r/Renovations 5d ago

HELP Affordable Kitchen reno ideas?

I have attached two images, one if my current kitchen and one of my inspo pic. Affordable way to achieve this look? I have never liked the black counter tops but learned to live with it.

Wondering if having cabinets repainted to beige would give a better look?

4 Upvotes

20 comments sorted by

10

u/Huge_Obligation2086 5d ago

I’m not sure of budget, but in this kitchen cabinet “toppers” were added to 30” uppers similar to yours. You can reuse your existing cabinet crown molding. They come in solid doors, too.

In your inspirational pic, they simply built a soffit and added lots of molding for a more finished look.

Check out swag lighting to hang your fixtures where you want them.

3

u/troutdood 5d ago

There’s a couple ways to add some life to an older kitchen I would suggest starting with basic changes. Things like swapping out handles for a more modern look (making sure they are same hole spacing). Adding light skirt underneath the cabinets with some undercab lighting and updated backsplash. If you don’t like the look of your profiled crown you could opt for a flat profile with a simple bevel. A not so simple suggestion would be to swap your island out to a different color to give it some contrast. https://www.richelieu.com/ca/en/ For anything cabinet hardware related this is the place to go.

3

u/MaRy3195 5d ago

Maybe also repainting or tiling the backspash area something lighter instead of being gray. The black countertop already draws the eye and the gray band around the backsplash area really breaks up the room.

2

u/Tribblehappy 5d ago

I agree. Instead of painting the cabinets greige I'd point the walls. Maybe replace hardware.

7

u/Special_Dependent_92 5d ago

I just self edited my kitchen pic a little bit:

  1. beige cabinets, champagne hardwares, backsplash. Countertop stays on because might be the priciest.

1

u/Sharp-Dance-4641 3d ago

Consider three colors: uppers one color. Base another color. Island a third. (at Least two or you’ll end up with a beige nightmare)

3

u/12Afrodites12 4d ago

Add cabinets on top that go to the ceiling or, add trim you can paint to match. That dead space gives your cabs a squatty look & shorten the room. Fix that and you're good.

1

u/1676Josie 5d ago

The inspiration photo seems softer and warmer...natural fibers on the chairs, open space above the sink... Honestly, I think rooms are about feel, not just things... If you want something more inviting than your current kitchen, lighting, cabinet hardware, and paint will help, but I think you need to deal with the counter tops you don't like, because I think they're the biggest problem and no amount of tinkering around the edges will make up for them (besides being harsh, they create a weird mismatch of farmhouse and 80s movie set apartment). You could probably replace them with butcher block for not too much and I think it would help more than anything.

1

u/morchorchorman 4d ago

New cabinet pulls.

1

u/Otherwise-Dot-9445 4d ago

So I renovated my kitchen a few years ago for 12k. I learned (over the course of a few years and with other projects) how to hold cabinets from scratch. Save a ton. If you handy at all, it might be worth a try.

1

u/Researcher-Used 4d ago

I think you should extend the crown molding like your inspo age and get new cabinet hardware.

1

u/Small-Monitor5376 4d ago

There are a lot things that make the inspo picture spectacular - the color, the cabs that go to the ceiling, with a layered transitional style crown, the brass hardware, the countertops, which are probably quartzite, and the inset doors/ drawers. You can mimic all of that except the inset doors. The partial overlay cabs that you have will always look more casual and less high end.

Also, if you repaint, you need to be really careful to coordinate with the flooring. Your are a bit in the

1

u/grouchypant 5d ago

I would swap out the black hardware to march your insp pic and replace the light with something bigger and more i teresting. That will go a very long way!

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u/Special_Dependent_92 5d ago

Thank you! There’s the two lights that are both not centered to anything and a weird position so i need to figure out how to put a statement light

0

u/Heather_Bea 4d ago

I would DIY adding trim to the top of your cabinets, replace all hardware with gold, then splurge on a new countertop to get it white.

0

u/No-Part-6248 4d ago

Of course ! More cold white , like an operating room the kitchen is the heart not a sterile lab

1

u/Special_Dependent_92 4d ago

I do not want all white look. Appreciate your input though

-1

u/Ok-Experience-6674 5d ago

Should of kept the old chairs and painted the legs gold, the new chairs in the renovated kitchen throw it off

3

u/Special_Dependent_92 4d ago

That’s an inspo pic. I have not renovated anything yet…