When Bonnie sent us her charming kitchen before and after pictures we just had to share the goods. Here’s her letter:
I’ve been enjoying YHL for the last year. My husband and I bought my grandparents home this past November and have had so much fun renovating it! We turned the place upside down and within about five weeks we got this outcome. We were on a really tight budget, so most everything is from Ikea, thrifted or made by us. We drew tons of inspiration from Young House Love and referred to your ‘how to’s’ quite often! My readers really enjoyed our kitchen before & afters, so I thought you might like to see them too! And you can find more info on my blog (and see more photos too). We live in Franklin, NC, somewhat close to Virginia! We love the south and we love all the inspiration you provide, so thank you! -Bonnie
Here’s Bonnie’s dated kitchen before:
And here it is after her totally affordable DIY transformation:
Isn’t that lovely? We adore how light and airy it feels (even with the same appliances and cabinets). And that eating nook is fantastic- along with that heartstoppingly beautiful turquoise stove nearby. Plus all the charming touches like the art and accessories really make it feel even more inviting and airy in there. Oh and here’s a handy source list from Bonnie:
- Countertops: VÄRDE
- Wall color: Valspar low-voc in ‘swiss coffee’ #7002-16
- Fabric for the curtains: Tea Types Writing by Timeless Treasures
- Curtain rod: DEKA curtain wire with clips
- Lights: Fado pendant light & Calypso ceiling lamp
- Shelving: FÖRHÖJA wall shelf & VÄRDE wall shelf with hooks & VÄRDE wall shelf & BESTÅ shelf unit
- Accessories: egg crate & blomster candelsticks & SLOM jars & DROPPAR spice jars (seen here) & SEBASTIAN bar stool (seen here)
- Thrifted: ball jars, fire king jadite green bowls, green glass vase, & frames
- DIY: cabinet door knobs, frames, wall painting, bench cushions & curtains
Didn’t Bonnie do a great job? We love her work-with-what-you’ve-got spirit. She certainly saved a pretty penny by keeping those cabinets and appliances while opting to switch out the counters (for affordable Ikea options). Plus all of her thoughtful accessorizing really took the entire space to the next level. Gotta love major makeovers like these that don’t require tons of gutting and spending. What do you guys think? Any favorite items like that great round pendant above the table or those sweet homemade curtains above the sink? Do tell.
GORGEOUS! I love how light and airy it feels! Great job, Bonnie!
So pretty. Inviting & relaxing.
I think they did a great job! One question – where is the table from? I love it! I’d be interested to know if it was bought new, repurposed from the house, or a Craigslist find. (It might mention it on the blog but I went back several pages and wasn’t able to find the post).
Here’s hoping Bonnie stops in with answers for everyone soon! Stay tuned…
xo,
s
I have a question too! What product are the floors? and were they on-the-cheap?!
Fantastic job, it feels so cozy and airy!
~Karla
hi everyone! so excited to share this with you today, thank you so much sherry & john!
@kate: the table was a (very) lucky find at an antique action- we snagged it for $250!
@laura: the floors were affordable! and, though they aren’t tile, they sure do look like it- and boy are they easy to lay (we’re talking one afternoon, here). they also hide dirt and bread crumbs like a champ. we got them at our local lowe’s store- here’s the link! http://tinyurl.com/338s22a
Very nice! I especially like the shelves flanked by the two tall shelving units. Very cool. And she has the owl teapot set from Anthropologie! Awesome.
Beautiful. So fresh looking!
Beautiful, but oh that stove is just gorgeous!!! Truly a treasure!!
That is such a great makeover! The kitchen is super cute (love those butcher block counter tops), but let me just say this: that turquoise stove completely steals the show. I’m in LOVE with it. Did you paint it that color, Bonnie? It’s so unexpected, but perfect!
LOVE the breakfast nook. With serious lusting, ‘I’d like to eat there every morning, wonder if I could I could fit that into my tiny kitchen’ love. Looks wonderful.
My personal favorite is that fun blue Kitchen-Aid peeking out in the corner! Great job Bonnie!
Bonnie (hoping you stop by)-
Are those wall stickers? They look great! Subtle but a really great detail!
Bonnie, I enjoyed visiting your blog and think it’s wonderful that you are renovating the house that once belonged to your grandparents. We live in an old farmhouse in Bryson City, NC that’s not too far from Franklin. Great job on the kitchen!
Amazing job! I love the penguins on the shelf, so cute! The entire room is so bright, love it!
this is off topic, but I just want to say I love the name Clara you picked out for your baby girl, so classic! =) We recently moved to VA Beach a little over two months ago. We are officially Virginians! haha
SO light and airy!! I love the sunny window over the sink with those yellow cafe curtains. And that “HOT” over the fireplace is perfect.
Lovely! I definitely see the YHL style touches here and there.
beautiful…love the yellow curtains and rug. and I adore that they left the beautiful white appliances. Looks so fresh and sunny.
Oh I love with counter tops. I actually have the same ones sitting in my garage waiting to be installed.
I love that eating nook! So beautiful! And I just now noticed after looking at it more carefully-is that a stenciling on the wall? It’s subtle but adds such great detail!
It looks so nice and airy!
I just have one question – Is there a design painted on the far wall (pantry/dining wall)? I see a light-colored design on that wall — Just curious!
and another blog gets added to my love list <333
i absolutely LOVE the table. what a treasure find at an antique auction!
Bonnie, I love your kitchen! It feels so bright and open! I really like your dining nook! It’s so artful!
Very nice! It’s hard to resist a white kitchen, especially when paired with the light colored wood. very cottage-living (and that’s a high compliment!)
those big-eyed owls on the shelves are adorable! I wonder, are they vintage?
hi lovelies! oh, you are all so sweet!
a quick note, if you’re interested, you can see the full house redesign here! http://tinyurl.com/3776o8y
@kate: i found our stove in that color! what a steal, right? we got it here: http://www.freemangas.com/
@lauren & kristen: yes! i made some stamps and used them to create the ever so faint mural on the wall! our walls are knockdown texture, so i couldn’t use wallpaper. so i went crafty!
hi carole! found those darlings at anthropologie! it was a few years ago, so not sure if they still have them?
Seeing this makeover has got me super excited about finishing my house! I think I might steal a couple ideas from this one :) I also went to Bonnie’s wesbite to see the rest of her house and WOWWWWWW, I found so many inspiring ideas there too. Thanks YHL for bringing all these great ideas into my life!
Bonnie’s Going Home to Roost and YHL are two of my all time favorite blogs! What a surprise to see this- love seeing you all together today! ;)
Your home photos never get old Bonnie, I love them even more each time I see them!
OMG I love the “HOT” above the stove. I grew up with a wood stove in my living room, and my parents used to always say “HOT” when we got too close to it as toddlers. Ahh memories!
OMG! Bonnie, have you shared your craft genius on your blogsite for those stamps? I’m LOVING those!
hi again! i just wanted to shout out a few links to some of the projects from the kitchen makeover!
thrift store frames: http://tinyurl.com/3xgsetu
painting your own cabinet knobs: http://tinyurl.com/38xsulu
for the full home makeover visit: http://tinyurl.com/2w4zotb
and even more photos can be found on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bonnieforkner/
xoxo! bonnie
Hey Bonnie,
Thanks so much for dropping in with all of your answers and info! We’re so glad everyone is loving your amazing kitchen makeover as much as we are!
xo,
s
hi dearies! with so many inquiries about the wall stamps, i think i’ll try to explain it here! call me crazy?
*WALL STAMPS*
materials:
paper & pencil
soft 1/4? foam (like this: http://tinyurl.com/3afwt5q)
hard 1/2? foam (like this: http://tinyurl.com/34vkt7q)
an exacto knife or rasor
desired paint color
small roller
permanent spray adhesive
start by sketching out your design with a pencil on regular paper. make sure to bare down pretty hard as you’ll need the lead to transfer later on. turn your design over and place it on your soft 1/4? foam. using a spoon, rub all over your design until it has transferred onto the foam. after your image has transferred, use an exacto knife to cut out the design. using a permanent spray adhesive, spray your hard foam board and the wrong side of your cut out design and place it on the hard foam. let completely dry. after your design is firmly in place, you can use a small roller to roll on your desired paint color.
does that make sense? let me know if you have any questions!
xo, bonnie
This is lovely– well done!
i’m loving the jadeite and mason jars. and the swallows are pretty pretty. great job!
I love the the shot of the table and shelving. So bright and airy. Lovely collections and zero-packaging organization. Nice work, Bonnie!
Stunning!!!
So fresh, so lovely! Well done, Bonnie and co.!
jbhat
I LOVE the shelf of aqua/turquoise jars. Too cute!
beautiful…love the yellow curtains and rug. and I adore that they left the beautiful white appliances. Looks so fresh and sunny.
Hello from England!
Inspired by Bonnie’s kitchen design I bought the tall Varde Ikea shelves yesterday and spent today chopping them in half and fixing to the kitchen wall to sit either side of a large wall clock.
I’ve been wanting to create this effect for a while, but thought I might have to get shelves custom built as I all the shelves I could find were too large for the wall space available. The Ikea solution was so easy to do, looks great and cost only £25 … so I thought I would stop by to say thanks Bonnie and YHL!
That sounds amazing! Congrats on your fab DIY job!
xo,
s
Great makeover! I’ve often wondered how the laminate that looks like tile would look over a whole floor (I’ve only seen small sample boards) – it looks amazing in this picture!
I really like the swallow design. I read through the comments hoping to find out what they were. I really like how subtle the design is. I also love that she didn’t take out any of the existent cabinets and still had amazing results. Sometimes, working with what you’ve got can pay off!
@clare: how fun! i’m so happy to have inspired you, and your kitchen sounds simply darling!!
@hillary: thank you! did you find the instructions for the swallows? they are a few comments up, i hope that helps!
xo, bonnie
Wow! Huge difference! I can’t stand that border-trim-wallpaper at the top of the walls. Ugh!
Beautiful! I love it all! I love simple makeovers like this and if I can ever afford it, I am totally getting butcher block countertops from Ikea. ;)
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this re-do, great job Bonnie!!
Can you tell us where you got the owl pots/jars what not? Looks like anthropologie, but I want them… real bad.
Thanks! :)
I love how light and airy it looks!
The “Hot” above the wood stove is too cute!
hi susan! thank you so much! yes, i got the owl tea set at anthro, but i don’t think they carry it anymore! boo. i’ll keep my eyes peeled!
xo, bonnie