Before & After: This “Filthy” ’80s Kitchen Gets a Charming Cottage-Inspired Makeover (It’s Colorful but Subtle!)
When Abby Starobin first toured the “uncared for” and “filthy” kitchen in her Brooklyn apartment, she saw all of the outdated elements you might expect in a kitchen of yesteryear: peeling vinyl tiles, crooked cabinet doors, and clumpy paint covering the walls. But she could also see a lot of potential in the space.
Abby says the kitchen was last updated in the ’80s or ’90s and wasn’t the most functional. For example, she learned that the pipe underneath the sink was detached, so there was a long, unused space. There were also a lot of vertical storage opportunities, thanks to the high ceilings. Although Abby was renting the space, she knew there were smart ways she could transform the room without making permanent changes.
Abby sourced matching tiles to the existing flooring and went to replace only the ones that needed fixing until she realized how fresh the new ones looked. “This involved the back-breaking task of ripping up the old vinyl and having to clean the floor below it,” she explains. “I found all kinds of goodies, including an old fingernail. But it was so worth it.”
Next, Abby painted the cabinets with a fresh coat of white paint (she later added a trim because she felt it was “too modern”) and colored the accent wall using leftover paint from another project and a stencil. She also added a peel-and-stick teal tile backsplash on both sides of the room. And remember that awkward, empty space in the kitchen? Abby filled it with upper and lower cabinets, a storage unit for her crafting and home project supplies, and a small table with two stools.
Storage was the priority in the new kitchen, and Abby took advantage of open wall space by hanging floating wooden shelves, racks for hanging mugs and utensils, and a microwave shelf above the stove. She also added a touch-lighting strip below the cabinet, as well as a portable dishwasher and sink faucet attachment. While she didn’t share the cost of the renovation, she already had much of the decor, which helped her save on it.
“I wanted my little eat-in kitchen to feel warm, cottage-y, and eclectic, and I think I achieved that,” Abby says. “I really made this room function for me. I love that 90% of the decor is pieces I already owned, found, or made. The mix of items helps achieve the quirkiness I wanted. I love gliding around and cooking in my kitchen.”
The best part about Abby’s kitchen renovation? It’s (mostly) renter-friendly — she says the cabinets and microwave shelf will remain there after she moves out, and she considers it a favor to the next tenant. To see the rest of Abby’s colorful apartment, visit the full home tour on Apartment Therapy.
Further Reading
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Tuscan Chicken Is the "Most Delicious" Dinner of All Time, Says Everyone Who's Tried It
