Cecelia Mullins
When we purchased our current 1990s home (you can see the transformation here), I wasn’t in love with the kitchen. In fact, the dated oak cabinets and brown tile needed a total overhaul. Thankfully, we had a decent amount of space to make the kitchen functional for our large family and room to design a gray and white kitchen that was more “us.” We chose some traditional elements: white kitchen cabinets, marble countertops, and wood floors.
As well as some more modern accents: swing arm sconce, mixed metals, lower gray cabinets, and brass hardware. As with all renovations, remodeling costs were limited, so we had to be intentional about our choices and investments… And I couldn’t be more pleased with how it turned out. Everyone asks where to save money on kitchen remodels… And from lighting to hardware, many of these purchases can be done with a budget in mind.
I’ve shared before where to start when designing a kitchen… But in this post, I want to share a couple of general ideas for balancing budget as well as specific save vs. splurge sources and items you can consider to achieve a gorgeous kitchen on any renovation budget! While there are endless things to spend money on, cabinets and countertops are kind of the building blocks of a kitchen design. Quality wood cabinets and natural stone countertops add value to your home. So whatever your budget might look like, I suggest investing more in these two items than in more accessory-type decisions like lighting and tile. There are a wide range of choices with swing arm lamps to choose from: chrome, gold, and even black finishes (which I think would be so stylish for a more modern kitchen! Worried about marble backsplash or countertop care with spills, splatters and stains?
Modern Farmhouse apron sinks have been a trend for a while now, but because of their classic design, they’ve always been a good fit for a traditional kitchen. You can find farmhouse sinks in traditional white ceramic or even metallic finishes like hammered copper. We have a large family with four kids, so I am cooking a lot in our modern kitchen. Our Moen pot filler faucet was a bit of a splurge in price, but there are many affordable options for your home, too. My husband found me our wood and marble top kitchen island from a store in Austin, Texas. I love how versatile it is for entertaining, food prep, and the frequent lunch and snack buffet that happens here on a daily basis.
Kitchen cabinet hardware doesn’t have be expensive to be functional and stylish. I love how the long beautiful brass hardware drawer pulls pop against the gray and white cabinets and marble subway tile. Did you find these save vs splurge kitchen ideas helpful?
