Cozy Cafe´ Kitchen: Our Budget Makeover

Our cozy cafe´ kitchen makeover is finished! One year ago, I demoed my upper cabinets and backsplash without any plan or budget for a remodel. Then I lost motivation to even do a temporary fix and decided to just live with a wrecked kitchen. I even hosted a Christmas party with that kitchen! In late August, when the girls' birthdays were approaching, Hannah begged me to do something (anything) to the kitchen to make it cute, as she was hosting friends for her party. And if anything can motivate me to get projects done, it's my family, so I agreed to it and gave a kitchen update with my incredible inspiration.My goal was to get it done in two weeks...it took ten. Classic. Nevertheless, it's done, and I'm over the moon with how it turned out. I can't wait for you to read all about our cozy cafe´ kitchen makeover, and of course, I'm sharing all the sources. And if you'd like to know how much this makeover cost, you can read all about it in the budget breakdown post. 

Cozy Cafe´ Kitchen Makeover Reveal

Here's how the kitchen looked when we moved in:And how it looks today:Another angle from when we moved in:And today:The power of paint...and shiplap, no uppers, and working with what we had. I'm still amazed. Our original Black Tie Budget Makeover plans called for a tile backsplash, new countertops and appliances, and different flooring. But with the new challenges of a short timeline, doing the work ourselves, and keeping as much as we could to save money, this makeover was all about getting creative to take the focus off of those things. We did this with shiplap, Facebook Marketplace finds, and a whole lot of paint. Then I filled the space with beautiful, meaningful, functional pieces to bring the whole kitchen to life. Now, it's a space we not only like temporarily, but I think we'll love for a long time to come. 

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Here's What We Did

1. Removed the upper cabinets and existing (very old and greasy) hood. Bought a new hood and built a custom hood cover. Added vertical shiplap everywhere. Then painted it, along with the cabinets, Algonquin by Fusion Mineral Paint, and sealed everything with my favorite furniture sealer. We also changed out the hardware to these gorgeous unlacquered brass beauties. That alone was so much work, and it was pretty much all I got done before Hannah's birthday party.

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Little touches like this vintage brass planter and my grandma's tiny ceramic bird help this space have a sense of history and soul. And sweet details like these miniature brooms Noelle bought for me remind me of why I create beauty in my home. 

2. I made open shelves with peg rails and chunky brackets rather than floating shelves because I wanted something different, and this style fits our cottagey house. 

3. Framed out the window and added a cafe´ curtain with pinch rings. I have wanted a little curtain on our garden window since we moved in. It took two years, but I finally put one in. Leftover curtain fabric made this project a breeze, and though I had to wait a few weeks for the solid brass concealed cafe´ curtain rod, it was definitely worth the wait. Now we have just the right amount of privacy, light control, and character here. 

4. I am proud to say I installed a new faucet, and I can now add basic plumbing to my growing list of skills. The old one was leaky and crusty. It's so nice to have a clean, fresh faucet that works so much better than the old one, especially the sprayer. 

5. Removed a few recessed lights, skim coated the ceiling, and added mood lighting. Okay, these sconces need their own moment in this post. They are that good. Made by an incredible ceramicist on Etsy, these sconces were love at first sight for me. They were also surprisingly affordable for something so unique and full of character. Perfect for our cozy cafe´ kitchen. 

Normally our coffee maker sits below this shelf, so I decided it made sense to hang our coffee cups on the pegs. I love how organized this side is to balance out the more organic use of the pegs on the other side. 

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I just had to style my kitchen with the pomegranates grown on our tree right outside. They are just so vibrant and remind me of the reddish burgundy color that our kitchen was when we moved in. 

Budget Breakfast Nook Reveal

Okay, the cozy cafe´ kitchen makeover is pretty dramatic, but wait until you see what the breakfast nook has become with second-hand furniture and paint. Here's how it looked when we moved in:And how it looks today:

Here's What We Did

1. Painted the floors a classic checkerboard pattern with Fusion Mineral Paint in Coal Black and Raw Silk. That was an insane saga that you can watch in my story highlights on Instagram. I'll be doing a separate post detailing my experience with painting them, but suffice it to say, all the blood, sweat, and tears were worth it. Replacing the tile was not even a remote possibility, so I'm happy we were able to get this look for less. This is my first time painting a floor, and I'm now a believer in this budget-friendly way of transforming a space. 

And another angle from the day we moved in:How it looks today:

2. Added an arched cabinet I scored on Facebook Marketplace for $80. Originally it was an 80's peach color, but I fixed that with, you guessed it, Fusion Mineral Paint in Coal Black.

I can't even handle this view. 

Every time I walk into my breakfast nook, I'm still in awe of how it turned out. This cabinet is a showpiece if I've ever seen one, and it provides so much storage. I love when furniture is the perfect combination of beauty and function. 

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Another angle before:And today:

3. Bought a new-to-us table and some vintage chairs. The table was $100 and the chairs were $50...both from Facebook Marketplace. I oiled up the chairs, painted the table with, what else, Fusion Mineral Paint (Raw Silk), and put them together for a magical moment. My whole family loves this space, and I predict we'll be spending a lot of time here. 

4. Refinished my classic lantern light fixture with Rub 'n' Buff in gold leaf. It only cost me a few dollars but made the lantern look like a million bucks. 

5. Framed out the nook windows with chunky trim and added New Panes window grids. This is one of my favorite changes I've been making in every room. They add another layer of character that I just love. 
6. Hung woven roman shades creamy white curtains with a subtle pin stripe that I already had. Many of you voted for olive green velvet drapes on my Instagram poll, but I think you'll agree these were the right choice in the end. Light and airy but cozy and classic at the same time.

Cozy Cafe´ Kitchen Sources

Time for sources! I worked hard to list every single source for you, but please note that several items are vintage, second-hand, found, or one-of-a-kind and cannot be linked. Every single source can be found here. 

1 Faucet | 2 Fusion Paint Algonquin, Coal Black, Raw Silk | 3 Vent Hood | 4 Arched Black Cabinet | 5 Ceramic Sconces | 6 Pepper Mill | 7 Oil Dispenser | 8 Concealed Brass Café Rod | 9 Ticking Stripe Seat Cushions | 10 Slate Tray | 11 Seagrass Pitcher | 12 Marble Mortar and Pestle | 13 Walnut Cutting Board | 14 Berry Bowls | 15 Copper Tea Kettle | 16 Marble S & P Shakers | 17 Sunday Suppers | 18 Wooden Measuring Spoons | 19 Shaker Pegs | 20 Mini Hand Brooms | 21 Marble Salt Cellar | 22 Kitchen Scrubbers | 23 Mesh Bags | 24 Rub 'n' Buff | 25 Bon Bon Canisters | 26 Wooden Cake Stand and Dome | 27 Windowpane Dish Towel | 28 Reactive Glaze Ceramic Pitcher | 29 Gold Lantern Light Fixture | 30 Pinch Rings | 31 Kitchen Knobs | 32 Large Drawer Pull | 33 Coffee Mugs | 34 Set of Wooden Spoons | 35 Antique Brass Dinner Bell

This month marks two years since we moved into our house, and sharing the kitchen reveal with you seems like the most fitting way to celebrate. After all, you are the ones who cheered me on and shared in the excitement along the way. If you've read nothing else in this post, please read this...Thank You. Your enthusiasm, interest, and encouragement have been instrumental in the completion of this space, and I want you to know how thankful I am for you. Also, you might have noticed I said "we" a lot throughout this post. While I was solely responsible for every change made in this space, Jeff was solely responsible for paying for everything and picking up the slack in the home and with the girls while I slaved away in the kitchen. So I need to thank him from the bottom of my heart, as well as the girls, who put up with my distracted DIY brain more than anyone else.We all love our cozy cafe´ kitchen budget makeover so much, and we're looking forward to lots of holiday baking in here. I have a lot more to share from this space, including how I painted the floors, styled the arched cabinet, and much more, so be sure you're subscribed to the blog. 

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