How to Add “Fixer Upper” Style to Your Home – Kitchens (Part 1)
Welcome to my How to Add “Fixer Upper” Style to Your Home series! I am super excited to give you real action steps to help you achieve that coveted Fixer Upper style, inspired by Joanna Gaines. Previously, I told you about my thoughts on creating this series. I want to equip you with the tools & motivation you need to create a home you love – without having Joanna herself come and do it!
Today we’ll be focusing on the heart of the home: the kitchen.
I love kitchens. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to design over 10 kitchens whether they be for flip houses we’ve renovated or houses where my family and I have lived. Each kitchen was different, but each one had a common denominator: a teeny tiny budget. You see, it is my mission in life to design the prettiest, most functionable, awesomest houses – on itty bitty budgets! I must find a great deal! I cannot sleep at night knowing that I could possibly have found that faucet for cheaper somewhere else. ugh, it’s a sickness I tell you. So I’m going to share my sources on where to find the super cute stuff for cheap!
But. (And this is where I struggle.) Sometimes, it is ok to splurge a little on a statement piece that will make the most impact – or on that awesome thing you have had your heart set on for years. Give yourself permission to make your house your home. However, please only do this if you can pay cash for these items. Make saving money a fun family goal – set a jar on the counter and add all your loose change. Add a colorful label “Money for Mommy’s New Stove”. Your kids will love to get involved and you can make it a learning lesson for everyone!
So are you ready to get some serious “Fixer Upper” style for your kitchen, while not spending your child’s college tuition to do so? Let’s begin!
First, let’s take a look at some of my favorite Fixer Upper kitchens (* all images courtesy of Joanna Gaines and HGTV)
Did you notice some common elements in most of these kitchens?
- wood floors
- white cabinetry
- subway tile backsplash
- unique stove hood
- farmhouse style sink
- open shelving
- stand-out light fixtures
- lots of wood & natural elements
- farmhouse-style accessories
Gosh, that sounds like a lot doesn’t it? So let’s break this down into doable steps – things you can do easily and inexpensively at first, and then things to save up for and do later.
Ok, let’s focus on the easy stuff first:
1. Add Farmhouse-style accessories.
Joanna’s own Magnolia Market has fabulous accessories! If you haven’t checked her site out yet, drop what you’re doing and head over there NOW. Tons of awesome eye candy!
bakery sign | chalkboard | EAT | clock | wall organizer | bottle drying rack* | hello |
World Market * is another great place to find affordable farmhouse style kitchen accessories just like the ones Joanna uses on her show.
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And my secret weapon for home decor goodness: HOBBY LOBBY! I never even knew you could order online, but you can! Their prices fluctuate based on a rotating sale schedule. So for instance if you’re looking for a mirror and it’s not on sale this week – just wait a week or two and it will go on sale (usually 40-50% off!). Prices below are good, as of this week Jan 10-16, 2016.
wood sign | 3 tier basket | 4 bin organizer | wooden wire shelf | give us this day | cake stand
Jesus tea towel | wire hooks | glass cloche | wooden tablet stand
Ok, there’s lots more places to find great farmhouse decor. I’ll write a future post on more sources soon. But what if you don’t have tons of money to spend right now on all new accessories? My advice is to focus on one piece that will make the most impact. Maybe it’s that awesome Bakery sign from Magnolia Market or how about diy’ing a new chalkboard for your walls? Emily at Jones Design Company has a great tutorial here. Or you can always shop your house and find new ways to use what you already have!
Wow, this post has turned out really long. I’m going to sign off for now, but be sure to follow along with the series! Come back on Monday where we’ll be talking about, cabinetry, open shelves & more (I think I could officially talk about kitchens all. day. long. 😉
Don’t forget to follow my kitchen board on pinterest where I have over 300 pins of awesome kitchen eye candy (my husband wishes I could get a job as a full time pinner – I’m so addicted!)
How about you – do you have a goal of adding some Fixer Upper style to your kitchen this year? I’m hoping to buy an awesome metal sign and add it above my sink – just need to make a decision. If you’re looking for something specific, tell me in the comments and I can help you find it. I love sourcing fun home decor (and it helps me procrastinate from vacuuming up the dog hair. again.)
Have a great weekend, friends!
Update: Check out how to add farmhouse style to your kitchen using open shelves here.
linking up with:Â Meandering Mondays
(items marked with an * are affiliate links. If you click on them and make a purchase, the price you pay is the same but I get a small commission which helps me support this blog – and proves to my hubby that yes, I really can make a little bit of money from spending hours and hours blogging)
Love this post! Currently re-doing my kitchen and trying to find affordable white shaker style cabinets (as Joanna often uses). Have you looked into this at all? Would love to know where she purchases her cabinetry. There is such a wide range of prices out there! I’m specifically having the hardest time finding a line that carries Shaker style cabinets with traditional mullion glass doors. I see her use this combo often, but the Shaker cabinets I’m finding only seem to have prairie-style or plain glass doors. I love the combo bc I feel gives off a more traditional look. Thanks in advance!
Hi Laura – thanks so much for visiting my blog 🙂 I do have a favorite line of inexpensive, yet very nice white shaker style cabinets. We have used them in our current kitchen and plan on using them in our flip house that we are doing (hope to install the kitchen next month!) They are by Schrock and the doorstyle I like is called Morgan http://www.schrock.com/products/morgan. It is a full overlay shaker style and I get it painted in the white or pearl color. Soft close doors come standard and they do offer a traditional mullion glass door option! http://www.schrock.com/products/specialty-doors/traditional-mullion-cabinet-door They are VERY reasonably priced (we purchase them at our local Menards but you can check Lowes or Home Depot.) For our very large kitchen in the flip house I think the quote was around $6k 🙂 Hope this helps! good luck!
Shenandoah Cabinet Company through Lowes carries a style and color like that and several glass styles. I used to design kitchens there and, unless things have changed in the last three years, they were the least expensive brand. They don’t have all the bells and whistles of companies like Kraftmaid, my personal favorite, but they have more than most people would ever need.
that is great info Rebecca – thanks so much for sharing! I will definitely keep those cabinets on my list to research when we start our next remodel. thanks for stopping by!
I’m enjoying your blog, We are redoing our kitchen and I am reserching my options. We have built in ducting above the kitchen cabinets so taking the cabinets high is not an option. I see the tren with the unique stove hood. I have 2 questions.
1. What do people do with their microwaves that used to be above the range? They don’t seem to be in the photos.
2.Are range hoods necessary if there is no possible way to vent outdoors?
Thanks 🙂
Hi Becky, thanks for visiting my blog! We are remodeling the kitchen in our house next month as well. And I plan to remove the microwave above the stove and replace it with a stove hood (probably a diy version). We will probably replace the microwave with a drawer version or built in version in our island. Others just put it on the counter or in a pantry. It’s personal preference really. Regardless if your range hood vents to the outside, I still believe they are necessary to remove odors and filter air. There are special recirculating vents on the market today that don’t need to be vented outside. Here’s some good info on them: http://www.houzz.com/discussions/88571/how-important-is-it-have-your-hood-vent
Hi. I love your blog. We are re-doing our kitchen. We need to tear out the old tile and we want to install wood flooring. The question is wether to install engineered flooring or solid hardwood floor. If you like engineered flooring — do you have a favorite brand? I am planning to use a light cream (off white) cabinet, have Venetian gold granite I plan to re-use. I need to determine a backsplash and flooring. We picked a Bella Cera, color Camillo. Thoughts on flooring or backsplash? Thank you.
Thanks so much Dee Dee! I am currently planning our kitchen remodel too (in our own home) so I know how hard it is making all these decisions. We will also be tearing out tile to install wood. To answer your question, I used to prefer real hardwood but the practical (and thrifty) side of me has been converted to engineered. It is much cheaper and easier to install (stapled down method.) My favorite source for affordable engineered floors is BuildDirect. We used their engineered floors in our recent flip house which you can see here. For backsplash, I prefer something simple like subway tile (a tumbled travertine might be pretty with your choices.) Hope this helps!
I love your blog!! We are remodeling our kitchen, sooner than we expected! I originally wanted to paint the cabinets but I have had a few people look at me like I am crazy. They are 35 years old and they don’t soft close, some corners are a little beat up…. but the style is what I would buy new anyway. I am not sure what to do!
Hi Ashly, if your cabinets are still in good shape and are functioning properly then I think you can keep them and paint them. If you’re remodeling your kitchen for resale value and intend to sell your home soon, then I would replace them with new cabinets. Buyers these days place a high value in new kitchens and would expect to see new cabinets from a recent remodel. However, if you’re not moving and are just updating things for your own benefit, then by all means, do whatever YOU want! You could save a TON of money by painting existing cabs. And don’t let other people influence your decisions – YOU are the one living there and YOU are the one who will be paying the bills! Good luck! 🙂
Do you know what brand cabinet pulls Joanna used in the McKenzie house?
those look like they’re from Rejuvenation – you can buy them here: https://rstyle.me/n/cxu2cqb69h7