This late-’80s kitchen is totally transformed, thanks to some smart design ideas and a little elbow grease! Homeowner Sylvia Rawlings* specified new cabinet doors and drawers, stainless-steel appliances, and granite countertops for her condo kitchen, then saved some moola by invoking her DIY skills.

Sylvia ordered the new doors and drawers unfinished so she could prime and paint them herself. She chose oil-base primer and paint for the project because she wanted a durable, creamy finish.

Tip: Oil-base paint should flow with your paintbrush, not drag. Sylvia found that adding a paint conditioner (Flood’s Penetrol Oil Paint Conditioner) made the paint flow better and brush marks less noticeable.

Sylvia also:
• Saved money by keeping the existing cabinet boxes and neutral tile floor. The tiles are on the diagonal, which makes the tiny L-shape kitchen appear larger.
• Chose beaded board for the backsplash, which covers up lumpy walls left from wallpaper and tile removal.
• Outfitted the interior of the cabinets with pull-out trays and dividers to make the most of the limited storage space.
• Stitched the café curtains, then used fusible webbing to attach a row of turquoise and olive fabric circles snipped from an accent fabric.

*Full disclosure—she’s the mom of our editor, Kelly Rawlings!