29 August 2014

Kitchen Makeover

Hey m'dears! 

As promised on Sunday, today I'm sharing the before/after shots from my kitchen makeover. Kitchen makeovers are one of my favourite things in the whole wide world, so I'm particularly excited about finally having one of my own to share :) 

I never actually intended to paint our kitchen, because we're planning to build a country style kitchen-diner extension at some point in the distant future when we can afford it. Then we decided to get floorboards laid on our ground floor, which meant I either had to paint the hideous pine cupboards or be OK with the kitchen looking like a sauna. 

I can hear you thinking "Enough already with setting the context- show me some photographs!", so let's get this party started with some photos of the "before":





Delightful, wasn't it? I don't know which bit I loved most - the peaches-and-mustard wallpaper, dated floral motifs, or fake-tan-orange and brown colour scheme. I started off by painting the walls white, then did the same with the tiles. I also changed the ugly blind for something a little less traditional, and gave our whiteboard a mini-makeover. That just left the cupboards, carcasses, skirting boards, door frames, trim and handles... Simple, eh? 

So that's what I did last week:





The new handles were a mini DIY project on their own, after I realised the handles I wanted would cost £250(!) due to having 22 doors/ drawers in our kitchen. I bought some plain wooden discs and a piece of dowel from ebay, Tom cut and screwed them together to make the handles, and I painted them all in different colours. 



I love that the handles have become the main feature of the kitchen due to everything else being white like a regular, grown-up kitchen. Well, almost everything... Remember this wallpaper?


I've lined the backs of all the top cupboards with it, and the inside panels of every door. Teehee. 

I also decided to treat us to a new kitchen bin, replacing the rather revolting swing-top office bin we've been using since moving in four years ago. I found this beauty at Dunelm Mill:


I reckon one final reminder of the before/after comparison is in order to finish this off:



What do you think?

Katie xxx

P.S. If you want a peep at some other rooms in our house you can find them in my House Tour posts.

26 comments:

  1. Looks loads better! Especially like the wallpaper touch and bin. Yay! We can't decorate as we rent, so i've just bought some new tins and things for our kitchen from the Gisela Graham enamelware ranges.

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    1. Thanks Claire :) That sounds lovely- I think pretty accessories are definitely the best way to improve a kitchen! xxx

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  2. It looks great, so much lighter and more fun! We want a new kitchen but think we are going to leave it as we plan to move next year, hopefully! x

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    1. Thanks Victoria :) The potential move sounds very exciting- hopefully you can find a house which already has your dream kitchen! xxx

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  3. What a difference! Your handles like as good as the £11 each ones! I love the colour they add, they look great!

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    1. PS I really love the dino-paper cupboards! Brilliant!

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    2. Thanks Louise :) I'm really pleased with the handles- and that I finally thought of a reason to buy that wallpaper :p xxx

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  4. This looks fantastic! So much brighter and love the handles!! xxx

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    1. It's so much brighter :) I wasn't sure whether using gloss paint was more hassle than it was worth- but it actually bounces the light around brilliantly! xxx

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  5. Very, very cool! I'm all about the coloured handles! So fun and cute! We really need a nice bin- ours is horrid!!!!x

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    1. Thanks Kezzie :) I would recommend this one - it feels a little flimsy, but it's so much cheaper than the equivalents I found xxx

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  6. Gawjuss! You've dragged it into the right decade, lightened and brightened it and added a little touch of insanity with that wallpaper. Inspirational! xxx

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    1. Haha - well you've just inspired the name of my signature perfume, if I ever make one! I'll call it Insanity, and the strapline will be "Everyone needs a touch of Insanity". Hope your kitchen makeover is progressing as you want it to as well xxx

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  7. I love the wallpaper inside the cupboards and the touches of fun with the handles - great job! I painted each shelf in my baking cupboard a different colour so it looks grownup on the outside and silly on the inside :) Though I have since painted a wardrobe bright yellow...It's a slippery slope.

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    1. Your baking cupboard sounds beautiful- painting furniture is a very slippery slope! If you haven't seen my other house tour posts yet you'll soon find out this is the most "normal" colour scheme we've got :p xxx

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  8. It looks AMAZING!!! Obviously my favourite thing is the dinosaur wallpaper in the cupboards. I LOVE it!!! x

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    1. Thanks Sarah :) I've got a whole roll of that wallpaper left- now to decide what to do with it (i.e. what Tom will let me get away with :p) xxx

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  9. It looks so nice - really light and airy! Also I love how you have painted to door knobs different colours. :)
    theemeralddove21.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. Thanks lovely :) I had a lot of fun mixing up twenty two different colours! xxx

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  10. Your kitchen looks fabulous! I love all the white! It really makes the room brighter and seem bigger. It'll look great with the new floorboards too.

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    1. It's so much brighter- the gloss paint bounces the light around beautifully :) I can confirm it looks great with the floor, and I will be sharing photos asap xxx

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  11. ohmygod this is like a blog post version of Kitchen SOS which is one of my favourite (though totally secret) shows! I'll spend a whole afternoon watching it deciding how I'd do a better job :) You're kitchen looks sooo much bigger and the white just look so fresh and bright. I feel your pain over the cost of handles - my actual cupboard doors cost less than the handles.

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    1. Kitchen SOS sounds INCREDIBLE! How have I not heard of it before?! You must have some fancy handles in your kitchen - what kind did you go for? xxx

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  12. bloody hell I love it. you are too clever and thrifty for you own good. When I (will I ever?) buy a home please can you come and be my interior designer/decorator?

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    1. You're too kind! I will absolutely be your interior designer- we can read Ideal Home over tea and cake and then go shopping in Homesense xxx

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  13. Ooh looks fab! I do really like your knobs (can I get away with that?), a lovely pop of colour in amongst the white. And the dinosaur cupboards, only one word - amazing! :-) xxx

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