Andy and Courtney just renovated their 9x9-foot galley kitchen in Richmond, Virginia, and the result is a bright, smart space that is coolly sophisticated yet warm and welcoming. Come peek into this little cottage kitchen and see a before photo (it was a great transformation!), and read all sorts of tips and good ideas for getting the most out of a smaller kitchen renovation — on a budget too!
Courtney and Andy live in a 1940s Cape Cod home in Richmond, Virginia, and they wanted to update the kitchen without losing its warmth and charm. Their goal was to give their small kitchen (just 9x9) a cottage feel.
We really like the combination of cool, fresh cottage-friendly marble countertops and white tile backsplash with the warmer tones of the green walls and cork flooring. It all combines to feel fresh and clean, but not overly white or sterile. We also love the tip they offer about using a French door in a small kitchen; the glass door helps it feel open to the back porch.
The Kitchn Questionnaire
1. What's your cooking style?
Fast and simple. Andy and I are much more Rachael Ray than Julia Child.
2. What inspires your kitchen?
We really wanted the kitchen to be timeless. We thought that would best be done by going with a cottage style. Not only does it stand the test of time, but it also feels so cozy and welcoming!
3. What is your favorite kitchen tool or element?
Microwave because it's also a convection oven. It was a bit of a splurge for us, but so worth it for its efficiency.
4. Best cooking advice or tip you ever received:
Clean as you go. My mother taught me that a meal can't be truly enjoyed when there are dirty dishes all around.
5. Biggest challenge in your kitchen:
Its size. We're literally working with a room that is 9x9. A lot of people have commented that there is too much white. And it is white, but that was by design. We really hoped that keeping the space light and bright would help it to feel larger. We also added a French door to create an illusion of space.
6. Biggest indulgence:
Farmhouse sink. Andy scoured the web to find one that was affordable. To work with our small budget, we went with what is called a butler-sized sink. It's definitely smaller, but that works for well for our tiny space! I firmly believe we would not have been able to achieve the cottage look without this sink.
7. Dream tool or splurge:
I would love to have been able to include vintage appliances in the kitchen to really up the cottage factor.
8. What are you cooking this week?
Spring has finally sprung here in Richmond, so we've moved the cooking outdoors to the grill. That means good old-fashioned hot dogs and hamburgers!
9. What cookbook has inspired you the most?
The cookbooks that I use most often are the ones that were created by my mother's local women's club. They compile their favorite recipes (mostly comfort foods) for an annual book that serves as their major community fundraiser.
10. What's the most memorable meal you've ever cooked in this kitchen?
It would probably be the time that I attempted to make a simple tomato and basil bruschetta for our supper club. It was not long after we had purchased the home and it was the first time we had real guests over. I was so frazzled that it took the smoke alarm sounding for me to realize that I had left the bread in far too long. As if that was not embarrassing enough, things got worse when we had no idea how to make the alarm stop. This resulted in our home alarm system being triggered and the police being dispatched. When the officers knocked at the door, we thought they we had late arriving guests. We were mortified to discover that was not the case. Welcome to the neighborhood!
Resources
• Natural Cork Flooring, Earth Series Santiago
• Carrera Marble Countertop, Commonwealth Countertops
• Kohler Alcott apron-front, undercounter kitchen sink
• Kenmore Elite 24 in. Elite Built-In Dishwasher w/Ultra Wash HE Wash System
• Kenmore Elite 1500 Watt 1.7 cu. ft. Convection/Microwave Oven
• Kenmore 9642 Electric Range with warming drawer
• Amana Easy Reach Plus 20.3 cu. ft. Cabinet Depth Bottom-Freezer Refrigerator
We're always looking for real kitchens from real cooks.
Submit your kitchen here.
Related: Kitchen Tour: Jill's Small Powerhouse of a Kitchen
(Images: Cory Whitlow)
On Saying No to Paleo: Why Eating Isn't One Size Fits All
Perfect Summer Cocktail Recipe: Honey Bourbon Lemonade
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Elizabeth Apron fro...
Before & After: Emily Henderson Transforms a Senior's Studio Space
Danielle's Charming, Classic Walk-Up
I liked the before (except for the wall color) and the after. Functionally they appear identical. So I'm not sure what they gained from their remodel.
It's a very sweet kitchen. The paint is a nice contrast. I'd like to know - how are the counter tops holding up? And what was the overall kitchen price tag?
First off - I love, love, love your choices. Marble countertops, the farmhouse sink, the white cabinets, mini-subway tile backspash all look beautiful with your new stainless appliances. A great blending of modern and 'cottage'.
But - this reno does bring up a few questions for me -
1. Where should a backsplash end? The extra tile extending beyond the cabinets on the 'end' walls just looks somewhat out of place, but if it wasn't put on the end walls, would that look better/worse?
2. There appears to be a mini-backsplash/edge of marble before you started your tiling, effectively making 2 different surfaces on the wall - would removing the 'lip' of the countertop extending up the wall and simply tiling down to the counter surface look better?
3. Isn't it inconvenient to get food out of your fridge when the door opens into the kitchen, effectively restricting access to the narrow aisle between the fridge door and the wall? Can you switch so that the door opens the other way?
The reason I ask is to guage others answers before I get into my kitchen reno - with many similar materials!
I swear we're both going for the same look.
Well done!
The cork floor is beautiful! We're adding a sunroom and our architect is urging us to use cork tiles.
If the homeowner checks in here, would you mind telling me about how you protect and maintain the floor? Has the floor faded at all?
I have to agree with kathrynfolki . I would add that the curtain below the sink needs to be shortened just a bit.
I would like to ask how they came up with the kitchen color. I need to paint mine and can't decide what color.
While I like your choices and granted I hope maybe its the photography that is throwing the colors off for me...but I feel like the floor and wall color clashes with the white on white/grey of the rest of the room. Maybe if there was a warmer color running through the marble it would look like it matched more.
The refrigerator door probably opens into the kitchen because of no clearance to open to the right. I'm dealing with a similar situation in my small 9 x 10 kitchen (with 3 doorways).
If the refrigerator was moved to the stoves space - maybe the area would be too cut off? ...and I don't like the idea of a stove next to the wall.
It's a small kitchen and on a tight budget will limit options. I think Andy and Courtney did a nice job.
Now can someone help me with my tiny kitchen : )
Thanks so much for all the positive feedback!
I have to say that kathrynfolkl has found just about every deficit in our kitchen. My hubby and I are super impressed with your observation skills and we want you to learn from our mistakes! The backsplash is something with which we really struggled. When we first got the marble slab installed (which was very cheap given that it was a remnant from a larger project. Oh, and it's held up really well. However, I do have to say that you should be careful. Red wines stains and the like are permanent. As you may have heard, these stains can add to the character of the stone.), they went ahead and placed a standard backsplash that is made of the same material. At that time, we loved that idea as we were not sure of our tile choice. As time went on, though, I found myself wanting to add a subway tile. When we discovered these recycled glass tiles (that were both a green product and small. I have to say I love anything that can be created in a small scale - the tiles and the sink - as I believe it fits the small space so much better), we could not resist the purchase.
Here's where the marital spats came into play. I wanted to remove the existing backsplash. Andy said it was not possible. Although, he did agree that the subway tiles should end with the back wall (and not go on the side), the problem was then the existing backsplash still sitting there. It looked ridiculous. Therefore, we decided to use the subway tiles on the side as well. It was NOT my first choice, obviously, and I would recommend just going to the end of the back wall if you have a galley kitchen like ours!
As for your third question, kathrynfolkl, yes, the door is restrictive. To give you an example of the restrictiveness, the door handle (which I love aesthetically) has to be in the locked position before the refrigerator can even be opened. It's a pain, but we could not move it without majorly reworking the space. And we just did not have the budget for that.
Speaking of budget, we were able to keep this project at around $7,500. Most of that money went to appliances, which meant we had to make sacrifices (meaning we had to keep the cabinets, leaving us little room to change the design of the space). Our cork floors were found on clearance as they were also left over from a larger project. Someone commented about these floors. They are just great. I don't think I could go back to a tile floor. These have so much give that it's really a pleasure for your feet. They are also great because they are easy to install (Andy did it himself so that saved us on any labor costs). The fact that they are a green product is a big bonus for us.
Speaking of green, I believe there was a comment about why exactly we wanted to make changes in the kitchen when we really didn't change the layout of what was there when we purchased the home. This is a great question. We really did want to ensure that the house was updated (you can't see from the before picture, but both the vinyl floors and laminate counters were coming apart while the appliances were energy suckers) with high quality products that were also environmentally friendly (like the cork and our energy efficient appliances). We are fully aware that this project is what many would term a "lipstick" job. We would have loved to have been able to make the space bigger with the construction of an addition. In fact, we hope to do that in the future. Unfortunately, we did not budget for such a project. This is our first real house and we're trying to keep from becoming house poor :o)
I apologize for the novel sized comment, but I do want to add one more thing and that's about the color of the walls. We tried to pick a color (any color really as we didn't want the room to be all white - and, in turn- too sterile), so we looked to the floor. Hence, we went with this earthy green. It's not for everybody, but we find it to be organic and soothing!
Again, thanks for all the comments. We really appreciate the interest in our kitchen!!!
What a wonderful remodel! My fiance and I are moving into our first home very soon... and it comes complete with a "character-building" galley kitchen without a dishwasher. I love your choices, and in fact, I have high hopes for subway tile along one wall AND a farmhouse sink. So thanks for all the tips about the budget, too—your reply to other comments was the most helpful bit for me. Really, really wonderful, and inspiring to see! :) Happy cooking!
Dying to know what paint color that earthy green is...I think I saw it (or a very similar color) in a different post over at AT also and couldn't figure it out. Thanks!
That green on the walls is River Bank and it's a Behr paint.
rvarunnergal, thanks for responding about the cork floor. Do you have to do anything special to maintain it? Does it handle water spills well?
Great kitchen! Do you love your Nespresso machine as much as I LOVE mine?
very sweet country kitchen. Love the mini-subway tiles.
I think the whole thing looks lovely! My only concern is that there isn't any countertop/buffer at the left edge of your stove. I would worry that someone might bump the stovetop while it's hot, or not realize it's hot and touch it. I don't know, that may just be me being paranoid! Other than that, I really like the look of your kitchen.
Thanks again to all who have left such nice comments! I did want to say that the cork floors are great when it comes to maintenance (I just use a swiffer - both the wet and the dry ones) and all spills are cleaned up with ease. I have not noticed any fading at this point, but I can't comment too much on that as they have not been in our place for a very long period of time.
I also can't praise the cork enough when it comes to how awesome they are on the feet. We actually installed them in our bath (they're penny sized tiles made of recycled wine corks) and our closet (that we created out of unused attic space). My husband placed radiant heat pads under those and they make walking on them even more of a pleasure!
Also, I know there were some comments about the skirt. I actually picked that up on a whim at BBB one day. We had planned on using the existing doors (just cutting them down since they no longer fit once the farmhouse sink was installed). Unfortunately, they were really hard to repair after being cut (the doors are pretty old). We ended up keeping the skirt. I agree with those that say it could be a shorter. I just lack the seamstress skills to take on such a task. We're hoping to reface the doors soon since some are at the point of warping. My hubby has been pretty adamant about the skirt being tossed when/if that we have the budget to take on the refacing job!
Oh, and someone mentioned the Nespresso machine. It was a gift to my hubby for our anniversary last year. It was also a gift to me as this has kept him from frequenting Starbucks so very much. I have to say the gift was a BIG splurge, but he absolutely LOVES it. He's practically obsessed! And, while it was expensive, I think it has saved us money in the long run as those visits to Starbucks are far and few between. He says the coffee there doesn't even compare to the quality he can get at home!
Courtney, well done! I am in love with the marble, but, as a cleaning professional I am also leery of it. If I did have it, I think I'd find some nice colors and "pre-stain" it! Will it accept a Green color stain? I'd love that! Also, HD sells 20 year sealer...$87 or so, but I'd use it, for sure. Btw, I bought a sample of HD's beige marble tile, and did an overnight stain test. OHyes, it took in the ketchup and all things tomato. Also, as bought, it didn't have sealer, so part of the shine was removed as well. (I happen to love the honed texture...) Well your elegant reno has got me wishing once again. I really like your sink, and can't wait to get my kitchen reno started use my new Ikea single bowl farmhouse sink, less than $300, and wonderfully capacious. If I had your kitchen, I'd sneak in there to pet the marble and sink and appliances! (Just got your stove's gas version, LOVE it!) Many happy years in that room!
I love what you did with your kitchen! I don't think you have to totally reconfigure a kitchen to really increase the joy of using it. Upgrading the materials and appliances really makes a big difference. The only thing I am wondering about that hasn't already been mentioned is the rail on the wall behind the stove. It seems kind of random to me; what's it for?
@ zoee, I think the hemming tape is a brilliant idea. I may just have to try that. Or go with some other alternative. The skirt is getting a little old (both literally and figuratively).
@ Gaidig, you bring up a good question about the rail. The truth is that we're not sure of its purpose. We assumed it was original to the home and thought leaving it was keeping some character. We have thought of removing it and placing the subway tiles there as well. Our kitchen (and the other rooms of our house) are constantly evolving, so we're not sure of what is to come.
Thanks so much for taking the time to tour our kitchen and provide such great comments!
I'd love to see a chandelier replace the lighting in your kitchen. It sounds like you were on a budget but perhaps now that the renovation is complete you could start looking on craigslist or garage sales and find one for under $100.
AT just posted some nice examples of chandeliers in the kitchen.
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/kitchen/chandeliers-in-the-kitchen-112617
This room is giving me a really bad case of kitchen love~!
Beautiful, and the French doors do exactly what you'd hoped... expand the space, by adding light and allowing the eye and mind to travel beyond the physical boundaries of your 9' x 9' space.
I wonder if we can do anything similar in our 13' x 7' (with 4 doorways) galley kitchen? Whew.
Aside: brilliant notion to stick to a lipstick job. It looks great. You sound really pleased with it. And I bet (apart from that fridge location) it functions super well. Congratulations on keeping your reno costs so low!
I love the redo. Cottage is one of my faves and you blended it with modern elements perfectly. I think a carefully chosen rug/mat in front of the sink may finish it off. One question, does the microwave/convection oven have a exhaust fan built in? Great work!
I think a skirt looks perfect with your cottage look. The reason this one currently doesn't look as great as it could is size and fabric. Pick out a thicker fabric like a cotton duck, or an indoor/outdoor poly/cotton, and have a seamstress at your local dry cleaner knock you one up. If you're feeling adventurous, a bit of pattern and colour here would be a great place to introduce it. http://www.shelterpop.com/2010/02/04/skirt-check-is-your-sink-wearing-one/Great job on the renovation all round.
This is on of my favorite top 2!!!! I absolutely love the cozy feeling...
cute! very cozy! we just purchased a Cape Cod 2 months ago so i'm searching AT for dec. ideas!
i have to say thank you! this is exactly what i had been envisioning for a remodel of my 9x9 kitchen, and haven't communicated very well! it's gorgeous!
I love all the white! Beautiful.