The kitchen in this house was a bit outdated and sad looking when we moved here in December. See our house floor plan here. It was dark and dated with a retro stove top and tiny oven. The fridge was in an awkward spot and really made the space look small.

Since we don't currently have the budget to demolish the kitchen and start from scratch - here are some small updates we have done to make this space much more functional for us: moved the fridge to a different wall; replaced the cabinet hardware; and installed some simple wood shelves.

The first update we did was move the fridge to the empty space on the North wall. This made the BIGGEST difference to the kitchen! The space near the sink was small and claustrophobic, and moving the fridge allowed in so much more light. We switched the fridge door so that it would open on the right and swing left. The cupboards to the right of the fridge were $15 each from Lowe's.  They were the perfect size and store lots of pantry stuff and cereal.

The second update we did was change the cabinet hardware. This switch was done very quickly after moving in because we realized how much we hated the old hardware - they were really hard to grip onto plus they looked like broken noses!  The new knobs are from Lee Valley and are much more functional.


The final update we did in the kitchen was install three simple wood shelves where the fridge used to be. The wood for the shelves came from the Habitat ReStore for $2 each (same as the bathroom shelf). We painted them white and added the most basic shelf brackets.  Instant and much needed storage for cookbooks and it got our toaster off the counter.










Under the shelves we put our old Ikea kitchen cart. We really enjoy having our pots and frying pans stored on it for easy access (plus they wouldn't fit in any of the kitchen drawers or cupboards). The top of the kitchen cart is a special little treat we got from my parents for Tom's Birthday this year. It is a table top that they have had since they were first married. They had it completely taken apart, reassembled and refinished for us! It is larger then the old ikea cart top and really fits the space perfectly.

So those are some easy and cheap kitchen upgrades we did. They really made a huge difference in the kitchen and make me feel better about the really old stove top and lack of dishwasher.

Have you done any kitchen updates lately? Let me know in the comments below!