before
& after
Sense of Style Simple switches and smart solutions modernize a dated kitchen without busting the budget BY JOETTA MOULDEN • PHOTOGRAPHY BY JANET LENZEN
When Kristina and Cregg called me, their basic builder kitchen was large, but dated. They were stuck and did not know how to proceed. Mismatched appliances and metals, non-existent cabinet hardware or under cabinet lighting, busy wallpaper, clutter, laminate countertops and a traffic-blocking overhang at the end of the island were spoiling this kitchen’s potential. The protruding book bags were limiting the door from fully opening. TIP: When a table and chairs are inches away from barstools, it makes sense to increase traffic flow by eliminating an island overhang.
They removed the wallpaper with a www.HomeDepot.com Dif gel spray kit that contained scoring tools. They saved money by buying cut-to-order stock 2” blinds from Lowe’s. Most other materials came from big box stores. “We liked the idea of a ‘drop zone’ for the kids and to limit the repeated drywall damage from book bags, dog leashes, umbrellas and jackets, but the
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house was just not built with that in mind,” Cregg explained. He additionally disliked the white, easily stained laminate countertops and Kristina hated the light cabinet stain and the dated wallpaper and how they clashed with the look of the adjoining living room. New hardware, paint and counters solved Kristina’s problem with the cabinet door. In just one meeting and a few emails back and forth, I came up with a plan for them. Since the couple did almost all the work themselves (with the exception of installing the granite counters from Home Depot), they saved thousands of dollars. They admit they were a bit worried that I might suggest replacing the tile floor. But since they are great readers of Houston House & Home they knew that I try to work with what the client has. “Your visit exceeded our expectations as you viewed the other rooms in the house and worked to get an overall view of our design preferences and work within our modest budget,” Kristina explained. The hardest thing for the couple was visualizing the overall color scheme
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