15 Inspiring Before After Kitchen Remodel Ideas (Must See!)
Guess what? We are starting our complete kitchen demolition this month and we have been immersed in kitchen remodel ideas for the past 2 months!
I will be writing a lot about our kitchen remodel and adding links here once it’s finished. However, I am not going to wait to share all the amazing kitchen remodel ideas gathered through our own kitchen design process. So here comes a two-part series on our favorite kitchen remodel before and afters!

Part one (today) will focus on actionable ideas that are DIY friendly, part two (in a couple of weeks) will focus on kitchen design and planning ideas. Now let’s start Part One:15 Achievable Before After Kitchen Remodel Ideas.
Table of Contents
- 1 . Small kitchen remodel on a budget
- 2 . Paint kitchen cabinets: big impact with minimal effort
- 3 . Open up the kitchen peninsula
- 4 & 5. Peel and stick kitchen backsplash
- 6 & 7. Turn a wood kitchen cabinet door into a glass door
- 8 . Add details to kitchen island and peninsula
- 9 . Varieties of kitchen lighting
- 10 . Warm materials
- 11 . Functional kitchen decorations
- 12-14. Rethink kitchen cabinet doors
- 15 . Beauty is in the details
1 . Small kitchen remodel on a budget
This budget friendly small kitchen makeover has so many great kitchen remodel ideas which we will be covering throughout this article.
*Some resources in article are affiliate links. Full disclosure here.

To make the small kitchen feel bigger, Christina painted the dark kitchen cabinets white, and replaced upper cabinets with open shelving. The attention to details such as hardware, light fixtures, subway tile backsplash, and kitchen decorations really elevate this beautiful farmhouse kitchen design. (Source: Christina’s Adventures)
2 . Paint kitchen cabinets: big impact with minimal effort
If your kitchen layout and cabinet quality is good, you can transform a dated kitchen by simply painting the cabinets.


One of the most stylish kitchen remodel ideas is to paint the upper kitchen cabinets white, and lower cabinets with an elegant color. This dramatic kitchen before and after by Makamashishop is a great example.
Want some great kitchen cabinet paint color ideas? Here are 25 of our favorite designer paint colors for kitchen cabinets!

25 favorite designer paint colors for kitchen cabinets!
3 . Open up the kitchen peninsula
An L shaped peninsula is a great kitchen design feature. In this case however, the upper cabinets make the space feel heavy and cluttered.


With open shelves, bright new countertop, and gorgeous painted lower kitchen cabinets, this remodeled kitchen space by Percival.house feels much more spacious, and offers a much better socializing experience.
4 & 5. Peel and stick kitchen backsplash
Some of my favorite kitchen remodel ideas are also renter friendly.

A removable wallpaper or peel and stick vinyl tiles can add lots of beauty and style to a generic rental kitchen. It is also an easy and inexpensive solution for homeowners who are not ready to install a newer tile backsplash.

These two beautiful examples of peel and stick blue tile or subway tile wallpapers are from Spoonflower (painted tile backsplash) and The Craft Lady(subway tile backsplash).
There are so many wonderful choices on Amazon these days great for DIY enthusiasts and renters.
6 & 7. Turn a wood kitchen cabinet door into a glass door

If you want to make a kitchen feel more open, but are not 100% sure on open shelving, consider removing the wood cabinet door panels and adding glass inserts . There are different ways to DIY a glass door, check out the tutorials at Confessions of A Serial DIYer and HGTV(below).

8 . Add details to kitchen island and peninsula


In addition to painting kitchen cabinets, you can also make your kitchen more beautiful by adding some design details such as beaded panel or board and batten to the back of a kitchen island or peninsula. (Source: Chris loves Julia)
9 . Varieties of kitchen lighting


This Fixer Upper inspired kitchen remodel combines practical task lighting such as recessed lights with decorative pendant and wall sconce. (Source: Painted By Kayla Payne )
10 . Warm materials


This modern farmhouse kitchen remodel feels clean and bright with a mostly black and white palette. The whitewashed wood cabinets, brass faucet and light fixtures, and wooden kitchen accessories warm up the space beautifully. ( Source: Studio McGee)
11 . Functional kitchen decorations


We all love beautiful dishes, cookware, and cuttings boards. When remodeling a kitchen, take them out of the cabinets and drawers, and create some perfect spots to display those treasures. This white farmhouse kitchen offers many beautiful ideas in styling an open shelf.
You can even use wooden cutting boards, layered along countertops, to disguise electrical outlets when they aren’t in use.
12-14. Rethink kitchen cabinet doors


Have you thought of kitchen cabinets without doors?
Instead of removing upper kitchen cabinets and building new open shelves, you can simply remove kitchen cabinet doors and let the cabinets become instant open shelving. ( Source: Our Storied Home)

Here‘s another gorgeous farmhouse kitchen with open cabinets.

This lovely kitchen cabinet with glass doors offers a good alternative, especially in dust and grease prone areas. See kitchen #4 and #5 on how to convert solid cabinet doors to glass doors.
15 . Beauty is in the details


This kitchen by Studio McGee is very small in square footage, yet really grand in design. All the details come together in such beautiful harmony : the clean white tiles and farmhouse sink, warm wood open shelving, rich brass faucet and hardware, glam forest green cabinets , and stunning cement tile floor.
You may also love: 21 gorgeous and achievable entryway before and afters!

Happy creating! See you next week!
A well-thought-out kitchen makeover can truly transform a space. One crucial aspect often overlooked is flooring – it’s the foundation of the kitchen’s aesthetic and functionality. Great insights, and a gentle reminder of the importance of getting the foundation right for a successful kitchen remodel!
Using open shelving as an amazing new idea for your kitchen when remodeling it sounds quite interesting to me. Something like that could make our home kitchen feel much fresher when we look at it from a broader perspective. I’ll use that idea for sure when I work with a kitchen remodeling expert as soon as possible.
Such beautiful inspirations! I wish this post could help a lot of out there! Thanks for sharing!
Customizing a kitchen peninsula really sounds like a great idea if you can combine them with new cabinets. This way, we could get some amazing storage while keeping the area looking as open as possible. I’ll definitely use this idea when I work with a remodeling contractor in the area.
GREAT article and in-depth look at so many alternative kitchen remodel options that I’ve seen out there ! For people like us who are looking for fixer uppers, this is exactly the resource I was hoping to find.
Thank you!
I liked how you displayed a great way of setting up a kitchen peninsula to act as a brand new kitchen space. Serving guests has become a favorite past-time among my family, and one of our most fun activities has been getting them to try new recipes that we learn on the internet. Because of this, we wanted to renovate our kitchen to have a better place to do this, so I’ll keep these tips in mind while looking for a contractor that can help us out with the renovations.
Great inspiration on how to remodel a small kitchen space. You are right about paint having the biggest impact for the least amount of work.
I like the second remodel you showed with the white upper cabinets and dusty blue lower cabinets. My husband and I have been considering something similar for our own home remodel. We don’t really need to replace cabinets, but we do need to replace appliances, backsplash, and flooring. We’ll have to find a contractor to help us with the remodel, when we’re ready!
I really like the way you write about Kitchen Color Trends. Thanks for the informative post, I learned a lot from your article about some great kitchen colors.
Regards
I love what you said about creating a kitchen peninsula. My friend wants to remodel his kitchen, I’ll share this post with him because his kitchen looks a lot like one of the before photos.
Thank you so much for sharing your ideas about the kitchen remodeling. Very inspiring. Good job!
Thank you! These ideas are so inspiring!
Hi Ananda, I read your complete post and almost I already aware most of them except your 3rd point that is about open L shape kitchen peninsula. But my favorite point is “to change wooden kitchen cabinets into glass door”. Can I borrow these 2 points? 😊
hi bella, go for it! 🙂
Wow these look so good. My personal fave is the bright white kitchens. I’m using this inspo for my next project.
All these before and after pictures are so inspirational! the ideas are so creative and not that difficult to do!
All of the kitchens are so beautiful. I know the trend is to get rid of uppers and have shelves instead but I am a fan of having the storage. Great read though.
Loved this post! It’s amazing how simple things like painting the walls/cabinets a different color or adding new light fixtures can really change the look of a whole room.
It is a great post Ananda. I really enjoyed your kitchen remodel ideas. It’s a helpful article. Thanks for sharing.