Budget Kitchen Remodel

A compact room with an inefficient floor plan, inadequate storage, and no personality. There was also a limited budget to achieve a functional and pleasing design.

Solution
A more modern layout that incorporates an eat-in kitchen bar with side shelving, appliance center with ample pantry storage, glass-front cabinets, bright red tile countertops, and colorful wallpaper. The approximate cost (excluding new appliances) was less than $5,000.

Homeowner Cheryl Kees of Pensacola, Florida, who is also a kitchen designer, said she saved money by using ceramic tile on the countertops rather than a solid-surface material. "Tile is a little more expensive than laminate, but there are so many more design options." She also notes that a walk-in pantry is often less expensive than additional custom built-in cabinetry. Cheryl recycled old fir doors that she bought for $150 to serve as the entrance to the pantry.

Quick-Change Artist 

• You don't have to spend a lot of money to give your kitchen some visual appeal.Instead of painting, wrap your kitchen in a lively wallpaper, and go from dull to dazzling. Wallpaper in a small kitchen makes a strong design statement. (Tip: You can often get great deals on discontinued patterns. It's a good idea to buy a couple of extra rolls.)
• A pot rack adds style while meeting a vital need in a small kitchen. It's a good idea to store larger pots and those you use most often above your stove or over an island.
• If your kitchen floor is less than lovely, then put down an inexpensive sisal or sea grass rug. It adds a decorative textural element, feels comfortable under your feet, and is easy to change or clean
• Simple window treatments will give a kitchen a more finished look. A valance or sheer panel adds style without blocking natural light.http://www.southernliving.com/home-garden/solutions/kitchen-remodel-budget-00400000006293/