kitchen reveal: smart budget improvements with awesome lighting

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I don’t know about you, but I seem to spend a lot of my time in the kitchen.  And in order to make better use of that space, I have details I need to have in order to cook and bake deliciousness out of that kitchen. You’re like that right?  Well, my requirements are minimalistic but realistic. It’s gotta be feng shuied, easy to move around in, functional, organized and have great lighting.  Minor musts, right?  Hubs can also tell you that the first thing I do when I move in to a new place is getting the kitchen organized so I can start cooking and getting a feel of the space.  This place was no exception.  The best thing of all, I did it without breaking the bank and you can too.  Here’s the reward for our hard work in our kitchen reveal: smart budget improvements with awesome lighting!

This wasn’t my first kitchen cabinet makeover rodeo.  As a matter of fact, this is the 4th time I’ve redone kitchen cabinets through the years.  These however, were the more labor intense.

They required removing veneer off the majority of the exterior cabinet framing.  Along with the intense amount of glue.  Which meant scraping and sanding before any painting could begin. Requiring a whole lot more time than I wanted to spend on this project.  So here are some “before”.

There are still some changes to come, like new flooring, different backsplash, new light fixture above sink area, and I have a project in mind for the cabinet space above the stove area.  Those are all further down my list though.  For now, I am going to enjoy the hard work we put into this lovely space.  

About the lighting…

 The lighting in the kitchen consisted of a ceiling fan with lights and recessed lighting above the sink area, that was it.  In the evenings or early mornings it’s difficult seeing with such limited lighting.  

UNDER CABINET LIGHTING:  Several years ago I had purchased some under cabinet lighting that was inexpensive (Ikea), and had never used them.  I installed those and now that allows for very nice lighting when needed for work but also allows a neat glow in the evening so you don’t have to have the entire kitchen lit up.

I wanted something totally cool and different with substantial lighting since  the island workspace will be used for lots of food prep.  So a little thinking outside the box came into play when I saw this beautiful table with great detailing.

The price was right ($99) and then all I needed to do was find a light fixture that would be compatible, that had the right dimensions, and would give off sufficient lighting.  I chose this 3 light pendant fixture ($97).  ($200 for a substantial sized light fixture is a great price.)

Boo is pretty handy and with his help, I knew we could make it work.  When the table arrived, I set aside the table legs (to be used on another project) and Boo drilled holes for the anchor bolts and the center hole on the table top.  See below.

more views…

WHAT WE DID:  

stripped cabinet veneer

painted cabinets (homemade chalk paint / milk white)

changed out some hardware

removed wallpaper

painted walls (color: Tradewind /Sherwin Williams)

new kitchen island (see previous post on that)

under cabinet lighting

removed ceiling fan & replaced with new lighting

kitchen reveal: smart budget improvements with awesome lighting

Have I mentioned that this is one of my favorite rooms in our home now?  It’s the perfect place for not only our family meals, holiday cooking & baking, but for great breakfasts for our guests at the Peppermill B&B!  I also love that people can now gather around the island or pitch in during meal planning!  

If you’re not following us at www.peppermillbnb.com you need to check out the greatest little B&B in the quaintest little Midwest town.  But improvements and renovations don’t have to be expensive.  You’ll find that a new paint color and being creative on re-purposing pieces to create new can make quite the statement and can most times be quite budget-friendly.

What remains to be done in the kitchen?  Sink lighting (gotta find something unique). Followed by the painting, decorating and organization of the butlers pantry.  For right now it’s back to finishing up the remodel of one of our bathrooms.

Happy week to y’all and subscribe to both my sites.  You can see the progress on our 100 year old home, get future updates, great recipes & be inspired with creative DIY’s!  Thank you for following along~