If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook then you already know that we are in the process of renovating our kitchen. Although quite project we are doing all of the renovations on our own DIY style. Thankfully my husband is a licensed contractor and does amazing work.
So here’s the story… we moved into our home 13 years ago. When we moved in the kitchen was original to when the house was built in the 50’s. We made cosmetic upgrades to get us by but the original cabinetry (handmade plywood) and chipped Formica counters stayed.
As much as I would like to go crazy and design and build my dream kitchen, this is not our forever home, and so we’re sticking to a $5000 budget. That’s $5000 to do EVERYTHING! Cabinets, Counter tops, Floors, Backsplash, Lighting… EVERYTHING! It’s kind of daunting to fit everything in that budget!
So Here is the plan…
BEFORE
We have already removed the upper cabinets, and the trim you see at the ceiling has now also been removed. We are keeping some of our appliances and since they are stainless steel this works out perfectly. We will invest in a new Microwave hood vent for over the stove.
We are making the risky decision not to re-install upper cabinets. This is a cost savings, and I feel like it’s kind of a trendy design choice. I also had a mini heart attack at the thought of losing all of that storage, but I think we came up with a way to resolve that and stay on budget… We’re incorporating some open shelving near the sink for glass ware and a few other dishes that we use a lot.
We are installing a stock cream colored cabinet from Lowe’s from the Caspian Collection… They look like this…
I like the fact that they aren’t super white… I was really afraid to go too stark white as this is a LARGE room. Once lowers are installed we found a stock black Formica counter top, stainless steel sink, beautiful stone back splash, and vinyl plank flooring. We’re installing a new soffit with can lighting, and pendants over the counter top. The finished project should look very similar to this… although this is a crude cut and paste rendering that I did myself lol!!
I’m ready to see the finished project already, but we have a long way to go… it will be interesting to see how close we get to my conceptualized drawings! Wish us luck!!
Let me know your thoughts on our idea to eliminate uppers! I’m still nervous! Thanks for reading!
Barnwood and Baked Goods 
Kitchen renos are so daunting! My husband and I are in the thick of it and doing everything DIY. So I definitely can relate to all of the budgetary concerns. I think you’re right, it’s the new trend to do everything very minimalist and by eliminating the uppers you get the effect. I’ve seen lots of homes with the floating shelves and I think it would be a great way to add some unique decor features to highlight within your kitchen. I look forward to seeing the finished product! Good luck during the process and I hope you enjoy it even when it seems like it will never end.
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