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Small Kitchen Makeover: Before And After

This is our small kitchen makeover, completed in 2010! We transformed its groovy orange and yellow 1970s vibe into a calming pale blue and bold brown palette. This wasn’t a gut but a facelift, and we loved the results of working with the layout we had. Keep reading to see more before and after shots!

A before and after shot of a small kitchen makeover.

When we purchased our first home outside of Boston a few years ago, we had no idea the amount of cosmetic work it was going to take to remove the 1970s vibe that defined the entire inside of it. However, even though the house was outdated aesthetically, we fell in love with the feel of it and started our massive effort to remove the multiple layers of wallpaper that plastered virtually every inch of wallspace in the house shortly after we moved in.

DIY Small Kitchen Makeover On A Budget

It took a little over two years, but throughout 2008 and 2010, we removed all of it. Some rooms that had more than one layer of wallpaper (only one layer can be removed at a time), took multiple weeks of scraping, and the one room that had been wallpapered and then painted over took more than a month to get rid of.

One of the rooms I am most proud of and spend the most time in is my kitchen. Before we began working on it, it was not a functional or warm space to work in, which made me incredibly motivated to improve it as much as possible. Although we never gutted it, we did make every possible cosmetic change we could with the space and existing dimensions the room presented, while staying within our budget.

Before: Our 1970s Small Boston Kitchen

This is a picture of our kitchen right after we bought the house. As you can see, it was yellow, grimy and dated. Everything felt dirty no matter how much we cleaned it. The old countertops were stained and needed some serious updating.

A 70s kitchen with yellow and orange wallpaper.

After: Our Small Kitchen Makeover

After stripping, sanding, and priming the walls, we applied pale blue, stark white, and dark chocolate tones on the walls. We cleaned and repainted the grimy cabinets, and updated the hardware on them. The old formica countertops were updated with a new countertop, and we bought a new dishwasher to replace the old one.

A kitchen with a blue walls.

Before: Kitchen Prep Area

The first few months we lived here, there was virtually no counter space next to the stove. I remember chopping food next to the sink, then balancing it on a cutting board as I walked across the kitchen, then balancing it on another pot while I cooked. Not fun.

1970s kitchen prep area.

After: Kitchen Prep Area

So we moved the refrigerator out of the space and bought a wooden chopping block to take its place. This is now a fully functional workspace, and I love the pot rack that Jeff hung from the wall, as well as the magnetic strip for knives and three spice racks nearby for ease of use.

A small kitchen prep area.

Our Little 1970s Breakfast Nook

We unfortunately had to move that refrigerator someplace and it now sits in this nook, in front of the window. I would ideally love to put a little dining table there and not block the window. However, when space is limited, and walls from a 1920s house are just so, it limits what can be configured. But, I still love the arch leading into the nook.

1970s Wallpaper Removal

Double wallpaper fiasco! 70s wallpaper on top of 60s wallpaper! This took me two straight days of maniacal scraping with a combination of stripping chemicals and elbow grease—it was like removing stubborn gum from a sidewalk.

If you’re thinking, “Just steam it!” You’ve clearly never removed very old wallpaper. 40+ year-old wallpaper on plaster walls = severe adhesion issues.

A 1970s breakfast nook.

This came off in tiny shreds. Whenever I got sort of a big piece, I felt so lucky!

1970s wallpaper removal in kitchen.

Priming And Repainting Our Old Nook

Once the paper was completely stripped, I sanded it down. Putting a couple of coats of clean white primer down made all of the stripping worth it. I couldn’t wait to apply the color!

A breakfast nook, scraped and sanded.

Painting is done!

A breakfast nook painted with pale blue and chocolate colors.

Since 2010, we’ve made other improvements as we’ve had the time and money, like laying a dark chocolate wood floor over the grimy vinyl floor, installing crown molding, updating the cabinet hardware, painting the insides of the cabinets rocket red, and replacing the sink with a new one, with new faucet fixtures.

A kitchen prep area.

I am amazed at how sanding and color can impact a space, giving it an entirely new look and feel. Although doing everything ourselves was rewarding, I doubt we will ever choose to do it again in another house. Actually, we will never move into another house with wallpaper plastered all over it. Never, ever!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Karen Goodman says

    I've been searching for inspiration for the kitchen in my new home. For the first time, I'll be buying new cabinets instead of working around them (replacing everything but the cabinets). I LOVE your color combination. Thanks for the picture so I could visualize it. Pinned!

    Reply

  2. Franny says

    This is so inspiring, not an XXXtreme! Makeover! but instead something realistic and clean. Is there a reason you didn't put the cutting board in front of the window, instead of the fridge?

    Reply

    • erinwyso says

      Thanks Franny! While I would love to have the cutting board in front of the window, it's opposite from the oven/stove, which would require me balancing everything chopped across the kitchen.

      Reply

  3. Anonymous says

    This is wonderful. thanks for sharing. Where did you find the kind-of U-shaped chrome shelf supports? Thank you! Ann

    Reply

  4. Anonymous says

    I'm hoping you can tell me where you got the spice racks and the pot holder. Both are exactly what I've been searching for . Love what you did to the kitchen, the colors are great.
    Thanks so much in advance,
    Cyndi Olson

    Reply

  7. Sheila Tajima says

    Oh My! I would LOVE to have a kitchen like this. Great job! I love how your home has those arched doorways also. Will you adopt me or at least have me as an exchange cook so I can live in your kitchen? 😉

    Reply

    • erinwyso says

      Thanks Sheila! I love that we were able to work with what we had, and not do any major gutting of the space. I've often wanted to live exclusively in the kitchen, especially when I have something fragrant in the crockpot, so it's good to know I'm not the only one who has wanted to do that! : P

      Reply

  9. Anonymous says

    Could you please give me the details of your dark wood floors? I am hoping to replace ours soon and my husband wants to take on the challenge and do them himself. I just looked at yours and they are exactly what I want. Help—details!

    Cindy

    Reply

  10. Susan Fine says

    Excellent job! I have some ideas already just from this post for redoing my kitchen. Problem is, I didn't decide until I read this post that I want to remodel my kitchen! LOL It looks fab and I will totally be stealing some of your ideas!

    Reply

  12. Johanna GGG says

    gorgeous kitchen – love the blue walls and the saucepan rack – that nook is charming but I am sad that the floral 1960s wallpaper had to go – it looked so pretty (which is what comes of living with a wallpaper aficionado)

    Reply

    • erinwyso says

      Thanks Johanna! I agree with you that the print is charming, but it had to go! You can't really tell from the pics, but it was super grimy and not it very good shape after sitting on (under?) the walls for 40+ years!

      Reply

  14. Andrea says

    You've made some wonderful changes to improve the functionality of your kitchen. I especially love the chopping block and the spice racks! We have the same cabinet hardware as you.

    Reply

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