DIY Farmhouse Kitchen Remodel

Did you know that Clint and I have only lived in big cities, but recently we moved to a small town (population 713)? It's kind of amazing and we are in a little bit of culture shock!

We are now the proud owners of 7 acres on A MOUNTAIN. It's insanity. We own the top of a mountain. Gives me chills!

Anyways, we plan on starting a garden in the spring along with getting some chickens and bees! It's a brave new world out here (and so many bugs). But for now... it's remodeling time! 

The house is gorgeous but it is a bit of an outdated mess. Nonetheless we are in love and we know we can make it into our dream house!

Using my right as the lady of the house I demanded a kitchen remodel first, but alas... kitchen remodels are hella expensive and I would have had to probably done some criminal activity to afford it. So we decided to DIY our kitchen remodel-- not only save some money, but to prove we could do it in an eco-friendly way!

We decided to focus on three affordable aspects that can make a big impact.

1. Paint
2. Create a unique focal point
3. Keep it simple

Paint Everything 

I love happy color, but this kitchen was a combo of yellow-red which made it look closed in and much smaller than it was. As an avid watcher of the show Fixer Upper, I know that light colors create a bigger space visually and that's what this kitchen needed.

We decided to paint the kitchen Silver Strand by Sherwin Williams which is this beautiful blue/green/gray color which somehow also seconds as a neutral. It's kind of amazing. If you haven't tried it-- you should. Beautiful!

Annnnnnd... then we painted the cabinets Alabaster by Sherwin Williams. 

Let me tell you something. Painting cabinets is no small task and can be quite labor intensive, but it can be so worth it! It will make a huge impact on your kitchen! 

You can get instructions on the DIY Network on how to paint your kitchen cabinets. Or.... you can pay someone else to do it if your budget allows, but I will warn you-- it's often four times more expensive than doing it yourself. 

Just be sure to use VOC free paint! After all those VOCs are pretty scary and they can be emitted from paint for YEARS. You can find out more about how to find low or no VOC in paints here.

HIPPIE TIP: If you want a certain feel to your kitchen, add a tsp of some essential oil to your paint cans. Since this house knew a lot of grief when the previous owner's husband passed away, I used Sage essential oil in many of my painting projects to remove any lingering grief or negativity. Other popular essential oils to use are Abundance, Lavender, and Joy. 

Not sure where to buy essential oil-- read this: Find Quality Essential Oil.

Create A Unique Focal Point 

No one wants a boring kitchen! You want a kitchen that represents you, right?! And this is such a fun and individualize thing to do! What do YOU want to be special about your kitchen?

It could be painting the island a fun color, having cool countertops installed, using recycled glass as an awesome backsplash, or anything else that fix your personality. But be careful not to choose multiple focal points or your kitchen may start to look too busy! 

We opted for open shelving! Why? It's inexpensive, frames my favorite window and it makes a huge impact. 

We used Ana White's plans to build our open shelves from scratch and it was really easy and very affordable! The only adjustments we made were to use slightly thicker shelves and we cut them to the size we wanted. If you go to Home Depot-- they will even cut it to whatever length you want for you for FREE! 

We ended up saving a few hundred dollars by doing it ourselves. We know because we got a quote from professionals and WOW! We love how they turned out and the super low DIY price tag! Depending on the quality of the wood and stain/paint you choose, you will probably be spending around $15-25 per shelf instead of the $150-200 per shelf to get them custom made and installed. I call that a WIN. 

Wood Stain: Espresso

Bracket Color: Albaster by Sherwin Williams

Find The Plans Here: Ana White

Keep It Simple

In the name of minimalism, we decided to keep things simple. We decided that would not use window treatments, change out the old hardware, or put a lot on stuff the counters. Not only did this save us some money, but I think the absence of window treatments really makes a difference in how much light comes into our kitchen and it makes the window look so much bigger! 

We also maximized space by taking out the microwave (it's toxic anyways). We re-purposed the microwave space for cookbooks and storage jars. It's deep so there are actually things behind those books like serving platters and bowls. Of course you don't have to do that-- just be creative with the space you have to maximize storage!

TIP: Pinterest is a great tool for looking for ideas on how to maximize your kitchen space!

How Much Does It Cost?

Well, your cost will depend on your kitchen, but it's pretty minimal in the scheme of things. Here is what to ask yourself.

• How big is the area of your kitchen that you want to paint? How many cans of paint will you need?
• Do you have a paintbrush and roller? Sanding paper? Primer for cabinets?
• Will you hire someone or do it yourself?
• What focal item will you use and what supplies will you need to finish that project?

Overall a similar project to ours could be done for just a few hundred dollars if you're willing to put in the elbow grease. To get someone else to paint the cabinets for you-- that will probably be at least $1,000-1,500 but that's still a lot cheaper than replacing them with new ones! 

Are we happy? YES! We are beyond thrilled with these changes and the cost to complete them! 

How have you remodeled your kitchen? What did you love the most about it? If you haven't remodeled yet, then I hope this helps you in your kitchen remodel! Cheers! 

QUESTION!!

Do you guys like knowing about our remodeling projects? Would you like to see more DIY ideas like painting furniture, making your own paint, upscaling thrift store purchases, or how to build a chicken coop, and so on?