Does my DIY kitchen look rubbish?

[Bigcuddlybearmummy]

We spent the higher end of our budget for our house due to it being in a good location for DH’s work, but it meant we had no spare cash to do anything to it. I was fed up of my dated kitchen so decided to paint it and fablon the work tops. I’m not sure if I’ve made a mistake now and if it looks naff or not. I know how ungrateful it sounds but I feel so down about my house at the moment compared to all the lovely houses of people I know on Facebook and all the things they’re doing to them!

It’s a big improvement. It’s all about location so you did the right thing by going for location over any expensive detail inside a house.
It makes far more financial sense to replace this kitchen in the years to come rather than wish you’d bought in a different area. Or face the cost of moving.

You’ve taken a kitchen that was hard to live with and made it liveable-with until you have the funds to replace.
Try not to compare - it really is the thief of joy.

@MigGril thank you it probably took me about 2 full afternoons to do the majority of the painting? I’ve done the insides too. Haven’t varnished them yet but I think I might.
@LordOftheRingz haha yeah they are quite Star Trek, especially when they are blue!
@Peridot1 that’s true, new accessories might make a big difference!
@JudgeRindersMinder that’s true I never think of it like that, we definitely don’t need any more debt.
@rwalker in hindsight that might’ve been better and less work not having to do the worktops.

I think it looks great! Well done .So much money is spent on kitchens TBH .We have only just had a new kitchen in and have lived here for years! Enjoy it and be proud of yourself .

I like it. I might be tempted to paint the lighter grey of the tiles white, if you ever feel up to another project

It looks brighter and cleaner, I don’t like the blue lights I’d get rid of them but that’s just my opinion.

I think it looks great. I did the same with my old kitchen when I moved into this house It was about 25 years old and brown wood like yours and was just dated. I knew I couldn't afford to get a new kitchen for a few years so I painted the units a pale green farrow and ball type colour and it made such an improvement for a few years. The only thing I would say is what I wish I had done is put a matt clear protective gloss type coat over it to protect the paint from peeling or chipping. The sort of thing you can use to seal wooden units but is naked to the eye.

I think I preferred the surfaces before, but like the cupboard colour.

Looks brilliant.
Could you pop over and do mine ?
( social distancing in place obviously).
😁

I like OP, only thing I would have done different is a white/off white LED light trim rather than the blue, but overall you should be well chuffed! Do you do quotes??

I think you've done a great job - really brightened it up and made it into something you can live with. We had our pine cupboards painted cream by a painter and it cost a bloody fortune, because we were too lazy and lacking in confidence to do it ourselves. Ours are permanent though - the door style fits with the style of the house, so even with the cost of having them done by a painter, it was well worth it and much cheaper than forking out for a new kitchen, or even new doors.

Much better, I would be happy if that was my kitchen

You've done a great job.

I'm not a big fan of Fablon but if you're sticking with the kitchen for some time you could consider changing the worktops at some point, you can get a 3m run for as little as £29.

I would embrace any "wonkiness" like brush marks and the retro/rustic style of the cupboards. You could swap the bread bin, tins, chopping board and tea towel/oven glove for something a bit bolder to act as a focal point instead of the kitchen but don't go for too matchy matchy as that won't work with the doors. Some cornish ware (blue and white stripes) would compliment the style of the kitchen.

www.cornishware.co.uk/storage-jars

Swap the chopping board for a wooden butchers block style one or maybe a blue glass one. A cream retro shaped bread bin that matches the kettle could look good. A bright tea towel and oven gloves, pots of herbs in a wicker basket would look great too.

Looks fresher and gives the illusion of more space. Good job OP. Come and do mine if you like

Well done OP. Looks great and definitely worth it.

@Bigcuddlybearmummy - TK Maxx and HomeSense are great for accessories. Often have Le Creuset utensils jars in nice colours for instance.

I'm in the same boat as you, even with the same coloured worktop and units currently I've ordered that same worktop stuff in the hope it brightens the place up, not sure if I should bother painting the cupboards though, keep changing my mind. Same as you don't want to go to all the effort to still feel underwhelmed. It has brightened it up and it looks nice, it's not a brand new beautiful kitchen of ur dreams but it does the job until it can be.

This is really, really lovely....ignore those who don't like grey. It's very smart and a huge improvement. Well done, enjoy it, you have done a great job.

It looks a lot better. I think wall to wall matchy-matchy wall cupboards make a kitchen looks very dated though. Maybe consider some shelving, stainless steel, chunky wood or the like.

We did the same OP - also had those hideous wooden doors. All painted light gray and fablon Ed the worktops - and laying new flooring down too.

When we bought I'd planned an extensive kitchen remodel within five years but ended up pregnant three months later. Now DH has been made redundant and wants to retrain there will be no money for my kitchen remodel for many years and I had to make do - but honestly now it's done I'm quite happy. It's such an improvement - just like yours is. It's hard when you see FB and social media posts with all those beautiful immaculate houses but we don't know what happens behind closed doors or how much those things cost to do.

Looks fab x

I like it. I’m really not a fan of brown kitchens.

Forgot to add now you have painted them you can redo them when ever you fancy a different colour scheme ,you can be brave and bold with colour Just time and tin of paint .
When you fit a new kitchen cost £1000's and stuck with it for years so can't be quite adventurous with choice

I think it’s a big improvement too OP And you’ve been wise sticking to your budget. Well done!!

It looks like a kitchen. In my books a kitchen is a workspace so doesn't matter what it looks like so long as it's easy to clean and functional.

Looks good!

How easy, or difficult, was it to do the work surfaces?