Bright Family Kitchen DIY Under $500

Written by Brooke Berry; Photo: Courtesy of Brooke Berry

You move into a new house and want to change a few things. You have three young kids and your husband is working long days, so you wait a while and spread it out over the weekends, right? Not for this mom. Wielding power tools and decorating skills, the cabinets were painted, the countertops replaced or painted into a new finish.

How to renovate your kitchen by yourself and on a budget

I used my Air Miles^® and got about $400 in RONA dollars. I shopped clearance, made all my artwork and did all the renovation work by myself.

I found and purchased everything I could on Kijiji… seriously! I bought the yellow table for $25 with four chairs. I was able to sell the chairs for the same price so the table was free. I used some spare primer and paint I had in the basement. The new chairs from Kijiji were $10 a chair!

I made the faux Roman shade from some leftover fabric I had from a previous project. I would love to get some pretty fabric that is colorful, but that will have to wait until I find the perfect one.

I bought both the dishwasher and stove on clearance for killer prices. I mean, seriously, low… I still haven’t found a fridge for a good enough clearance yet, so it will have to wait.

I painted the toaster yellow so it could be a nice bright accent in my kitchen, and it worked like a charm! I made most of the artwork in the kitchen. We got the sweet VW sign for free. We bought the Dr. Pepper sign on Vancouver Island a couple of summers ago, so it was just hanging out in the basement, ready to be put to good use.

I got the wood countertops at IKEA. They were on clearance as they are no longer carrying this exact type. I finished them in minwax stain and five coats of waterlox topcoat.

I used my RONA money for the breadboard, trim, track lights and some other projects around the house.

I bought three gallons of paint and used it all from Sherwin-Williams^® at their 40 per cent off sale. This is the best way to buy paint because it is cheaper than buying at the big box stores.

Sources

Yellow Toaster: DIY project - $10

Chandelier: Lowe’s^® clearance - $25

Wood Countertops: IKEA clearance - $120

Kitchen Sink: Costco^® Wholesale

Faucet: $99 from PlumbingOverstock

Roman Shade: DIY from scrap fabric

Table: $25 for table (which ended up being free) and $40 for chairs

Dining Chairs: $10 each - Kijiji

Hoodfan: Kijiji - $40

Brooke is an interior designer, and mom to three boys. You can read more of her ideas on her design blog, www.brooklynberrydesigns.com.