These 10 Kitchen Transformations Are the Best We Saw All Year (You Have to See #3)
There’s something so energizing about kitchen transformations. Over the course of the year at Apartment Therapy, we’ve seen hundreds of you-must-be-joking spaces get overhauled into beautiful rooms — and each result feels like a contact high for creativity and a cheatsheet for future goals. We learn tips for construction, advice for secondhand shopping, and tricks for eye-catching palettes, among other covetable lessons, all while getting to see the work unfold with a scroll — no sweat and tears necessary. These are our 10 favorite kitchen before-and-afters of the year. They’re sure to inspire you for whatever projects you’re dreaming up next.
A father-daughter duo transforms a 2000s builder-grade kitchen.
When Katie, an architect, finally got the chance to renovate this kitchen — she saved for four years! — she wanted to take it from “builder-grade special” to a timeless space to call her own. With help from her dad, Dave, they gutted the entire room and rebuilt it for better storage, flow, and charm. “The two biggest differences are the amount of sunlight I get in the room, and in-unit laundry!” Katie says. Read about the entire makeover here.
A DIY backsplash and wallpaper make existing cabinetry look like new.
As an AT employee, Vicky Wasik was routinely impressed by the makeovers she’d see on the job, and decided to use them as motivation to give her kitchen a colorful makeover. She had simple white countertops professionally installed and got help from her dad to put the green zellige backsplash in place. To make her newly verdant walls pop, Vicky hung forest-inspired wallpaper that ties the entire room together. Read about the transformation here.
A 1928 bungalow gets a butter-yellow kitchen that’s so cottagecore.
When Chelsea Harris and her husband bought a 1928 bungalow in Portland, Oregon, it was clear the kitchen would have to be gutted in order to fulfill her goal of returning it to its classic roots. They kept the existing cabinet boxes but refinished the floors, installed countertops, and painted nearly everything in a sweet yellow hue — the stuff of cottagecore dreams. See how they completed the makeover here.
Red zebra wallpaper gives blue kitchen cabinetry even more personality.
Interior designer Monica Leigh (@leighcodesigns) and her husband Jeffrey hired a contractor to maximize space in their family kitchen by knocking out the L-shaped island and two door frames. The new layout made the room feel much larger, but Leigh’s penchant for maximalism also gave it much more personality. “The pops of color in the wallpaper, rug, and curtains make me so happy against the neutral backsplash and blue cabinets,” she says. Read more about the changes here.
Limewash paint and vintage furniture make a kitchen feel extra cozy.
Teresa Rudolph wanted to give her kitchen more of a cozy feel, and she made that happen with an approachable DIY: limewash paint (even on top of textured wallpaper!). New wood floors, a vintage workbench-turned-prep-table, and modern lighting also give the room its warm ambiance. Read about the makeover here.
Budget-friendly bookshelves and gray-green paint make for a moody kitchen.
There were a lot of details in Sheri Abertnathy’s (@brasswalnut) dated kitchen that she wanted to upgrade, but the biggest one was likely the two-tiered island countertop. Once that was removed, alongside the upper cabinetry and the countertops, a graphite-like paint and $200 bookshelves were just two of the shifts that provide instant character. Read about the full transformation here.
Pink cabinets and a mirror backsplash bring fun to a small footprint.
Philippines-based designer Mars Sambo (@ishikawasambo) was hired by his high school friend Francesca to bring functionality and personality to her kitchen, and they did that by focusing on one eye-catching color: pink. That bubbly shade for the cabinetry is paired with a mirror backsplash to make the area look larger, creating a kitchen that almost feels like a stage. Read about the project here.
Red paint for newly configured cabinetry creates a bold statement.
Because interior designer Megan Lusher (@kalemdesignhouse) planned to turn this apartment into an Airbnb, function and style were top priorities. After moving the electrical panel and streamlining the layout, she chose a bold red shade for the cabinetry and a traditional checkerboard floor for a first impression bound to get rave reviews. Read about the full transformation here.
A library ladder in the kitchen is a book-lover’s dream.
DIYer Allison Skiff (@allisonskiffdotcom) had a farmhouse-style kitchen with elements in it from the ’80s, and she wanted it all to feel much more cohesive within a vintage-inspired palette. The cabinets were painted in a stone-like shade, and she redid the countertops to resemble marble. But the biggest showstopper has to be the library ladder, which makes finding something on the upper shelves a treat. Read about the full makeover here.
Rental brown cabinets feel more intentional with matching paint.
Lots of rental kitchens come with brown cabinets, and content creator Megan Zietz has this advice: Don’t fight them, embrace them. She painted the walls a chocolate shade to match, and added floral wallpaper to the ceiling. Whimsical finishing touches, including cafe curtains and a disco ball, make the whole room feel like an exciting spot to cook, eat, and just hang out. Read about the project here.