I’ve heard it all over on Instagram. “Why are you painting and decorating the rental house if it isn’t yours?” “Why don’t you leave everything packed up in boxes so you don’t have to pack it all again?” Well… here is why. We moved into this rental knowing we had several commitments for our business that didn’t allow us to shoot photos from a tent. ???? And, said commitments that I have wouldn’t work with lime green walls. So we painted. And then there is the fact that Deb and I absolutely cannot function without some order. I have high anxiety and chaos all around me makes it worse. Deb is a naturally very organized person. So…. that’s that!
I am so excited to show you, in upcoming posts, what we did to this rental kitchen for so little money. And how we improvised for certain things we didn’t have here in this kitchen that we had in the House on Winchester. We had a huge pantry, a large kitchen island where we stored our everyday plates, and brand kitchen new cabinets that held all of the things.
This kitchen has no pantry, had no island, and very little cabinet space not to mention they were a little worn out and sad looking. I am going to talk to you about our kitchen cabinets makeover in this post.
I verified with our landlords before starting this project if we could freshen up the walls with a coat of white paint. Painting any space makes the BIGGEST difference, but this change was HUGE. It had red brick on a few walls, rustic wood on half of the walls, and panelling on the rest. All of the walls are white in a satin/eggshell finish.
I painted the trim white in a semi-gloss finish and chose Kilz paint and primer in one that you can purchase at Walmart. And you guys, I am THOROUGHLY impressed. Kilz paint and primer has little to no odor, it is the perfect consistency, which means little to no drips. And the coverage is OUT OF THIS WORLD. The can says that two coats would be needed. After I painted the trim, I realized that the one coat did the trick. That may be because it was already painted to begin with.
The cabinets were already painted but looked VERY sad… and worn… and dirty. ???? We removed the hardware and filled all of the holes. Oh… and we discovered why someone throughout the years installed the cabinet hardware on the diagonal. There were 4 different holes in each door. Installing them on the diagonal covered them all up. ????
Deb gave them all a quick sand with MY sander just to rough them up a bit. (I have my own set of tools – ????) We then wiped them down and painted them with the same paint I used on the trim. After the first coat on the cabinets dried, it looked excellent as well. So I didn’t bother with a second coat.
When we did flip houses, I always said that adding the hardware to cabinets was like adding earrings to your outfit. It makes such a HUGE difference. That part is always my job. I have screwed up ONCE throughout the years and drilled into a BRAND NEW cabinet door on the wrong side. I remember just about pooping my pants on that one. ???? The drill I have in my own tool bag is the Hyper Tough 18V. It is SO BUDGET friendly and perfect for little jobs that I do around the house.
I bought oil rubbed bronze knobs. And since it’s a rental, I didn’t want to spend tons of money. I chose a ten pack for under $15. You really cannot beat that price to dress up your old outdated cabinets. They have so many different styles, too.
You probably already noticed the ceiling as being different. The owners did that before we moved in. These changes cost us so little money and made such a HUGE difference. We still have leftover paint, but with the paint that we did use and adding the hardware on the cabinets, it was well under $50. Not only do we get to live in an environment that we feel comfortable in, but the owners will be thrilled that this little house looks so much better.
Check out Walmart for lots of your home improvements needs. They have so many great budget friendly items that work perfectly for a situation like this. Walmart pretty much has anything you need, including the tools I have in my own tool box! ????
I will be talking about the kitchen island, the little coffee bar, and the technique I did to our back door soon. I am thrilled beyond belief how it all turned out! What do you think? Let me know in the comments. Don’t forget to check us out on Facebook and Instagram. We show LOTS of things while they are happening on our stories, so check us out!
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So beautiful, as always. I showed my daughter the before and after and she actually gasped. Thanks for sharing. Y'all never fail to inspire. :)
hahahahah awwwww.. thank you both. ❤️
...and you've lived there less than a week! Amazing! I love everything and have gotten some great ideas about how to spruce up my kitchen. Great job!
Thank you so much!
I believe this is my most favorite kitchen on Instagram. Danelle and Deb are truly talented. I cant stop staring at this kitchen!
You are so sweet. Thanks so much, friend.
Amazing job ladies!! Loved your old home & can't wait to see your new build. hang in there...
OH! MY! GOSH! I don't know why I am so surprised when I have seen what you did to your last house. I guess part of the reason is the short time-frame & the low cost to make this kitchen magazine ready! WOW! I cant wait to see the rest as you go....AND the camper! BTW, waaayyy late Happy Birthday Danelle!!
Thank you so much. I cannot WAIT to start the camper.
Wow! You move fast! Looks fantastic! That new island is lovely!
Thank you!
One word! Fantastic! Can't wait to see the rest. And, yes Wal-Mart has some good stuff. I have even bought a few casual clothes there. ;)
Love, love, love it! I’m so inspired by you guys!! Looks beautiful!!
Thanks so much!
I know it. I am so happy they have stepped up their game and are so affordable.
You and Deb are amazing! The kitchen looks so nice and homey! I look forward to all you are doing! It's so much fun to watch you both on stories and see all the transformations!
Thanks so much!
I could have sworn you said you use a Benjamin Moore or sherwin Williams white (I can’t remember the white?) maybe I’m thinking your old house do you recall? H-E-L-P????
TYIA
Lori Murray
ahaha The color on the walls are BM Simply White... the old house was SW Pearly White... but the cabinets are what I talked about in this post.
absolutely breathtaking, Dannelle you did it again, what a beautiful space you have created with Deb. I can't wait to see all the other rooms before and after
and Happy belated birthday to you ????????????????????
Thank you so much!
You did a remarkable job on your kitchen. Both of you make such a good team. I hear you loud and clear about the storage unit. When I downsized in 2013 from a 150 year old house that had 10 rooms, full basement, full attic, detached garages that was 50 ft long (should to be horse barn) and a 10 x 16 she shed I had stuff like you. I went 5 rooms and no garage or basement (condo). My storage unit was 15x30 and was filled to the brim and so was my house. So I know what you are facing. But your girls are way younger than me (78) so you will whip that storage unit into shape in no time. Love your stories and pictures. Never bored.
Oh geez... I cannot imagine that move. Ours was bad enough. Thanks for the kind words.