I thought I would share how we managed to transform our ugly kitchen on a budget as well as giving it some much needed personality. I set aside just £1500 to do up the kitchen including the costs of accessories and appliances which seemed like a tall order as the kitchen was pretty dyer! You can check out before photos here.
So how did we manage our money
We decided there were elements of the kitchen we could save or remodel without having to rip the whole room out and start again. We saved the cupboard fronts and units and just updated the handles, added end panels which George added groves to make them look the same as the original cupboard doors, the biggest change was getting rid of old laminated worktops and changing them for these beautiful oak tops which George cut to size and added oak up-stand this small change really made the whole kitchen transform.
For the oven area we just cleaned up the old tiles and re-grouted them keeping the oven and hob tops. The sink area was really bad with scratched stainless steal sink and peeling laminate top, after shopping around we decided on the white ceramic sink and Chrome tap from Ikea. I love the new sink area it looks so clean and pretty!
Invest in one or two statement pieces
For us our oven was actually ok its not too offence to look at and it works perfectly so we decided to invest in the Swan blue fridge freezer as for until now we have been using a second hand fridge placed ontop of a second hand freezer. I really loved the retro feel but also after researching into many different brands this one had super good reviews and we knew it would be a worth spending a little more on something that we would take with us to our next home so we felt it was ok to spend a little money on it.
Accessorize to make your makeover appear more expensive
For me accessory's are one of the most important elements to styling a room and injecting in some personality. We decided on some open shelving so I could display some of my china and glassware, not only does this offer some much needed storage but it acts as the statement wall working alongside the pale blue perfect fridge freezer of course!
Flowers and plants
Its lovely to have fresh flowers and plants around and bring some colour and texture into areas of the room, it also balances out and helps to frame the different sections - for example adding the orchid to the left hand side of the sink helps to give a little height to balance out the clock on the right hand side but also adds another texture to the wood,glass,ceramic and chrome.
Artwork
I decided on having clean white painted walls to allow the oak to take centre stage! but I did want to add some interest to certain areas and why not add artwork to your kitchen?! Grouping art is a good idea rather than having just one piece that can look lost.
Lets talk money
Fridge - £469
Oak worktops - £369
Oak shelves - £63
Flooring - £149
Sink/tap - £145
Accessories (including small appliances/barstools/artwork) - £170
All comes to the total of - £1365!
Which is actually under budget however I do still need to choose a microwave! Obviously one of the biggest savings was the fact that we didn't pay for labour and with the help of friends and family George was able to do everything himself, however I do have a few tips of how you can keep to a budget!
- Shop around - I know it sounds simple but seriously the price for one item can vary massively! I know when we were looking for our fridge/freezer I found it for sale for £150 more than what we actually ended up paying, so defiantly take the time to do your research!
- Set up a Top cash back account and buy everything through the website! Even if its something you want to buy in store you can pay through the website and click and collect. Basically you just type in the website you want to shop on in the search bar and it will redirect and log your visit so when you pay you will receive what ever cashback is rewarded at that time. For example we received £24.92 back when buying our fridge just by spending an extra second going through top cash back! It might not seem like a massive amount but when you are renovating an entire home it all adds up! and you can leave the money in the account to mount up or withdraw it to your bank account once the cash back has cleared.
- Use a mix of old/new/cheaper and more expensive items, this works really well if done correctly- for example we went for cheaper smaller appliances in the same pale blue but you would never know that the toaster and kettle were only £15 each because paired with the other items it gives a more expensive look. Also if your able to up-cycle elements for example the cupboard units then this can save you so much money but still completely transform the room.
I hope this might help some of you , as it is a super stressful time buying and doing up your first home and financially super scary but you dont have to spend a lot to make a huge difference.
