idea notebook
The $12K Kitchen Makeover Smart buys (and tons of white paint)
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turned a drab room into a dream. 3
Call it a happy accident. Though Jennifer Rizzo despised her dreary, 154-square-foot kitchen, the Chicago-area mom had decided not to remodel until all three of her daughters were in school. Then disaster struck. “A pipe burst under the sink,” Rizzo explains, “ruining the floor and lower cabinets.” Forced to make repairs, she decided to design her fantasy kitchen—for less than $12,000. Most of that went toward custom cabinets (to match the existing ones), wood floors, and labor to install both. Rizzo then saved by relying on Ikea’s affordable oak counters and furniture found on Craigslist. White paint also made a big difference for very little. “This room used to be a cave,” she says. “Now we don’t even need to turn on the lights.” —JOURDAN CROUCH
This silver-plated tray strikes a luxe note and serves as a spot for holding recipes: Just add magnets!
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BEFORE
62 . COUN T RY L I V I N G.C O M . SEPTEMB E R 20 11
bright idea!
bright idea!
Pocket watches provide a petite take on the standard wall clock.
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BEFORE
1. Get stainless steel without going broke. A number of affordable appliance manufacturers now offer models almost identical to their high-end counterparts. Rizzo snapped up her Kenmore dishwasher on sale for $400; she inherited the General Electric stove from a relative. (Dishwasher, $549.99; sears.com for stores)
PHOTOGRAPHS BY JONNY VALIANT; STYLING BY HEATHER CHONTOS
2. Embrace little imperfections. Rizzo relished the opportunity to swap her laminate floors for hardwood—but saved more than $1,000 with grade 2 red oak, which shows natural flaws. “I actually love every single knot,” she says. 3. Unify everything with white paint. To ensure that the new bottom cabinets matched the old upper units, Rizzo painted both with Benjamin Moore’s Linen White—a move that lightened up the whole kitchen. ($37.99 per gallon; myperfectcolor.com) 4. Make the natural choice. Rizzo ditched her laminate countertops in favor of Ikea’s affordable oak option—which cost just $800 total and can be sanded down when cooking blunders occur. (From $169 for 96 7/8"L; ikea.com) 5. Create a “real room” feel. Rizzo replaced one wall of cabinets with a $200 hutch scored on Craigslist. She also hung a vintage chandelier, rewired for $45, to bring a sense of opulence to the space.