Kitchen Redo

We were thrilled that our apartment in Vienna came with a kitchen. 

It sounds funny, but coming from Berlin, where every apartment we looked at and lived in came only with a freestanding sink and stove (no countertops or cabinets!!), this tiny, professionally installed kitchen seemed like a big step up. 

Though here we faced some new challenges: not enough counter space and storage space, and only a small hole where the college-sized refrigerator is meant to go.  There are some things I just can't seem to adjust to, and living out of a tiny refrigerator with a freezer the size of a cereal box is apparently one of them.  Call me American:)

 Making plans...

The counter space and storage issue we tackled with some basic wooden exposed shelving and a trip to IKEA for this UDDEN stainless steel topped kitchen unit (which I see is strangely unavailable in the US).

Once we had enough space to put everything, I started thinking about how I could perk the room up a bit.  The hardwood floors are gorgeous, but with the white walls, wooden dining room table and those light wood colored cabinets, the whole space was pretty BORING.  Since we're renting, and at the end of our time here we will need to repaint any walls back to white again, I didn't really love the idea of changing up the walls.  For some reason, though, we are allowed to paint the cabinets without changing them back-- perfect solution!

Before starting on my cabinet transformation, I decided to make the surface a bit more interesting than the smooth, modern look they came with.  So, at my local hardware store I picked up some inexpensive wooden molding to make into trim.  

This is one of my favorite projects for painted furniture!  If you want to dress it up a little and add some interesting detail to a simple dresser or cabinet, this is an easy and inexpensive way to do it.  If you have a power miter saw, perfect, but don't worry if you don't. Our power tools are back in storage in the US, so this whole project was done without it.  All you need is a plastic miter box saw for cutting accurately at an angle like this one, which will cost you less than $10.  

Plus some thin nails or all purpose super glue:

And a good ruler or measuring tape.  Measure twice at least!  It will save you a trip back to the hardware store, I promise.

The color I chose in the end was inspired by this amazing before and after on Design*Sponge (this couple poured their own concrete countertops to save money-- now THAT is an impressive DIY project!).  I don't usually like dark paint for a kitchen, since it can make the space look claustrophobic and heavy, but this room is so large and white that I decided it could handle a wall of cabinets painted in ink blue.

The finished product:

Be sure to notice the cute hand towel and cucina sign that compliment the blue-- both gifts from Mel:)

Have a great day!

Liza