Our $250 Kitchen Makeover

It took almost two and a half weeks of painting and some moaning on my part about how endless it all seemed, but the kitchen is finally finished (well almost, more about that later).  I spent all morning cleaning, because if I'm going to show the world our kitchen it needed a little spit and polish, especially after all the disruption during the painting.  I'm pleased as punch - and glad it is finished - to introduce you to our made-over kitchen:

And just so you can compare - here is the before:

 Before

After

Before

You can read about the inspiration behind painting the lower cabinets gray and uppers white  here.   After much deliberation we chose burnished gold handles for the new cabinets.

I also wanted to introduce some gold accents in other places around the kitchen.  I figured yellow would work as well to visually tie things together.  Of course, this involved a trip to Anthropologie where I bought some lovely (and overpriced) soap and lotion dispensers.

I also bought some bowls in colours that would coordinate with the new kitchen.

You can also see the little gold-coloured pear that I bought at the thrift shop for $2 (it was 50% off day so I got myself a real deal, because otherwise I would have had to pay $4).  I dug through the china cabinet and found some things that would coordinate with the gold to put on the shelves.  The antique salt cellar is from my father's parents and has a cranberry glass liner.  I know it isn't polished, but to me that means it mixes better with the gold tones, although there are some (and they shall remain nameless) who would disagree. The plate standing up against the back is from the Limoge set that belonged to my grandparents on my mother's side.

There is also yellow in the vinegar and oil set that was given to us by the french exchange student who lived with us a few years ago.

I personally never tire of looking at some before-and-after photos, so here are a few more.

After

Before

After

Before

And finally a view of the kitchen from the dining room.

I put out my favourite thrift store vintage table cloth to welcome you.

As for the bottom line, here is the $250 breakdown:

$100 paint

$100 handles

$50 new baskets

 Not bad for $250 (and a lot of elbow grease. I'm just saying...). 

We still  need to do a few things in the kitchen.  Here is the 3-year plan - in a nutshell (well a picture anyway).

And now we get to enjoy the kitchen - the best part!

Linked to:
Frugal Friday at The Shabby Nest
Metamorphasis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch
Make it 4 Monday at Cottage Instincts
It's So Very Creative at It's So Very Cheri
White Wednesday at Faded Charm
Show and Tell at Blue Cricket Design
Strut Your Stuff Thursday at Somewhat Simple
Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Chic Cottage
We Can do it Cheaper at The Virginia House
Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home
Inspired by at The Inspired Home
Power of Paint Party at Domestically Speaking
The Colour Challenge Linkup at Funky Junk Interiors
Heart of the Home Party at Note Songs
Best of 2010 Before and After Party at House of Grace