This 1970s Kitchen Got a Makeover Fit for a Pro Baker (and It’s IKEA!)
It’s almost a no-brainer that pro designer and baker Joe Futschik (@fikadessertpdx) would have a gorgeous kitchen — but his 1926 bungalow’s kitchen didn’t always look to his liking.
“When I first bought my home, the kitchen was stuck in the ’70s,” Joe says. It had soffits, mushroom wallpaper, copper appliances, avocado-colored linoleum, light yellow walls, and speckled laminate countertops.
“And something I’ve never seen before: a rolling pin chandelier with copper lampshades hung over the dining table,” Joe, who primarily designs lighting, says. Although the latter was innovative, “obviously, I didn’t like any of the above,” Joe says.
The kitchen redo maximizes space.
Joe worked with a professional contractor, Josh Charles, on the kitchen reno. Joe and Josh removed the upper cabinets by the stove, got rid of the soffit and installed cabinets that extend to the ceiling, and moved the fridge from the back wall to the side.
One of the more fun parts of the redo was designing the built-in bench, which is “a much better use of the space,” Joe says. He’s also proud of the narrow-profile countertops which make the 200-square-foot kitchen feel larger. “The entire kitchen feels more open and light,” Joe adds.
It has new wood floors and a herringbone tile wall, and the new wall paint color is Magnolia Home’s Panna Cotta.
The new cabinets are from IKEA.
For the cabinets, Joe worked with the IKEA kitchen planning team — although he DIYed many parts as well. “For budgetary reasons, I removed the old linoleum floor and leveled the subfloor,” Joe says, and he also assembled the 22 IKEA SEKTION kitchen cabinet boxes. (He added Pallisandro finish fronts from Mix It Modern, which is no longer in business, for the doors.)
“Assembling cabinets, painting, and doing basic demo gave me the extra funds to put towards items that would otherwise put me outside my max budget,” Joe says.
The entire kitchen reno cost $27,000.
There were saves and splurges throughout the process. Joe shopped after-Thanksgiving sales for his appliances, and sourced several things from IKEA, The Home Depot, and Wayfair. “That allowed me to spend a little more on a narrow fridge, panel-ready dishwasher, and custom felt bench pads,” Joe says.
One other tip? “Save the sink cutout to use as a cutting board,” Joe recommends. “I love that it’s functional while blending into the counter.”
For more kitchen reno advice, read this kitchen renovation guide.
Inspired? Submit your own project here.