Kitchen Refresh: $500

It is no secret that the kitchen is the one room in the house that could be considered the most important when  selling your home - or buying a home - we love our kitchens! But what if your kitchen is a little tired or dated?  (and what if you don't have a $10,000+ budget to make it sing?) Have no fear, super famous/ultra talented Designer, Linda Merrill is here!  She has 5 Tips for making your refresh work.

See the whole story here.

From Country Woman:

"1. Know Your Taste

Eco-friendly burlap has a texture and homespun feel that keep the gathered skirt and matching window treatment from looking too precious. Burlap’s popular right now, and you can’t beat the price, about $2 a yard. But if I hadn’t liked the look, and some people don’t, it would be no bargain. Make choices you can live with.

2. Shop Around

Find deals online or at local thrift stores, and be flexible. The clear cabinet pulls I liked in an upscale showroom would have cost $700. I bought similar ones on eBay for less than $50, mixing two similar styles because I couldn’t find 20 that were identical. They’re not crystal, they’re not vintage, but they look like it. I even played up the mix by installing some oval pulls vertically and others horizontally. Another savvy substitute was embossed wallpaper instead of pricey beadboard. Four rolls, at $22 each, covered the walls. Crown molding installed around the room’s perimeter hid edges where wallpaper met the ceiling.

3. Keep What You Can

My Formica countertops and cabinets were both in decent shape, so I saved them. Fresh paint made a world of difference for the cabinets. I used two shades of dark-green exterior trim paint for the outside, then sanded with fine steel wool to “age” it. The hinges and brackets were reused and I repainted the cabinets’ interiors apple green. My existing pot rack, made of plumber’s copper pipe, just needed polishing before I reinstalled it to hold my copper pot collection. Keeping my flooring, sink and faucet also saved money.

4. Experiment!

Realize that not everything will work out as you plan. But never let that stop you from trying something else. My original plan to cover the cabinet shelves with burlap proved impractical. But the repurposed door as counter worked wonderfully! I can even drop appliance cords through the doorknob hole. Velcroed to the wall for added stability, the counter rests on a lumber frame we built, with plastic shelves underneath for storage, and the whole piece can be removed if the appliances need to come out. Those triumphs make a project not just budget-smart, but fun, too."

- From Country Woman

Notes from Linda's Blog:

My kitchen makeover was completed just about a year ago and I've been loving it ever since. It is my favorite room in my house. I've been very lucky that it also appealed to several media outlets including The Boston Globe, Shelterpop, Apartment Therapy and now Country Woman magazine.  I received a call in October from Country Woman asking if they could feature my kitchen and the $500 makeover process. And what was really fun was that they wanted to re-shoot the kitchen! The original photography, shot byMichael Lee, was beautiful, but it featured a cocktail bar set up that wasn't quite the homey feel Country Woman prefers. So, Michael was hired to re-shoot the kitchen which we styled with a Springtime/Valentine's tea time feel as the issue the kitchen is being featured in is their February/March issue.

Photo Credits - Michael J. Lee