For today’s post I’d like to share some of my tips from our budget kitchen makeover at the beach house. The kitchen is a fairly small area and I guess you would call it ‘quaint’. When we bought the house three years ago, I’m sure it looked the same as it did 30 years ago! The cabinetry consists of an interesting blend of joinery with some open shelves that could possibly have been a former bookshelf. Needless to say it was functional but was badly in need of some styling and personality. This is the ‘Before’ photo that featured in the advertising campaign.
This is after I added a few personal touches.
As with the exterior which I featured in last week’s post, re-painting the space made such a difference. Every surface got a new coat of Dulux White Swan, including the cabinets and bench tops. The previous owners kindly left the kitchen trolley which I sold on ebay and this gave us some room to move. New pendant lights over the dining table now define the dining space. The floor rug from Temple and Webster adds more colour and warmth to the kitchen.
These are the quirky ‘bespoke’ open shelves. I am still toying with the idea of wallpapering behind them but the batons scare me off. I do love being able to display some of my favourite things. I have tried to create interest by using different textures such as ceramics, glass and rattan.
I have hung four Kate Spade cocktail plates across the wall to add a splash of colour. 
Changing all the cabinet knobs to ceramic blue was an inexpensive way to add more colour. These ones are from Provincial Home Living.
So in summary, my tips to makeover a dated kitchen on a budget would be:
1. A fresh coat of paint (including the cabinetry) can make a huge difference.
2. Adding colour will give the space more personality. I always love a rug, runner or colourful mat in the kitchen.
3. Updating lighting doesn’t need to be expensive. There are so many great pendants available today.
4. Display some of your favourite pieces.
5. Changing the cabinetry knobs can bring a new lease of life to old doors.
6. Fresh flowers work wonders to bring in colour and interest.