you can absolutely can the side the fridge opens on, it's not hard. Just google how to do it, it will take about an hour. My mom did it.

A painted fridge always looks like, well a painted fridge. Not a fan. Stay neutral and don't get too crafty.

If your budget is seriously less than $100, paint your cabinets a nice shade of medium gray and add some new hardware from Ikea. Select long ones rather than a knob pull for decorative interest. It's big bang for the buck. Hopefully, there is one in your area. As for the painting, do yourself a favor and prime it first. Get a tinted primer!
For your backsplash, use a vinyl wallpaper. Go online and find something fun. Get a texture or a pattern. Cheap and indestructable.
Definitely change the handles on the fridge so that it opens correctly. The holes are there. If you have held a screwdriver or a drill, it should take you a half hour.
Finally, get a microwave/fan combo and install it above your range. It will make all the difference.
When you get a little extra coin, change out your fridge to match the rest of your appliances.
Last bit of advice, under-cabinet lighting is super cheap and makes all the difference.
Ikea, Sears Outlet stores, online wallpaper outlets.

Good luck and congrats on your first home!

We r painting the fridge now,still we need to finish the lower part of the fridge.will try to change the door side after its done n dried up.Thanku

Microwave fan combo s idea was really needed,thanku lets see of we could do something about it.and how much would be the vinyl wallpaper to do the kitchen area needed to protect the wall ?we really need a backsplash but we cant afford any backsplash right now,and the new paint we applied is semi gloss.so thinking what can be done now!
Thanku all!

The fridge looks good I would change the doors around before you do any more painting So if it gets scratched you will have a couple coats to touch up.

sadiaamin, after you're done painting the refrigerator it will need to be re-painted in order to move the handles. You should move the handles NOW. Probably 7 or 8 people have suggested that.

With such a low budget, you need to use paint for the biggest change!

Haha lee i dont think i can do tht! Seems very tough to me so i will just leave tht as it is!
And we already painted the room and cabinet white and frdg black.
Thnku

We found these pulls on dollar store 10 for $12! I am just confused if we should buy them! Re they gonna match the cabinet and look good? Or we just need to keep the pull it already has and paint them all black again as the picture shows?but few old pulls r broken so we r thinking to replace them with new one.any idea plz?
Thanku

Sorry I am not taking the time right now to read thru comments. But I love to do things on the cheap, so have to jump in!

I totally changed the look of my kitchen by wallpapering it myself in a simple textured paper. Then I painted ceiling in a glossy warm color, changed out hardware (just go to Home Depot, etc. and find the ones that don't break the bank).

I used an old computer desk (24 by 32 inches) as my kitchen island. Topped it one half with a great cutting board and the other with marble.

For over the stove, if a microwave/hood isn't in the budget, add something of interest above it, such as a good looking rack to hold spices, a piece of signage (I have one that says "Enjoy") or even a small art piece.

Love decorating on a budget as it demands such creativity!

I love to decorate on a shoe string :) with $50.. ... a gallon of paint to match new tea towels would be just enough for now .

http://www.sears.ca/product/set-of-3-coordinating-kitchen-towels/624-000018788-VERTS

Good job! The white cabinets look great! Black would have looked good, too. So keep that in mind if you get tired of the white. I have a niece that painted some tired cabinets black & they are fantastic! If the $Store pulls are the right size, buy them! You will be so happy you did! If they are not the right size, paint the old ones & look for replacements for the broken ones (then paint them to match). Is this your first kitchen? You should really change that fridge door! It will make life easier in the long run. How about mirror for a back splash? Walmart used to have "full length" that might would work. I would opt for a colorful piece over the range. Go to garage sales or the nearest Goodwill Store for some great bargains. 1 thing almost as wide as the range is all you need. It could be a calendar page picture in a used frame, a tray, a big flat basket, painted words on the wall, or a piece of art you make yourself. Congrats on your home and don't forget that as long as you are happy, it is all good! We just offer opinions, options, and suggestions here!
http://www.hgtv.com/smart-chic-kitchens/package/index.html

And just a few simple decor additions: colorful tea kettle, matching towels, chalk board velcroed to frig, nice dish drainer (on other side of sink, I think!) make a big difference. The window needs some color, a cornice box covered in a fabric?

Those pulls are cute! Your kitchen is really coming together, especially with the fridge painted black! Good work! :)

Here's how to easily change the direction your fridge opens - easy peasy lemon squeezy:
http://howtobeahandyman.blogspot.com/2008/07/how-to-change-direction-your.html

Check out this hardware from Ikea.
Truth be told, I've used their hardware for a design jobs and they look amazing!
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10243871/
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20222222/
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40225413/

Also, for something to do while you save some coin for the much needed mircrowave combo, simply put up a shelf the width of the stove lined up with the cabinets. Quick, easy and cheap!

Great job so far!

I just went to Dollar Tree today and they have red green or yellow woven wicked type round place mats. They would look cool hung on the wall in the dining area in a group of 6 , 3 in a row for a large rectangle art piece. They had all kinds of great towels etc. check them out. Wonderful large coffee mugs , and all kind of kitchen stuff. And dried sticks for a vase. The red stuff with the red & black rug you want would be great.

Come on now. Tell the truth. You spent more than $50 USD so far, didn't you? The transformation is amazing! You should be very proud. This is what being a "homemaker" is all about!

We had another bedroom taht was blue color and we painted it white,we did half of the kitchen with those paint left,and the other half of the room and the cabinet with new paint we got from home dept.and now the fridge. Painting the fridge took $18 for 3 tins from wallmart.so far it didnot take much more than $50 haha.but doing anything more now to beautify the kitchen more like replacing the pulls and buying a rug,placemts,frmaes for the wall- these would exceed my budget- but i will do them slowly and find out what the cheapest and most creative things i can do about it.i will keep in mind these lovely suggestions i got from all of u,i could do it all because of ur lovely ideas.so i am taking that these pulls from dollar store will go with our white cabinet.lets see what i can do about it.my fridge is done now - n posting the pic-
Thanku everyone x

And about the rack over the range-shall i use a yellow rack?i would have preffered a red one- but i have a yellow rack in my basement bedroom that is not in use right now- so i am thinking if it would look nice there?and i am worried if i fix a rack over the range to keep spice jar on there is there any chance the rack or the plastic jar on the rack could get melted?anyone have any idea?plz?i am posting my basements tellow racks pic
Thanku

Why not spray paint the shelf red or black $1.00 can of spray paint.

The fridge looks great painted black ! The place mats could add a bit of color on the counter tops too.

I dont mind to keep
It yellow,if that doesnt look really awful- but the thing i am worried most about is -is there any chance the shelf or the spice jars over the kichen could get melt-or be extra hot?any idea ?have anyone tried taht?

I had a typo I corrected it I meant $1.00 lol I think things on the shelf in glass or metal would be OK a set of canning jars filled with spices and labels would look nice.

There's a decimal point. He's saying one dollar.

Ok ye thats cool plz let me know if i can get that $1 spray paint in home depot and also can i paint my door by spray paint too?that would be very helpful and save money.thanks for ur info kevin

Yes robin i got it now.thanku

Sadia, thanks for the photo updates! Good luck! :)

Wall mart and dollar stores have $1.00 paint but the door would look better rolled on then brushed out in the direction of the wood grain. When you spray paint try to do it outdoors like in a open garage.

Actually wall marts spray paint is 97 cents Use a gloss for the shelf for easy cleaning.

thanku kevin,i am taking ur ideas.i think red shelf with glass spice jars above the range will look nice.will post pics when i am done.might do it on this weekend.

I made "wall art" out of 6 bamboo placemats, each made up of shades of blue, black, brown. I took 3 and snitched them together length wise. Then hung up my two long stripes on the wall. Cost $12 and looked great. Just passing this along as an idea!

Good idea, pcmom1! I made a rug once by sewing 4 cotton rag rugs together. I think they were 2x3 & cost $5 at a Dollar General Store, so I ended up with a 4x6 rug for $20 for my utility room. I could toss it in the washer whenever it needed and it lasted me for years!

Great idea for a rug !

Hm pc mom grt idea.thnks.amd could not do the shelf above the range.had to cancel the idea cuz our stove is of gas n it has flames,so dont consider it safe.

Well if you want to do it yourself--- paint cabinets... Make sure you look up correct way on HGTV site... But time and paint go a long way... Also check Pinterest for idea's on Flea Market & Thrift Store Fines... I did my mother's for not much more than $50 ...

you could use some tile, floor, backsplash, you can find some nice, inexpensive closeouts that would look great

How about a stainless steel spice rack above the stove? One long one could hold olive oil, large salt and pepper grinder. Or just a sheet of stainless back there. Or a rod with S hooks to hold large spoons, spatulas, etc. that you would find useful there?

PS: Every year I ask for gift certificates for birthday etc. to places such as kitchen stores, home stores. Give me the gift of shopping without guilt!

Sadiaamin, I think it is a wise decision not to place a shelf or rack above the stove. I don't really understand why it was suggested, because you have a cupboard over the stove. If ever possible however, I would consider to get a vent hood. Personally would prioritize that over anything else that you're going to get for your kitchen.

S, is there really no vent at all?

How about a back-painted glass behind the range! You can get mirror clips for next to nothing at Home Depot. Pick up a garage sale or flea market picture just for the glass and then pick your favorite color (red?) and paint one side of it. That's the side that will go against the wall so that you have an easy to clean glass surface next to the stove top. Do you have freecycle in your area? Or a Habitat for Humanity Restore? These will be great resources for paint & tile to play with.
http://www.homedit.com/top-10-diy-kitchen-backsplash-ideas/
http://www.freecycle.org/
http://www.habitat.org/restores/directory

with $100 budget, it's not much you can add. However, you can remove a few things from the kitchen and that will create more space.

don't put spices about the stove, the spices go bad if they get warm/hot. But a shelf for things like your oven mitts and things would be good!

Kitchen gadgets would be convenient hanging on S hooks on a wire rack or metal rail over the range. This Houzz photo shows a knife magnet that could be attached to the right side of your fridge. Search for the word "stove" to see more ideas.

That bright yellow bowl and other colorful easy-to-clean pieces on a wire rack shelf would add interest. I see a red wall in the adjacent room, so add serving dishes in reds, yellows, creams, black--or the colors from your new rug and dish towels.

There is a great Alan Roth shelf at Lowe's for $24.99 USD--hopefully some thoughtful relative gave you a Lowes gift card as a wedding present? Since you will be cooking in your lovely kitchen, you could buy the shelf with the restaurant tabs you won't be paying.

http://houzz.com/photos/96666

Sorry, I just read the post about the yellow rack you already have. If its metal and non-flammable, it would look great over the stove.

Thank you Olivia for posting a picture of exactly what I was trying to describe! Each time I try to post a picture, all that comes up is the link...

Even just a sheet of stainless behind the stove would really dress it up!

Finally we painted the door white.need teo more cotes to be done on the door.but it looks better now! :)

Yes, the last of the old look is gone. Yea !!!

Sadiaamin, I have a white kitchen too that's dated from the 90's, same tiles and your changes look great! Here's a picture of mine. I think the cream trim would look better if it was white like yours.

Can you lose the door on the middle corner upper cabinet and put something colorful inside on show?

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