Hello, dear friends! Today, I’m back with one of my favorite DIY projects! It’s my sister’s 80’s Kitchen Makeover on a budget!
I have two sisters. I’m in the middle and this is the kitchen of my younger sister, Shirley. She lives here in Virginia Beach while our older sister lives up in Wisconsin.
Here we are about to fly out to see her at the end of last summer:
Her house was built in 1986, and it came compete with a gorgeous 80’s kitchen to match:
In January of 2020, before we had any clue what was on the horizon, we made a plan to redo her very 80’s kitchen!
Her cabinets were made of pine and were full of knotholes. I am not sharing every step today, just mostly the befores and afters with a couple in-betweens.
See the complete How to Paint Pine Cabinets HERE to see the whole process from start to finish.
We removed all the doors, sanded, primed, and painted. I share lots of photos and all those steps in the link above!
I’ve included a few affiliate links so you can find the products we used.
ENJOY!
Before:
And after:
In the before photo, you can see that the piece above the sink was curvy. My sister didn’t like that, so I whacked it out with a sledgehammer and replaced it with a straight piece, securing it with my nail gun.
Before:
And after:
Some more simple staging didn’t hurt either!
The bulletin board fridge side before:
And after
I also replaced a similar curvy piece that was above this opening on the opposite wall next to the fridge:
It is SO light and bright! Do you miss the pine at all??
This makeover may look very familiar if you’ve seen my own kitchen makeover.
My sister loved mine, so she decided to use many of the same elements in her own. I also have this gorgeous mother-of-pearl backsplash:
I love how it shimmers when the light hits it.
You can see how I installed it in my own home HERE. Hers was actually easier because I was able to attach it directly to the wall. I trimmed out the edges with ceramic pencil trim I found at the Home Depot:
She also used my wall color, Campfire Ash by Behr:
I love that clock! It came from Hobby Lobby.
And notice the fridge is clutter-free! She actually tried not to clutter it back up completely!
That stairwell leads to the room over the garage.
She was really lucky to have solid surface counters and stainless steel appliances already.
I suggested black for her kitchen island, but she had found an inspiration photo that featured a taupe island that she liked, so she chose Smokestack by Behr.
My sister painted the stools with the same paint she used on the cabinets, Behr Ultra Pure White in a satin finish. There was no need to use the stinky shellac primer on those or the island, just regular primer was fine.
And you can see the top of the island is no longer this ugly wood.
We used Dixie Belle White Magic VooDoo Gel Stain on it. I shared more of how we did that in this post HERE.
My sister loved my faucet as well, so she replaced hers with the same one I found on Amazon HERE.
It is awesome! I love that the sprayer nozzle pulls down from the top to help with rinsing.
She opted to keep her existing hinges but replaced all the hardware.
We used a mix of knobs on top and on the drawers and longer pulls on the bottom cabinets, all purchased at the Home Depot.
Why not use chalk paint?
That’s the question I often get about my own kitchen. Ya’ll know I am a huge fan of chalk paint for furniture and decor items, especially because I like a bit of a distressed look. It seems painting a whole kitchen would be so much easier with the “no-prep” idea behind chalk paint. However, I chose the latex enamel in the Satin finish for a couple of reasons. First, I prefer a clean new-looking finish for cabinets and I just feel like cabinets should match the trim, doors, etc. Second, latex enamel is super easy to clean which is very important in a kitchen that needs to be wiped down daily. While we did have a lot more prep, it was well worth the end result, and there is no need to wax or seal the paint after, as would be needed with chalk paint, making touch-ups super easy.
One more before:
In progress:
And after!
And how does my sister like her new kitchen?
I think this smile says it all!
She actually told me when we were done, “Thank you. Thank you for helping me love my house!”
That is the best thanks ever!
Updates since 2020:
- She removed the carpet from the stairs and painted the railing white.
- The tile floor has been replaced with luxury vinyl planks that look like weathered wood. (I never event thought to take updated photos for y’all, but they look so good!)
- She also painted the island black (like I first suggested) for more contrast. It looks fantastic!
- Things eventually found their way back onto the fridge…of course.
And how has her kitchen held up??
The cabinets have held up beautifully! And, not one knot has bled through! She did lightly touch up where a couple of the knobs were, but that is to be expected with painted cabinets.
I hope you enjoyed this 80’s kitchen makeover today!
I’ve completed two kitchen makeovers of my own HERE and HERE if you want even more kitchen inspiration!
We also redid her kitchen table set, swapping out this table for a thrift store find:
You won’t believe how good it looks!! See that HERE!!
I found two beautiful furniture pieces while thrifting on Tuesday, but we have several neighborhood yard sales happening around us this Saturday, so I’m going to hit those up and then I should be ready to share my brand new haul on Tuesday!!
UPDATE: My new haul is HERE!!
Have an amazing weekend!
XOXO,
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Marya Kaiser says
Awe, I remember when you helped your sister with her kitchen makeover! It turned out amazing, and I still think your amazing for helping her do it! I am sure that you had alot of fun working together!
Christy says
Thank you, Mary! We are good at helping each other. It is nice to have someone willing to roll up their sleeves and get to work with you! XOXO
Joni V Taylor says
you did an fantastic job on your sisters kitchen. looks 100% better, much more modern.
Christy says
Thanks so much, Joni! It was crying out for help lol! XOXO
Janice Redden says
Christy, you did a great job of highlighting the big changes. It is beautiful. I had to laugh that the “chalkboard” fridge had returned. ,,,… happy yardsaling! Can’t wait to see what surprises you have in store for us.
Christy says
Thank you, Janice! Ha ha yes…that poor fridge! Have a lovely weekend! XOXO
Kathy W says
Christy – your sister’s kitchen looks beautiful!! What a huge project!! What an amazing transformation!! Your sister is so lucky to have such an extremely talented sibling. “We”(your followers) are equally lucky you share all of your extraordinary makeovers two times a week with us. Sure makes me feel special!! Thank you!! Can’t wait to see your new haul!! Have a great weekend!!
Kathy W
oxox
Christy says
Thank you, Kathy! It was a huge undertaking, but I was glad I got to home and leave it behind at night, leaving her with homework ha ha! She is lucky lol, but she helps me too, so it’s a trade off. You are always the sweetest, and I so appreciate you! See you Tuesday! XOXO
Cyndi says
I remember this! And I enjoyed seeing it again. Wow. What a difference! I love the color choice for the island. It pulls that color from the back splash and keeps everything light and bright. (And stuff all over the frig is one of my pet peeves. Frame a bulletin board for it all! 🙂 )
Christy says
I’m glad you enjoyed seeing it again, Cyndi! I hadn’t realized it was that long ago! And I have to agree about the fridge. I offered to frame a bulletin board for her to put in the laundry room that was behind that closed door, but she declined..oh well! XOXO
Cyndic says
Well, you tried. Ha ha! 🙂
Christy says
Ha ha! I did! XO
Jackie C says
i’m so glad to have this update, I wondered how her cabinets held up. I’m glad she decided to repaint the island. I’m sure the black looks rich & beautiful, but since I’m a green girl… ????
I’ve always been crazy about that backsplash since you put it in your kitchen. I love it.
Christy says
Oh good! Yes, they have done remarkably well! The island looks so much better in black, but green would have been amazing too…I wasn’t in love with the original color myself. Thanks, Jackie! XOXO
Cynthia says
I remember when you and your sister did her kitchen and your kitchen.
They are all beautiful. Your sister is so lucky to have you.
One of my favorite posts!
Cynthia
Christy says
Aww thank you, Cynthia! I’m so glad you enjoyed this one again! She is lucky ha ha, but she helps me too, so it’s a trade off. XOXO
Sue says
I love, love, love your sister’s kitchen make over. Wow!
Christy says
Thank you so much, Sue! That white paint brightened it up so much! XOXO
Lizzy says
SO much better! Great job.
Christy says
Thank you, Lizzy! It even feels bigger in there now! XOXO
Lynn Palmatier says
Absolutely beautiful. Love the mother of pearl backsplash. Is it easy to clean? Also, has it held up well. Looking foward to your next projects!
Christy says
Thank you, Lynn! The backsplash is super easy to clean and has held up perfectly! XOXO
Michele M. says
Christy – loved this and loved the update and really and truly am dying to see the island painted black and the few things she’s done since. And omgoodness you sure can tell you are sisters! You look like twins, so so cute. What a transformation on her kitchen. It is just a wow thing. You are such a great sibling. ♥♥
Christy says
Thank you so much, Michele! I wish I would have taken photos to share…I will have to take some and update the post! I am a great sibling lol, but she is too. We have gone back and forth helping each other with many projects over the years! XOXO
Barbara Orlemanski says
Wished I had a sister, especially one that is as talented as you. I love everything that you do. Keep up the good work.
Christy says
Aww thank you, Barbara! I am very blessed to have both my sisters. I definitely don’t take that for granted! XOXO
Carol Karl says
What a difference! The kitchen had really good bones but you brightened and lightened and made it spectacular! Great job.
Christy says
Thank you so much, Carol! It did have great bones…that really helps! XOXO
Susan Pease says
Fabulous makeover. That is a lot of work but, what a showpiece. Love the lightness! Ps I do have fridge clutter too with magnets I collect from trips and the grandkids trinkets they have made!
Christy says
Thank you, Susan! It really is so light and bright and even feels larger in there now! I think you get a pass on the magnets and grandkids trinkets…those are special! My sister’s fridge is just a bulletin board for junk lol! XOXO
Petra says
I do remember this, and absolutely loving the before and after. Interesting she painted the island black – I’m sure it looks amazing – would love to see a photo 😉 Thanks for re-sharing this. You should advertise yourself and your sister for doing kitchen make-overs 🙂
Christy says
Thanks so much, Petra! I should have taken new photos for this reshare, but I staged it for the original and now she has all her counter clutter and fridge bulletin board going on ha ha. Maybe one day, I will! Glad you enjoyed it, and we won’t be quitting our day jobs to go into the kitchen business anytime soon, but I bet we could make a fortune! XOXO
Rebecca Payne says
Gorgeous
Christy says
Thank you, Rebecca! XOXO
Ewa says
In our country, when someone so talented, hardworking and empathetic creates such a “wow” effect , they ask him if it hurt a lot when he fell from the sky to the ground or if his wings were damaged as a result of that fall :-)) The effect is stunning. I gasped when I saw the transformation of the kitchen furniture and the table and chairs.So I’ll say amen girl. Keep it up 🙂
Christy says
Aww I appreciate that so much, Ewa, thank you!! It is amazing what paint can do for sure! XOXO