Guest Post: Amanda's Affordable Eat-In Kitchen

You might remember today's guest poster, Kara Pasley from the last time she stopped by. Need a refresher? Pop back to the fab dining room makover she and her husband shared earlier this year. Who could forget the mason jar chandelier? Today Kara is walking us through a more low key (read: affordable) makeover done for another space. Over to you, Kara...



A few months ago a client asked me to redesign her new apartment. I've worked with Amanda before (giving her MUSIC STUDIO a complete overhaul and creating a ROCKIN' GUITAR SPACE for her students). From our former projects I knew Amanda is a gal who loves color, character, and unique ideas. So you can imagine how excited I was to get started. Let's look at the kitchen/dining room area.

BEFORE -----> AFTER
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The small kitchenette area already had this fantastic Mexican-inspired tile that was the jumping off point for the rest of the space. The cabinets stayed that bold fire-engine red because bright colors are a cornerstone in Mexican design. BUT let's say we had to start from scratch- a quart of red paint and some tile tattoos from MIBO is all it would take to bring us right back to this point!

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Since we had a great base to build on, the accessories were what made the difference in this space! Adorable cafe curtains, a sweet little spice rack, a fitting tea towel, woods accents, and new knobs all work together to set a beautiful scene.

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The hand carved and mismatched knobs add a ton of personality and pop. Because there were so few cabinets we could have splurged, but I lucked out and found these little pieces of art on sale at Anthropologie for $3 each!

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The large butcher block cutting board serves dual purposes: to cut up veggies and hide the not so attractive countertop.

BEFORE -----> AFTER
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We took the door off to open up the space and to provide room for three rods hung on the wall. These rods serve to hold all Amanda's pots and pans- freeing up her cabinets for food.

Now the dining area needed some real work both to function and to be beautiful. Space was scarce and storage was non-existent, two major problems for a girl downsizing. So, what do you do when you have more stuff than storage. You go up, up the wall that is.


BEFORE -----> AFTER
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These shelves not only provide ample storage space for everything Amanda might need in her kitchen/dining area, they also create a colorful focal point which is right up Amanda's ally.

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We kept the old unattractive table which fit in the room perfectly. A cute little tablecloth is all it took to cover the ugly part of the piece.
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Two modern white ikea chairs make this space perfect for a candlelight dinner or a friendly game of checkers!
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The previous light would have worked just fine, but I didn't feel like it had that charm factor that Amanda was after. So, I covered the glass shade with a croqueted piece of fabric that looks absolutely adorable, if I do say so myself.
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When the light is on at night the fabric creates beautiful shadows on the ceiling! Sometimes, its the little things that really make a space special.
A chalkboard (made from an old cabinet door) and some linen curtains hung half way down the window complete the sweet little space.
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Here's the budget breakdown!
Knobs (Anthropologie and REstore)- $21
Spice Rack (garage Sale)- $5
Butcher block (Amanda already had)- FREE
Parrot Tea Towel- $8
Pot Rack Rods- $15
Over-the-sink shelf (Bed, Bath, and Beyond)- $10
Rolling Cart (Craigslist)- $10
Brackets (IKEA) and Shelves (LOWES) - $50
Chalkboard (Old cabinet doors and leftover chalkboard paint)- FREE
2 White Chairs (IKEA)- $40
Table cloth, curtain, and croqueted fabric (garage sale)- $4
Accessories/Items on shelves (all from Amanda's stash)- FREE
TOTAL COST: $163!!!

9 comments:

  1. Such a cute & cozy little space. I would've never thought to cover the lamp with fabric, and I heart the knobs!

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  2. Anonymous10:51 AM

    Kara's work always looks amazing. I absolutely love the high shelving and the contrast of the darker wood. In the first kitchen picture, the cabinets have a hot pink look to them that I kind of dig. Now that would be a fun idea.

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  3. I like the fabric on the little cart thingy...

    Kelly

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  4. Red cabinets are so cool...I love the red chalkboard as well.For a small space it really doesn't look overbearing.

    C.

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  5. I absolutely love this post. I would have never thought of taking the door down. The best idea was the lace over the light fixture. It really gives the space romance. Good job!

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  6. Ooh this is so much fun!

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  7. The spice rack on the side of the cabinet looks out of place and like it was just stuck on there. I think it would look better painted the same color as the cabinets; it would look built-in then and not stick out so much. Just an opinion of course.

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  8. I want this kitchen!!!

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  9. Ashley2:46 PM

    Great work! I also love how you give the cost breakdown and where you purchased the items - that helps us DIYers so much!

    ReplyDelete

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