Kitchens are hot topics for the team over at RMS. Charlotte is also making over the heart of the home and we’ve just put our kitchen project to bed so there’s been a lot of chat about tiles, cupboards and handles recently.
Over the last year James and I have been working to add more personality to our kitchen on very limited funds of around £500. Admittedly we ended up going over budget as we had to replace a broken radiator but up until that point we had over £100 left in the pot. I hope the snaps below show how you can make a big impact on a small budget.

What did we do? Well here goes. Nearly a year ago we had an electrician from Westline do various jobs on the house, one of them being the removal of the three pendants from the centre of the kitchen which only really succeeding in lighting up the crumbs on the floor. He replaced them with nine LED spots and two retro pendants over the peninsular so we could finally see when prepping and eating.
Then it all went quiet until November when James and my Dad painted the kitchen cabinets with Farrow and Ball All White Estate Eggshell. Next came the walls, painted with Dulux SuperMatt in White for a crisp and bright finish and then we took a break for Christmas but not before we knocked up a few shelves from wood off-cuts positioned on some reclaimed brackets we thought we’d lost in the move.
In the new year we removed the trim from the top of the cupboards, replacing it with a more detailed plinth to add extra interest and painted it white to match the units.


Then we came on to the tiling. I decided I didn’t want to introduce another colour so needed a design with white and charcoal grey which would be impactful amongst the rest of the plain decor. After ordering what felt like 10,000 samples, the Heritage Star tiles became the frontrunner. Luckily for me the lovely team over at Porcelain Superstore gave me a discount, however at £6 per large tile they’re extremely reasonable to begin with. We only used twelve in total to cover the back wall and split another in four to add an oversized coaster runner to the peninsular unit.
By this point were were doing really well with the budget and had only spent about £350 on the tiles, lighting, trim and paint and then the ruddy radiator broke. Enter the Volcanic Column Radiator from Screwfix which blew the budget entirely but as far as I’m concerned was utterly essential 😉

Next came the faffery. I’ve sung the praises of Wilko many times on these pages so was genuinely chuffed to be gifted various kitchenalia to finish the project. The copper effect utensils and cafetiere are all from their copper range and I love how they complement the other splashes of chrome.
A low budget meant we were unable to replace the wooden worktops which are frequently prone to staining. The Wilko chopping boards and paddles have been really useful to use as counter protectors too.

We also added a blackboard by simply painting a piece of MDF with chalkboard paint and I then added the baskets from our old house. My niece added the cocktail menu at Christmas and I haven’t had the heart to remove it.
The wire unit on the wall is an old one from La Redoute which they don’t seem to do anymore, however Cox and Cox have a very similar one.
I’ve used an old H&M tray to collect together my John Lewis storage jars and for sugar still use one of the apothecary jars I found in Paris which was part of our wedding decor.

The wire floor standing rack from Loaf was originally purchased for our old house but fits the area leading to the dining room perfectly.
Even after the recent rug discussion I did decide to add one to the room. This smallish jute one from Dunelm escapes the perimeter of the cupboards and instead acts as a large doormat and a welcome place to stand while I wait for the kettle to boil. The metal stools around the peninsular were originally in the courtyard at our last place around the outdoor bar.
As many people mentioned on Charlotte’s kitchen post, slatted blinds do get grubby so I’m still on the lookout for potential window treatments. For now I’d say we’re pretty much finished in here. On to the next project…

{STEAL MY STYLE}
  • LiteCraft Lamp
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  • Peg Sign
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  • Anthro Espresso Candle
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  • Octopus Mug
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  • Farthing Wire Shelf
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  • Amazon Pendant Lights
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  • Copper Effect Cafetiere
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  • Wilko Copper Effect Utensils
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I received a discount from Porcelain Superstore and was gifted items from Wilko, but as ever, all opinions are my own.