Black Tie Budget Kitchen Makeover (Plans)

Posted on October 14, 2019

Okay, let’s talk:

I was in, then I was out, then back in, and now I’m out again. I’m talking about the One Room Challenge. I was so excited to be a part of it and make over my master bedroom until my sister and I demoed more of my kitchen than we had planned while we were painting the cabinets. We discovered the back splash wasn’t fully attached to the wall and the next thing we knew, all the uppers and the back splash were gone! (You can see how it all went down HERE in my saved Instagram highlights).

You can see just how carried away we got in this Instagram story screenshot:

So, I’m out of the ORC, but fully IN with this Black Tie Budget Kitchen Makeover, and I’m definitely not mad about it. Seeing as how this was unplanned and not budgeted for though, we will be doing as many things as inexpensively as possible, starting with painting our existing cabinets rather than replacing them (which is, of course, what we would love to do).

Before:

Here is a before photo of our humble kitchen. As you can see, any color other than cranberry will be an improvement!

My sister asked why I hadn’t already painted over the cranberry color if it bothered me so much. My answer was, “If I can’t do the full-blown renovation I really want to do, I’m not motivated to do anything at all.” Lame, I know. After we started painting the cabinets though, I realized how silly that dismissive attitude was. I’ve avoided cooking, making meals around the table a priority, and doing the things I enjoy, like baking with my daughters, all because I wasn’t willing to love on my little kitchen.

Well now that I am loving on it, I’m in love! No, the cabinets aren’t perfect, but they are so much better, and I actually think they’re pretty…something I thought I could never say about this kitchen without a full renovation.

What We’ve Done so Far:

1. Painted the insides of all the cabinets white and lined the shelves (this took forever).
2. Took down all upper cabinets.
3. Removed tumbled stone back splash.
4. Painted all cabinet bases, doors, and drawers with Fusion Mineral Paint in the color Algonquin.
5. Sealed all cabinet bases, doors and drawers with Deft Acrylic in Satin finish.
6. Changed all old hinges to new soft-close overlay hinges.
7. Added Rejuvenation Massey Ball Knobs in Unlacquered Brass to all the doors and drawers.
8. Changed out all the light bulbs.

Whew!

From where I’m sitting (my kitchen table), it doesn’t seem like we’ve done much, but when I look at that list, I realize we have done SO much in two weeks! I truly believe this was the longest and most tedious part of this Black Tie Budget kitchen makeover.

Wanna see the rest of the kitchen makeover plans?

Here they are:

I’m over the moon about how this is coming together. It’s like a fun surprise that we’re giving ourselves. Now, on to figuring out counter tops, which includes the sink, faucet, and cook top.

Wish me luck, and let me know what you think of the Black Tie Budget Kitchen Makeover plans below in the comments!

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