Before and After: 3 Kitchen Remodels in 185 Square Feet or Less
Refaced cabinets, clever storage and better layouts make these kitchens feel bigger, brighter and more functional
When remodeling a kitchen that’s small or moderately sized, it’s important to make every square inch count. The designers of these kitchen makeovers refaced cabinets, introduced lighter color palettes and boosted storage to create spaces that are updated, brighter and more user-friendly.
Check out the before-and-after photos of these three kitchen makeovers that are 185 square feet or less, then let us know which one you think saw the biggest gains.
Check out the before-and-after photos of these three kitchen makeovers that are 185 square feet or less, then let us know which one you think saw the biggest gains.
After: The cabinet boxes were in good shape, so Narum had the doors and drawer fronts removed and new cabinet doors and drawers made by Decore-ative Specialties, a custom cabinetmaker in Southern California. The painter painted the box frames and exposed sides to match the new cabinet doors.
“Refacing is probably 25% of our business,” Narum says. “It’s one of those options that we like to present for people who don’t want to spend as much. It’s much more cost-effective. You can still get all the benefits of a new kitchen without gutting it.”
The new doors and drawer fronts are Shaker style and made of paint-grade maple. The custom Benjamin Moore paint is tan with green undertones. The homeowners chose stainless steel cabinet handles to match their appliances.
“They are not people who like white. They like the warm, homey, earthy tones,” Narum says.
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“Refacing is probably 25% of our business,” Narum says. “It’s one of those options that we like to present for people who don’t want to spend as much. It’s much more cost-effective. You can still get all the benefits of a new kitchen without gutting it.”
The new doors and drawer fronts are Shaker style and made of paint-grade maple. The custom Benjamin Moore paint is tan with green undertones. The homeowners chose stainless steel cabinet handles to match their appliances.
“They are not people who like white. They like the warm, homey, earthy tones,” Narum says.
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Before: Before the renovation, the homeowners hated the heavy lazy Susan cabinet to the right of the oven. It wouldn’t stay shut, and sometimes it would swing around and hit people.
The former countertop and backsplash were covered in a pinkish tan ceramic tile and the floor was Marmoleum.
The former countertop and backsplash were covered in a pinkish tan ceramic tile and the floor was Marmoleum.
After: Narum converted the joint cabinet into two cabinets. One is now a swing-out blind-corner cabinet, shown here, that the couple use to store their measuring cups and bowls.
The countertop is Cambria engineered quartz in the Berkeley design. It has burgundy flecks that match the dark red in the backsplash. The new porcelain backsplash tile is from Fireclay Tile.
The countertop is Cambria engineered quartz in the Berkeley design. It has burgundy flecks that match the dark red in the backsplash. The new porcelain backsplash tile is from Fireclay Tile.
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The other part is now a trash and recycling pullout that offers easy access and removes the need for a trash can that takes up floor space.
Read more about this kitchen remodel
Read more about this kitchen remodel
2. Bigger and Bluer
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Chris Harmount and his teenage daughter
Location: Capitola, California
Size: 179 square feet (17 square meters)
Designer: Shannon Demma of Urbana Design Studio
Before: The homeowner is a busy firefighter and single dad who lives with his teenage daughter in this 920-square-foot, two-bedroom cottage near the beach in Capitola, California. He hired designer Shannon Demma to help update the kitchen’s worn cabinets, funky range and hard-to-clean tile countertop. Demma created a more cook-friendly layout with new appliances and a fresh color palette inspired by the beach.
A single small window over the sink in the existing kitchen didn’t let in much Northern California sunshine. A short peninsula divided the space, creating a narrow 102-square-foot kitchen and a tight dining area.
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Chris Harmount and his teenage daughter
Location: Capitola, California
Size: 179 square feet (17 square meters)
Designer: Shannon Demma of Urbana Design Studio
Before: The homeowner is a busy firefighter and single dad who lives with his teenage daughter in this 920-square-foot, two-bedroom cottage near the beach in Capitola, California. He hired designer Shannon Demma to help update the kitchen’s worn cabinets, funky range and hard-to-clean tile countertop. Demma created a more cook-friendly layout with new appliances and a fresh color palette inspired by the beach.
A single small window over the sink in the existing kitchen didn’t let in much Northern California sunshine. A short peninsula divided the space, creating a narrow 102-square-foot kitchen and a tight dining area.
After: Demma eliminated the peninsula, which allowed her to extend the kitchen into the former dining area. This design move increased the size of the kitchen by 77 square feet and also freed up room for a hefty eat-in island.
A new double-casement window lets in more natural light. The soothing blue wall paint (Borrowed Light by Farrow & Ball) also brightens the space and kicks off a watery, beachy theme.
A new double-casement window lets in more natural light. The soothing blue wall paint (Borrowed Light by Farrow & Ball) also brightens the space and kicks off a watery, beachy theme.
Before: This photo shows the tight and awkward layout of the old kitchen. The commercial-grade range came with the house and the previous range hood looked dated.
After: Eliminating the peninsula allowed Demma to add an extended run of cabinetry on the range wall and create countertop space on either side of the stove. “He had no counter space before, so this was huge,” Demma says. “We also left some room on both sides of the hood to give that area some breathing space and let the backsplash become a focal point.”
The new pro-style 36-inch range and streamlined range hood allow the new backsplash to shine through. The backsplash tiles include a mix of sand-colored 3½-by-12-inch matte glass tiles with some watery-blue tiles inserted at random spots to bolster the beach theme.
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The new pro-style 36-inch range and streamlined range hood allow the new backsplash to shine through. The backsplash tiles include a mix of sand-colored 3½-by-12-inch matte glass tiles with some watery-blue tiles inserted at random spots to bolster the beach theme.
Read more about this kitchen remodel
3. The Power of Refaced Cabinets
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A nurse practitioner
Location: Philadelphia
Size: 140 square feet (13 square meters); 14 by 10 feet
Design consultant: Joe Rayesky of Kitchen Magic
Before: After more than a decade living in her 1850s-built brownstone, this homeowner was ready to give her kitchen an upgrade. She felt her previous kitchen’s midtone oak cabinets and dark brown granite countertops were too basic and blended together too much. The apartment has an open layout, so she wanted the kitchen to look brighter, nicer and a little more fun.
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A nurse practitioner
Location: Philadelphia
Size: 140 square feet (13 square meters); 14 by 10 feet
Design consultant: Joe Rayesky of Kitchen Magic
Before: After more than a decade living in her 1850s-built brownstone, this homeowner was ready to give her kitchen an upgrade. She felt her previous kitchen’s midtone oak cabinets and dark brown granite countertops were too basic and blended together too much. The apartment has an open layout, so she wanted the kitchen to look brighter, nicer and a little more fun.
After: The existing oak cabinets were good quality, so the homeowner chose to reface them instead of installing new cabinets, a design move that cut her costs about in half.
The design team at Kitchen Magic removed the original warped drawers and cabinet doors. The homeowner then chose a new style of drawer and door front that features a more severe, squared-off Shaker-style edge than the original rounded-trim piece. She chose a crisp white color for the upper cabinets and a grayish navy blue for the lowers.
With the doors and drawers removed, the original cabinet boxes were given a light sanding, then wiped clean. The design team applied colored laminate veneer to the boxes with adhesive. With the new drawers and doors installed, the cabinets look brand-new.
The design team at Kitchen Magic removed the original warped drawers and cabinet doors. The homeowner then chose a new style of drawer and door front that features a more severe, squared-off Shaker-style edge than the original rounded-trim piece. She chose a crisp white color for the upper cabinets and a grayish navy blue for the lowers.
With the doors and drawers removed, the original cabinet boxes were given a light sanding, then wiped clean. The design team applied colored laminate veneer to the boxes with adhesive. With the new drawers and doors installed, the cabinets look brand-new.
The homeowner wanted a clean, simple backsplash but knew she didn’t want subway tile because she felt it had become too common. Instead, she chose a ceramic tile featuring a random pattern of light and dark rectangular pieces in different sizes.
New brushed nickel cabinet hardware and white quartz countertops with flecks of gray add to the remodeled kitchen’s fresh new look.
Read more about this kitchen remodel
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Before and After: 4 Dreamy White-and-Wood Kitchens
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New brushed nickel cabinet hardware and white quartz countertops with flecks of gray add to the remodeled kitchen’s fresh new look.
Read more about this kitchen remodel
More on Houzz
Before and After: 4 Dreamy White-and-Wood Kitchens
Find a kitchen designer near you
Shop for kitchen appliances
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A retired couple
Location: Alameda, California
Size: 185 square feet (17 square meters)
Designer: Lisa Narum of Custom Kitchens by John Wilkins
Before: The owners of this San Francisco Bay Area home liked their kitchen layout but felt the finishes needed updating. To give the kitchen a fresh look, designer Lisa Narum suggested refacing the cabinets rather than doing a full renovation. New countertops, flooring, backsplash and a new fridge and dishwasher further transformed the kitchen.
Prior to the renovation, the cabinet fronts had a raised decorative molding that was a bit out of place in the couple’s Spanish-style home. “They wanted something that was a little bit cleaner, more true to the house,” Narum says.
To be good candidates for refacing, Narum says, cabinets should have solid wood boxes in good condition. The homeowners wanted painted cabinets, and fortunately the existing boxes were made of birch, a wood whose grain doesn’t show through paint. “If they were oak cabinets, we would have had to do a lot more prep work and painting,” Narum says.
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