Kitchen Facelift

My sister just recently moved into her new house and this is what the kitchen looked like on the day of closing, looks like someone threw up guacamole all over the place right?  Yuck!  The very next day she hired some painters to come in and paint the walls a nice neutral color {Dellwood Sand -Benj Moore}.  The kitchen as a whole is in GREAT shape, it's super clean, it has brand new cabinetry, new corian countertops, new faucet, and nice hardwood floors.  Can't complain about great bones in a space....right?!?! 

Not to be a negative Nancy but I have to mention how awful the plum colored border is along the countertop that matches the same border in the backsplash. It doesn't look too bad from afar but the countertop and backsplash are two different shades of cream/white. Not a good look and the purple/plum stripe...really? The countertop and backsplash were only 6mos old but something had to be changed in order to fit my sister's style.  I worked my magic and talked her into getting a new backsplash. I also thought it would be a good idea to have it installed before she moved in.  I knew she would benefit from getting things done before the move because being 8mos prego with your 4th child {kids all under 5yrs old} can be overwhelming to say the least! She was happily on board so as soon as I got the "GO" I couldn't wait to get my butt over to the Tile Shop to start checking out some tile prospects.

Here is the view from the dining room...

Pretty awesome light fixture huh? Can you sense my sarcasm?!?
FYI...don't mind the pics they are from the realtor's website{a little blurry}. 

So let's talk budget. We had a list of things we wanted to change but we knew we needed to take things slow because... HELLO she just moved into a new house and she was about to have baby # 4, that alone costs a lot of money. We also had other rooms on the to do list.  We came up with this list below and we figured we can work towards those changes gradually.

Kitchen Facelift List                                    Budget       

paint & labor                    150

install backsplash & material      1000

new hardware                   120 

light fixture                     130

durable pedestal table            800

dining chairs                    300

                             

                             Total    2500    

So our number was 2,500 and we were okay with that. I think a lot of people would LOVE a new gorgeous modern kitchen for less than 3,000.   I obviously wanted to try and beat that number but kitchens always seem to spiral into more money. The plan was to do our best and if things come up unexpectedly then we will address those issues and re-evaluate the budget.

We all met at the tile shop over labor day weekend and settled on this gorgeous mixed glass and stone linear backsplash.  It had the perfect deep tones to match the weird stripe in the countertops and it was just busy enough to take your eye off of that same stripe.  Price was pretty steep at 24.99/sq ft but the lovely people at the tile shop always give me a designer discount for bringing my clients there, so the final price was $18/sq ft. SCORE!!!! 

Are you chomping at the bit to see what it looks like now?  Here ya go....

We picked a beautiful stone top pedestal table that will endure any kind of beatings her 4 kids will be dishing out in the next 10 years. It flows really well with the stone in the backsplash as well. It's also the perfect size for this very small and awkward space.  

We went with 4 leather chairs from Overstock.com.  Leather is a no brainer when you have 4 kids under 5 years old.  We were a little leery about ordering leather chairs online. There are a slew of things that have to be considered before purchasing: the height of the seat, how firm it is, the quality of the leather/fake leather, the actual color of the legs, and of course the color of the leather.  After reading a TON {473 to be exact} of reviews we eventually pulled the trigger and we are SO HAPPY with our choice.  

They are absolutely perfect!   

I found this beautiful bench at HomeGoods and I snatched it up before I even knew it would fit in the space.  It is the perfect splash of white and it is also made of leather = WIN WIN!  I thought it would be great to slide the bench up to the table to fit 2 more people when our extended family is over. This was the main reason we went with a pedestal because we didn't want the legs of the table to hinder how many chairs could fit around it. I'm loving the nailhead trim. GORG!!!





We switched out all of the old gold hardware for a sleek stainless pull.  The plan is to eventually get all new appliances to match the hardware but that is not happening any time soon. I laugh as I type that because 2 weeks after they bought this house the refrigerator broke...BLEEP... there goes my budget. Thank God I convinced them to do this facelift the first week they moved because it didn't affect our budget. Heck yea!!!

Here is the new refrigerator...

Check out these old ugly appliances. I have to admit they look a lot better 

without that guac color on the walls.

The existing faucet really pops with the cabinet hardware and the backsplash....

 

Here is a better shot of the plum stripe on the countertop that I mentioned earlier. The back splash completely takes your eye away from it and that was the plan from the very beginning.  

It worked out great!

Breakfast nook...

 

We snagged this awesome light fixture from Home Depot on clearance for $35 buckaroos! I think they discontinued it and that is why it was so inexpensive.  The list price was $149.99. Total Bargain!!! 

 

We are still looking for some sort of valance for the window above the bench.

 

 

Wondering if we came in under budget?  Let's find out....

Kitchen Facelift List               Actual Costs

paint & labor-Dellwood Sand: Benj M      200

Tile/grout/sealer-Tile Shop               650

Labor-Back splash-Handyman              500

Light fixture-Home Depot                 35

New Hardware-Lowe's                    105

Stone top Pedestal Table-Raymour         700

4 Leather Chairs-Overstock.com            387

Bench-HomeGoods                        99

                                      Total    2676

NOT BAD right? Only $176 over budget.  I didn't include the new fridge because that was purchased 2 weeks later.  I'd say we did pretty darn good.  We still have to replace the ceiling fan above the sink and maybe find a valance for the window but everything else will stay put for a long time. My sister and her family are now living in a space they can call "home." It truly is AMAZING to see what a little facelift can do to a space.   

Anyone else planning to give a room in your home a facelift? I would love to hear about your transformations...