When Kathy sent us photos of her kitchen makeover, we were genuinely impressed. Here’s the note she included:
I wanted to share before-and-after photos of our recent kitchen update. I read your blog regularly and all of the projects you feature keep me motivated. We followed the “how to” tutorial on painting cabinets and chose to refresh our existing cabinetry instead of replacing it. The cabinets were originally a pickled whitewash, and we painted them a solid gray (Fieldstone by Benjamin Moore). The wall color is Winter White, also by Benjamin Moore.
We hired professionals to complete a few tasks: raise the cabinets to the lowest part of the ceiling, install a new sink, faucet and exhaust fan, add a white subway tile backsplash, install gray marble-look tile counters, and mount a white shelf where the lower edge of the original cabinets used to be. Choosing tile counters instead of a single slab saved a lot of money. We also spray-painted the original brass hinges silver, rather than buying replacements. The project wasn’t cheap, but it wasn’t budget-breaking either — materials and labor totaled about $1,600. The sink, exhaust fan, backsplash tile, counter tile and shelves were purchased at Lowe’s. Thanks for looking! — Kathy
Here’s the kitchen before the makeover:
And here’s the same space after painting and rehanging the cabinets, installing the new sink, adding the subway tile backsplash and tile counters, and installing the shelf beneath the raised cabinets:
The transformation is striking. At a glance the color palette feels familiar, but the updated finishes make the space feel fresh, crisp and much more refined compared with the original builder-grade look. Raising the cabinets and adding stone-look counters elevates the entire room and gives it a more luxurious appearance. Best of all, Kathy achieved this notable upgrade for a fraction of the cost many full remodels demand — full replacements with new countertops, backsplash, fixtures and rehung cabinets can easily exceed $5,000, so this smart, budget-conscious approach is especially impressive. What do you think of the makeover? It’s a fantastic example of how thoughtful changes can dramatically improve a kitchen’s style and function.