Budget Kitchen Makeover Reveal

Well ladies and gentleman, it's time for the big kitchen reveal.  I am so so proud of the project, like almost-as-much-as-our-wedding proud.  Do you remember a while ago, I shared my plans for a budget rental kitchen makeover?  Flash forward almost three months and A LOT of hard work and here we are, a (rental) kitchen I am so so happy with, and we didn't have to break the bank.  

One of the things we couldn't change that I hated the most when we moved in, was the black appliances, because they didn't seem to go with anything.  Now that I painted the back door black and added the black hardware, I feel like they look much more integrated.  I think the whole space looks brighter, happier, updated and completely our style without doing any major construction.   

Here's a break down of what we did:

• Painted the walls white, Polar Bear White by Behr 

• Added trim to the cabinet faces

• painted cabinets white, Decorator's White 

• spray painted the hinge hardware

• changed out the knobs and draw pulls

• took down the upper cabinets above the sink

• added open shelving 

• changed out the shelving in the laundry area to increase the space and look more rustic

• updated the sconces 

• made new door panels for the peninsula

• added a rug and lots of styling

The timeline was about five weekends.  We worked our butts off on the weekends, but didn't spend too much time working on it during the week.  We did a section of cabinets each weekend, starting with the laundry area, then wall opposite the sink, then the lower cabinets, then prepped the wall for the shelves.  That took about about four weeks, then just recently I finished the last lingering project, then peninsula.

I definitely underestimated the amount of time it would take.  At first I thought we could tackle the whole kitchen over Memorial Day, and thankfully, I got a jump on that plan, because I would still be working today if I hadn't.  I gave myself a $500 budget for this project and before some styling pieces, we were right on target.

Here is the cost break down:
Paint: $101
Paint Supplies: $41
Hardware: $53.50
Trim: $59
Shelving Lumber: $85
Brackets for shelving: $45
Stain: $26
Paneling: $49
Glue: $15
Sconce: $7
Miscellaneous: $25

Total: $507

I am still thinking about some kind of countertop fix, but for now, I am content.  Don't forget to check out all my inspiration here.

Stay tuned, because tomorrow I will take you through the steps we followed to update the cabinets.