It has been a while since I have shared an update on our kitchen transformation- we have been in the midst of working on turning our kitchen into something that is a little more "our style". While we are happy with the layout and are blessed with lots of space, the kitchen has needed some updating. More than anything we want to incorporate our style (colorful, cottage, quirky with a twist of boho) into the kitchen. However, we are on a massive budget!
Above is the before photo of our kitchen- quite dark and dated..hello 1980's!
Over the summer we pulled out a wall of cabinets to create open shelving and we love it. After looking at our budget, we decided that replacing all of our appliances with new ones just didn't matter that much to us. The only appliance that needs to be replaced is our stove, the dishwasher and fridge are GREAT- no they are not top of the line stainless steel but they work just fine.
The dishwasher is dated so I decided to use my love of drawing pattern to transform a dishwasher from the 80's into a fun piece of art! You can see the process HERE
Then we went back and forth on what to do with the countertops- if there is anything in this kitchen that I just couldn't handle, it was the dark green laminate counters. I have wanted to rip them out every day since we moved in. So we priced marble, corian, butcher block, laminate and pretty much anything and everything out there. And then life got busy and we got really stubborn about spending a lot of money right now for vanity- short story we have some other things that we would rather spend money on than countertops.
Somehow in all of my research, I stumbled on a heavy duty paint just made for countertops from Rust-Oleum. While this option might not be for everyone, it was perfect for us! Some day we will make more costly updates but not anytime soon. In the meantime we still want things to feel fresh, bright and more our style us so painting our countertops fit our current needs (and budget).
There are 16 colors that you can choose from- I really wanted to lighten things up so I picked Light Ash which is a really light grey with a tiny hint of blue. The entire process was really easy, I was able to complete it over a weekend. I finished the project at the beginning of January and I've held off posting because I wanted to see how everything would hold up over time. Here we are in April and so far the counters are doing great. I LOVE how this small project made such a big impact!
I completed the countertop project by painting the base of the counter with a colorful pattern. As I have shared over and over again, paint is a really fast, creative and temporary way to make a change. We have future plans for this lower part of the counter but again, it won't be happening anytime soon. In the meantime, some BOLD and colorful accents are a great way to way to freshen (and liven) things up.
We even gave Lucy a space to paint because IT'S ONLY PAINT and I love using her art as home decor!
After three months of living with these little changes, we love it! It may not be the most "on trend kitchen" but I love that we were able to freshen things up and make this space more our style without having to jump into a big and expensive renovation.
33 comments:
WOW it looks brilliant Alisa. Glad the paint held up to the daily hammers of everyday life - it's great when a product exceeds expectations. I've just found your blog (I know where have I been?) and have found reading it utterly fascinating.
I am coming to the end of a crazy 16 month house renovation and I'm an art teacher and artist (when I get the time) so lots of your blog posts have been truly interesting, thought-provoking, inspiring and useful to read. Thanks x
Looks fantastic shows what you can achieve when you put your mind to it
WOw!!! The dishwasher and countertop look awesome!
Perfect! I like the colours en shapes and ooh what did Lucy a great job :) She is become a big girl.
Have a nice day!
Greetings,
Liza
Love the countertop! Awesome idea and it came out fantastic!
I LOVE your kitchen! Makes me wish we didn't live in an apartment so I could follow your example. :) Especially love the dishwasher and the space for your daughter to add her artistic talent. What a beautiful space! Thanks for sharing. :)
I love how you always manage to freshen things up with ease and on a tight budget! I would love to do stuff like this to our kitchen which can feel a little dark and boring at times. You always inspire me with these wonderful home projects that give your living space so much more personality and pizzazz.
so bright and welcoming without too much. love it!
After watching dozens of home improvement shows on t.v. it is SO refreshing to see you use your existing appliances and counter tops and work within a budget! We don't have to have stainless steel appliances and granite. They will be out of style tomorrow. Your kitchen is so bright and clean and colorful and so full of personality! Thank you for sharing and providing so much inspiration!
Fabulous transformation and what a love-able family space.
Wow! It looks fantastic and so totally "personal". You never cease to amaze and inspire me. Thank you for sharing! So creative!
Good for you. Most people don't have a style and so they adopt what 'someone' has decided will be the trend this season. When we were renovating our kitchen the trend was the Tuscan look. We live at the beach - who wants that? Well everyone but us so we created a beach look. We have to decorate to suit our own style.
wow i like the colours. this kitchen is sooo beautiful... really
http://kreacaro.blogspot.de/
LOVED this...especially the dishwasher! :) we did a similar thing with our fridge once
only it wasn't using my own art but mactac...but i loved how it transformed a rusting fridge
into something i could love again :)
I LOVE your home. You absolutely have provided such a happy, personal, and child-friendly environment for Lucy.
What a refreshing transformation! It's just perfect for spring. May I ask where you got the green and white curtains peeking out to the left of the bar stools/seating area?
What a refreshing transformation! It's just perfect for spring. May I ask where you got the green and white curtains peeking out to the left of the bar stools/seating area?
The transformation is amazing! You both are so talented. What a difference all your work has made.
omg Lucy is really a cutie <3
I love your new kitchen, so colorful :)
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Amazing how such changes make the morning brighter!
It's gorgeous, light and pops of color!! Well done!! Love the pictures of all of you in here too, so cute!
So fun and,fresh! And its so nice to see someone use existing things rather than waste and replace just to follow silly "trends".
I'm sure if we all had money to burn, our kitchens would be just magazine quality, but when you are on a tight budget and not a lot of time, paint is the best thing to use. I am anxious to get to my mobile and tear up some old foosty carpets! and paint the floor! I have cats tho' and quite the open space, and just wondering how to keep them OFF the floor! They are a curious lot. The dogs will be easy.
Your kitchen is wonderful, bright and full of love. I really like the last picture of you and Lucy, she really is growing up before our eyes. I watched the dishwasher transformation a bit ago and would have loved to do that to mine, but it died and just haven't replaced it yet. Would rather have the storage space :) I love your vases with the tulips and blossoms. Great job Alisa, great job!
This is creativity at its finest!!! Your kitchen is gorgeous - really inspired me and the colors just make me smile......Lucy helps too - she's adorable. Thank you for sharing.
Would you say there were any lessons learned as you went through the process of painting the coutner that you'd know 'better' for next time? This looks fantastic and is something I'd seriously consider doing in my kitchen!!!
Love, love, love it!
Troppo bella!!!! La cucina si è davvero trasformata! Ora è proprio in stile Alisa: colorata, frizzante e moderna! Complimenti!!!!
So cute!!! The kitchen has really changed! Now it is in style Alisa: colorful, sparkling and modern! Congratulations !!!!
Thank you for sharing your kitchen renovation with us! I just bought my first house and am in the process of trying to design it to match my personal style, so I loved reading and seeing how you yourself accomplished this. Also, your daughter is so cute!
I love having the side end of your cabinets for Lucy to paint on. I am doing this for my little one this week!
i looooove how you've personalized everything! your kitchen is so fun!!! being a virgo i have weird control issues, but your blog inspires me to have fun, be messy, and hopefully create pretty things!!
beautiful..
Much better than an "on-trend" reno (which, are not creative and all so same).
It's perfect! And Lucy is quite the artist. Fantastic! Love it all.
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