Before & After: This Already-Great Kitchen Gets a Luxe Redo with Lots More Storage

updated Mar 12, 2021
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Before: Kitchen with white cabinetry and white fridge

Temporary upgrades can do a lot to help out a kitchen while you bide your time waiting on a full renovation. Just take this cook space from Jelyka Pedersen. It looks pretty darn good in its “before” state — but that’s because this is actually the first of two “afters.”

“When we first moved in the kitchen was all brown, we wanted a temporary solution so we bought a bucket pf paint, changed some knobs and put up a peel-and-stick tile to cover up the blue tiles that was there,” Jelyka says. “We loved it, and it lasted for two years, but the storage and cabinets were not practical anymore and there was not much counter space to work on.”

Because Jelyka and her husband love to cook, they had a lot of kitchen appliances and gadgets that took up tons of space in the cabinets. The couple knew a better solution was needed in the form of a full-on renovation.

“We were tired of bumping into each other in the kitchen and having no space for our things,” Jelyka says. “So we went to several kitchen suppliers with a vision and mood board, and when we saw the 3D rendering we were just sold.”

Jelyka and her husband received their custom cabinets about six weeks later and put them in themselves. “It was our first time putting up a kitchen so there were a lot of arguments there,” Jelyka jokes.

The new kitchen features a modern black-and-wood palette with cool ribbed cabinet fronts and tons of functional storage. Reconfiguring the layout made way for way more counter space, so Jelyka and her husband both have room to food prep without knocking elbows. Some appliances sit out on the countertop, but for those they want to put away, new floor-to-ceiling cabinets offer plenty of room.

The integrated fridge is installed next to the cabinets, with a matching black front that helps it blend right in.

The newly configured cook space takes advantage of some of the old dining space to make the area more practical for the couple. In place of the old dining table, they now have seating for meals at the end of the countertop.

A new sink is bigger and more functional, too, since the faucet is no longer installed at an awkward angle.

While they liked the look of their previous refresh, Jelyka says she loves everything about the newly renovated space — including how practical it is. “I love the new layout, storage solutions, integrated appliances and materials!” she says. “I wouldn’t do anything differently.”

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This post originally appeared on Apartment Therapy. See it there: Before and After: A Luxe Redo Brings Lots More Storage to This Tiny Kitchen