graphic collage of before and after photos of Camey Hess's kitchen renovation stacked on a gridded background
Credit: Photos: Camey Hess; Design: The Kitchn
Real Price Renos

This “Bland” ’90s Kitchen Gets the Most Gorgeous Natural Makeover (We Have the Full Price Breakdown!)

Quinn Fish
Quinn FishLifestyle Editor
Five years and counting in the digital lifestyle media space, I cover cleaning, organizing, decorating, renovating, and everything else that helps you live your best life (when you're not cooking!) in the kitchen and your home. I’m also passionate about music, bars and restaurants, travel, and spoiling my bicoastal kitty, Sully.
published Feb 1, 2025
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About this reno
Explore more renos
Name

Camey Hess

Location

New York, NY

Total Budget

$32,617

Material Costs

$11,367

Labor Costs

$21,250

Credit: Camey Hess
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When sales pro Camey Hess set out to remodel her Manhattan apartment kitchen, she didn’t expect her first renovation to take so long — or to go over budget. The hardest part? Ultimately, it was the basics. She didn’t know what she wanted or the questions she needed to ask. “That made making informed decisions very difficult from everything to where we should place the appliances, how big of a sink I thought I needed (looking back I wish I got a larger sink, but I didn’t want to sacrifice too much on counter space), or what type of wood and layout I wanted for the custom wood butcher block,” Camey says. 

The “fantastic” Courtney Robinson of Materials & Methods, whom Camey found via Apartment Therapy, helped to orchestrate every layer of the renovation, offering curated options for materials, styles, and contractors. “A kitchen renovation felt daunting,” Camey says. “I knew I was going to need help honing my vision, bringing it to life, and pulling it all off — and that’s what Courtney guided me through.”

Camey originally aimed to get the entire kitchen remodel done for around $25,000, and ended up coming in just over $7,000 more than her desired cost (noting she didn’t cut anything from her original plan!). Keep scrolling for a complete cost breakdown.

Credit: Design: The Kitchn

Despite enlisting the help of a general contractor and a designer, Camey, a former Apartment Therapy Media employee, ran into plenty of unavoidable COVID-related shipping delays. “What should have taken about one month to complete, ended up taking five!” she says. “We had to keep finding creative workarounds to source additional materials.” Luckily, in those five months, they were able to renovate the rest of the apartment, too. 

The Kitchen Feature She Loves the Most

Unsurprisingly, the star of the kitchen is her favorite part of the remodel. “I LOVE my kitchen cabinets,” Camey says. “I am obsessed with the raw, exposed wood and the color that is a blend of gray and brown. I also love the floating shelves and the archway to enter the kitchen.” The natural wood cabinet shade just so happens to be one of the hottest cabinet trends of the year, too.

Her butcher block countertops were a close second, as they “always get so much attention.” Camey also loves the added pull-out drawers for underneath her cabinetry that make her storage space more accessible. 

Her Biggest Renovation Regret 

Aside from the basics, another decision Camey struggled with was more specific: the backsplash grout width. “I knew I wanted a certain look with very limited grout, but when it came time to actually apply the grout, I didn’t know I had the option to not add any grout (which was ultimately what I wanted!).” Despite a few setbacks, she couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. “The general vibe of the kitchen is exactly what I was hoping for.” 

The Complete Cost Breakdown

Have you renovated your kitchen? What were your biggest learnings? Let us know in the comments below!