Kitchen Makeover!

Y'all know that I have been dying for a kitchen makeover, kind of like a kitchen facelift.  I love my little house, but I have always hated the kitchen.  There is great functionality, but I've always hated how it looked.  Well my dear husband PROMISED that I could have my kitchen makeover before Madeline was born, so this summer I knew we had to get to work.

My budget was $2000, but my secret is that through amazing friends and family who were able to get us some fantastic discounts, I had a FULL kitchen facelift for only $1300, including a new range vent, sink and faucet!  If you include the new stovetop we got about a year ago, then it was only $1800!  Now that is what I call staying on budget!

Here is the before! It was awful.  The countertop was a nice quality laminate but it also was the backsplash.  The color was nice neutral beige, but the red hues in the cabinets made it look pink.  Maybe you're different than me, but I wasn't so keen on pink countertops.  The sink was only 6" deep, which means I couldn't hardly wash dishes without water getting everywhere. 

So here was the plan.  Instead of replacing the countertops (because they were in great shape), we had a contractor come in and use epoxy paint to create a neutral stone look.  At only $300 for the full kitchen, it saved us a great deal of money!  At the same time, we had the laminate backsplash removed.

Next step was to paint the cabinets.  I still don't know how we did it, but we painted the entire kitchen in only a weekend!  We used Sherwin Williams ProClassic water based paint.  It was amazing!  It had the great quality of oil based, but drys quickly like a water based.  It was a huge time-saver and I loved the result.  Of course we sanded and primed them first.  Another huge time saver on this was a paint sprayer.  We removed all of the cabinets and drawers and while I was inside painting, Brant was spraying all of the doors & drawers. 

Primed and ready for the 1st coat of paint!

I chose the paint color based on the countertops.  I looked for a darker color because I didn't want it so light in color that I had to repaint the walls.  I chose a Sherwin Williams color Down Home.  I LOVED the way it turned out. It worked to well with the countertops.  Here is a closeup! 

 And the last step, the tile backsplash.  We wanted another light and neutral tile color, but I wanted a "pop" so I added some small 2x2" accent tiles.  We chose Daltile Brixton in the stone color.  Brant and I decided that a diamond pattern was great to add some elegance.

And then it was complete!  I have to tell yall that I LOVE my new kitchen.  It feels so much more open and bright.  The darker cabinets made it feel so small, but now anymore!  With all the finishing touches, here is my new kitchen!

 Want to see a side-by-side comparison??? What do you think?  Do you love my new kitchen, too?