It looks great! I especially love the hanging latterns above the island.

It just goes to show that you don't need a huge budget to make a big difference. It looks fantastic! Great job!

I agree, looks fantastic! Love the light walls and cabinet colors and the window treatments! Congrats on finding so many attractive things on a budget.

I think it looks fantastic! What a transformation. So warm and inviting now. Congratulations!!

you made REALLY nice choices. but i'm a sucker for bell jars! congratulations on a job (very) well done and enjoy your new kitchen. it's beautiful!

Looks great...hard to believe so much of it was only cosmetic!

Aren't you clever! Nice job of watching, listening, thinking. Too bad the old Modest and Quirky thread is buried. This would really help others who are looking to maximize their dollar.

Seriously great return on your investment. Your kitchen is so nice now and no one would guess the budget part if you did not tell them...

I love it! I am looking at a similar layout if I would flip flop my kitchen and mbr. I wondered what you would have changed if the budget had allowed because I could so see myself in your kitchen!

You did it! Looks fantastic! If you ever get tired of that Roman shade, you've got my email! I'll take it off your hands!

This does NOT look like a 'budget remodel.' It looks completely new and elegant. Nice job!!! Very nice choices and such an improvement.

Other than wishing your 'after' pics were a little bit larger (like the 'before' pics) so the details can be better viewed, very nice job!

It appears that you learned very well from the informative postings/comments on this forum.

Congrats for a job well done!

Pepper
~ Sheetrock is now being sanded! Yippeee! *achoo*

This looks perfect to me, not a "this will do" kitchen! You have transformed it! The crimson roman shades add just the right touch.

I love the lanterns above the cooktop. I've always admired that style. Are they difficult to clean?

Thanks for all of the comments! It really is nice to have other people say that it looks good!
camarodreamer - If I had the budget, I would have taken out the soffit completely and installed new cabinets that went all the way to the ceiling. I also don't have a "work triangle" that everyone talks about - my stove is on the same wall as the sink. It's not usually a problem because I can never seem to get anyone else do do dishes while I am cooking, hence I am never bumping into anyone, but if I could have started from scratch I would have separated the sink and cooking areas a bit. We couldn't afford to move anything.
If you want to see the pictures a bit bigger, they also live on my blog at http://angaxelrod.blogspot.com
NancyAustin - the lanterns are kinda difficult to clean. I just use a little hand duster to get around the inside but if I need to windex them its quite the process!

Here is a link that might be useful: Blog with finished kitchen pics

Beautiful and elegant remodel! I've always admired those individuals who refinish old cabinets....a simple coat of paint (or I should say, multiple coats) makes them look brand new! Love the bell jars and your repurposing of the open cabinet.

I think you have failed. You were supposed to do a "this will have to do remodel". I think you made a dream kitchen. Looks great! Brava!

Hi Ang...

The moment I saw your kitchen I thought of clergychick's! Her's is one of my favorite's and yours has some of the same touches..the touches of red...the tropical brown granite. I think it looks great! Really nicely done...
KA:)

WOW. So amazing, it doesn't scream budget to me. Excellent and inspiring job.

Wow, that is great! I love the lanterns too. It really doesn't seem like you skimped on anything! Great Job!

this looks amazing! nothing looks like this-will-do. you made wonderful choices. makes a bigger budget just seem a bit ridiculous. congratulations. :)

Great job--it's beautiful! Love your bell jar lanterns and the roman shade. You did a fabulous job on the cabinets. But weren't you just a bit sad to see the pink ceramic tile go? ;)

::thud::

Drop dead gorgeous, great job!

Very nice! I like your color choice, they make the room feel warm and inviting.

Oh, that looks fantastic! It doesn't look budget to me in the least! You did such a wonderful job--I bet you love being in your new kitchen and are cooking up a storm! (Or just sitting in a chair and staring at how lovely it is!)

Congratulations on an amazing "makeover"!

Ditto all the remarks along the lines of "that's a BUDGET remodel?" It's brilliant. Congrats.

Absolutely gorgeous, and if you hadn't confessed to it being a limited budget redo, no one would be able to tell! Great job!

Wow, what a transformation! Great job -- looks like you spent a lot!

So beautiful. I cannot believe that it's a budget kitchen! Just amazing! Enjoy your hard work and fantastic vision.

I've flipped back and forth about a dozen times to see if those are really all the same cabs! You've done an amazing job of transforming your kitchen! I love the cabs and light fixtures. And that roman shade is just the right finishing touch. Enjoy!

Your kitchen looks marvelous - what a great transformation! You should be really proud of the work you've done because it's both beautiful AND welcoming.

That looks absolutely fabulous. I am envious of all of you that have a workable "before" and don't have to spend too much to get a beautiful kitchen. =Great job!

Wow, what great inspiration for others that are doing "budget" remodels. I'd have never guessed if you hadn't said so. Nice! Leveling out the island top really opens up the space. Beautiful, beautiful job!

Cj

Wow! It's just beautiful! I can't imagine what your would do with a dream kitchen! I also ditto the other remarks about this NOT being just "have to do" remodel. Awesome job!

Amazing update. Your kitchen is just beautiful. Truly inspirational. You made such great choices and all of the details are perfect.

Really awesome job!!!

Excellent job! Looks very rich :)

First of all, thanks so much for the kind comments! It really makes me feel happy that you can't tell it was done on a budget!
I've gotten a couple of questions about how this is a budget remodel, so here's how I saved money and a brief price breakdown:

Layout - didn't change anything. This is where I saved the most money. When we bought the house I had grand ideas about gutting and starting fresh, putting in double wall ovens, a prep sink in the island, etc....then reality struck and I realized I didn't have the money for that kind of overhaul unless I won the lottery. The layout isn't too terrible. No "work triangle" but overall it works. We kept everything in place. No changes in appliances, plumbing, etc.

Cabinets - didn't change them out. Kept old 1989 cabinets and had them painted. I did have professional painters do it, they came in, took off the cabinet doors, drawer fronts and garage door and took them back to their shop and sprayed them in BM Decorator's White. It cost about $1000 to have them do this and come in and paint the side panels in place.

Countertops- tropical brown granite - total cost was $4300 installed and that included the stainless undermount sink and tearing out the old counters. That was my big splurge, but it was still cheaper than most of the other granite colors. I figured if I splurged on the countertops it would make the rest of the kitchen look a little more elegant! I searched GW for granite info and found lots of advice that was absolutely priceless, including a great post by Stonegirl that should be bumped to the first page for eternity.

Drawer/Cabinet pulls - I got these from Menards, a Midwestern home improvement chain similar to Home Depot but less expensive. Total cost for all of them was under $200.

Faucet - got it on sale from a local plumbing supply company - $250

Lanterns above island - Overstock.com - These were only $166 a piece, and I think they also give the kitchen a more glamorous look!

Construction work (replacing soffit lighting, taking out fluorescent light box, leveling out island to one level, labor on backsplash)- I hired 2 guys to do the work at $25/hour. I had seen their work before and they worked with the granite supplier/fabricator on many jobs so it was nice that they all had a good working relationship. I saved money by doing the cleanup every night so I didn�t have to pay them to do it. They worked pretty fast and I�m really happy with the work they did. I would definitely hire them again. I think total labor cost was $1500.

Backsplash - Daltile Rittenhouse Square subway tile in arctic white semi gloss. I looked up many threads on GW for backsplashes and settled on this because of the classic look and cost! $250 for materials, took the tile guy about 8 hours to do it.

Adams Counterstools were from Target.com, not Pottery Barn. I liked the look in the PB catalog but found the lookalikes at Target. I have 2 little boys that are very rough on furniture so I didn't want to spend a lot. Plus, I was on a budget. I think they were $78 a piece.

Kitchen table & chairs from Kmart. $229 for table and 4 chairs. Surprisingly, shockingly well-made. Kmart doesn't suck as much as I thought!

Appliances- the range was kind of a splurge, it was about $2000. But I cook a lot and justified the expense. Fridge was on sale. Dishwasher on sale as well, it's okay, if I had to do it over again I maybe would have forked over a little more money for a better dishwasher. Apparently Maytag and I have different definitions of the word "quiet".

Window Treatment - I think that roman shade from Smith + Noble was about $200. Oh, how I wish I could sew better...

Thanks again! This forum is AWESOME!!!

You've got talent!!

Just outstanding as an example of how to keep a functional kitchen and make it utterly glam without spending a fortune.

Wow! Incredible transformation. You've got excellent taste and added just the right details to make your kitchen look anything but 'budget'. Enjoy!

Searching for cabinets painted in Decorators White.. So glad I stumbled upon your post of your kitchen. Looks warm, inviting. Nicely done. I am going to have professionals do mine. I don't want to tackle a big job like this....

Your pics are nice, however, the true color of your cabinets don't shine through. Can you post up dated pics? Would really appreciate it.