In the end, we love our kitchen and are impressed we got it done as home-reno newbies.
When my husband and I bought our largely untouched 1990s home last year, we knew every room would eventually need updating. But there was one space we wanted to tackle first: the kitchen.
The original oak cabinetry was beautifully built, but the honey-colored tones, dated tile countertops and backsplash, and striped wallpaper made the whole room appear firmly stuck in another decade. Short upper cabinets also made the room feel smaller than it was, and limited our storage potential.
We wanted a kitchen that felt modern, more functional, and better suited to how we actually cook and entertain — but we didn't want to spend too much on a remodel.
After researching our options, we headed to IKEA.
We ordered our cabinets, countertops, and most basics from IKEA
At IKEA, we were able to view cabinets and hardware options in person. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
The Swedish retailer's kitchen systems and cabinets caught our eye for their smart design, modular flexibility, and affordability.
Before placing our order, we made two appointments with an IKEA kitchen specialist to see cabinet colors, door styles, countertop samples, and hardware in person.
The meetings felt overwhelming as we worked through layouts, measurements, and seemingly endless design decisions, but seeing the materials side by side gave us confidence in our choices and helped us catch details we might have missed online.
We ultimately went with warm wood-toned IKEA cabinets, off-white glass-composite countertops, a deep farmhouse-style sink , and brass hardware.
To keep the space from feeling too uniform, we chose a green scalloped backsplash and beige hexagon floor tile from other suppliers.
Taking on the labor ourselves helped us complete the renovation for $10,000
Our original kitchen felt incredibly dated. Lexi Marshall
Despite being total renovation newbies, we took on most of the labor ourselves and learned as we went. IKEA kitchen installations typically start at around $2,500, so this decision helped us save thousands.
Luckily, we also caught IKEA when it was having a 10% off deal, which further lowered our overall cost. And since we already replaced the stove and refrigerator the year before, we didn't need to budget for them here.
Ultimately, we completed our renovation for about $10,000, including the cabinets, countertops, flooring, backsplash, sink, hardware, and other materials.
From demolition to the finishing touches, the project took about two months, and the transformation was dramatic.
We're happy with our kitchen's before-and-after. Lexi Marshall
Higher cabinets added storage and made the room stand taller, while the countertops, fixtures, and finishes made the kitchen more cohesive.
The finished space exceeded our expectations, but there are a few things we'd do differently if we were starting over.
Looking back, I wish we'd paid for IKEA's professional measuring service
Our own measurements weren't perfect. Lexi Marshall
We thought we could save money by measuring the kitchen ourselves since we planned to install the cabinets without hiring an IKEA installer .
That decision ended up costing us more time and causing more frustration than the measuring service likely would have. A few cabinets didn't fit quite as expected, forcing us to pause the project while we returned pieces and waited for replacements.
Looking back, having a professional verify every measurement would've been well worth the added cost, which was about a hundred bucks.
I also wish we'd started prep work much earlier … and had done more of it
It took us a while to achieve this final result. Lexi Marshall
Removing the old kitchen, repairing walls, patching drywall , leveling surfaces, painting, and getting everything ready for installation took far longer than I expected.
I had mentally prepared for cabinet assembly to be the biggest job, but the prep work was by far the most physically demanding and time-consuming part of the renovation .
Prep work wasn't just about the space, either. One big component we wished we'd prepared more for was the logistics of actually hanging the cabinets.
No kitchen wall is perfectly symmetrical or level, so we had to get creative to line everything up so it still looked seamless once it was on the wall.
There are a lot of good video resources on YouTube that walk through exactly how to plan for this, and I'd recommend watching several of them before you ever pick up a drill.
In terms of pre-renovation prep , I also wish we'd created a temporary kitchen area in our home before demolition day.
I knew we'd be without a kitchen for a while, but I still underestimated how disruptive it would feel. Lexi Marshall
For roughly three weeks during the heart of the renovation, we had no functional kitchen . It was more disruptive than I expected.
We washed dishes in the bathroom sink, leaned heavily on takeout, and quickly realized how much we took simple conveniences — like making coffee or preparing lunch — for granted.
If I could do it again, I'd spend an afternoon creating a temporary kitchen somewhere else in the house before demolition started.
Even something as simple as a folding table with a microwave, coffee maker, toaster oven, paper plates, and a few pantry staples would've made daily life much easier in the beginning.
I'd also make sure to cover and seal off the temporary kitchen as much as possible, because renovation dust has a way of getting everywhere.
And from now on, I'll test grout before committing to using it
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