Apartment Kitchen Redo #3

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Believe it or not, this is my apartment kitchen redo #3.

I got the knobs painted black, and things dried faster than I thought. So now my kitchen redo #2 is complete, and I can show it to you.

First Apartment Kitchen Redo:

This was redo #1. When I used contact paper on both the countertops and the backsplash. I loved it at first, but then all the color and pattern started being too much.

Below was my first kitchen, before the boho tile decals, and you see the shelf liner on the wall here.

The contact paper applications didn’t hold up well. The liner on the wall kept coming down. So I had to scrap that and come up with something else.

Which leads me to apartment kitchen #2.

Second Apartment Kitchen:

I decided to go for a bohemian look, but have it be more muted than all the checks that came before. From an Etsy shop, I ordered this boho backsplash.

The kitchen doors were reattached, and I repainted them. I gave them a coat or two of fresh white paint.

I went with this look for a while, but the decal tiles didn’t hold up all that well. When hot water creates steam in a kitchen, sticky things sometimes come undone. And after a bit, pressing them back in is a bother.

I put my thinking cap on once again.

Third (+ Current) Apartment Kitchen:

So, this is the third redo in less than two years. Have I lost my mind? Maybe. Sigh. Probably.

I guess I get restless and want to try something new. Does that happen to you?

Using GianiGranite Countertop Kits:

This is the GianiGranite countertop project I DIYed. I got a free product kit of my choice from GianiGranite. After all the detailed applications, which are done in stages to give it a granite-like look, you apply the topcoat.

With GianiGranite, you can order various types of styles and colors of paint.

When using the GianiGranite kit, first, you roll on black primer. Then you have three colors to sponge on with the sea sponges they send you with the kit. You keep going while it’s wet, sponging on each color. One after another.

As soon as I started applying it, I worried that the boho-style backsplash wouldn’t work with the GianiGranite paint kit. 

I just didn’t like the granite look with the colorful bohemian backsplash tiles. Which led me to take down the colorful bohemian decals. 

Then I went to Lowe’s to pick up paint samples and trim. 

I ended up painting the backsplash wall a tan color and was more pleased with the result. A more sedate look seemed to work better, I thought.

Giving The Cabinet Doors Personality:

I headed to the stores for inspiration for the cabinet doors. Sometimes I get ideas just walking down the aisles in stores.

I walked through Michael’s to see what they had, but came up empty.

Then I strolled through the kitchen section at Bed, Bath, & Beyond. I found the colorful reed-style placemats and decided they might work on the cabinet doors.

Then I came upon bags of wooden spoons and other utensils. They were in a net bag, and I bought four bags for $5.99 each. 

I ended up tacking the placemats to the middle of the cabinet doors. Then I applied strips of black-and-white checked contact paper I had from the previous kitchen redo to resemble a frame of sorts.

The place mats are simply nailed on the cabinet doors with short nails, as were the wooden spoons. They can easily be taken down if need be.

I had enough of the black-and-white contact paper left to apply to the smaller doors up above. This brought every cabinet door together, so to speak, I decided. They were too small for the larger placemats, and that would have looked too busy anyway.

I painted the brown knobs I purchased for another kitchen renovation black. And I painted them using the trick you see above. The instructions are below.

How to Paint The Knobs Using a Cardboard Box:

First, you find a cardboard box that has room for all of the knobs. The whole point is to get all parts of the knobs painted well, and do them all at once to save time.

You poke holes in the cardboard with the knob screws. Then you hold the screws underneath while screwing the knob on from the top. And then you apply the spray paint.

Valance from a Quilt Shop:

The valance was gifted to me by an online quilt shop. The fabric is good quality, and I love that the valance is lined, because the hot sun comes through this window in the afternoon.

The lined fabric will help keep the heat out during the summer months.

So the layers of vintage linens I had across the curtain rod were taken down to make room for this valance.

Coffee Bar on Opposite Wall:

This is my little coffee bar arranged on the World Market Wooden cart I ordered.

I found the red cupboard, already painted red, at the antique mall and hung it on the wall. This gave me more storage space, which is always a good thing in a kitchen.

I’m using a little cow planter I found at the thrift store to hold my kitchen sponge. The rake is painted red and hung on the wall for vertical storage.

So that is the completed kitchen redo. Number 3. I believe that I’m done for a while!

I decided that my instincts about the backsplash decals were correct. The tan paint job looks much better. Less busy, which was the point.

So there you have it. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea. But I like things to be a little unique.