We faced the unexpected cost of rewiring the entire downstairs of our house, blowing our remodeling budget out of the water. We needed to make some drastic cuts to our kitchen remodel to have any chance of the project cost coming in anywhere near our original budget.
One major place to save is on the cost of cabinetry. We are replacing the upper cabinet portion of one of the built-ins (pictured here) with shelves similar to what you see above. The shelves cost less than $100 dollars. When compared to the cost of custom, built-in cabinetry there is no contest. The space is still there if we are able to afford a built-in at a later date.
Another way we cut costs was to forego cabinetry around the vent hood or the refrigerator. Eventually, we will be able to afford a cute little SMEG or retro Big Chill fridge. I prefer the vintage looking fridges freestanding rather than built-in anyway.
One major place we saved is on lighting. I found these economical pendants at IKEA for under $25. You can’t beat spending $50 for kitchen lighting. And, we can always change out the lights later with no regrets.
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All fabulous idea’s! I love the first photo. We used shelves such as those on either side of our stove vent with subways behind which had been on sale. After 4 months I love it as much as when they first went up!
Would you mind sharing how much the rewire cost? We have knob and tube throughout our house, and I want it taken care of, but have no idea what kind of money we would need.
I found your lighting comment almost by accident, despite that being what I was looking for when I found your site originally! (I got caught up in the blog itself) I’m in the process of choosing lighting fixtures for a bungalow we are building currently. Not an easy task to find nice, traditional, style appropriate lighting fixtures at prices that still fit into a reasonable budget. Someone had mentioned IKEA some time ago and perhaps it’s time to revisit the option for some areas. I like the suggestion that if you want to change out the fixtures at a later date, you can with little sense of financial degardation. Your place is looking wonderful, btw.
I think the final result is simple yet highly stylish. It seems to be in vogue lately to purchase interior furnishings from IKEA.
Kitchen is one of the place that people spend money unnecessarily when remodeling. Often by choosing high expensive appliances while there are many with high quality for lower prices.