May 22, 2013by Kristin Jackson32 CommentsDecor

Black Kitchen with a Striped Fridge

Everyone loves a good Before & After right?!  Especially one that doesn’t cost a fortune to recreate!  I had a completely different plan in mind for this little dated kitchen going into the project.  All I knew, was that the wood had to go.  Now don’t get me wrong.  I love a good wood (key word “good”) cabinet as much as the next person, but I think I went into wood shock going into the original space.  EVERYTHING was the same shade of eh brown.  And the room felt eh.  
The original plan included an all white kitchen.  Light & Bright.  It needed it.
But then… I started painting the walls with Glidden’s Almost Aqua (pretty mix of minty & aqua) & realized the wood was taking three coats to cover.  With Primer!  SO… I changed my mind & used my go to favorite door paint for the kitchen.  Rustoleum’s Door Paint in Satin Black.  One Coat & DONE!  That is what I needed as I didn’t have enough time to wait for three plus coats of paint on my timeline.
Once I added my new favorite pulls to the black cabinetry I knew I made the right decision. 
D Lawless Hardware was kind enough to donate all of the hardware for the project!!  But want to know the best news… If you love these pulls as much as me, they are only $0.99 a piece.  I know.  Crazy right?!
The counter was a bit of a no brainer for me.  I saw the boring scratched white laminate top & instantly thought of Danika’s Countertops over at Gorgeous Shiny Things.  I had painted faux carrara marble before on our old coffee table & was really happy with the outcome, so I knew I could duplicate the look for next to nothing in this space.  I already had all the paint anyways….  Danika’s tutorial is stellar!  So if you think you want to attempt a countertop overhaul you really must check her out.  Rockstar.
The kitchen was looking good, but it needed something… so I tried something… something I never thought I would have done before… I put Duct Tape on a fridge.  
In my defense, it was gold… so I was already a fan.  It also covered up some not so lovely stains on the fridge.  And if we are being honest… I literally could not paint one more thing in this place!  I was painted out!!  So I went at it.  Now do as I say & not as I do… because I didn’t even measure these bad boys out.  I simply attacked it with the tape & was done in mere minutes.  It is a really fun (& non permanent!) solution for a fridge that is dated or worn.  This would be a great dorm room or renter’s solution for sure.  
Shutterfly provided these adorable plates that I customized to fit the space & Park Designs donated the sweet towels from their Split P line of products.  The wooden spoons would be a simple DIY, but I nabbed them on One Kings Lane a few months ago…
Home Decorators Furniture donated the perfect chair for the space.  Their Garden Side Chair in Red was just the hit of industrial vintage the room needed.  The fact that it is metal provides another texture to the space too.  Not to mention this chair is super easy to clean.  I love how this brings a punch of red onto this side of the room.  It really ties the spaces together.
The last item added to the Kitchen Area was the light fixture… Bye Bye builder grade boring & say “hello” to the updated old foyer light.
It really fit the space well & when the light is turned on it casts some really killer faceted shadows.  Has anyone followed the easiest tutorial ever for this Goodwill find?!
Including the monetary value of the donated items the total cost for this space was under $175… The power of the right items & a little hard work.
Art anyone?! All the details tomorrow.
To read more about Room Service Atlanta & the United Methodist Children’s Home please follow this link.