Before & After: Katy’s $700 Window-Centric Kitchen Remodel

When Katy bought her Midwest home, she really loved the kitchen… for the most part. The previous owners had done one thing that drove her crazy. They actually closed up the window over the sink! It messed with the whole feel of the kitchen. So she took on a very small remodel that re-opened that window and restored it, and added a few other personal touches, including new shelving, replacing some countertop, and installing an awesome green pegboard.

Take a look at the before and after of Katy’s pretty little kitchen!

Here’s Katy’s description of what she did and why.

I bought my house because of the kitchen sink.

Well, not entirely, but I did LOVE the generous IKEA farmhouse sink in our new 1920s saltbox Midwestern house. The problem was I wasn’t wild about the rest of the new wall-to-wall IKEA kitchen, including the fact that a previous owner closed up the historic window above the afore-mentioned beloved sink.

It ruined the feng shui. It was like depression settled in every time I washed dishes.

So with a starting point of wanting my window back, and with a tiny budget (just $700!), my husband and I dove into the reno project that not only restored good dish-washing feng shui, but also warmth, color, and personality to my constantly-used kitchen.

We love the results! I can wash dishes facing a sunny window, pondering cleansing (ahem), westward-flowing thoughts. I have my collection of vintage cookware on display and at arm’s reach, and dishes ready-to-choose on open shelves. The story and other details are fully documented on my blog.

Read more about Katy’s kitchen remodel at her blog, katy she cooks:

• It starts here: Kitchen reno, part 1: the Julia Child pegboard pot rack

• And finishes here, including a cash breakdown: Kitchen reno, part 4: the wrap up.

Thanks so much for sharing, Katy! Such a great project.

Related: Before & After: A Bold Kitchen Transformation

(Images: Katy via The Kitchn’s submission form)