Saturday, September 24, 2011

Rebecca Ryan Design - Dollars and Sense: Breakdown of a Great Budget Kitchen

Great Budget Conscious Kitchen
This great budget kitchen has a ton of style and function and looks much more expensive that it is. Here's how they did it:


No Wall Cabinets: Obviously eliminating half of the cabinets in this kitchen saves a ton of money. Open shelf storage is easy to access, with no worries about opening /closing doors, clearances and the additional expense of hardware. It forces people to eliminate the junk they collect but don't need (like all those novelty coffee mugs). And it provides an opportunity for merchandising and personalizing a space. This kitchen features long lengths of  standard white melamine closet shelving and basic L brackets spray painted black. Both are available at big box stores for just a few bucks. 
Savings: $65-$500+ per linear foot of cabinets, depending on wood species, door style, configuration, brand, etc.




Laminate Countertop: Yep this is laminate. Laminate looks best when it's in a dark color like this. There are some great products that look a lot like granite at a fraction of the cost. This one has an integral backsplash. Most big box stores carry a few colors (including a dark, near black) for about $60 for an 8' length - super cheap. You can't do an undermount sink with laminate, but this gorgeous black enameled sink blends nicely into the countertop and is economical. Savings: $55-$150 per square foot for granite, solid surface, quartz, paperstone etc.


No Tile on Backsplash: This kitchen has ingenious wall treatment that makes a stylish statement and is super inexpensive. They have lined the entire wall will v-groove panels from countertop to ceiling resembling the look of real beadboard. These paintable or stainable panels come in 4' x 8' sheets (make sure you order grooves running the 8' length NOT the 4'height) and run anywhere from about $35/sheet to $100/sheet for a stainable cherry veneer. They are more inexpensive to purchase and install than the authentic beadboard which is applied in individual strips. 
Savings: Tile backsplash and wall treatments run around $15 - $300 per square foot + installation.


Black or White Appliances: It seems that people have forgotten that black and white are even options any more. If you have white cabinets, white appliances blend in seamlessly. Black appliances work well with all wood toned and painted cabinets (yes even white, if the countertop is also dark). The exception to this is that rarely do black refrigerators look good - go stainless or paneled. Or in this kitchen photo, do something clever -have your old frig electrostatically painted with chalkboard paint for a couple hundred bucks.
 Savings: Stainless steel look will add $100-$300 per appliance.

1 comment:

  1. I never tire of seeing this beautiful kitchen! It was the inspiration for my own kitchen! Now if I could just have the rest of that house!


    Kitchen Benchtops

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