Our cozy cafe´ kitchen makeover is finished! One year ago, I demoed my upper cabinets and backsplash without any plan or budget for a remodel. Then I lost motivation to even do a temporary fix and decided to just live with a wrecked kitchen. I even hosted a Christmas party with that kitchen! In late August, when the girls’ birthdays were approaching, Hannah begged me to do something (anything) to the kitchen to make it cute, as she was hosting friends for her party. And if anything can motivate me to get projects done, it’s my family, so I agreed to it and gave a kitchen update with my incredible inspiration.
My goal was to get it done in two weeks…it took ten. Classic. Nevertheless, it’s done, and I’m over the moon with how it turned out. I can’t wait for you to read all about our cozy cafe´ kitchen makeover, and of course, I’m sharing all the sources. And if you’d like to know how much this makeover cost, you can read all about it in the budget breakdown post.
Cozy Cafe´ Kitchen Makeover Reveal
Here’s how the kitchen looked when we moved in:
And how it looks today:
Another angle from when we moved in:
And today:
The power of paint…and shiplap, no uppers, and working with what we had. I’m still amazed.
Our original Black Tie Budget Makeover plans called for a tile backsplash, new countertops and appliances, and different flooring. But with the new challenges of a short timeline, doing the work ourselves, and keeping as much as we could to save money, this makeover was all about getting creative to take the focus off of those things. We did this with shiplap, Facebook Marketplace finds, and a whole lot of paint. Then I filled the space with beautiful, meaningful, functional pieces to bring the whole kitchen to life. Now, it’s a space we not only like temporarily, but I think we’ll love for a long time to come.
Here’s What We Did
- Removed the upper cabinets and existing (very old and greasy) hood. Bought a new hood and built a custom hood cover. Added vertical shiplap everywhere. Then painted it, along with the cabinets, Algonquin by Fusion Mineral Paint, and sealed everything with my favorite furniture sealer. We also changed out the hardware to these gorgeous unlacquered brass beauties. That alone was so much work, and it was pretty much all I got done before Hannah’s birthday party.
Little touches like this vintage brass planter and my grandma’s tiny ceramic bird help this space have a sense of history and soul.
And sweet details like these miniature brooms Noelle bought for me remind me of why I create beauty in my home.
- I made open shelves with peg rails and chunky brackets rather than floating shelves because I wanted something different, and this style fits our cottagey house.
- Framed out the window and added a cafe´ curtain with pinch rings. I have wanted a little curtain on our garden window since we moved in. It took two years, but I finally put one in. Leftover curtain fabric made this project a breeze, and though I had to wait a few weeks for the solid brass concealed cafe´ curtain rod, it was definitely worth the wait. Now we have just the right amount of privacy, light control, and character here.
- I am proud to say I installed a new faucet, and I can now add basic plumbing to my growing list of skills. The old one was leaky and crusty. It’s so nice to have a clean, fresh faucet that works so much better than the old one, especially the sprayer.
- Removed a few recessed lights, skim coated the ceiling, and added mood lighting. Okay, these sconces need their own moment in this post. They are that good. Made by an incredible ceramicist on Etsy, these sconces were love at first sight for me. They were also surprisingly affordable for something so unique and full of character. Perfect for our cozy cafe´ kitchen.
Normally our coffee maker sits below this shelf, so I decided it made sense to hang our coffee cups on the pegs. I love how organized this side is to balance out the more organic use of the pegs on the other side.
I just had to style my kitchen with the pomegranates grown on our tree right outside. They are just so vibrant and remind me of the reddish burgundy color that our kitchen was when we moved in.
Budget Breakfast Nook Reveal
Okay, the cozy cafe´ kitchen makeover is pretty dramatic, but wait until you see what the breakfast nook has become with second-hand furniture and paint.
Here’s how it looked when we moved in:
And how it looks today:
Here’s What We Did
- Painted the floors a classic checkerboard pattern with Fusion Mineral Paint in Coal Black and Raw Silk. That was an insane saga that you can watch in my story highlights on Instagram. I’ll be doing a separate post detailing my experience with painting them, but suffice it to say, all the blood, sweat, and tears were worth it. Replacing the tile was not even a remote possibility, so I’m happy we were able to get this look for less. This is my first time painting a floor, and I’m now a believer in this budget-friendly way of transforming a space.
And another angle from the day we moved in:
How it looks today:
- Added an arched cabinet I scored on Facebook Marketplace for $80. Originally it was an 80’s peach color, but I fixed that with, you guessed it, Fusion Mineral Paint in Coal Black.
I can’t even handle this view.
Every time I walk into my breakfast nook, I’m still in awe of how it turned out. This cabinet is a showpiece if I’ve ever seen one, and it provides so much storage. I love when furniture is the perfect combination of beauty and function.
Another angle before:
And today:
- Bought a new-to-us table and some vintage chairs. The table was $100 and the chairs were $50…both from Facebook Marketplace. I oiled up the chairs, painted the table with, what else, Fusion Mineral Paint (Raw Silk), and put them together for a magical moment. My whole family loves this space, and I predict we’ll be spending a lot of time here.
- Refinished my classic lantern light fixture with Rub ‘n’ Buff in gold leaf. It only cost me a few dollars but made the lantern look like a million bucks.
- Framed out the nook windows with chunky trim and added New Panes window grids. This is one of my favorite changes I’ve been making in every room. They add another layer of character that I just love.
- Hung woven roman shades creamy white curtains with a subtle pin stripe that I already had. Many of you voted for olive green velvet drapes on my Instagram poll, but I think you’ll agree these were the right choice in the end. Light and airy but cozy and classic at the same time.
Cozy Cafe´ Kitchen Sources
Time for sources! I worked hard to list every single source for you, but please note that several items are vintage, second-hand, found, or one-of-a-kind and cannot be linked. Every single source can be found here.
1 Faucet | 2 Fusion Paint Algonquin, Coal Black, Raw Silk | 3 Vent Hood | 4 Arched Black Cabinet | 5 Ceramic Sconces | 6 Pepper Mill | 7 Oil Dispenser | 8 Concealed Brass Café Rod | 9 Ticking Stripe Seat Cushions | 10 Slate Tray | 11 Seagrass Pitcher | 12 Marble Mortar and Pestle | 13 Walnut Cutting Board | 14 Berry Bowls | 15 Copper Tea Kettle | 16 Marble S & P Shakers | 17 Sunday Suppers | 18 Wooden Measuring Spoons | 19 Shaker Pegs | 20 Mini Hand Brooms | 21 Marble Salt Cellar | 22 Kitchen Scrubbers | 23 Mesh Bags | 24 Rub ‘n’ Buff | 25 Bon Bon Canisters | 26 Wooden Cake Stand and Dome | 27 Windowpane Dish Towel | 28 Reactive Glaze Ceramic Pitcher | 29 Gold Lantern Light Fixture | 30 Pinch Rings | 31 Kitchen Knobs | 32 Large Drawer Pull | 33 Coffee Mugs | 34 Set of Wooden Spoons | 35 Antique Brass Dinner Bell
This month marks two years since we moved into our house, and sharing the kitchen reveal with you seems like the most fitting way to celebrate. After all, you are the ones who cheered me on and shared in the excitement along the way. If you’ve read nothing else in this post, please read this…Thank You. Your enthusiasm, interest, and encouragement have been instrumental in the completion of this space, and I want you to know how thankful I am for you.
Also, you might have noticed I said “we” a lot throughout this post. While I was solely responsible for every change made in this space, Jeff was solely responsible for paying for everything and picking up the slack in the home and with the girls while I slaved away in the kitchen. So I need to thank him from the bottom of my heart, as well as the girls, who put up with my distracted DIY brain more than anyone else.
We all love our cozy cafe´ kitchen budget makeover so much, and we’re looking forward to lots of holiday baking in here. I have a lot more to share from this space, including how I painted the floors, styled the arched cabinet, and much more, so be sure you’re subscribed to the blog.
What is the paint color of the cabinets?
Algonquin by Fusion Mineral Paint
This is stunning, I’m using it as a template for our remodel. My question is, do you not have any upper cabinets? Just the shelves? Thanks!
We have no upper cabinets. There were only three uppers before (tiny kitchen) but now we just have four open shelves.
Gasp! Those chairs! 4 for $50? Major, major score. Just goes to show good taste is more important than $$ spent.
Yes! I had no idea they were anything special until I shared them, but I loved them so much. They are definitely a favorite FB Marketplace find of mine.
I like the off white paint color on the wall going up the stairs. Do you know the name? Is there a warm off white that you tend to favor that looks good in any light without the yellow tones or too much grey?
Hi there Corinna, it’s Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee and it’s my favorite creamy white paint color ever. It has black undertones, which makes it warm but not yellow or gray. I love it!
Hi! May I know how wide per shiplap? Thanks!
I used 8″ wide pre-primed mdf shiplap from Lowe’s.
I just found your blog and I love your style and talent to make everything look so amazingly cosy.
I was wondering how your painted tile floor held up?
Hello Miranda and thanks for stopping by the blog! So glad you found Wildflower Home. I plan to write a whole post about how our painted floors have held up, but I will say they’ve been great! There are a few things I would have done differently if I were to do it again, but overall, I love them and think they’ve been fantastic!
New to your blog! 👋Your dresser vignette brought me here ❤️ Your kitchen blog stopped me in my tracks! Beautifully done! Great inspiration ideas. Do have a question- hope you don’t mind. We are doing a reno on our cabin kitchen and just installed vertical nickel gap. I painted it with a water based latex but am worried about the paint holding up behind the cooktop. The clear Deft satin acrylic says it’s for wood but you use it on paint?
Oh yes, I seal all my painted pieces with Deft…it’s incredible and my nickel gap is so wipeable in my kitchen because of it!
I’d love to know how the shiplap paneling has held up to water , dings, and being behind the stove – any insight you can share?! Thank you!
Oh it’s held up perfectly! But, I did seal all the panels with Deft acrylic in satin so everything is very wipeable. No dings or damage so far!
This is so beautiful!! I am always blown away by the way you transform a space. This time was even more impressive as you worked with what you had. I LOVE the countertop and floors. I love it all. Thank you for sharing all your sources and inspiration. I was looking for the window shades, you mentioned on IG that they were from Lowes but I’m not seeing them when I go to the website. I’ve been looking for shades that will go inside our window casings. Thanks again for sharing this with us. It’s been so fun to follow along.
Thanks so much Amanda! And yes, I need to add the woven shades and shelf corbels (both from Lowes) to this post because I completely forgot! Thank you for your kind words and for reminding me to add these as a source!
I’m new to your blog (how is that possible!?) and so impressed with just one post! Wow. I am so astounded that you could see what could be done with your existing space rather than gutting and completely remaking. I even love the countertops! You chose an amazing paint colour that complements them beautifully. I’m in awe. Thanks for a beautiful read with my morning coffee.
Well welcome Rhonda and thank you for the kind words! There’s something so special and rewarding about using what you have, especially when it means saving tens of thousands of dollars on a big remodel. One day, maybe we’ll get to do the big renovation, but if we never do, I’m okay with that because we love this space now!
I followed along on this project via Instagram, but I love seeing the finished and detailed pictures here. It really is so beautiful — but, more than that, I love the feeling it gives me. It truly is cozy. I have been wanting to make my home more cozy recently, and this really does have the feeling I am going for. Wonderful job!
That is so awesome to hear Abby! I love when the actual feeling of a space translates through photos. Thank you for following along, and I’m glad you love it as much as we do.
OMGosh! I missed this whilst I was living under my rock. It’s stunning! That arched cabinet is an absolute show-stopper. What an AMAZING find. Beautiful Marynn. I also love the sconces and the open shelving with the shaker pegs. I’ve been trying to work out a way to incorporate shaker pegs in my parent’s kitchen makeover, and this makes me excited to do it! Stunning!
Kristine!!! Thank you so much, and I canNOT even believe one of my projects is inspiring YOU! You’ve inspired me for so many years, and you’ve also motivated me to keep getting better at photography. I can’t wait to see what you do in your parents’ kitchen makeover. No doubt it’ll be amazing!
Stunning, stunning, stunning. I literally love every choice you made. You are truly gifted! Thank you for sharing all this wonderful inspiration and all the sources with us — no small task, I’m sure. Enjoy your new space!!
Thank you so much! It was definitely no small task, but if I didn’t love it, I wouldn’t do it. I love sharing this stuff with you guys!
Wow, what a difference! I love it. Thanks for sharing, I was really looking forward to this reveal and it did not disappoint!
Thank you so much! I’m glad you love it!
Great job, Marynn!! Your kitchen and nook looks beautiful. I especially love the arched cabinet in the dining room.
Thank you Crystal! That cabinet is definitely the star of the show and so practical at the same time! Can’t wait to dress it up for Christmas!
This turned out soo gorgeous! Everything you do is beautiful! I enjoyed every bit of this makeover!
Thank you so much! I’m so glad you like it as much as we do!
Maryann,
Your kitchen makeover looks amazing. I love it all. You have so much talent….so nice that you can do so much of the work yourself. I couldn’t believe when you did all the electrical work, in your reading nook. I love your house and the way you decorate, it doesn’t look like everyone else’s home on Instagram. I hope you will take that as a compliment. You are pretty amazing, and you have a lovely family>
Not only will I take that as a compliment, I will take it as the BEST compliment. I work so hard to create my own aesthetic instead of churning out what everyone else is doing (even though it’s beautiful). Thank you so SO much!
really a great job here! and your best score is that arched cabinet! in Love!
Agreed! That piece is a treasure for sure!
Your kitchen and breakfast nook turned out beautiful! It is so charming and cozy!
Thank you so much! We’re pretty smitten with this space!
It’s so beautiful!!! Love all of your choices!
Thank you Kim! I loved how it all unfolded. Working with what you’ve got can be so fun because it limits your choices…lol.
It’s absolutely gorgeous! Love it all and I am very proud of my very talented daughter!
Thanks mom! Love you!