This is the kitchen in the Front Cabin when we first moved in. It had a small, quaint, and very 90’s-era-cabin vibe. We wanted to give it a quick, inexpensive budget kitchen remodel and add more storage.
It didn’t even come with a stove! So we improvised with a microwave and a hot plate on a small table for a month or so while we settled in.
Kitchen Shelving:
First things first, we needed more storage space! There was no place to put the dishes. To keep this quick, clean, and budget-friendly, we opted for open shelving and headed to The Home Depot.
I chose 10 inch deep Rubbermaid white laminated shelves and used 36″ wide boards on the window wall with 24″ wide boards on the opposite wall. They simply butt up to each other at the corner.
I used simple 8 inch x 10 inch white brackets from Everbuilt at The Home Depot. I liked that these brackets didn’t get in the way when moving things around on the shelves. Plus, they were actually the cheapest bracket option I could find too, so win-win!
Don’t forget the bracket screws too. They’re correctly sized for the bracket and the shelf thickness.
Later I also added small 12 inch wide shelves over that tiny cabinet next to the fridge by cutting a 36 inch wide shelf into 3 parts with a skill saw and finished the cut edges with iron-on melamine edge banding.
The bottom shelf was placed a standard 18 inches from the countertop. Then, I set the next shelf so that a paper towel roll would in the shelf space. Finally, the top shelf was centered in the open space between the middle shelf and the ceiling.
Painting Kitchen Cabinets:
Next I wanted to give the kitchen a little more “drama” and paint the base cabinets dark. Actually, not just a darker color, I wanted to go full-on black. Yep. 🙂
Here is a photo of the kitchen after I had just removed all the base cabinet doors and cleaned them up with a TSP cleaner. They looked a whole lot better with just a good clean, but I really wanted them painted.
Also, we finally got a stove! Woohoo! I think it’s pretty cute, and it was a good deal from The Home Depot. Yes, that’s one of my favorite stores. I’m there all the time… 🙂
Next, I painted the cabinets! I used a Kilz primer first, then two coats of paint from, you guessed it, Home Depot.
The black paint is called Blackout Black, and I think its a true black. I used an eggshell finish, but if I were to do it again, I’d use a satin or a semi-gloss paint for little more sheen and clean-ability.
Finishing Touches:
We found one 30 inch wide upper cabinet that the previous owner left in a closet that fit perfectly over the stove. So I painted that white and installed it above the stove. Then I added a stainless steel cabinet-mounted Broan range hood that I found on Amazon.com. You can see the three small 12 inch wide shelves that help frame the stove area.
I also added a small wall-mounted spice rack above the stove, found at Ikea and painted white to match the upper cabinet. The spice jars are also from Ikea, my 2nd favorite store!
Here’s the full budget kitchen remodel with the black cabinets! I am scouring my files for a better photo, so I am sorry it’s not ‘gram worthy. This was a lived-in remodel, and we were using the kitchen the whole time. Once we were done painting, I was so happy to have a proper kitchen that I don’t know what happened to the finish photo. I promise future projects will have a satisfying final shot, but I thought this project still had some value.
One last thing I added is that wall-mounted paper towel holder left of the window. There is just enough space for it, and its connected to the window studs, so its securely attached.
P.S. We kept the kitchen like this for 2 years and then did another round of remodel to class it up even further. More on that in the Budget Kitchen Remodel Part 2, coming soon!
Project Costs:
1 gallon primer: $19.78
1 gallon Blackout Black paint: $20.68
TSP Cleaner: $6.37
Misc paint brushes, tape, trays: $25
(4) 10inch deep x 36 inch wide Rubbermaid shelves: $35.92
(3) 10inch deep x 24 inch wide Rubbermaid shelves: $22.41
Melamine edge banding: $5.32
(21) 8inch x 10inch white shelf brackets: $47.88
(11) Shelf bracket screws: $19.25
Ikea spice rack: $6.99
(18) Ikea spice jars: $26.91
Broan Range Vent: $112
Window cellular shade: $42.49
Paper towel holder: $19.99
Upper Cabinet: Free, left in a closet by the previous owners
White paint: Free, left by previous owners
TOTAL: $410.99 + tax Woohoo! Not bad eh? I’d call that a very low budget kitchen remodel. Crazy how a little paint and elbow grease can really change a space.
Lessons Learned:
- Take progress photos. You’ll want to look back on them and see how far you’ve come. Once you make the change, you can’t go back and take a before photo.
- Paint makes a huge difference at a low cost.
- Open shelving gets dirty, especially if you cook frequently. So just be ready to clean them off now and then.
