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23 Beautiful and Inspiring Kitchen Renovations
These amazing makeovers are filled with kitchen remodeling ideas for projects of every size and budget.
Other than the bedroom, the kitchen is the most used room in the house, so it's no wonder it's also number one on the home renovation wish list. Whether our kitchen is large or small, we're always wishing for more storage space, updated fixtures, and a fresh look. The good news is, even with a small budget, you can give your kitchen a beautiful update. Simple and inexpensive DIY changes such as painting your cabinets a fresh color and replacing the hardware, switching out your lighting fixtures, and updating the sink and faucet for pretty farmhouse-style versions all bring big impact.
If you have a little more in the budget and are looking for bigger change, replacing just your cabinet doors to a more classic Shaker-style front is a great, affordable way to give your kitchen a facelift without changing the footprint. Also consider removing some of those bulky upper cabinets and installing open shelving, revamping your backsplash, or rethinking your kitchen island. If you're ready to commit to the time and budget of a full renovation, you may want to consult an architect or kitchen designer to help you make the most of your space.
There are so many ways to update your kitchen! Perhaps you’ve seen some popular kitchen trends such as integrated range hoods and wallpaper that you want to incorporate into your own kitchen. Or, you want to give your builder-basic kitchen some farmhouse-style kitchen charm. The below real-life kitchen renovations are filled with tons of kitchen remodeling ideas to get you started.
Before: Outdated and Visually Choppy
Multiple wood tones gave this large farmhouse kitchen a mismatched look, while the green walls divided by a bank of cabinets felt disjointed.
After: Pretty and Polished Farmhouse Kitchen
Singer-songwriter (and serial renovator) Holly Williams preserved her farmhouse kitchen’s original layout opting only to reconfigure the placement of the refrigerator and cooktop. She coated the walls and trim a crisp white (Delicate White by Porter Paints) and installed ceramic subway tile for added texture. For a slight bit of contrast, she chose light gray cabinets which she paired with open shelving. An inky black ceiling (Tricorn Black by Sherwin-Williams) grounds the room, while patterned roman shades add hints of blue without blocking too much natural light. Rather than undertake a pricey floor restoration, Holly opted to paint the hardwoods a barely there shade of pink (Pink Ground by Farrow & Ball).
Before: A Mess of Everything
A low sloped ceiling (a mere four-foot-tall clearance on one end!), cobbled together cabinetry, and dated linoleum flooring added up to one unappealing kitchen.
After: A Handsome Coastal Kitchen
Marine blue cabinets topped with walnut countertops, a red cedar ceiling (to lend a feeling of being on a boat), and a pine subfloor salvaged from a ca.-1700s tavern in Maine revived Steve Ballerini and Colin Bohrer's small Cape Cod kitchen. Horizontal plank walls and handcrafted unlacquered brass and rope pendants further the nautical vibe.
SHOP BUTCHER BLOCK COUNTERTOPS
RELATED: 30+ Best Kitchen Color Ideas for Your Next Remodel or Weekend Makeover
Before: Blah and Boring
White cabinets and appliances and beige everything else felt builder basic and lacked charm or cooking inspiration.
After: Warm & Inviting Kitchen
First up for homeowners Marcus and Victoria Ford (@prepfordwife) was to remove the traffic-blocking peninsula and replace it with a pretty furniture-style end cabinet. Adding shiplap to the ceiling (painted Dutch Tile Blue by Sherwin-Williams) and beadboard to the walls (painted Antique White by Sherwin-Williams) instantly brought warmth and texture to the 1970s space. Patinaed hardware dresses up the new Shaker-front cabinets, while brushed-bronze handles accent matte white appliances, and an unlacquered bridge faucet tops the fluted apron-front sink. Lastly, a small butcher-block topped table adds needed prep and serving space.
SHOP MATTE WHITE APPLIANCES
Before: Stuck in Time
The old kitchen felt cramped due to dated cabinets, patterned wallpaper, and layers of linoleum on the floor.
After: A French Farmhouse Kitchen
Maria Carr (@dreamywhiteslifestyle) The airier space feels significantly larger thanks to crisp ceilings with exposed rafters and wide shiplap planked walls, white cabinets newly crafted from scrap wood, and a sea of marble, including Carrara marble countertops (bedrosians.com), handcrafted marble-and-wood shelving, and a marble subway tile backsplash (emser.com). The couple also replaced linoleum floors with a herringbone patterned alternative in black oak, which they were chagrined to find out has a tendency to turn pink when staining. Thanks to a call for help on Instagram, they found a crowd-sourced solution: Woca oil (wocawoodcare.com) French standbys including ironstone breadboards, vintage baskets, copper pots, and an old French sieve that hangs above the range.
Before: Not Cook Friendly
While large, the layout was winding and inefficient kitchen with a super-small sink and low countertops.
After: A Farmhouse Kitchen with Patina
Austin-based architect Cindy Black of Hello Kitchen changed this kitchen's floor plan to have the sink in front of the new larger bank of windows and a central island ideal for entertaining. To offset the preserved wood walls, the ceiling and trim were painted a crisp white and the wood countertops swapped for easy-to-maintain quartz from Wilsonart. Special details like the wood vent hood, reclaimed wood on the island front, and striped pendants give the white kitchen both patina and farmhouse personality.
SHOP WOOD VENT HOODS
RELATED: Best Kitchen Island Ideas for Kitchens Large and Small
Before: Dark and Cramped
A tight galley layout with no natural light source made for an unappealing kitchen.
After: A Modern Vintage Kitchen
Designer Kate Marker’s merged circa-1920s nostalgic charm with pure circa-2020 sophistication for the update of her kitchen remodel. To open up the small cramped space, she knocked down a wall to open it to the adjoining family room, raised the ceiling, and added rustic whitewashed pine beams. An antique blue-gray island paired with rustic tripod stools juxtaposes the room’s more modern Amish-crafted flat-paneled cabinetry and finishes, but all eyes go immediately to the coral vintage-style Big Chill fridge, which provides the kitchen a punch of happy. Because she loved the existing checkerboard floor, Kate had a specialty painter mimic the stained design onto the newly added wood floorboards.
Before: Awkward Storage
While the basic perimeter layout worked for this 180 square-foot bungalow's kitchen, a return vent made for an inefficient corner space.
After: A Cheery British-Inspired Kitchen
After Country Living Design Director Maribeth Jones made small tweaks to the kitchen's footprint including removing a bulky unused chimney in the corner), she maximized charm with vibrant Shaker-style cabinets (painted Sudbury Yellow by Farrow & Ball) and a tall 6-foot 8-inch wood-paneled backsplash. The chimney removal allowed for custom cabinetry, complete with plate racks and open shelves, flanking both sides of the window. Above the backsplash she installed a botanical woodblock wallcovering designed by the late British artist William Morris.
SHOP HANGING PLATE RACKS
RELATED: 20+ Beautiful Ways to Decorate Your Kitchen With Wallpaper
Before: Dark and Dull
Over the years, this kitchen (which had only one small window) had lost all of its original farmhouse charm.
After: A Bright and Airy Farmhouse Kitchen
DIY homeowner Claire Zinnicker carved out openings in the kitchen by adding antique windows. A new larger row of windows instantly brightened the kitchen and provides views of surrounding landscapes. Two halves of another antique window hang higher on the range wall to allow room for open shelves (which Claire made from salvaged wood) that play up the vintage vibe. Painting the shiplap walls and ceiling white additionally opened up the space. Salvaged finds like the circa-1950s O’Keefe & Merritt enamel stove and Mexican pine island reinforce a layered, acquired-over-time feeling, while large domed pendant lights add modern styling.
RELATED: See more of the amazing renovation of this charming Texas farmhouse.
Before: Decades Old Everything
A faux-brick backsplash? Dark cabinets? Formica counters? This room boasted every 1970s kitchen cliché.
After: A Beautifully Bright Farmhouse Kitchen
Giving this kitchen a makeover proved inexpensive, thanks to subway tiles, plenty of white paint, and a few bargain choices such as Ikea cabinets, butcher-block countertops, and farmhouse sink. An antique bakery table, equipped with handy storage baskets, functions as the kitchen island and instantly gives the new kitchen vintage patina.
RELATED: Kitchen Lighting Ideas to Brighten Your Cooking Space
Before: Drab and Dark Finishes
The counters and cabinets in this kitchen needed a chic update, but the vintage stove had tons of charm the homeowners loved.
After: A Crisp White Kitchen
The kitchen's vintage Chambers stove remains front and center and actually looks more at home with its now all white surroundings. On a small budget, the homeowners kept the existing cabinet frames, but gave them a modern update by replacing the doors and painting everything Benjamin Moore's Patriotic White. They jettisoned the dated laminate counters and dark backsplash in favor of marble and white subway tiles.
Jennifer Kopf is the Executive Editor of Country Living. She also covers antiques and collecting.
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