apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Beautiful! I love the wall colors, and I'm planning on installing a faux-tin backsplash of my own in the next few weeks, so it's great to see another example of how awesome this can look!

i haven't been able to find that faux tin backsplash on lowes website. anyone else?

Nice! I have those exact same "before" cabinets in my apartment (rental, unfortunately).

this is awesome!!!

nice! What a difference!

And too funny- My kitchen is actually the same color, and I have the same backsplash (except it fell down because I only stuck it up with tape).

@Rivercat0338 - me too! I was hoping they'd have some clever way of making them look nice, but (since they're homeowners) it looks like they just replaced the fronts. I've been thinking of trying this: http://www.sherwin-williams.com/do_it_yourself/wallpaper/new_products/

Were the cabinets actually 'made over?' It looks like they were torn out and replaced.

looks great!

I was wondering that too greenish, if the cabinets are new or the old ones somehow spruced up. They look new but maybe they were just refaced? im curious tho because it did say they did it on a budget, I am currently shopping around to have cabinets replaced and the costs are more than i can shell out after buying a place. Maybe the homeowners could share their source or make over process? Would love more details! I visited the blog they are from and there wasn't much more info there.

We have those same before cabinets! I can't wait to replace them. Strangely we bought one tile of the faux tin back splash to see if we would like it a while back....Great before and after!

First of all, thanks to everyone for their nice comments! I never thought in a million years that our kitchen would get this kind of response! Thank you!

Vinnie (my husband) and I did everything ourselves except the cabinets and counter tops, both are completely new and were purchased and installed through Lowe's. We bought our home in November of last year and had the counter tops, cabinets and new windows throughout our home rolled into our mortgage. We had to go with our mortgage approved installers and Lowe's won out in price. The cabinets and counters cost about $4000, the install was about $2000. We could have installed the cabinets ourselves (we have quite handy family members!) but the mortgage company said no. :)

You can also see that we did some light rearranging as the stove was next to the fridge but it's not anymore. The sink is new and was free with the purchase of the counter tops.

The paint was purchased at Lowe's and was paid for by on of those $25 off $250 coupons when we paid for the cabinets.

The back splash was purchased at Home Depot but I've seen it at Lowe's as well, it cost (with epoxy and finishings) about $200.

I sewed the curtain's myself, about $10.

All the knick-knacks and framing was purchased at Hobby Lobby with 40% off coupons.

The plates are from Anthropologie and were a Christmas gift and the "Keep Calm...." poster was from Etsy.

Once everything was said and done I would say that we came in right under $7000, "instant" out of pocket would be $1000 spread over 5 months.

Once again, thank you for all of your kind words!

thank you for the price break down and info very helpful in helping plan a kitchen renovation.

And again great job looks like a whole new room!

kaka is full of kaka when it comes to her spam!

Very good re-do. The only major thing I would do when the budget allows, if the project allows, is make that window as big as possible.

I, too, have those horrible laminate cabinets in our newly purchased home (built in '86)! I was totally hoping for a solution to "fixing them up" when I clicked, like the other commenters... How funny! We actually looked at replacing our cabinets and horrible tile countertops, but we were at at least twice the price of what Julie paid, so we're looking for a temporary fix-er-up while we save for the complete overhaul... I think this should be a new post with solutions! :)

That said though, very cute kitchen re-do! I love the backsplash and the awesome blue Kitchenaid! :)

It looks very nice. But, I'm a bit puzzled. If you don't like beige, why did you opt for beige cabinets?

For the renters with ugly cabinets:

Replace the doors, but hold onto the originals (store them in the back of a closet), so when you move you can just put them back up. No harm done.

This is really funny...

Like Rivercat0338, marisab, and mspants, I have those exact cabinets. It seems like AT has so many cabinet makeovers, but all of them are the generic wood squares (um, same as in the after), or require painting (I have NEVER lived in an apartment that allowed painting, especially of cabinets - I don't know where you'd find a place that would!!)

Mine cover a long wall of my large living space, with no divider. Still don't know a solution - not that they're that bad....

Wow - I clicked thru hoping to see a creative and budget-friendly solution to those ubiquitous 80's cabinets without tossing everything into landfill - What cool, creative and new reuse/modification of the existing cabinets (which appeared to be in perfectly good structural condition) would we see? Perhaps a clever refacing? Maybe a cool DIY using a marvelous new technique with off the shelf materials that would actually make us wish we had those type of cabinets so that we could do the same?

But no, It's just another let's-ditch-everything and go shopping at the Big-Box Store renovation - As if nobody here already knew what that looked like...

@ funstraw - I couldn't agree more but the budget didn't allow for a larger opening. In retrospect I would have put one of those greenhouse box windows for some live herbs. What I am going to do is build a window box and grow herbs next spring.

@mirandabee - These cabinets are maple woodgrain so not really beige. Also I chose to go with a neutral color palatte because the decorating in this kitchen is trendy and I'll want to change the color scheme in a few years or so. Also every freaking wall in my house is this beige and it's killing me! Too much beige!

I'm sorry I don't have a "refacing" solution for you all! I would like to say that this complete transformation took 11 months, this is not something we accomplished overnight due to the money. We have no children and I work a full-time and part-time job (60-70 hours a week) so we have money to focus on our home projects.

My advice would be to save your money and get exactly what you want instead of putting money into a band-aid situation.

Why does EVERY HOUSE EVER have that 'keep calm and carry on' poster? I thought it was sort of cute at first, but now I'm wondering if there's something about it I'm not understanding?

Hey! Shout out to everyone with the 'Before' cabinets! If you can't replace 'em, embrace 'em! How about painting the faux wood trim black and going for a modern look? Without replacing the cabinets, you have more dough for other small projects, like a new backsplash, new counter tops or new flooring.

@annabananarama
Not a bad idea, except I think most of us were renters, and can't paint! (Most of the wood grain you see is actually from the cabinets themselves, not the doors.)

So everyone knows, they're actually pretty good quality cabinets I found, and they look less cheap than other options.

Actually I've rented at two different places and both allowed painting of walls, but not of cabinets. Both required me to paint over my walls with flat white when I moved out. Or offered to bill me for whatever the painters charged them, but could not provide that amount until it was already painted. So I painted it over myself.

@ bepsf Wow, I'm a little suprised at all of the assumptions here!

Who said we threw *everything* away? We didn't touch the flooring nor the appliances

All of the old cabinets and countertops were reinstalled into our garage and down stairs utility room. I even repurposed the cracked tiles for future mosaic projects. We barely threw anything away!

@mamaphunk
Sorry if anything seemed overly harsh.

I think any negativity comes from the answer to the opening question: "What do you do when your house has cabinets and countertops that are a little less than inspiring.." being "Replace them."

It all looks great, I think a lot of us who have the exact same cabinets in rentals were hoping for something a little more inspiring and do-able. We all know replacing cabinets are an option in a house you own.

But it does look great, and the choices in color are rich and inviting - congrats!

@mamaphunk Don't take it personally, usually when I see an AT comment that makes me think, "Wow, that was harsh and a little uncalled for." It's bepsf.

Replacing the frigo with a Sub-Zero would have been a huge improvement.

I laughed my butt off -haley- lol

I really like the two tone green paint. But I really don't like the vinyl backsplash - coupled with the texture the silver is too intense. It needs to be more subtle; perhaps sheets of perspex in another shade of green or blue? Or glass?

Something to consider if you get sick of it in a year or two, anyway.

At least it's not 80s glass brick, which is what I first thought when I saw it. Scared the hell out of me, it did.

It looks like you replaced a solid surface countertop with a laminate of a very similar color... why? Just curious.

Does the $7000 total include the new refrigerator? You didn't mention the new refrigerator in your cost breakdown.

@blandwagon In a few years we'll probably look into doing a glass tile backsplash when the tin tile look has run it's course and we have a little more cash. The tin tile look was a huge discussion but we wanted something reminiscent of the historic buildings of Tampa (where my husband is from). I would also love to do something with Vitrolite.

@evegso The original countertops were a chocolate colored laminate, we replaced them with a black/grey speckled Formica Solid Surface, the sink was free and was poured with the couters so it's seamless. Also we had to get new countertops as part of the minor reorganization that we did (moving the stove so it wasn't right next to the fridge).

@ogirl You're right I didn't include the fridge because the minute we closed on the house we had to purchase one because we didn't have one. It was a purchase we had to make even if we didn't do anything to our kitchen. The fridge was $600 from Sears.

@davebarnes No room and no money! We were thrilled with the upgrade of having an ice maker!

@ -haley- and criv227 Thanks! :D

I have the ‘before’ cabinets too and actually really like them! I know it’s technically from a different period, but there is something a little MCM to me about the white laminate with the warm wood.

One thing ‘before’ people could try is taking the doors off some of your cabinets. In our apartment, the previous tenants took the doors off the top cabinets so we have open shelving for our bowls, plates, and grains (which we store in those clear plastic containers from Ikea http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90066708) – basically the pretty stuff.

Comparing my kitchen to mamaphunk's 'before,' I think this small step really helps to break up the monotony of beige and show off all the things we do love about our kitchen.

I like the new style quite a bit! Congrats on recycling the appliances and for creating an original splash.

I'm looking forward to updating my next kitchen. Here's what I'd choose for my space, and why:

http://jgkitchens.blogspot.com/2009/10/designers-wish-list-kitchen.html

@megnez - that's actually a good idea. I did "remove" one door when my brother broke the hinge by leaning on it too hard. It's the cabinets where I keep my pots, so it was easier just to reach in and grab.

I like the removable wallpaper idea, too!

wow those laminate cabinets were really popular in the 90's! I have them too...@ Uptonite i took my upper doors off too and it's helped ...but i'm stumped about the lower ones and the drawers...

i think it's great!

The change of color...and the cabinets are what pop pot as the most apparent changes in the kitchen. Of course the old cabinets are quite dated but if the budget is very limited, paint & accessories can make a huge improvement for those who can not change them now.(..come on economy, improve!!!) Luckily those dated cabinets are very neutral and minimal ornamentation which will make it easy to spruce up the room in just about any style that pleases you for now.
Wishing you a brightly colored day,
Mary Nolte
http://www.kaleidoscopecolorconsulting.com

The new cabinets look really nice, but I'm sorry to say.. am I the only one who likes the 'before' better? I'm sure it's just a matter of preference, but I liked the beige better... and that backsplash would be my last choice. It's SO busy, it distracts the eye from the nice new cabinets and looks cheap and, well... tinny. I guess I don't why someone would even want a tin backsplash, faux or not. It certainly doesn't sound functional and isn't very attractive.