I posted in Goals for 2012 that we will be updating our kitchen this year with a very small budget.  Ya’ll know that I am all about getting high impact for next to nothing.  Well, we are four months into 2012 (how did that happen?) & progress is being made one cabinet at a time.  Literally.  One cabinet is getting painted during nap times & in between other projects.  This might drive some people crazy… but it seems to be working for us so far.  Two down.  Four to go.  Luckily, for the painting aspect, our kitchen is tiny. It is an old, awkward galley kitchen that has to work for us.  While I would love to rip everything out & start again, that just isn’t going to happen.  This update is mostly involving paint, paint, hardware, paint, accessories, did I mention paint!?  But seriously, I hope to show you throughout this process how much paint & hardware can do.
So here is the real life, dishes on the counter, letters on the dishwasher before picture.  I am human.
The majority of our cabinets are white-ish… they need a new coat after who knows how many years.  The upper cabinets are a dark charcoal gray.  I did that the week we moved in as a temporary solution, & here it is five years later. You might also notice where we painted around things & later moved them exposing the lovely blue shade that was existing.  That has been driving me CRAZY!  Another thing that you can’t see is the fact that our cabinets have a life of their own.  They open when they want, decide to hang to the right some days… so needless to say, everyone will be getting new hinges.  Our laminate counter top is fine.  At least it’s a neutral gray.  Would I want stone or a quartz top? Yes.  But again we are working with what we’ve got.  Same with the back splash.  It’s fine.  But the coloration of the mosaic tile is a little blue for my personal preference.  & I am not even going to discuss our mini blind situation.  That will be remedied.  
Well here is the game plan…
Paint:  Mostly white.  It’s light, it’s bright, it’s clean.  There will be touches of gray & a pop of yellow.
Hardware:  I’m jumping on the Antiqued Brass train.  This is not the polished brass of the 80’s & 90’s.  Yes, it is trendy right now, but it is also classic.  It is warming up the kitchen & bringing in a bit of unexpected glamour.  I am loving the idea of bringing some campaign hardware into our kitchen.  I love me some campaign hardware! 
Here is a sneak peek… The open cabinets have been painted & are now adorning their corner braces.  It instantly added purpose to our open shelving, which before just looked like cabinets with the doors taken off.
Lighting:  Well, this is another area I am working on.  Due to the height of our ceilings & the layout of our kitchen all we are left with is the option of a flushmount.  & you know how I feel about those boob lights.  I have a couple of crazy (& not so crazy) ideas going around in my head… But for $13.99 (on sale) I am toying with the idea to add a pendant over the sink.  $13.99 people!
{ Home Depot }

Similar to my dream kitchen… Oh, I would move in tomorrow if I could.

Amy meier design kitchen 2
{ Image via Nest Egg }

This is the plan.  For now.  If you need me I’ll be slowly painting our cabinets for the next few months πŸ™‚