My Boho Rental Kitchen
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I decided that I wanted a boho-style rental kitchen. First, I ordered peel-and-stick tiles online for a backsplash.
Peel & Stick Tile For Rental Kitchens:
The peel-and-stick tiles that I ordered on Etsy are very colorful and completely changed the look of my apartment’s kitchen. They gave it more of a boho look.
A Faux Backsplash:
In this photo, you can see a white strip at the bottom where the backsplash meets the countertop. I don’t know what it’s called, but I found this white roll in the flooring section at Lowe’s.
It is made of rubber. I attached it with strong double-stick tape and painted it white. Now I have a water barrier behind my sink. I guess you could call it a “faux” backsplash.
Embellishing With Wood Appliques:
I glued on a wooden applique I found at Lowe’s. It took a few days to make sure it would stick. Then I painted it white to match the cabinets.
Buying A New Faucet:
I purchased a different faucet. Some will say, ” You rent that apartment, why would you pay $69 for a kitchen faucet?”
I absolutely detested that cheap faucet that came with the apartment. Hated it! I couldn’t clean around the plastic that housed the hot and cold water.
You know my motto: Love it while you rent it. And if you hate it, go ahead and spend a little money so you can love it.
The faucet I purchased was a Moen, and the cheapest decent faucet that I could find.
That “someday” house renters are hoping to buy might never happen. You might be run over by a Frito-Lay truck, or some other disaster could befall you. You might go into debt and never have good enough credit to get a mortgage.
So put a little money in the place where you live NOW. You will be happier with it, and $69 for a new faucet is not a huge price to pay for a happier kitchen.
Whimsical Window Treatment:
Then I added a new window treatment. I simply used a regular old extension rod and layered vintage linens across it. Just switch out the linens when you’re bored with the look.
One of my favorite things about this whole redo is that the “faux backsplash” I came up with was under $10, and I had one whole section left.
Painting The Countertops:
Here’s what I did with these textured counters that had all sorts of squiggly colors I hated. I used a very thick white paint, suggested by someone from Ace Hardware. With quite a few coats, it took away the texture, and my counters are now smooth, white, and pretty.
Then I used polyurethane to coat the countertops to keep spills and such from ruining them. It takes about a week to cure, so it should be cured now.
It gave the countertops a fresh and updated look.
Painted Kitchen Island:
Here is the newly painted kitchen island. The one I purchased for $45 last summer. I considered staining it. But I have absolutely no experience in staining furniture.
So I just painted it white.
I painted the red “EAT” sign aqua.
New Electric Outlet Covers:
I also bought new electric outlet covers. They are silver. Really, this is not a big expense at all, and renters should think about making this small change.
It just looks a whole lot better than those beige covers they slap on because they’re cheap.
This old dishwasher (which I never use) did not escape my paintbrush. Since it is never used, I didn’t see a problem with painting it.
So there you have it. My boho-style apartment kitchen.
If I move and lose a $300 deposit, I’ll deal with it. I’d much rather be happy with it while I live here. And who knows. I may never move.
well, my dear you are not only inspirational, but clever and have a great eye for colour, and what you have done is almost miraculous, making this space all your own, even if it is rented, you are right.. better to live with what you are happy in, and lose the deposit if it comes to that, but meanwhile your heart is uplifted by living in a space you like and feel good in… oh such cleverness must make your heart sing afterwards. I know ours did looking at it, and the improvement it made to the kitchen. I am so glad I found your blog and love coming back to seeing how you are doing.. all thebest from over the pond. J
I love your kitchen. It is so colorful and has so much personality. Great job!
I really like the window……it has a warm, creative vibe. Beautiful!
Brenda it is FABULOUS!!! I love it, each detail is drawing the eye in. I adore the vintage linens on the window, the colorful bowls and sign, the gorgeous tiles and the white counters. I think you are very clever. Having the cupboard doors on streamlines the look and draws the eye to the colors. I liked the one before but this is phenomenal. I wish I had rental freedom to make changes but here in CA our deposits are over 1500 or more, (my current deposit was 3000)( and they specifically disallow any changes in the lease which is common here. They also do not do upgrades or approve any request for changes. So you are very lucky and to have a on site handyman, wow. What a great deal. . I make do with décor I love but to have the freedom to make real changes must be so fun. Well Done! Just beautiful. It sounded like it was a extreme amount of work and to accomplish all those upgrades by yourself is very impressive.
Brenda, I absolutely love the new look of your Boho cottage kitchen! You are so wonderfully creative! Those stick-on tiles are amazing! I love your humor while describing the process of redoing the kitchen. In love every detail.
Wow! Is about all I can say! Though I like it all, I really liked the red place mats behind the clock and the lid and then using the lid as a tea towel hanger. How do you keep the lid on? Are those white tacks you have around the edges of the place mats? Like the frame around the 3 little dress hot pads. I save (hoard?) kinds of vintage hot pads but not the dresses. Love the Boho you've done on the front room and the kitchen.
Do you miss your full sized oven? I've lived (rented) where I am for almost 1 year and I think I've only used the oven once. Mostly the microwave. Use the same burner all the time. I don't intend on staying here for much longer (fingers crossed!) and I think it's going to be something to think about.
Can't wait to see what you're going to do next!
All the best,
Cathy
Nope. Don't miss the oven. Don't miss checking it three or four times to make sure I turned it off before I could go anywhere either. I was compulsive about that!
Wow, Brenda!!! It looks amazing. Another great redo!!! Please come and redo my kitchen. lol
Enjoy, Janie
Wish I could!
Thanks! At least it beats the "failed oil cloth idea."
Hi Brenda, LOVE your Boho Cottage kitchen. Those faux tiles are awesome and putting the doors back on the cabinets was a great idea. The floor molding was a grand idea too for your back splash. You did a great job!! and ~ I love the window treatment using the linens and hankies.
CM
Absolutely love it!!!
I knew it would be fabulous!
I'm sure someone mentioned it already in comments, did not read them all but plants tend to "grow toward the window/light.
I know. I suppose I didn't turn it.