$1,000 Condo Kitchen Redo – Before and After Photos

Whereas they can be environment friendly and useful, small kitchens typically include just a few issues, corresponding to an absence of countertop area, slim storage choices, and too-tight walkways. That was positively the case in Kyra Petticrew’s rental kitchen earlier than she — and her sensible design thoughts — moved in. 

“My mother and father used to flip homes after I was youthful so I’ve grown up round renovation and DIY my complete life and have fortunately picked up just a few expertise from them,” Krya explains. When she moved into her rental in 2020, it felt a bit “medical and chilly,” she says, however she may see the potential. 

“The kitchen was varied shades of white, beige, brown, and cream and didn’t actually have a lot character or heat to it,” Kyra says. “Plus, with so little counter area out there and minimal backside storage, I actually wished to discover a strategy to make it useful however extra open to the remainder of the area.” 

In her 600-square-foot rental, “it appeared foolish to squish the kitchen right into a tiny room when it could possibly be extra open to the eating room and lounge so I may extra simply converse with company after they’re over,” Kyra says. Initially, she envisioned including an island for extra counter area and storage, however ultimately, she determined she’d somewhat have a bit extra open area. Kyra’s kitchen redo consisted of a number of medium-sized tasks that made a more-than-medium-sized distinction.

“Since this was my first place I owned, I wished to make the whole area really feel like me,” she says. “I’ve all the time lived with roommates or household and have by no means actually been given the chance to design an area from starting to finish, and this rental was that chance.” 

First, Kyra up to date the counter tops with assist from her dad, Shaun; he additionally helped her exchange the sink and tap. She eliminated the blah tan backsplash and changed it with a vertically stacked blue artisan tile (impressed by a restaurant Kyra had visited in California). “This was the primary time I ever tiled or did backsplash, however I watched a number of YouTube movies, purchased the required provides, and managed to determine it out,” she says. She used a scoring tile cutter and a jigsaw with a diamond blade for tiles that wanted to be reduce round my shops and lightweight switches. 

Subsequent, with the assistance of her mother, Pam, Kyra painted her cabinetry the identical colour white because the partitions (Benjamin Moore’s Merely White) “It made the area really feel larger inside the room,” she says. “I believe I efficiently managed to discover a strategy to steadiness each neutrals and brighter colours in order that it doesn’t really feel overwhelming, however as a substitute calming.” After portray, she swapped out the cupboard pulls for sleeker gold ones.

Kyra says holding the cupboards was an effective way to economize on her kitchen transform — as was sourcing her butcher block counter tops and sink from IKEA and her faucet from Amazon. “These are nice locations to search out options to costly gadgets, particularly in a small area that’s not your eternally residence,” she says. “These are nonetheless nice high quality gadgets that don’t break the financial institution.”

9 months later, with a bit more cash saved up, Kyra addressed the structure of the area. She eliminated a lot of the wall between the kitchen and eating room, lifting the archways nearer to the ceiling and opening up the aspect partitions to border the kitchen. “My dad helped me rewire the sunshine switches right into a neighboring wall and helped me drywall the brand new wall edges,” she explains. Now, her kitchen and eating space (painted Farrow and Ball’s Calke Inexperienced), are extra seamless. 

With the structure the way in which she wished it, Kyra may flip her consideration to the flooring, utilizing a chisel hammer to elevate the terracotta tile and mortar all through her complete residence — probably the most labor-intensive a part of the undertaking. “The tiles typically chipped in small chunks, and the mortar was extremely sturdy, which means it took a variety of effort and energy to get every tile up,” she explains. “Nevertheless, the brand new flooring have been price it, as a result of I discover it helps add dimension to the area contrasting in opposition to the white, the place with the previous tile all the pieces blended collectively.” Kyra selected engineered hardwood for the brand new flooring. Excluding the flooring, the redo value about $1,000.

“At this level, I assumed I used to be completed with the kitchen makeover, till this previous fall,” she says. “I’ve all the time dreamed of getting open shelving to showcase my glassware and dishes and assist brighten the area. However I didn’t need to take away the present higher cabinetry. As an alternative I did a DIY hack, the place I eliminated the cupboard doorways, stuffed in all the holes with wooden filler, painted the insides of the 2 cupboards white, after which tiled the again of the cupboards with the identical tile I used for the backsplash to make them seem like built-in cabinets.” (Renters may use this similar hack with a peel-and-stick backsplash!) 

Kyra stuffed her new open shelving with thrifted bowls and glassware, and native ceramics so as to add little one-of-a-kind splashes of enjoyable among the many dishware and open cabinets. As a result of she eradicated two cupboards price of closed storage, Kyra painted the nook cupboard door a strong white (it was a glass panel) to present herself extra storage for pantry gadgets.“Having a small kitchen has inspired me to be very important about what I want within the area and make the most of the storage I’ve to the perfect of my skill,” she says. 

What she loves most about her kitchen “after” “is that the movement of motion inside the area is significantly better, it will get pure mild from the patio door, and feels brighter.” She loves that she will have buddies over and cook dinner within the kitchen whereas company sit on the eating desk or in the lounge on the sofa. “I can nonetheless really feel like part of the dialog,” Kyra says. And the cherry on high? When she doesn’t have buddies over, she will watch TV whereas she cooks. Kyra’s reminder for future kitchen remodelers out there’s that her kitchen transform didn’t occur in a single day; it occurred in phases. 

“Take your time curating the area,” she says. “I spent a variety of time diving into Pinterest sourcing inspiration and concepts and discovering methods to DIY or hack one thing to get what I wished for much less. This additionally applies to executing your makeover. While you’re doing it your self, it may be discouraging how for much longer it’s taking you to perform than others, however when you’re finished, it’s so satisfying to know that you simply did it your self. 

Her different recommendation is to work on upgrades over time. “My kitchen has gone by way of a number of iterations since buying my rental three years in the past: from tile flooring, to eradicating partitions, to new flooring, to open shelving. It didn’t occur , I actually took my time and did what I may as I may do it or afford it.”