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Our Small White Kitchen | Clean and Classic

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You have to see the details of this small white kitchen renovation, including faux marble and grey quartz countertops, DIY shelves, & light wood floors. It just goes to show that big style can fit into small spaces!

Big style can fit in #small spaces! Take a look at the before and after of this small white kitchen renovation. Including faux marble quartz countertops, #DIY wood shelves, light wood floors, and modern white tile for a clean and classic home #design.

“Don’t trust your contractor’s timeline”

“Yeah, my contractor said 4 to 6 weeks, too. It took a lot longer than that.“

This is just a small sample of the naysayers who said that a complete kitchen renovation couldn’t be done in six weeks. And yet, here I am today with a completely different kitchen – even if it is just a small white kitchen.

Before we get started with all the pretty pictures (and there are lots of them), let’s take one last look at where we began:

It was more than just cluttered. If you look back at the full story, you know that there were all sorts of problems with the kitchen, including a hidden leak, failing appliances, poor outlet placement, and cheap cabinetry.

And now, here is our small white kitchen:

Yes, this is now where where all the recipe and cooking magic happens.

This small white kitchen balances all the white with plenty of texture in the tile backsplash, and pops of color along the countertops.

This is what you see as you walk up the steps from our entrance. It’s so much brighter than it used to be!

Even a small white kitchen can have personality. The open shelving was a #DIY home decor project to fit an awkward space. And pops of color from the rug and #decor add plenty of personal touches.

We decided to go with chrome hardware for our kitchen. Don’t you just love how it sparkles against that gorgeous tile? And, of course we had to represent our home state of Maryland with a blue crab by the window.

The perfect tile for a small #kitchen: Soho Convex Loft in Glossy #White, by Anatolia with light grey grout. The blue crab from Easy is pretty cute too!

Isn’t he adorable?

Soho Convex Loft in Glossy White, by Anatolia is the perfect choice for a small kitchen. It pairs beautifully with the arabesque trivet and rustic wood decor.

I’m still in love with the beveled tile we chose for the backsplash, and the fact that it goes all the way up and around the window.

Although the grout appears white in the photos, it’s actually a very light grey, which accents the shape of the tiles without being too busy.

"Trust Your Gut Not the Recipe" print by From Play Dates to Parties. Shown on faux marble quartz countertops in this gorgeous white kitchen reveal.

Do you remember how the ONLY outlet we had on that wall was covered by our range? Well, the electricians completely re-wired our kitchen and we now have two outlets on either side of the range!

Moving those outlets made a huge difference, especially since we opted for a slide-in range. Can you imagine how ugly that outlet would have been hanging out by itself?

Quartz countertops in faux marble and grey compliment oak floors perfectly in this small white kitchen.

Of course, these countertops weren’t even part of the original design. But the faux marble and grey quartz countertops balance out the warm oak floors beautifully.

Big style can fit in #small spaces! Take a look at how this small white kitchen renovation turned a broken-down #kitchen into an updated, bright, and classic room. This home #design includes faux marble quartz countertops, DIY wood shelves, light wood floors, and modern white tile.

We gave up a little bit of drawer space to make room for the new 36-inch french door refrigerator. So far, I can say it was totally worth it!

The old side-by-side refrigerator feels so inadequate now.

Small white kitchen, big on style. Faux marble #quartz countertops, beveled #white #tile backsplash, and a clear glass urn pendant add charm to this neutral home #design.

*Sigh* That pendant light was such an ordeal. It’s right where the old fluorescent light box was, which is centered perfectly on the window…but not so much on the fridge.

Installing it turned out to be a beast, because it came with a down rod instead of a chain. Let me know if you want to learn how the electrician converted the light from a down rod to a chain, and I’ll do my best to explain!

In this bright white kitchen, it's all about adding texture, with beveled tile and a clear glass pendant. Small white kitchen | #Kitchen #renovation #before and #after
Big style can fit in #small spaces! Take a look at the before and after of this small white kitchen renovation. Including faux marble quartz countertops, #DIY wood shelves, light wood floors, and modern white tile for a clean and classic home #design.

In all the years of dreaming about fixing up our kitchen, I never thought I would want anything other than shaker-style cabinets. But these inset cabinets have just enough detail to be interesting, while still remaining clean and crisp. *Love*

Plus, they’re a huge upgrade to the big box store cabinets we used to have, with proper dovetail joinery in the drawers and soft closing doors and drawers. (Take that two-year-old!)

Big style can fit in #small spaces! Take a look at the before and after of this small white kitchen renovation. Including faux marble quartz countertops, #DIY wood shelves, light wood floors, and modern white tile for a clean and classic home #design.

Please ignore the clutter and dated mess beyond the island. Those are projects for another time.

Even though it’s pretty much the same size and placement as our old island, having double doors on each cabinet is just so much more functional.

Now for my very favorite area of the whole kitchen….

This is what it looked like before:

Small white kitchen before and after

And here’s what it looks like now:

Big style can fit in #small spaces! Take a look at the before and after of this small white kitchen renovation. Including faux marble quartz countertops, #DIY wood shelves, light wood floors, and modern white tile for a clean and classic home #design.

This is MY place in the house. It’s where I work when my laptop needs charging. It’s where I rifle through mail and school papers. And it’s where we keep all our daily items.

So many people fought me on my vision for that space. But by pulling the cabinet forward and adding the post on the right hand side, we increased the countertop depth from a measly 13 inches to 16.5 inches.

It may not sound like much, but that’s a huge difference when you’re working on a laptop.

Plus, I love the way the counter looks wrapped around the support wall. It feels so much less random, and more like the space was always meant to be that way.

To keep things functional, we had a double outlet installed inside the cabinet with built-in USB outlets. Our plan is to keep our toaster and charging station inside. Hooray for hiding that necessary clutter!

Then, of course, there are the custom live edge shelves that my contractor and I made together:

Turn an awkward space into prime real estate. The custom fit cabinet, #DIY live edge wood #shelves, and grey paint turned an eyesore into feature in the #design of this small white kitchen.
Turn an awkward space into prime real estate. The custom fit cabinet, #DIY live edge wood #shelves, and grey paint turned an eyesore into feature in the #design of this small white kitchen.

The bottom shelf holds all the things we need daily, like pens, pencils, sunglasses, and my keys-which are usually in that empty section. The canisters actually hold the kids vitamins, medicines, and a few other things that we need daily, but are total eyesores.

And that’s pretty much it for our small white kitchen

Let’s take one more look at the before and after, shall we?

[clickToTweet tweet=”Wow! ? Take a look at this incredible #kitchen transformation (in only 6 weeks!) #homedesign via @PlayDatesParty” quote=”Wow! ? Take a look at this incredible #kitchen transformation (in only 6 weeks!) #homedesign”]

Big style can fit in #small spaces! Take a look at the before and after of this small white kitchen renovation. Including faux marble quartz countertops, #DIY wood shelves, light wood floors, and modern white tile for a clean and classic home #design.

So, yes, it is possible to get a complete kitchen renovation done in just 6 weeks! Of course, it never would have happened without my amazing contractor Brown’s Custom Contracting and his team of plumbers, electricians, tilers, and painters.

There’s just no way we could have DIY’ed this type of renovation in the same time frame with three kids in tow.

Like something you see? Here’s where you can find it:

Don’t forget to stop by Calling it Home to see the other room reveals. (Seriously, they are always amazing)

Take a Look at How We Got Here:

Join me over at Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter,

for more fun ideas and inspiration!

I want to extend many thanks to the readers who have enjoyed renovation and home DIY posts over the years. Unfortunately, in January 2018 I was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer and had to stop doing home renovation posts due to treatment.

Since that time, my focus has been on making this website an amazing resource for the everyday mom’s parties. Due to their popularity, the DIY posts and tutorials will remain on the website, but comments are now closed. Thank you again and I wish you the best in your DIY endeavors!

About Leslie

Leslie is the passionate party planner in her family. Living with metastatic breast cancer since 2022, she is determined to find a way to continue making amazing parties for her kids that don't leave you exhausted. To do that Leslie combines the experience she learned working for a professional event planner with the reality of a busy family life to create party inspiration that the average mom can reproduce and be proud of.

Comments

  1. Tammy says

    Your new kitchen looks amazing! I bet you are so happy it is finally finished. All your dreaming and planning is now a reality! Beautiful job!

  8. Mother of 3 says

    That looks beautiful! I love the patterned tile black splash and the inset cabinet doors. It’s all so pretty.

  10. Zaleina says

    Congrats! I admire your tenacity – so many details to tend to and decisions to make and you stuck with it. The upgrades are remarkable!

  13. Jen says

    I love that crab! This is so awesome! The white color is clean and stunning, the tiles and cabinets are lovely, so well done! I am so glad you have your kitchen back 🙂

  14. the cape on the corner says

    oh my gosh, amazing! i love your shelf area (the shelves and the supports!) and the usage of 2 countertop colors. enjoy your fresh new space!
    b

  16. Sue says

    It looks gorgeous. It’s amazing what a difference a new room makes to our homes and our psyches. This looks so much brighter and I bet it feeds your soul! Beautiful. Sue via #CreateLinkInspire

  18. Karen Del Tatto says

    I LOVE IT!!! It looks so crisp and bright! I never saw beveled tile like that. I really like it! And your work station is wonderful!

    We will be painting our kitchen this winter and I am planning to do light gray walls with our white wainscoting. We already have white subway tile for the backsplash.

    Thanks for sharing. Enjoy your new space!

  19. Teresa says

    Your new kitchen is beautiful, I love it! Everything went together beautifully. Than you for sharing it on Party in Your PJ’s! I pinned it to my Home Ideas board.

  22. Teresa says

    Ok, so I really envy you right now. You kitchen is lovely, and those tiles are amazing. Thank you for sharing at The Really Crafty Link Party this week. Pinned!

  23. Karren Haller says

    My one dream is to someday have a nice kitchen it will be my first requirement when we relocate.
    You did a fabulous job, love it all!!! Classic!
    Thank you for sharing on #omhgff this week!
    Wishing you a great weekend!

  24. Victoria @DazzleWhileFrazzled says

    Great job Leslie! That is an amazing before-and-after reveal. I’m sure this new space makes cooking, getting endless snacks, constantly filling drink cups for your kiddos so much more enjoyable. Visiting from Create Bake Grow and Gather party.

  25. Nellie says

    Oh my heavens what a wonderful transformation………….Your kitchen looks awesome.
    Love everything about it. Nice lil niche you created as well. Very clever.
    Hope you have many wonderful years of enjoyment in your new kitchen.
    Blessings,
    Nellie
    Belated Happy Thanksgiving!

  33. Jen Gregor says

    I love your new kitchen and how beautiful it all turned out! You will be the featured post on this weeks Friday at the Fire Station link up!

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