Budget Makeovers

SEE HOW A FEW SMART CHOICES CAN HELP YOU GET YOUR OWN DREAM KITCHEN, AT A PRICE YOU CAN AFFORD

LOW-COST, HIGHIMPACT DETAILS Special touches like handmade tiles in a small area and dry goods storage on an island end add personality without a huge investment.

FROM BASIC GALLEY TO FAMILYFRIENDLY GREAT ROOM

When homeowners Mer and Ollie were ready to give their L.A. bungalow the open-plan kitchen and living area their young family needed, they turned to Los Angeles interior designer Velinda Hellen for help.

Combining the existing builder-grade galley kitchen with adjacent living areas and creating the colorful farmhousebohemian look the owners wanted was the " easy " part. Fitting all that function and style into a fairly tight budget presented a challenge.

To get the job done, Hellen walked a "highlow " tightrope throughout the project, splurging on handmade tiles and a reclaimed wood pantry door, for example, but saving on the cabinets by pairing Ikea cabinet boxes with paintable

COST-CUTTING MOVES Keeping the existing fridge and choosing lowerpriced engineered wood flooring helped keep the budget in check. FROM DINGY AND DATED TO BRIGHT AND BOLD

Interior designer Brady Tolbert' s Los Angeles rental kitchen started out as a cramped, characterless space with worn vinyl floors, old appliances, and not enough storage. With a lot of vision and a little DIY elbow grease, he transformed the compact kitchen into a bright and welcoming workspace.

Tolbert' s first step was to upgrade the floors using peeland-stick tiles in a black and white checkerboard pattern— a project he completed on a weekend afternoon. Next, everything from the baseboards to the ceiling got a fresh coat of paint: Benjamin Moore ' s Simply White. He swapped out the refrigerator for a retro-style model from

BEFORE

Smeg— "It fit the 1920s architecture of the building, " he says—but kept the old range.

Installing new light fixtures and adding open shelves over the sink completed the shoestring transformation.

COSMETIC UPDATES Taking on easy DIY projects made a dramatic difference, no reno required.

doors from Semihandmade. She also factored in the longevity of her choices: The quartz countertops, for one, cost more upfront but should stand up to years of use.

The result is a hardworking, easy-living space with a custom look—but without a custom price tag.