Kitchen Makeover

With any paint project, it’s all about the prep. I learned this the hard way when I tried to paint without priming, or thought I might be able to get straight edges without using painters’ tape — not possible (at least for me!). But kitchen cabinets are especially tricky because, if you really do it properly, you need to take everything apart. We’re talking everything. You have to take off every single door and drawer face. And every hinge. And every drawer pull and knob.

You fine readers have been very vocal in letting us know how you feel about open shelving. Some of you love the idea of turning your kitchen into a museum, with all your dinnerware on display. The rest of you? Well, you just can’t imagine. You need a place to hide your ugly plastic containers and pile up your mismatched bowls! No matter which side of this divide you fall on, we’re betting you’re going to be pretty darn impressed by this kitchen makeover.

We’ve all been there: Living in a rental apartment that might be great for any number of reasons, but has one fatal flaw. Usually a fridge that’s too small, floors that have seen better days, cabinets that don’t measure up, or countertops that hail from a bygone decade. Luckily, a few of these can be fixed. Today we’re looking at countertops. There are a few things you can do to hide those unsightly laminate or tile counters.

I’ve swooned over patterned kitchen tile before, but not its price. Decorative tiles cost a pretty penny, so for me the idea has always been more aspirational than practical. Then I came across this kitchen design by Megan Pflug for One Kings Lane. I loved the geometric tile pattern immediately, but then I discovered the backsplash is not as it seems. Oh, it’s tile, all right — but it has a secret. And it’s pretty great.

Breakfast nooks can’t help but be charming, cozy quarters and all. But they risk feeling a little too dark, drab, or cramped. That’s what SF-based interior designer Cristin Priest thought of the nook around the corner from her kitchen, so she decided to give it a fresh, springy makeover. See the ‘After’ photo below:How cute is this? By mixing green and warm neutral tones, Priest transformed the look of her nook!

We’ve seen so many kitchen renovations move away from wood cabinets in an effort to modernize, but this kitchen makeover —designed by Portland-based architect Michael Howells and featured recently on Design*Sponge—manages to have both. It’s a beautiful melding of vintage and modern.