get a black sharpie pen out and "dot" here and there on the black diamond a tiny little spec to keep it really fresh. Other than that, it is really good - even the counter top - not a single chip - and I cook a lot.

I hope this helps!

Oh - and yes! I do plan on doing video tutorials in the near future on my soon to be out website! So stay tuned! :-)

Thanks everyone,
Elizabeth

Oh, one more thing I forgot about the floor. After TSP the floor, then I use Kilz primer, THEN the porch paint, then seal.

Sorry.

Take care
Elizabeth

Hi Elizabeth,
This is my fave makeover ever on this website. Beautifully designed, practical, and inspirational all for a low cost. As people have been saying, there are so many lessons to take from it, not the least of which that a modest budget can be used to create a lovely home. Thanks for sharing it.

It's soooo not my style, but I am still so impressed! I can tell you had a clear idea of what you wanted, and you achieved it!

Thanks so much llf for such a HUGE compliment since I have seen so many really cool makeovers on this site - I am really flattered!

And thanks to those who can appreciate it even when it is not their style at all - I love that! I am the same way - many times I really enjoy something I would never do in my own home, but really can appreciate it all the same. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me.

Elizabeth

Elizabeth, I am so impressed by what you accomplished in your kitchen! It is also interesting how it looks much lighter and brighter despite the fact that the cabinets are so dark. Very inspiring.

I would be a little worried about the painted countertops, but I guess that as a temporary fix, it's no big deal.

I went over to your website and really enjoyed your story. I'm subscribed to follow you now!

What a terrific result for so little money! Love that the sink was a recycle find as was your oven, plus the use of the burlap for "curtains". What makes this really work, though, is the cohesive vision. I get what you were going for and it came together beautifully.

Also, I really like the wood used to top the dishwasher. Great, warm choice.

Home run!!! You are so talented and inspiring!

So freaking cool! I love the moodiness of the kitchen. Usually I go for the bright/clean ones, but this really makes me reevaluate my love of white in the kitchen. The counters look like old metal...maybe zinc...so nifty.

Also, it's the size of the kitchen. It looks usable. You wouldn't run five miles just to get to your fridge from your sink or from your counters. I can see this being very efficient, yet so light with the two windows.

Elizabeth,
After hearing about your $500 kitchen transformation, my daughter Sarah decided to try it for herself. Only difference - her style is very contemporary. Her "boring oak cabinets" are now black and the "disgusting country blue countertop" is now red. She and her husband did all of the work, and I simply cannot believe how BEAUTIFUL it turned out!! Thanks so much for the inspiration!!

This truly took my breath away!

Becca

WOW!!!!!

Love it. Wish I could transform ours ... but we rent.

This is a very inspirational make over. I am jealous of people who have a workable layout to start with - it's amazing what some elbow grease and ingenuity will yield! And that stove is amazing. :)
I agree with some earlier comments about the "curtains" though. While I totally dig that they are true and unique collectables, I think I'd rather see them on the walls. With the dark upper cabinets, something a bit more translucent on the windows would have made it that much more fabulous.

Hi Danita,

How cool that your daughter did her countertops in red! Would love to see that - and counter tops, if prepped correctly - and are the right surface to begin with (mine formica) will last a long time. Like I said, I have not one single chip in almost two years.

Here is what I did for my counter tops:

They were formica so I:

Lightly sanded
Washed down with TSP
Primed with Kilz primer
Two coats of latex interior paint
Mixed some left over paint I had around the house and "washed it on" with a paper towel to get my technqiue
Then sealed it THREE times with water based Minwax poly

The KEY is in the drying time in between coats. Don't be inpatient.

TIP: Stir the poly fairly regularly during application. DON'T shake can

TIP: Lightly sand (150 grit) between poly coats, lightly damp cloth away dust and apply next coat. Let each coat REALLY dry. You will end up with a really hard, lasting shell! :-)

Good luck who tries this - it really is easy.

Elizabeth

Hey, thanks Gaidig for joining my website. Very nice of you. Please read above about your question about the counter tops chipping. This will give you tips on avoiding that.

Thanks again for checking out my site.

All my best,
Elizabeth

Hi Andregirl,

I totally get the renting thing. I have lived in 17 places in 25 years. Many were rented, so I totally understand. Many times though, I would paint walls and many times the landlord would want the walls to remain! And if not, then I would just paint them back. Also, for temp/easy fix for renters: If you have the panel insert type of cabinets? Blow up wonderful personal photos (or go get cool wall paper) and cut to fit the insert of the panel and tape to the fit the panel perfectly. Very personalized and yet temp. Won't hurt anything. Just take care not to use super heavy tape as not to damage any wood stain if you do a lot of cooking (moisture). Poster tape (like they use for college dorm rooms) usually work really well.

Thanks again for the lovely comment.
Elizabeth

This is just the best kitchen redo I have seen in a long time, love your style. Great job!

obviously Elizabeth has a lot of time on her hands to commit to this sort of project! congrats...

Thanks kjansson for the congrats but I wish I the other half was true about having a lot of time on my hands - the kitchen took 8 days from start to finish. I was on a deadline due to other projects I had going and no time to really do this in the first place. (But sick of my old kitchen.) It was kind of cool to see just how fast I could do it. Wouldn't want to do it that fast again, but glad to get it done and over! :-)

Elizabeth

Thank you b77 for such a big compliment. Means a lot to me. I love a lot of styles, but this is my favorite style for now.

All my best,
Elizabeth

Just beautiful and SO inspiring Elizabeth.

Like you I've been eye-ing the knitting needles for relief. So I had a good belly laugh when I read the article.

Unlike you I'm no designer...so the needles have been looking pretty tempting lately!

Thanks for the inspiration.
Tatie

Striking. There is such an element of style and attitude in your remodel.

WHAT A TALENT!!!! Absolutely stunning..... I can not believe the floor, cabinets and counter are just painted... Thank you so much for posting.. gives me hope...

I bow before the stove...and the renovation. Fabulous.