Bold Kitchen Update for Less Than $1,000

I was enjoying some time on the Better Homes and Gardens website the other day and came across this great kitchen re-do that cost less than $1,000.  Notice, that the changes were purely cosmetic - no appliances, layout, or structure were changed.

Here is the "before" - looks like a plain builder-grade kitchen (with a missing cabinet door...).  It's just begging for some color!

And, here is the "after" - one weekend, lots of elbow grease, and tons of inspiration:

Doesn't this look amazing?!?  The key updates include the paint on the walls and backsplash, the kitchen island, the window treatments, a light fixture over the island, and new hardware on the cabinets and drawers. The backsplash was painted on, using painters tape to create a stripe pattern.  A few cabinet doors were removed to create open shelving...and the paint inside the cabinet really makes it pop.  The window treatment is a rectangle that was finished around the edges and tied off with complementing fabric.  The light fixture was made from left over window treatment fabric - just use some spray adhesive and attach the fabric to an inexpensive drum shade pendant light.  Cabinet hardware can be purchased at your local home improvement store and installed with nothing but a drill and screwdriver.  Finally, the best update...the DIY kitchen island.

This island was created by purchasing two inexpensive dressers (try IKEA), spray painting them red, then placing them back to back in the kitchen.  A plain solid core door, stained white, was screwed onto the top of the dressers.  A coat of polyurethane on the surface prevents stains from kitchen spills.  Finally, you can purchase wall decals for the design along the drawer fronts, or you can find a stencil at a craft store (or even create your own stencil) and paint it on.

Check out even more detailed pictures of this beautiful kitchen at http://www.bhg.com/kitchen/remodeling/kitchen-projects/bold-kitchen-makeover-budget/#page=1. -Kristen