The room
A well-built kitchen with dark espresso cabinets that made the room feel smaller than it was. The layout worked. The color did not.
What we did
Rather than replace cabinetry that was structurally fine, we refinished it in place with a sprayed light gray. The old bar-height peninsula came out in favor of a proper island with a waterfall edge, which gave the room a centerpiece and more usable counter space. Appliances and the mosaic backsplash stayed, which is where the budget savings came from.
This is the kind of project where planning pays off. Keeping the layout and appliances kept the cost down and the schedule short, and the refinish plus island delivered most of what a full remodel would have.
