How to Update Your Kitchen...without breaking the bank!

I have a lot of friends who have put off updating their kitchen because the thought of ripping apart their central home hub is too much of a hassle. Not to mention the price tag of redoing a kitchen. But you don't have to go all the way to bring your kitchen into the year 2012. You can paint your cabinets, switch out hardware, change your backsplash, update counters or reface your doors. Or, take that horrible florescent ceiling light and put a pretty chandelier or gorgeous flush drum shade in. My kitchen was recently installed when I bought my bungalow, but it just wasn't my taste. I would have felt horrible ripping everything out and didn't believe the investment was warranted when I considered my options.

I'm pretty prolific about my love for white kitchens with marble counters. They are timeless in my opinion-clean, bright and simple. So, I opted to paint the oak cabinets white, replace my countertops, swap out my backsplash and add a new overhead light.

First, let's start with another style maven, Kimberly at Restoration House, who had my same vision so you get an idea of what we are talking about. This is an after photo.

Her kitchen cabinets before!

Cabinets after painting.

Ugh. I felt like this was a kitchen in an Extended Stay hotel suite. Yep, that's my kitchen.

Oy vey, that formica (brown/green/beige) and a long wall! Lots of oak going on here. I needed to break it up especially with those great floors.

After! I put up an open shelf to visually break the large wall expanse. Paint on cabinets is "Snowbound" by Sherwin Williams. Counters are "Raincloud" by Corian. I love marble, but it would have been stressed with the settled slope of my old home, and if I ever rented my place they would get destroyed. I now like this better than marble! The color is incredibly rich. Granite seems to be on the out, and the 'in' quartz is so expensive. Martha Stewart also now has a line with Corian that is gorgeous...mimics light stone perfectly. "Sea Salt" is another favorite.

Everything is just brighter and prettier! White subway tile is so clean and fresh looking. Just remember, wood cabinets need a lot of priming, sanding and oil-based paint. I opted to outsource this job and don't regret it at all! You have to pick the battles that you tackle yourself when you have so many home updates. I also love cabinets that go to the ceiling, so I may paint the space between the two in the same white as the cabinets to make them appear taller. Still need to style this up!