If nothing about the kitchen in this photo excites you, you’re not alone. Well, if some freshly made banana pudding was on the counter, then maybe… nah, forget it. Everything about this kitchen is dismal. And this is what we inherited when we bought our beach condo in Florida this year. A sea of beige. But wait til you see this midcentury modern kitchen refresh!
Beige floors, beige walls, beige countertops. Time to pull out the beige hammer and do some remodeling!
You can read more about our full condo renovation here, but for now I’m just going show off our kitchen face-lift.
(Affiliate links included for your convenience. As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases. See disclosure here.)
floors
The biggest project we took on was replacing the beige tile throughout the condo. I selected a beautiful Italian porcelain plank tile with the look of driftwood colored hardwood. I decided to buy the tile myself and to pay a contractor for labor only to install it. You can find this wood plank tile in a variety of price ranges, but I ended up discovering some at Floor and Decor, a discount flooring chain, that I absolutely loved. I narrowed it down between 2 selections – Birch Forest Gray for only $1.99 per square foot or Tabula Fog for $3.39 per s.f. I felt a bit more confident with the one made in Italy rather than China, so I went with Tabula Fog. Still an awesome price!
paint
Obviously, a coat of fresh paint gives you the biggest bang for you buck and can completely transform a space. Because I was going for a retro modern feel, I painted the walls white, with just a few accents of color. I chose a soft gray for the ceiling and a deep blue for one wall in the dining area.
countertops
Next, on to the granite countertops. I know, I know. What’s wrong with granite? Nothing, really. But this granite is (you guessed it) beige. And it doesn’t jive with my modern updating. I wanted a cleaner, brighter look. I’m not a granite hater, I promise you. But (as I tell my husband frequently), I am right. Just take a look…
cabinets
I better warn you now. If you didn’t sympathize with my decision to nix the granite, you’ll probably cringe at my next decision, too. Beautiful cherry cabinets – yep, I painted them gray. Remember, I’m going for a brighter, more casual look. Replacing cabinets can be exorbitant, so I opted to just paint the existing ones and replace the hardware. I selected Gauntlet Gray from Sherwin Williams.
backsplash
Now it’s beginning to get fun. Say hello to my chartreause backsplash. I knew I wanted this pop of color to help create a midcentury modern mood, but it was difficult to find. I finally found the perfect shade from Heath Ceramics, which creates their handmade clay tiles in San Franciso’s Mission District. The folks there were friendly; and when the tile arrived, it was even more beautiful than I expected.
lighting
The wonderful thing about lighting is that you don’t have to break the bank to buy some trendy, fun fixtures. And with online stores like Lamps Plus and AllModern, the shopping is stress-free.
Just to refresh your memory, there were 3 major concerns with lighting in the former kitchen: a boring, undersized fixture in the ceiling inset; too many recessed lights; and an outdated chandelier.
The dining area was easy. I found this iconic Sputnik chandelier for under $300. It screams Midcentury Modern. (Check out this guide for proper chandelier size and placement.)
For the recessed ceiling in the kitchen area, I selected a semi-flush 4-light fixture to accentuate the length of the ceiling inset.
Finally, I converted the recessed lighting over the bar area into small hanging pendant lights. I fell in love with these cork pendants from AllModern. (Check out these tips for hanging pendant lights.)
And this brings me to my next point… accentuate focal points!
focal points
Although open to the family room (which I love), our kitchen is long and narrow. The island seems endless, yet it was completely overlooked by the previous owner. (Too few bar stools, no accent lighting.) Instead, a generous feature such as this should be accentuated! Not to mention, its size is ideal for entertaining friends.
To play up the island bar, I first added a few inches in depth to the new countertops. The previous depth was extremely narrow. Secondly, I painted the front of the island the same gray shade as the cabinets. Thirdly, (as mentioned earlier) I converted the recessed lights to 5 small hanging pendant lights.
And lastly (my favorite) I splurged on some killer modern bar stools from Hive in a cognac colored leather to compliment the warmth of the cork pendants.
Oh, I just can’t wait any longer…
the reveal
My former kitchen…
and my kitchen refresh…
IF YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MY MIDCENTURY MODERN CONDO MAKEOVER, CHECK OUT THESE POSTS:
Lovely post! Glad I popped by your blog to check this out!
I was extremely glad that I could take her kitchen back to its foundations and make something this property holder could be pleased with each day. In the wake of perusing your post I am considering renovating my kitchen or more broad changes to my home. This is truly something other than what’s expected and its value to have mid century present day kitchen. You did extraordinary work!
I wanted to change the draperies of my kitchen each first day of the month. Also this first day of December I had novel thoughts regarding how I will change my kitchen look style. Much thanks to you for sharing the incredible tips.
Decoration can be life-enhancing. It can make dinner parties more fun, kids happier, relaxing easier, talks more intimate, guests at ease.
To remodel your kitchen you will need a good kitchen design. Then hiring the right contractors to do the job properly.
I was so happy that I could bring her kitchen back to its roots and create something this homeowner could be proud of every day. After reading your post I am thinking of remodeling my kitchen or more extensive changes to my home. This is really something different and its worth to have mid century modern kitchen. You did great job!
Thanks!
Looks awesome!
Having good kitchen cabinets help in designing a good kitchen. It should be functional and matches the whole theme of the kitchen.
One of our absolute favorite spaces to design is the kitchen. It is one place in the home where everyone tends to gather. So much of our lives happen in the kitchen! We all dream of having a brand new custom space, with a large island and more cabinetry than we know what to do with, right? The reality is that a lot of us have small kitchens
I agree… the kitchen is the heart of the home!
Wow! I am impressed! The result is amazing!
I, unfortunately, do not have much of an eye for design, and I am very easily satisfied with decor. I thought the kitchen looked very nice originally, but your improvements certainly made it more unique! Great work! The kitchen looks great!
Hi Wendy.
Any recommendation of good granite countertops sealer? If you ever used that of course 🙂
Nice reno! I’m curious, what was the budget for this? My husband and I want to buy a house that’s mostly turnkey ready but I also see the value in finding a place with great bones and doing some things ourselves. I can paint, swap out lamps etc, probably even do flooring. How much did the changes to the kitchen run you? Thanks!
Hi Lane, I much preferred finding a place that didn’t need reconfiguring (walls moved, etc). Just improving aesthetics is much easier. The kitchen was not outrageously expensive ($500 lighting, $600 faucet & hardware, $1000 backsplash handmade tile) and having cabinets painted. It was the new countertop that blew my mind and almost my budget! Keep in mind we have a very long bar island plus more countertops, and the quartz to buy & have installed was almost $9K. We chose fairly nice upgrades, so it could have all been done more economically. Hope this helps!
You mentioned that you purchased the tile to replace the existing tile and paid to have it installed. Was the existing tile removed? Love the new look!
Yes all the old floor had to be jack hammered up. Quite an ordeal but worth it!
Beautiful! Can you please provide the source for the Kitchen Bar Stools
Yes, hive modern carries them, although I bought mine through a store in Tampa called Soft Square. The style is Montis Jim
Wow, what an amazing transformation. It’s like you got a whole new kitchen. I love the colour, I love the splashback, I love the new lights, I love the chairs. Basically, I love all of it. Have you thought of submitting it to Apartment Therapy before/after?
Thanks Claire! I’ve been wanting to submit something to AT but just haven’t yet. Thanks for your vote of confidence!
You should definitely submit this to AT before and after.
Whoa! What a gorgeous transformation! I think your painted cabinets look so much better and the back splash and turquoise wall look so good together and make the kitchen look so fun and welcoming. You did a fantastic job!
Thank you so much!
love. love. love.
Thank you!
I luv the new countertop- what did you to it?
I replaced the granite with new quartz countertops. thanks!
gorgeous just gorgeous, i am from florida and it thanks you for this ha ha xx
Lol! Thanks so much!!