Before & After: A “Dark, Claustrophobic” Kitchen Gets an Airy Makeover (for Under $2K!)

What initially drew stay-at-home mom Sapphire Anderson to this 1890s home in Red Wing, Minnesota, was its charming details. The original stained glass windows, grand wood staircase, and wraparound porch together made her and her husband, Tyler, put an offer in immediately. The kitchen, though? It needed some work.

Sapphire says the kitchen was a “dungeon” when they first moved in. “All of the upper and lower cabinets were dark brown, and the light that was in there didn’t provide adequate lighting for areas in the space that we needed. It just felt all-around claustrophobic!” 

She’s an avid baker and chef, so for the new space, she looked to English country kitchens with open shelving, ample workspace, and warmer tones. “I’m going to be in there for copious amounts of time, so I want it to be warm and cozy,” she says. 

The couple set out to renovate the “tight and dark” kitchen, which was somewhat of a community effort. They worked with a local carpenter to remove the existing upper cabinets and replace them with open shelving. The remaining lower cabinets were then painted beige with Farrow & Ball’s Jitney. Sapphire’s friend had leftover butcher block that they had installed as a new countertop. 

Being a pro-thrifter, Sapphire found an antique dresser on Facebook Marketplace and painted it to match the cabinets. Then a friend gifted her a leftover quartz slab to use on top. An empty wall was the perfect place for a coffee station, so she created one using shelves and a console table she also found on Facebook Marketplace. 

Sapphire has always loved marble floors, but they weren’t exactly in the budget. Two years after starting the kitchen renovation, they installed marble-inspired peel-and-stick floor tiles, which were far more affordable. Once that was finished, the kitchen “felt complete.” The couple never set a budget for the renovation, but estimate they spent around $1,800. 

“We love how open it feels now! Even though there’s only one window in the space, the removal of the upper cabinets, wall-mounted, restaurant-sized microwave, and brighter paint made for a brighter, inviting, and spacious feel,” Sapphire says.

Giving secondhand items a new life and refreshing them to fit present-day design are clearly what made Sapphire’s kitchen makeover so personalized and special. If you want to see how she did this throughout the rest of her home, visit the full house tour on Apartment Therapy.