Kitchen Before & After: The ‘You Don’t Need To Gut the Kitchen’ Makeover

Cambria Bold
Cambria Bold
Cambria Bold is the Executive Editor of Cubby, and one of Apartment Therapy Media’s first full-time editors from way back when. She was The Kitchn's founding Design and Lifestyle Editor as well as Managing Editor of Re-Nest, Apartment Therapy’s late '00s green living site. She now thinks a lot about design, kids, and designy kids' things. She lives with her two daughters and their father in St. Paul, MN.
published May 7, 2013
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(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Paint is a powerful tool, as this kitchen makeover proves. As Nina of Swanky Swell told us, when she took on this project the kitchen was a standard builder’s kitchen with lots of orange-toned wood — pretty flat and uninspiring. But the appliances were still in good shape and she needed to keep the overall costs down. So rather than gut the whole kitchen, she just focused on updating three major areas. See the ‘After’ photos below:

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)
As you can see on the before pictures, it was a pretty builder standard kitchen. The countertop and appliances are still in good conditions. We saved a lot of money by leaving them as is and not gutting down the whole kitchen. But we replaced the flooring, added a marble mosaic backsplash and painted all the cabinets white. I love how it turned out, bright and airy! 
(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)
(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Lightening up the floor tiles really made a big difference, too!

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Thanks, Nina!

(Images: Nina of Swanky Swell)

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Before & After
renovating