A “Dated” 1990s Kitchen Feels Twice as Big After an $8,000 DIY Transformation

ABOUT THIS BEFORE & AFTER

HOME TYPE: House

PROJECT TYPE: Kitchen

STYLE: Modern, Organic Modern

SKILL LEVEL: DIY

RENTAL FRIENDLY: No

If you’re buying a house, you might be looking for a home that suits your style right when you walk in the door, or you might be looking for something that you can transform exactly to your liking with a bit of renovation. Homeowner Ryo Ogawa and his spouse, Roshan, “purposely looked for a structurally sound but cosmetically ugly house that would allow us to do DIY work without requiring a major overhaul,” Ryo says.

The kitchen was the first room that Ryo and Roshan tackled. After hiring a contractor to knock down a wall between the kitchen and living room and replace all the floors in the house, the couple embarked on an $8,000 kitchen transformation that they did themselves.

The “orange oak” cabinetry had to go.

Ryo says everything in the kitchen was original to when the house was built (the 1990s) and looked dated. “I particularly disliked the orange oak cabinet doors and the laminate countertops,” he says. “The only thing I liked about the kitchen was the skylight that brings light into the room.”

Ryo and Roshan demoed out everything except the lower cabinets, “keeping the layout intact to avoid any plumbing or electrical work behind the walls,” Ryo explains. Eventually, they painted the lower cabinets and replaced old orange doors with brand-new ones with a sleeker front.

“Keeping the cabinet bases and purchasing unfinished cabinet doors can save money,” Ryo says. “Unfinished cabinet doors are very affordable and can easily be ordered online in custom sizes. You just need to paint them yourself in the color you prefer.” (Ryo and Roshan went with black.)

A DIY concrete countertop opened up the kitchen.

Removing the upper cabinets helped everything feel lighter and airer, as did swapping the multi-level countertop for a concrete one that Ryo framed, poured, and sealed himself (with the help of friends and family.

“For the concrete countertops, finding the DIY forms from Concrete Countertop Solutions was particularly helpful, and their detailed tutorials and resources guided my decision to take on the work myself,” he says. “If you like the style, building the concrete countertop yourself can save a lot of money compared to hiring someone to do it. You can achieve a high-end look for a fraction of the cost this way.”

Ryo says he had to let go of a little perfectionism during the process — and if he could do anything over again, he’d make the overhang of the countertop just a little bit wider. But, he loves the durability and practicality of the countertops in the kitchen. “When sealed properly, concrete countertops are virtually indestructible,” he says.

Tiling the backsplash was easier than expected.

“Once the concrete was cured and sealed, I installed a new sink, tiled the backsplash, replaced the lower cabinet doors, and built floating shelves using white oak slabs sourced from a local lumber store,” Ryo explains. And tiling the backsplash was easier than he thought it would be.

“Once I started, I was able to complete it in just a few hours,” Ryo says. He chose a green clay 2 1/4-inch by 9 1/2-inch tile.

Open shelving also made things feel airier and more open.

Lastly, Ryo says the oak shelving was a little more difficult to install than inspected because of how heavy the white oak slabs were. “Since this was my first major DIY project, everything was a new learning experience for me,” he says.

But the labor was well-worth it, as it “helped brighten the room, which is especially important in PNW weather!” Ryo says. “Even though we removed the upper cabinets, we gained overall storage, and the space feels larger than before.”

Ryo and Roshan added a new pantry cabinet to compensate for the lack of upper cabinetry, and the kitchen was complete. “The completed space truly sparks joy for me!” Ryo says.

Inspired? Submit your own project here.

Further Reading

We Tested (and Rated!) Every Sofa at West Elm — Here Are the Best for Every Type of Need

I Just Discovered the Smartest Way to Store Paper Towels in Your Kitchen (It’s a Game-Changer!)

See How a Stager Used Paint to Transform a 1950s Living Room