When we moved into our 1948 home in Green Bay 6 years ago, the kitchen had been updated in the early 80’s. It was the worst room in the house. However, we had zero budget for renovations and had to make a decision quick; “Do we purchase the house and live with the most important gathering space being dreadfully ugly or do we find a quick and cost effective solution?” We went with option B.  

We painted the upper cabinets an off-white color that matched the trim of the rest of the house and we painted the bottom cabinets and built-in pantry a mint green color to give the kitchen a 1950’s diner look. While it wasn’t zero dollars spent to remove doors, sand, prime, paint and reinstall, compared to paying for custom or stock cabinets, we saved thousands! 

We learned that “going timeless” in our 1948 house with a 1950’s diner theme worked in a pinch and is still working today. I did the same thing recently in a door county cottage that was built in 1920. It had original wood cabinets that were painted layers upon layers of white but were looking dirty and dated - in the wrong sense. I went with a deep blue/grey paint on the bottom cabinets and a fresh coat of pure white paint on the top cabinets. The paint for the cabinets and the ceiling was under $450 and that  included the fee for the painter we hired! Now this 100 year old kitchen looks crisp, clean and modern without losing the lines of the original trim.

I was able to do a completely different motif in a recent apartment design project where the kitchen was a blank slate. In fact, plumbing and electrical jetting out of the demoed walls was all that remained. The goal was to have an eat-in kitchen, brand new cabinets and still only spend $1,000, before appliances. We came in under budget! I had found a stock butcher block top which we were able to cut in half and make work as the kitchen counter. 

We used reclaimed wood that was sanded and polyurethaned, like we did in The Exchange Coffee, Mercantile & Eatery, which brought a natural beauty to a modern kitchen. I chose grey cabinets and picked out a tall pantry to work around the sink, stove and fridge. I used floating shelves above the sink and snack bar for storage to add an artistic touch. The grey speckled pans, clear salt and pepper mills and french press craft double as art and functionality. 

A dated kitchen can rob your joy as you spend countless daily hours cooking, cleaning, eating, bill paying or merely walking through. You don’t have to wait to change the vibe of such an important room. Some people wait until they are putting their home on the market when their realtor reminds them that a good kitchen sells a house while a dated kitchen stops buyers. Be inspired to do something special to your kitchen today because for hundreds, not thousands, of dollars you could have a unique, peaceful and inspired atmosphere.