Kitchen of the Week

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Kitchen of the Week: Mother-Daughter Budget Remodel

Designer Stephanie Norris redesigned her daughter's kitchen with functionality, affordability and color in mind

Vanessa Brunner

Staff Writer, Houzz.com

Staff Writer, Houzz.com More »

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When you first look at this kitchen, you'd never guess that the clear blue glass backsplash and Travertine flooring were found on Craigslist. When San Diego designer Stephanie Norris decided to help her daughter remodel her kitchen, she knew that she'd need to stick to a tight budget. But she still wanted to completely change the look of the existing kitchen, so she got creative.

Craigslist, Overstock.com, and leftover materials from her own home all provided a surprising amount of materials at a fraction of their regular price. With the money she saved, Norris was able to focus on creating a sleek kitchen that functions effortlessly and has a more current look.

by Stephanie Norris

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The backsplash tile is Walker Zanger, which Norris found for a great deal on Craigslist. The Travertine flooring also was found on Craigslist. The 18' x 18' inset over the sink is made entirely of leftover tile from Norris's own kitchen.

The barstools were originally a black pleather that didn't fit the look of the kitchen, so Norris custom made these blue-and-white patterned slipcovers out of outdoor fabric from Calico Corners.

Backsplash: Walker Zanger Glass tile
Flooring: 18' x 18' Emser Travertine tile
Barstools: HomeGoods, custom cover

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by Stephanie Norris

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Since the original kitchen had a lot of wasted space and hardly any storage, Norris decided to gut everything and create a new and more functional layout.

She bought the cabinetry from IKEA and her daughter's husband put them together. "It was a lot of cabinets," says Norris. "It was very time consuming, and hard to figure out at first. But the options for the configuration of storage made it all worth it in the end."

Cabinetry and Hardware: LIDINGÖ, IKEA
Sink and Fixtures: Overstock.com
Pendants: Shades of Light

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by Stephanie Norris

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All of the base cabinets in the kitchen have deep pull-out drawers, which provide wonderful storage and make it much easier to find anything that's been shoved into the back.

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by Stephanie Norris

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Norris also decided to buy prefabricated granite instead of going to a stone yard, which saved a lot of money. Buying it prefab meant that Norris didn't have to buy all of the edge detail options — giving her the same look for less.

Countertop: Black Galaxy Granite
All appliances: Frigidaire

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by Stephanie Norris

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The pocket door just past the oven reveals a small laundry room, which Norris filled with a bright red washer and dryer set. When the doors are open, the bold red contrasts with the cool blue walls, creating a surprisingly playful element.

The little wine refrigerator, just visible to the left of the pocket door, had been sitting unused in Norris's own house. She was able to clear a little clutter in her house, and add something fun to her daughter's kitchen at the same time.

Wall color: Aqua Sphere, Sherwin Williams
Washer and Dryer: Epic, Maytag

Next: 23 Inspiring Real-Life Kitchens

More Kitchens of the Week:
A Bi-Coastal Construction
Creative, Colorful and Modern
Bright Mid-Century Remodel

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Comments

Becky Harris says:

That is gorgeous. It's so much fun to see a beautiful kitchen that does not cost more than a college education. I especially love the glossy red washer/dryer next to that lovely blue paint.

7 months ago · Like

leticiashaquana says:

Love those blue pendants, they are wonderful!

7 months ago · Like

Natasha says:

I really love those barstool covers - what a great idea! What was the name of the fabric used please?

6 months ago · Like

synab says:

I love this project and story. What a wonderful thing for a mother and daughter to do together. Beautiful kitchen, beautiful relationship --- congratulations!!!

6 months ago · Like

Katie Eggleston says:

I desperately want one of those light shades - but shades of light doesnt sell anymore, boohoo :(

6 months ago · Like

ludpuffin says:

I don't like the way the fridge sticks out. You would have had a custom look if you had boxed it in. So many "renovators" make the same mistake. A small detail like that has a huge impact.

6 months ago · Like

Whitney says:

I love this post. I like to see renovations come to life. Ikea is a true blessing to the world, because their products are beautiful and very inexpensive. For a similar price for a kitchen of prebuilt cabinets in your local home depot, you can get a whole kitchen of cabinets with awesome features like the deep pull-out drawers that can be used for pots. Great post!! Beautiful kitchen!!
"cheapchicbywhitney.blogspot.com"

6 months ago · Like

nasafemme says:

@ludpuffin- We had the same problem when we remodeled our kitchen. Even though we went with a counter-depth fridge, the doors still stick out at least two inches from the rest of the counters. The only way to avoid that was to either cut into the wall behind the fridge (messy and expensive) and/or buy one of those ridiculously expensive sub-zero integrated model refrigerators-- about $7000. We compromised by opting for a fridge with panel-ready doors and had custom doors made to match the rest of our cabinetry.

6 months ago · Like

Linda Williams says:

My only quarrel is with the inset over the sink. The color has no relationship to anything else in the room. Love the black and white scheme with the blue accents, though.

6 months ago · Like

dianne47 says:

A lovely budget remodel. The San Diego area is blessed with many resources: low-cost cabinet companies, prefab granite stores, IKEA, etc. I'm sure the reasons the fridge "sticks out" are 1) budget meant a counter-depth unit was out of the question, 2) IKEA stock cabinets don't allow for deeper recess, and 3) knocking out the wall behind the fridge to recess it would've been cost prohibitive.

6 months ago · Like

sanmarc1 says:

Wonderful story. I think the makeover turned out extremely well and I love the touch of red coming from the laundry area. Fridges are difficult. We purchased a counter depth unit. It was fairly pricey and still sticks out a bit because the space is needed for necessary plumbing to the unit. One just has to deal and look past slight imperfections in life.

6 months ago · Like

eltbrown says:

Nothing you have is cheap.

6 months ago · Like

Linda says:

Rather than trying to recess the fridge, you can pull the base cabinets forward and have an extra deep countertop. Another option is to build an entirely new wall directly in front of the existing which will add 3-4 inches, but I would love to have extra counter space

If you have an interior existing wall without electric or plumbing, you can insert a header and cut out the studs underneath the header to make a shallow recess

6 months ago · Like

Stephanie Norris says:

Thank you @dianne47 and @ nasafemmefor for your wonderful answers as to why the refrigerator sticks out.
I also checked, and the pendants are still available at Shades of Light, here is the link.
http://www.shadesoflight.com/colored-seeded-glass_pendants-B.html
Thank you all for your wonderful comments! And to Vanessa for the wonderful article.

6 months ago · Like

gwen mckay says:

Finally a kitchen for someone with a lower budget. Just read my profile and you can tell why i struggle with that! thnx for filling in my final gap

6 months ago · Like

jdianeb says:

shouldn't the fridge stick out more to allow the doors to open fully and allow for easier removal of shelves & drawers for cleaning or adjustment?

4 months ago · Like

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