knobs make all the difference

Before we left to go on vacation, we finished painting the kitchen and traded out our old, dirty, and unimpressive kitchen cabinet knobs for new sleeker brushed silver ones.  It made a HUGE difference for just around $30!

I thought I’d share the full transformation, since we’re done working on this space for a little while.  Of course, I still have a big to-do list before my dream kitchen is created (new sink/faucet, replace countertops/backsplash, add dishwasher, replace appliances), but everything else we’d do should probably be done at the same time at a big expense and we’ve got bigger fish to fry right now.

The view from the dining room:

Before

After

In the kitchen, looking towards the hallway:

Before

After

View from the hallway:

Before

After

In the interest of showing off, here are more after pictures (I’m really proud of myself).

(remember my little Ikea hack?)

And I’m even prouder of the fact that this makeover cost us less than $250.

Here’s our cost breakdown:

Ceiling Paint – $30

Light Green Paint – $30

Light Fixture (Ikea) – $50

Electrician – $40 (he split an hour between this project and our bathroom)

Shelves and pot rack (Ikea) – $40

Cabinet Knobs – $50

Black spray paint for Ikea Cart – $8

(We had the white paint, primer, and wallpaper remover on hand from our dining room makeover.  For our hole-in-the-ceiling fix, we had plaster left from our Minneapolis House and a 2×4 and cement board left over from our bathroom makeover.)

Now I just need to learn how to cook…  Anyone have any good recipes to share?