Kitchen Makeover (Part 1)

If money wasn’t an object, we could all remodel and have fabulous kitchens… But a fabulous Kitchen Makeover with little to no money…now that…THAT takes some imagination.  Maybe that’s why I was thrilled when a friend asked if I could swing by and give her some ideas for her kitchen.  This is what I found when I got there:

I’ll give you a few seconds to lift your jaw off the floor before I go on…

I’m sure whatever you’re thinking is EXACTLY what went through my mind when I first walked in.  Why is there a new wall right smack in the middle of the kitchen, making it smaller!?!  These days everyone is doing just the opposite, tearing down walls and going for more open-concept spaces.  Well, there’s a perfectly good explanation, and it only makes me love these homeowners more.  

You see, both husband and wife are teachers, who’ve not only devoted their lives to educating youngsters, they’ve also fostered children for years.  Right now, they’ve opened up their home to two young adults, and are sacrificing what was once a small eat-in area on the opposite side of the sink to make an additional bedroom.  It’s the kind of selflessness I admire in people, so I wanted to come up with some cool, affordable Kitchen Makeover ideas so they wouldn’t have to sacrifice on style.

But just what do you do in a space like this, without spending a lot of money?  I am, by no means, a designer, but I started by crossing “glass subway tile” off the list and focusing on paint.    I even sketched out a few ideas.  Knowing that the homeowner loves bold colors made that a lot easier and definitely more fun.

Idea #1

The entire back wall is covered in chalkboard paint, with a cool graphic design hand-painted across in the same taupe-y gray that we cover the other walls with.  Then, we paint the cabinets in a Robbin’s egg blue or similar cool shade.

Idea #2

We balance out the existing green with a neutral color on the back wall, but still keep the chalkboard idea, framing out a smaller version in wood, that will be painted to match the cabinets.  The cabinets would be painted a dark brown.

Idea #3

We keep the homeowner’s favorite green and even use it to paint three pieces of artwork that would be hung on the back wall.  The other walls are painted a light gray, while the cabinets are painted a dark gray.

No matter how I looked at it, I couldn’t get past the idea that the cabinets needed painting.  I also LOVED the idea of a chalkboard wall, especially because…HELLO?…they’re teachers and how perfect would that be?  But, again,  these were just ideas.  Ultimately, it’s the homeowner’s Kitchen Makeover.  I’ll show you what they decided, and how great it looks now in my next posts.  Until then…what would YOU do?  I’d love to hear your ideas.