I have never been a very patient person, so we are going to start the rest of the Sea Spray Condo re-design with the most dramatic transformation!
BEFORE:
AFTER:
BEFORE:
AFTER:
The only new things we purchased for this room were four dining chairs, three bar stools, gallery wall frames, a hanging frame, and a decorative tray. Everything else was existing and re-purposed. There is not a backsplash above the cabinets, but there was this old grasscloth wallpaper. We debated tiling, but thought it would make the rest of the space look old and dingy. To bring a little color into the kitchen, we ended up painting the wallpaper and I love the texture it brings to the room. Plus, it saved us so much time and money as opposed to tiling.
We painted the legs of the existing dining table to create a more beach cottage look. Such a different look! The table is actually great quality and has sentimental meaning to my mom, so I am glad we could make it work.
Here is my $15 gallery wall. Not my favorite project ever, but it was only $15. I wish I had splurged a little on nicer frames (these are from the Dollar Tree). It serves the purpose, ties in the satin nickel accents in the kitchen, and we won't sweat it if one of the frames gets broken. Maybe we will upgrade down the road. One thing about this project that did work out well was having the photo prints made at Staples. I wanted inexpensive color photos printed, and ended up having color copies made instead of photo prints. The quality is still pretty good and I think when the photo is behind glass, it is hard to tell it is not a photo print. They will only run abour $.40 a copy, as opposed to the $2.50 for a photograph which can add up when making a gallery wall.
It looks SO much bigger and brighter. Never underestimate the power of paint! The majority of the budget was spent on this room, as my parents opted to hire a professional painter to paint the cabinets which I think was a wise decision. He is a commercial painter and even he underestimated the work this job would take. The cabinets are original, super dark faux wood grain, and there are tons of drawers/cabinets. Brian and I were going to tackle this project, but I was worried our paint job would chip with use over time. Since this is a rental, durability is key!
Here is how the budget breaks down:
- Kitchen cabinet painting: $600
- Backsplash paint: $15 - Painted in Valspar Mellow Spring
- Cabinet hardware: $30 (DLawless Hardware)
- Dining chairs: $60 set (Craigslist) - Painted in Valspar Mellow Spring
- Bar stools: $60 set (Craigslist) - Painted in Valspar Secluded Garden
- Gallery wall: $15 (Dollar Tree)
- Kyrlon Looking Glass Spray Paint: $8 (for old window)
- Frame above stove: $7 (HomeGoods)
- Tray on table: $10 (HomeGoods)
While the $805 total is a little hard to swallow, I think it is a decent price for such a transformation. Plus, I can sleep at night knowing a renter isn't dinging the cabinet paint left and right. ;) Have you guys ever tried to paint similar cabinets? How did it go? Any tips of tricks to share?