So we’ve held our horses for a few years now, but the day when sledge hammer meets decrepit broken down cabinet is fast approaching. The budget is still tight, but there finally is one. It just might be enough if we watch the spending and take advantage of some of the steals & deals you can find if you really do your homework.
Inspiration Image found on Pinterest and originally from: BHG.com
To my great surprise, my tastes have changed since I first proclaimed the kitchen that would one day be mine back in 09. Now I’m kind of glad we didn’t have the budget at the time. I’m not sure I could have handled that high color look for long. Some mornings you’re just not in the zone for all that.
Vintage Eclectic — With a Splash of Color
I’ve always been a suspicious fan of the pure eclectic look. It always looked fun, in a blindfolded bungee jumping sort of way, but I’ve never been brave enough to really go for it. My feelings for the pure vintage look are much the same. I like it, but how much vintage can we really mix-in without things just seeming, er, vintage. Downton Abbey has helped.
Enter “Vintage Eclectic”, a style that combines the two and allows for a fun kitschy look without going full-on hoarder or “what would grandma do?”
5 Design Elements For My New Kitchen
Open Shelves
Part of the eclectic look is the idea of having your stuff “out there” where you can see it. That works perfectly with my budgetary constraints because open shelves are much less costly than enclosed cabinets.
Some Soft Colors
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While I may have backed off from the colorbomb of a kitchen I had my heart set-on back in the day, we’ll still want to include some light touches of color such as this soft yellow open shelving unit from Sauder and maybe a subdued tile on the backsplash walls.
A Mix of Surfaces
I prefer a kitchen that doesn’t look like it was designed for a model home just last week. By that I mean kitchens where every counter is the same granite or every cabinet door the exact same finish. A mix of surfaces, such as using one counter on the main cabinets and a different surface on the island cabinet makes things look more real and inviting. IMHO.
Vintage Look Hardware & Fixtures
One of my most favorite things in all the world is the vintage looking filament light-bulbs. I’ll get some fixtures that feature really cool bulbs and let the rest flow out from there. I think a cool vintagey toaster would be nice too. This light fixture is from Restoration Hardware.
DIY Components
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The possibilities of what you can actually make/assemble yourself nowadays is vastly increased. An email from Sauder, the company that invented Ready-to-Assemble furniture and made some of the first furniture I ever owned as an adult, opened my eyes to just how much furniture you can find and how much money you can save by assembling it yourself. I read that they put six new designs out every week! You can get some great ideas and inspiration at Sauder’s Pinterest Page.
You Do Need a Budget But it Need Not Be Ginormous
The bottom line, which I hope to prove very soon is that you can get a beautiful new kitchen on a tight budget by taking advantage of some of the lower cost but better looking products and getting creative with a mix of older/found items and newer parts mixed in.
I wonder how low can you go? If you’ve got a low-budget kitchen remodel to share, please let me know. I need all the inspiration I can get!
~ Tim
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Sauder Woodworking. The opinions and text are all mine.