Budget, time and functionality was we wanted for remodeling the kitchen.  We had already gutted the kitchen and needed to have a plan in order to move forward.    The off the shelf kitchen cabinets at the big box improvement stores were within the budget, but did not have the functionality or quality we were looking for.  So we got a quote for custom kitchen cabinets, $9,700, definitely not in the budget and that did not include the granite.  So my husband suggested Ikea.  Hmmm…I have browsed their kitchen section a couple of times, and was impressed with the style, options and price, so why not?

Before we headed out to Ikea, I had drawn up a floor plan, looked on their site of the variety of cabinets that would fit.  So I felt I was prepared.  But I was amazed on how Ikea has all their different style of kitchens set up so you can actually see what it would look like in a real kitchen.  You got to open and close the cabinets, feel the finishes, look at the quality, it was really amazing.  And they had options galore.  And the prices were displayed as well.   The thing was, we  wanted mainly drawers for the lower cabinets.  To me drawers add so much more functionality to a kitchen than a regular cabinet door with shelves. With doors, you have to bend down look what is in there, and most of it you can’t see because it is buried in the back.  With drawers, you just pull it out and everything is there in plain view.  No hunching over, digging through pots and pans looking for that one lid you put in there.

But of course they come in flat boxes and you have to put them together.  That is intimidating, but they met all our critera so we went for it.  And flat boxes upon flat  boxes were delivered.  They stacked pretty darn high.  It took us two weeks to put them together, but we did it very slow.  Nate, my son-n-law did 90% of the work, and I was very proud of him since this isn’t his first choice in life to do, carpentery type work, he is more of a baseball kind of guy.

They actually went together pretty easily, as long as you kept yourself organized and watched a lot of You Tube videos on how to put them together since the Ikea directions left a lot to your imagination.  I love the way the panty has pull out shelves, so you can actually pull it out to see what is in the back.

Overall I would highly recommend buying kitchen cabinets from Ikea.  {And I am not getting paid for this, by the way, I just like sharing} For the price point, we spent $3600 {not including the granite} and we feel we got a beautiful look at a great price.  Plus the functionality is superb.  They sell gizmos to make organizing the cabinets and drawers even more efficient than they already are.  They  come with door closers, you know the kind that if you slam the door it gently shuts.  Standard on all their cabinets.  The finish is durable and smooth, and it even has a raised panel front.  What do you think, does this look like an Ikea kitchen to you?

Ikea Kitchen is a post from: Cre8tive Designs Inc.

I love Craig’s list!  It has been my “go to” resource in the last 6 weeks for this remodel.  Case in point, the glass tile back splash you see here.  Sometimes you just don’t know what you are going to get until you actually go look at first.  Well, I was SO surprised when I got there and saw the label on the box, Walker Zanger!  Are you kidding me?  That is high end quality tile!  It retails for about $25 for a 12″ x 12″ sheet, and what did this gentlemen want?  $5 a sheet!  He had enough to do a whole bathroom!  I didn’t even negotiate with the guy, I already knew it was a deal, so I just handed him $150 (that is how much I needed to do the back splash)  and left with a HUGE smile on my face .

Since the sink didn’t have a window in front of it, I wanted to add a little eye candy to look at when you wash the dishes.  I had plenty of this tile left over from my kitchen

and so I used it for  an 18″ x 18″ design centered above the sink wall.  And you can’t beat the price…free.  Plus I got rid of some tile I would never use again.

The next Craig’s list purchase was the Emser travertine 18′ x 18″ pillow edge flooring.  I got it for $2.50 a square foot, and it retails for $11 a square foot.  I am telling you Craig’s list is the way to go if you are going to remodel a bathroom or want to update your kitchen.  I found a ton of people on Craig’s list who buy stuff and decide they don’t like it, never get around to using it, or have tons left over and they just want to get rid of it.

That wine refrigerator was sitting in my house brand new for four years.  I actually never used it and knew I wouldn’t in the future.   Since my daughter and her husband love wine {me not so much}  I incorporated it into the kitchen design where a cabinet would normally go.  I am excited for them to use it, and it freed up some space in my house.   I used to shop Craig’s list for mainly furniture items which I have had great luck with.  But  I am so glad I expanded my comfort zone beyond furniture, it really saved a ton of money on this kitchen remodel.

Craig’s list finds for the kitchen remodel is a post from: Cre8tive Designs Inc.

Well, the kitchen at my daughter’s house is now complete.  My daughter and son-in-law are ready to move in and start making their house their home.  It has been a long 6 weeks, but oh so worth it.  I have so much to show you, but I wanted to start with the kitchen remodel first.  It went from a 90′s style “L” shaped kitchen with very little cupboard space and A LOT of wasted floor space.

{Don’t be alarmed with the black stuff on the very back wall.  It isn’t mold, it is actually the remnants of sound proofing foam that was taken off those walls.    Right off the kitchen there was a set up  for a recording studio from the previous owner. Go figure. }

So once we gutted the kitchen, I laid out the new floor plan {orange tape, very professional} to maximize the all the space we could.  We took down the wall that separated the kitchen from the living room which enabled me to add an island.

And here it is all finished!  {well minus a couple of cabinet pulls that we forgot to get} Can we get a WOO HOO?  I am so happy with how it all turned out. The kitchen has so much of a brighter felling to it now don’t you think?  Can’t wait to find some cool bar stools to add that finishing touch to the island.

There is no accessorizing going on as you can see. They haven’t moved in yet, so I didn’t want to stage the house just for these pictures.  I wanted to show you the design more than the “stuff” anyways so I skipped the staging.  I want to do a more in depth post soon to share all my bargain finds {lots of these!} and sources for all the other items.   But for now, here are more pictures of the finished room, enjoy!

Don’t you just love that red washer and dryer! It makes that tiny little laundry room off the kitchen so fun.

Here is the pocket door we put in to hide the laundry room.

Linking up to these great ladies.  Go check them out.

Thrifty Decor Chick before and after party

Kitchen Remodel is a post from: Cre8tive Designs Inc.

Gutting Is Never Easy is a post from: Cre8tive Designs Inc.