murray hill kitchen quickie

A couple with a vein-opener of an 80's kitchen asked me for a fast, cheap update.

Bubbling veneers, a water-stained ceiling, and a tiny laminate countertop were skillfully uglified after the desperate owner's attempts to strip the cabinets with no solid plan for their future.

Their ask: just make it look better, Rachel, we're selling in a year.  They did not want a total renovation and even wanted to keep the existing appliances.  To keep costs at a minimum, the only fabrications I ordered were a Corian countertop and new cabinet doors. 

I had the cabinet bases repainted in white, the floor tiled in 12"x12" grey ceramic squares, added a few shelves and one luxury: a John Boos end-grain countertop next to the stove. By keeping the cabinets simple and white and the new sink-area countertop black (with white speckles!), the old appliances disappeared into the new design.

To help the monolithic wall that could not accommodate any storage, I hand-painted a graphic mural. This added tons of character while also keeping the wall from feeling so oppressive.

I replaced the louvered closet doors with solid paneled doors. They cooked, remained for a year, and then sold.