Before & After: A Bland Kitchen Gets a Farmhouse Pick-Me-Up
Take a peek at this inspired farmhouse makeover on a budget.
Photo: House by Hoff
Boring wood cabinetry, outdated fixtures, and old carpeting abutting the island were not April's idea of a fairy tale kitchen. The House by Hoff blogger knew immediately it would have to be renovated. Keep reading to see how she transformed the kitchen while staying on a budget.
Why did you decide to renovate this space?
When we moved into our home nearly four years ago, it didn't reflect my personal style at all. Our '90s builder-grade home had orange-toned woodwork and cabinets, white carpet, and linoleum flooring in the kitchen. I immediately began changing things when we moved in, but it took a while to save the money to tackle the kitchen.
Last summer we replaced the linoleum flooring with a laminate wood floor. As soon as the floor was done, I began painting the kitchen island and cabinets, and shortly after that we began replacing the countertops. Changing the floor and cabinet colour made a huge difference, but we are still in the process of replacing our countertops with quartz and adding a new sink, faucet, and backsplash. This space isn’t completely finished yet.
Photo: House by Hoff
On what items did you splurge vs. save?
I splurged on the bar stools because I thought they were a total game changer and too perfect to pass up. I bought inexpensive light fixtures that give me the look I want, and I saved money by painting the cabinets myself.
Photo: House by Hoff
How did you decide the style direction you went in?
I’m not gonna lie, Joanna Gaines and “Fixer Upper” have had an enormous impact on me. That show has helped me define my style and decide what I like and don’t like. Modern farmhouse is such a movement in decorating right now, and I just adore it! It was an easy choice to stick with white cabinets and simple black hardware. I think plants bring life to a room, so I layered in little pops of greenery.
Photo: House by Hoff
What was it like living through the renovation?
It has been such a slow process, that it hasn’t been too bad. I absolutely hated painting the kitchen cabinets last winter. I went section by section, and it took me most of January and February to complete them. I whined and cried my way through it, but now that it’s done, I’m so glad I did it!
Photos: House by Hoff
What do you love most about the new room?
This room is now functional and pretty. Taking the linoleum out of the kitchen and white carpet out of the eating area and replacing it with the laminate flooring made the space so much more beautiful. It’s just a much prettier space to spend time in, which makes me very happy!
Photo: House by Hoff
