A “Boring” Gray and White Kitchen’s $1,500 Makeover Adds So Much Drama

When Charlotte Hohorst (@chohorst), who owns a gorgeous Los Angeles townhouse, moved into her home, it was far from her taste — especially the “builder-grade, landlord-special kitchen.”

“Similar to the rest of the apartment, it had … white walls, fluorescent lights, gray laminate flooring, gray countertops, white appliances, [boring] fixtures, and limited hardware,” Charlotte, the vice president of design at a P.R. firm, explains. “Oh, and how could I forget the vertical blinds?! Yikes.” 

Charlotte’s redesign began with the color. She found Farrow & Ball’s Bancha, a rich olive green, and immediately knew she needed it in her kitchen, especially because it complemented the blue Scalamandré wallpaper in the adjacent dining nook. She admits that she covered “every surface [she] could,” by painting the cabinets and applying faux black marble peel-and-stick contact paper to the countertops herself. “The black totally elevated the space,” she says. “I found it to be forgiving when I was installing, and [the counters have] held up against a lot of wear and tear.” 

Next, Charlotte set out to get rid of the things she disliked in the room. For example, the vertical blinds, sink fixture, and overhead light were swapped out for new items, including cabinet hardware, a more modern faucet, and a pendant light. 

Then, she applied bright new floor tiles to the dated flooring, which wasn’t as easy as the contact paper DIY.  “[Adding the peel-and-stick floor tiles] was such a messy process, super hard to get right, and I found the tiles to slip around a lot after I installed them,” Charlotte says. “They photograph nicely and alleviated the eyesore of the previous hideous gray laminate, but they’re not super easy to clean.” Next time, she says she’ll opt for an investment designer rug to revive her floors. 

Doing everything herself — and having fun along the way — meant that in the end, the total kitchen transformation cost was under $1,500. “It’s so important to pace yourself and resist the pressure to overspend just for the sake of ‘getting it done.’ I always try to enjoy the process, but I totally appreciate how hard it is,” Charlotte says. “I also totally bucked perfection and just had a good time. No, the bottoms of the cabinets are not painted, the peel and stick isn’t perfect — but it’s homey and cozy and fun, and nobody ever notices those bits.”

Although Charlotte’s favorite part of the kitchen is the bold green paint color, she also loves the stories the room tells through sentimental knickknacks. She loves collecting Mexican ceramics and silver trays, and also has her grandma’s vintage clock in a corner of the room. All the thoughtful mementos and bright colors have made this kitchen anything but “serial killer.” To see more of Charlotte’s stunning townhouse, visit the full house tour on Apartment Therapy. 

This post originally appeared on The Kitchn. See it there: Before & After: A “Boring” Gray and White Kitchen’s Green $1,500 Makeover Adds So Much Drama