Renovating a kitchen is one of the most difficult home projects anyone can undertake, with so many factors to consider, from appliances and flooring to countertops and cabinetry. First and foremost, the kitchen is a functional space, but beauty is also important here. After all, if you love cooking and spend a lot of time in the kitchen, you want to make sure it perfectly suits your needs and preferences (both in terms of everyday life and in terms of design). You would think so.
Redoing your kitchen may sound like a lot, but DIYers showed us this year that it can be done (beautifully, and often for just a dime!) with our before and after series. Here are the top 12 kitchen redos for 2023 that blend style with savvy.
1. $1,400 kitchen redo proves the power of paint projects
The kitchen tended to look like this a lot It used to be smaller, and Guerin Piercy's house certainly was. This house was built in 1941 for her, and Guerin thought that the cooking space would be a big deciding factor, so after confirming its positive characteristics, she decided to “make a difference'' by doing DIY over and over again. I decided. The kitchen proves that thoughtful design details can exist even in a small kitchen. That is evidenced through the lovely wallpaper mural in the lead role. “What could be better than feeling like you're in a woodland wonderland while making scrambled eggs on the stovetop?” she says. And to make the fridge more beautiful, she hot glued magnets to the back of her picture frames and displayed them all over the fridge.
2. All hours will be golden hours after this gray kitchen sunny redo
Neutral (white, black, navy, charcoal, etc.) kitchens often reign supreme in the design world, so it's refreshing to see someone take a risk with color in their space. Hannah Fröberg (@myplaceincolour) did it in her kitchen. Filled with sunny yellow hues, this renter spruced up the kitchen in her Swedish apartment through her fairly easy DIY projects, including putting up retro peel-and-stick wallpaper and painting items she had on hand. succeeded in making it his own. “This will make cooking more fun, your morning coffee will taste better, and keeping your kitchen clean will be even more fun!” she says.
3. A smart redo makes this 1969 A-Frame kitchen feel even bigger
A-frame homes, while very attractive, have some strange space issues. After all, if your home is triangular in shape, you'd expect it to feel a little squashed in places, like Erika Cash's (@shadypines_aframe) 1969 A-frame kitchen. The layout was definitely cramped and we needed to renovate the kitchen to create more space. And Erica's clever transformation did just that. She replaced the old school cabinets with IKEA cabinets, replaced them with new appliances, and also installed open shelving for storage. The white paint also brightened the atmosphere. You can save even more space by choosing small Euro-sized appliances. This is a great idea for people living in small spaces.
4. Stylishly renovate a '90s kitchen and make the most of 88 square feet.
The '90s don't seem too far away from 2023, but this gulf is enough to make your kitchen look outdated. That was true in Virginia Chamlee's (@vchamlee) condo kitchen. Originally painted in a shade of brown that would have been popular in her 1996, Virginia modernized the brown by using a warm mahogany hue with a translucent quartz backsplash. I incorporated it. The statement backsplash perfectly matches the cool new geometric cabinet pulls. To save space, “we got rid of the existing appliances and replaced them with a European-sized refrigerator and dishwasher,” Virginia adds.
5. This dramatic kitchen redo is the job of a creative and budget-minded renter.
Renting doesn't allow for major changes, so building your own can be difficult. But with creativity, you can do it, as this reimagined kitchen by Lily (@komposition_official) and her husband Evan shows. The duo turned to renter-friendly hacks to level up the visuals of their space. This includes replacing the old linoleum flooring with vinyl plank flooring, painting the cabinets white, and installing new handles. “This was definitely a time-consuming job as each part had to be removed, sanded and painted, but the payoff was great and the cost was very low,” says Lilly.
6. Transform your simple kitchen from white to retro
Not everyone is interested in an all-white kitchen. For example, Lily Sawyer (@layered.home) wanted a kitchen that wasn't too neutral. A DIY enthusiast, she saw an opportunity to mix and match bold patterns in her apartment's kitchen and nailed the look. “I wanted the space to have a personality and connect with nature, so I used Congo forest wallpaper,” Lily says. Other cosmetic upgrades include black and white checkered flooring and new upholstery that perfectly matches the wallpaper for a cool camouflage look.
7. A renter-friendly kitchen redo that packs big style into 85 square feet.
Sure, 85 square feet isn't that big of a room in general, but it feels even smaller when it comes to the kitchen, which is a shared space that must have many functions. But 85 square feet was the exact size of Daniela Caruso's (@casajanara) kitchen, so she had to get creative with her redo. Looking back on the dreary atmosphere that existed “before,'' Daniela said, “Sometimes white walls can be effective, but in this case, it made the space feel very bland and washed out.'' inspired her to play with patterns and colors. She used renter-friendly elements like cabinet paint and peel-and-stick wallpaper featuring tigers and peacocks to create a cool, colorful and unique refresh.
8. Renovate an outdated galley kitchen to make it modern and functional for $8,000.
Juliana DeMarici transformed an outdated galley kitchen into something both functional and stylish, with the goal of creating more space and incorporating as many DIY details as possible. She cleverly made the kitchen appear larger by removing the wall between the kitchen and living room, but also removed the upper cabinets in the process. Juliana used her DIY knowledge to design and install floor-to-ceiling built-in cabinets along the walls of her dining room for much-needed storage.
9. A kitchen with a red carpet (!) looks completely new after a DIY renovation
Red carpet? In the kitchen? For homeowner Darya Karas, that was a big no. The carpet in her kitchen was not only old, but covered in years of stains. This is not surprising, since cooking can be a hassle. Everything else in the kitchen seemed to be traveling in a time machine as well, so I needed a top-to-bottom demo. “Key steps included conducting demos, installing sheetrock, laying LVT, assembling and installing IKEA cabinets, tiling the backsplash, installing new lighting, and everything in between.” Daria talks about redecorating her kitchen. I did all this myself. White IKEA cabinets and matching white tiles give the kitchen a spacious and fresh feel. And no more carpet!
10. This maximalist kitchen makeover features clever $8 cabinet hacks
Yes, maximalism can Living comfortably in the kitchen is evidenced by this cooking space owned by Tamzin McGillen (@at_themckillens). The original gray-and-gray color palette didn't suit Tamzin's flashy maximalism, and the kitchen needed to reflect her personality. Tamzin added a number of elements that bring its character, including new hardware, on-trend backsplashes, and cheeky artwork. She added pink stripes to the glass fronts of the cabinets using $8 masking tape. “I'm really happy with her masking tape hack,” Tamzin says of her clever DIY. “The pop of fluorescent pink really elevated this plan.”
11. Rental kitchen maintains 1960s cabinetry with $600 refresh
Lest you think you need to spend thousands of dollars to build a new kitchen, this project by Taylor Jordan (@ktaylorjordan) shows you can do a lot with just a little of it. Taylor gave the rental kitchen a completely new look for a total cost of just $600. After continuing to use the same cabinetry (automatic cost savings!), Taylor switched to a peel and stick method to get the fresh look she wanted. This includes punchy green geometric floor tiles and a black subway tile backsplash. “Even rental players can transform,” Taylor says, and his transformation is proof of that.
12. Gattorino and a new layout make a small kitchen even more usable.
If your home has any history, it can be difficult to justify a renovation when those features are already in place. But to make it feel like your own space, sometimes you need a little refreshment, and that can be done judiciously. Libby Gaz Reynolds was able to upgrade the kitchen in her 1808 home without sacrificing its original charm. For example, the new floating shelves are not completely new, but are made from old floorboards in the attic. Quartz countertops and marble backsplash bring a more modern sensibility. Libby, who describes her style as “moody maximalist,” definitely nailed this look.
