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A comprehensive renovation, transforming a dark and cluttered kitchen into a bright and airy workspace with a lot more room for food preparation. The project was the winner of best kitchen in our 2023 search for Australia's best D.I.Y. projects.
The project
Our home, in an area named Country Road, had a very small galley kitchen. The beautiful Jarrah cupboards were falling off their hinges. The benchtops were worn and scratched, looked dated and made the space very dark without the lights turned on all day. There was also limited space to prepare meals.
Tools and materials
Tools and materials used in the project:
- Decor8 tiles
- Mondella Cadenza matte black mixer
- Premium Pine timber
- Rangehood moulding (the one I used is now unavailable)
- Moulding for shelving trims
- Black hooks
- Drawer door handles
- Cupbpard door handles
- Undersink water filter
- White roller blind
- Paper towel shelf
- Grey plant pots
- Dulux Aquanamel paint
- Dulux 1-Step Prep primer
- Preprimed panelling sheets
- Polyfilla bathroom and kitchen
- Polyfilla skim coat
- Dunlop tile adhesive
- Davco grout
- Monarch paint brushes
- Uni Pro mini roller
- Clear coat matt spray paint
- Feast Watson limewash
- Power point covers (white).
Steps
Step 1
On a small budget, we removed most of the old cupboards ourselves (which went to someone else's renovation and put some money back into our kitty). We removed cupboard fronts to the uppers and created open shelving instead. Paint was sourced for the old Jarrah but we had to use a pre-prep product as the old wood had been previously varnished. Then I removed all of the old tiles on the splashback.
Step 2
The old yellowed light switches had an upgrade on the covers to white ones sourced at Bunnings.
The beautiful splashback tiles came from Bunnings also and I grouted them with a light grey colour.
I love this tile.
Step 3
Paint, filler and all the tools I needed to update the old cabinets were sourced from Bunnings. I used ornate moulding to line the tops of the shelves in keeping with the style of the renovation - Rustic Farmhouse. I used nude and painted woods, mouldings, lining panels, antique inspired tiling using a light colour scheme, to lift our dark space.
The existing induction stove top was broken by the rangehood when I removed it to tile. Onto Marketplace to find a favourite brand - a La Germania all-in-one oven for $200. This suited the Farmhouse style better too.
Step 4
My favourite part of the kitchen (beside the tiles) is the rangehood which I decided to frame out with Pine. I loved the grain on the Pine so much, instead of painting it white, I just used a filler and limewashed it.
Step 5
The new shaker-style cupboards were the biggest expense but well worth it in the end. We kept it simple with a white Quartz pattern stone top. This had to be outsourced due to the unusual sizes all throughout our kitchen. This did not allow for us to use Bunnings kitchen kits, but we would have saved a fortune if we had been able to.
Step 6
There are some little additions that I found like the paper towel holder which doubled as a shelf. Perfect spot for a plant or two.
Step 7
The solid black hooks were a great way to show off the chopping board collection and matched in with our Bunnings matte black mixer tap. All the black cupboard door handles and drawer cups came from Bunnings.
Step 9
The finished product has been a delight for our family. Much more space, prep areas for two to work together, somewhere to sit, access all around the island.
But most of all is the feeling of satisfaction and achievement - we love our Country Road Kitchen.
Step 10
I have since sourced and replaced the missing floor tiles. Hubby added a feature wall to use up some of the bricks from the old kitchen sink half wall. The rest have been repurposed into the garden.
Before and after
How to plan a kitchen renovation
The kitchen is the heart of a home where we spend a lot of time cooking and gathering with family, and renovating offers the opportunity to create a functional and beautiful space. Experienced Workshop member Adam shows you How to plan a kitchen renovation.
More inspiration for your kitchen renovation
Workshop member Jan completed a Queenslander kitchen renovation using Kaboodle cabinets, plus new dishwasher, tiles and paint.
Community member homeinmelbourne replaced their kitchen splashback using cladding, aluminium trim and waterproof sealant.
Check out our Top 10 most popular kitchen projects for more inspiration for your home.
