Painting Cabinets & Using Grasscloth To Update Them
When Bethany sent her fantastically creative low cost kitchen makeover our way we had to share the eye candy. Here is her letter:
This spring my hubby and I got busy refreshing our tired kitchen. Our goal was to make changes that improved the look of the space without spending a million bucks. With a little paint, some new cabinet hardware, a new rug, and a light fixture and window treatment, our kitchen now has a whole new look! The best part was standing back at the end of the project and realizing that these small changes truly made a big visual impact. I enjoy my “new” kitchen, and the fact that we only spent around $400 is the icing on the cake. I detailed the whole process–from inspiration to completion–on my journal, for those who want the full story.
Here are the before shots of Bethany’s ho-hum kitchen:
And here are the amazingly crisp and updated after photos:
Here is the budget breakdown:
- Cabinet glass: (clear, double-thick) from local hardware store, $130
- Bamboo shade: from Menard’s, $22
- Grasscloth wallpaper: from Menard’s, $18
- Cabinet paint: (Behr Ultra, custom matched color) from Home Depot, $15
- Trim paint: (Behr Ultra, Ultra White) from Home Depot, $15
- Wall paint: (Behr Ultra, matched to M.Stewart ‘Flagstone’) from Home Depot, $33
- Cabinet hardware: (by Amerock) from Home Depot, $116
- Pendant lamp: from Home Depot, $35
- Miscellaneous: screws, sand paper, paintbrushes, etc, $30
- TOTAL: $414
And since the “after” pictures were taken, we replaced all of our beige switches and outlets with white ones, which truly finishes off the room nicely, and only cost us an additional $15. So worth it. Anyway, I hope you folks enjoy it! -Bethany
Did not Bethany do a strong job working with what she has? We enjoy the creative uses of the grasscloth wallpaper in those cabinets and the vivid paint colors that she chose. Even the hardware, the window treatment and the pendant lamp polish things off without breaking the budget, and it is remarkable how the same space feels like an entirely new room after so many small and affordable changes. It all adds up.
So what do you folks think? Did not Bethany stretch the heck out of her 400 beans to create a space that is both serene and functional? What is your go-to part? We are torn between the use of the texture-rich grasscloth behind those gleaming glass cabinet doors and the perfectly serene color scheme that Bethany landed on (which truly makes the space feel a lot less closed in). Delicious.
