Brown, Brown, Brown…
That’s all I saw when I looked at our kitchen after we moved into our first home. Our hardwood floors are a deep brown, the cabinets are a medium brown, and the granite countertops leaned heavily toward brown. I immediately knew I wanted to change up the space, but have you looked at kitchen renovation prices? After buying a new home that was not in the budget! I was focused on either painting the cabinets or installing new ones to brighten up the space. However, my brother-in-law suggested starting with the countertops and backsplash as more budget friendly kitchen upgrades.
Changing the Countertops
Since the goal was to brighten up the kitchen and add some contrast, we knew we wanted to go with a lighter countertop. As someone who loves to look at beautiful kitchens on Instagram, of course I wanted marble countertops. However, I did not have marble money. I think that’s the adult version of, “do you have McDonald’s money?” This is a budget friendly kitchen upgrade, so we needed to get creative!
We opted for a stone option that had grey striations similar to marble. We also decided to do a waterfall treatment on the island, and WOW, what a difference that made! In the before and after photos you can see how this simple change made a big impact!
This upgrade was well under $5,000. PRO TIP: ask for a cash discount if you’re considering changing your countertops. Some shops will give you 2-3% since they won’t be charged a fee to process a credit or debit card.
A Backsplash Seals the Deal!
The previous owners of our home never installed a backsplash which was good, and bad. After installing new countertops the space looked brighter, but still seemed unfinished. Fortunately, we saved some cash since we didn’t need to remove an existing backsplash. We opted for white glass tiles. Since this room gets a lot of sun the glass makes it seem brighter. We completed the look with grey grout and black trim. Although I love a DIY this was definitely a get somebody else to do it situation! This upgrade was very budget friendly, coming in at under $2,000 for materials and labor.
Finishing Touches
We decided to switch out the stainless steel faucet for one with black accents. We also changed the stainless steel sink basin to a white one. NOTE: if you obsess over your sink looking pristine at all times do not get a white sink! Lol I love the look, but I will admit that it’s a bit high-maintenance. The window sill had to be removed to accommodate the new sink. We were going to get a standard sill, but our backsplash installer suggested getting a piece of stone that matched the countertops. We were able to get an extra slab for a couple hundred dollars and I think it finishes off the space nicely!
What do you think of our kitchen transformation? I have to admit, I didn’t think these changes would make as much as an impact as they did. I’m glad we decided to start with these instead of making a hefty investment in new or painted cabinets. Are you considering upgrading any of the spaces in your home? Let’s talk about it in the comments!
Your new kitchen is beautiful! This teacher didn’t find any spelling errors. Mr. Ace is adorable send more pics. Miss you!!!!