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August 8, 2007
Kitchens on the Cheap: Where to Splurge?
Yesterday's Parlor Kitchen post got us thinking about doing kitchens on the cheap. Based on our own rather limited experience, the one word of advice we'd throw out there for a more budget-consious reno would be to splurge a little where it's really going to count. For example, in our kitchen, which hopefully will be temporary (we're hoping to move it from the rear of the second floor to the parlor when our ship comes in), we used Ikea cabinets but salvaged some incredible old white marble that we spent about $2,000 having custom cut and finished. In our opinion, it really pulls the kitchen together and dresses up the cabinets, which cost a total of a few hundred bucks from Ikea (photo on the jump). To be fair, we also didn't really cut corners on the appliances either, reasoning rationalizing that we could keep those if/when we moved the kitchen. Other thoughts about where to drop a few extra bucks in an otherwise penny-pinching reno?
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Brownstoner, I went the same way as you: fancy counters and appliances for an Ikea kitchen. Not only did I buy my cabinets from Ikea, I also used them to buy a granite countertop. I highly recommend it. At that time, they charged about $75/foot for the granite, and I got to go to a stoneyard here in Bklyn on 19th Street (I think, maybe 21st Street?) to choose my slab. It was really fun to visit the stoneyard and I chose a beautiful piece of stone. The kitchen looks great, not at all low-budget.
Posted by: Jen KG at August 8, 2007 11:56 AM
Your kitchen looks great, by the way!
Posted by: Jen KG at August 8, 2007 11:59 AM
just curious, what is that double handled amber thing hanging to the left of the stove?
Posted by: Anonymous at August 8, 2007 12:04 PM
An easy splurge on a budget is to buy good cabinet door hardware, if your cabinets call for them. Some really quality knobs and drawer pulls go a long way in making ordinary cabinets look expensive. There are so many choices available beyond what is at Home Depot, in all kinds of styles, finishes and prices. Just make sure your choices go with the rest of the room.
Good fixtures - faucets, etc also add class. Ebay has incredibly discounted deals on well known brands. I will never buy retail again.
I'd also look for interesting lighting, which does not necessarily mean expensive. Getting an antique rewired can be relatively inexpensive (and not too hard to do yourself.) A suspended barrel shade as in the high-end Party Kitchen, looks fantastic, and can cost less than $100, and hangs from a $15 pendant light kit from Home Depot.
Imagination can go a long way here.
Posted by: Brower Park at August 8, 2007 12:07 PM
Shopping online and buying materials yourself can also help save money. I'm doing my second kitchen in the last 5 years (the was first in my second home). This one is in my condo on Warren Street and it's small, only 60 square feet of floor space.
We purchased all of the materials ourselves--the contractor is supplying only labor and construction materials such as tile adhesive, sheetrock, screws and the like.
The sink, faucet and knobs were all bought online at considerable savings. In the last kitchen we also bought lights fixtures online.
Some things like tile are hard to find online and expensive to ship but tile doesn't have to be expensive to look good. Shop around!
This kitchen will have mid-priced Medallion cabinets from Park Slope Kitchen Gallery, new GE stainless appliances (keeping the existing stove)CeasarStone countertops, recessed and undercabinet lights (the latter purchased online)and a tile back splash of 1 x 1 tiles. The cost, including a breakfast counter in the existing pass-through opening to the LR will be about $23,000--around 10% below my initial budget.
We also saved by not changing the size of the room and putting appliances, sink, etc. back in the same places.
Not a "budget" kitchen but certainly below the $50,000 plus some people spend.
Posted by: Peter at August 8, 2007 12:21 PM
Very nice.
If you think about it, every kitchen is only temporary, so I don't see the point of pretending one is creating a monument for the ages. I splurge on the lighting and the floor. I think my frigidaire 5-burner gas stove is fab and my sainless steel GE fridge is fab. What can I say? I'm not an appliance snob -and they were not that cheap either.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 8, 2007 12:33 PM
this kitchen works, love the countertops in contrast with the cabinets and appliances... my small kitchen needs updating and I have really loved seeing everyone's kitchen and reading all the informative feedback from everyone.
Posted by: bren at August 8, 2007 12:42 PM
To each his own(priority) but to me keeping the appliances more basic is way to go.
Oversized expensive refridgerators seem more prone to breakdown and so-called 'high-end' ranges (especially 'dual-fuel') are far more prestige-based than function.
Most people I know with the fancy appliances aren't good cooks and most good cooks I know don't have fancy appliances.
You are paying mucho more to be able for the super low-burner and high-burner than you will ever have use for.
I used Ikea cabinets and bought extra door panels and covered the Amana refridgerator to match. But then I had to spend extra for a dishwasher that accepted to door panel.
My big splurge was ceramic tile backsplash.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 8, 2007 12:49 PM
the marble looks beautiful. have you had any problems with it? where did you salvage it from? sounds like it was expensive just to cut and finish, and from the picture its not a very large piece. anyone else have experience with marble?
Posted by: anony at August 8, 2007 1:02 PM
I had my kitchen gutted and redone for about $15K. I supplied all of the materials, the contractor built the cabinets and the appliances were new. I spent a lot of time at Home Depot, I splurged on backsplash tiles (a little) and I bought a convection oven/microwave to save on both $$ and space. It may not be for everyone, but for a one bedroom apt, I think it's fine.
Posted by: UWS at August 8, 2007 1:07 PM
also, what kind of appliances are those? i'm searching for a basic middle of the road gas range and refrigerator in stainless. nothing fancy-- but i do want it look nice! suggestions? and, what kind of floor do you have in the kitchen? i keep forgetting that i have to make that decision, too....
Posted by: anony at August 8, 2007 1:09 PM
I recommend the LG bottom freezer LRBP1031. It's "titanium" rather than stainless and also narrow for smaller kitchens. http://us.lge.com/products/model/detail/home%20appliances_refrigerators_bottom%20freezer_LRBP1031.jhtml
Posted by: UWS at August 8, 2007 1:22 PM
Question for Mr. B:
How is the microwave working for you as an oven vent? We had that in our old co-op but in our brownstone decided to go with a real hood because the old microwave wasn't venting anything. It's awfully nice to have the micro out of the way up there, though.
Posted by: slopion at August 8, 2007 1:38 PM
I love the lazy susan in the corner of the counter. So cute and homey. I need to get one.
Posted by: Mildred Pierce at August 8, 2007 1:47 PM
12:49 PM ..dual fuel convection ranges are fabulous for roasting, and much faster than gas, has nothing to do with prestige
Posted by: dual fuel at August 8, 2007 1:51 PM
How do you open your kitchen cabinets?
Posted by: Anonymous at August 8, 2007 1:58 PM
1) Range is Bluestar
2) we salvaged the marble for a total of $400 from Build It Green in LIC--there were two 4'x8' slabs that had come out the men's room of the old Arthur Miller theater in Manhattan. we've had no problem with it and love the fact that it has an aged patina rather than something too shiny and new.
3) as far as opening cabinets, we sorta forgot to put hinges on the top cabs and it's worked fine just pulling them open from underneath...that said, it's probably on the long list of things mrs. b wants us to do!
Posted by: Brownstoner at August 8, 2007 2:12 PM
Marble from the mens room?
In your kitchen?
euh!!
How gross.
Do not tell your guests OK?
Tell them it comes from an old French Bistro or something.
euh!!
Posted by: Mildred Pierce at August 8, 2007 2:27 PM
wow. what a great find (the marble) at build-it-green! how did you know who to get to cut and refinish it? i have fallen in love with the look of marble and want to use it in my kitchen -- but have been afraid of rumored problems with staining and upkeep. btw, thanks for sharing all this information. i'm re-doing my kitchen, feel very overwhelmed with decisions and budget considerations, etc. seeing what other people have done and how it has worked for them has been very helpful. just sorry some people enjoy giving negative feedback (like the above "how gross" -- who cares what Mildred Pierce thinks?) anyway, i'd love to hear if people have experience to share about floors.
Posted by: anony at August 8, 2007 2:40 PM
As a lady of a certain age, I keep forgetting that the median age of the posters on this blog is twelve. Children have no seense of humor. My comments are often somewhat tongue-in-cheek.
My guess is you do not even know who Midred Pierce is.
buh-bye
Posted by: Mildred Pierce at August 8, 2007 2:58 PM
hey Midred Pierce- maybe you're not funny and just sound like a stuck up bitch?
you won't be missed.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 8, 2007 3:18 PM
3:18:
My goodness how rude. Brooklyn upbringing I suppose.
Anyway darling I'm not going anywhere.
Posted by: Mildred Pierce at August 8, 2007 3:28 PM
We installed new marble in our kitchen. 17 linear feet with 4" backsplash was 3k installed. We picked out slab at stone yard. It's honed and sealed so it's not glossy and so far, no stains.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 8, 2007 3:33 PM
"12:49 PM ..dual fuel convection ranges are fabulous for roasting, and much faster than gas, has nothing to do with prestige"
Everything I've read is gas is better for roasting(the electric for baking). You are only proving the point that prestige has everything to do with it.
You maybe referring to convection as benefit to roasting.
But if you really research -differences between electric/gas oven is very minor and you'd really have to be a frequent pastry chef to make even the slightest differnce to. For a homeowner it is all prestige and one upmanship.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 8, 2007 4:29 PM
3:28: "Brooklyn upbringing I suppose."
Wow, that's both rude and not funny -- no matter what your intent was. I guess all us native Brooklynites are just collateral damage in your lame flame war.
Posted by: Born in Brooklyn at August 8, 2007 5:02 PM
Truthfully, I had the same initial reaction about the bathroom marble as "Mildred Pierce." But it was actually pretty funny.
For those who don't know who Mildren Pierce is, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mildred_Pierce and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mildred_Pierce_(film).
JB: Nice kitchen! Love the marble -- even knowing where it came from! :-)
Posted by: Park Sloper at August 8, 2007 7:36 PM
Mildred,
I agree with you about re-using pissoir marble in the kitchen. Somehow that fact was more than we needed to know.
How's your daughter? still a pistol?
ha ha!
PS: I also agree that Brooklyn's forte has never been manners, but that's made up by other attributes.
Posted by: Sam at August 8, 2007 8:00 PM
Mildred Pierce--Please stick around. I love you. People here have no sense of humor.
Posted by: carolyn at August 8, 2007 9:25 PM
Mildred Pierce is obviously off her meds.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 8, 2007 9:36 PM
Sorry Mr. B, I'm with Mildred. I'm hoping the $2K you spent to fit the marble included some type of acetone dip germ killer treatment. Aged patina indeed...
Posted by: ParkSlopeRenter at August 8, 2007 11:24 PM
hey brownstoner ... what do you think about including renters in the reno section? i've just moved into the ground floor of an old building in brooklyn.
it's a one family 3 story building. there's a cellar, then my place, which is the "english basement" deal, and the 2 floors above. the steps lead to the first floor; my place is a step down, with windows half above/half below grade.
i'd love to show what i've done, but it's not a brownstone, and i'm not the owner of the property.
it is, however, a hundred + year old building, right smack dab in brooklyn.
it's really been fun. i can't do any major renovation, since it's not my place, and that's what's made it fun; i have to work within the framework of the landlord's place.
i've done a good job of making a silk purse out of a sow's ear (so much nice than "lipstick on a pig", don't you think?)
can't do much about the crazy bathroom. it was once the hallway to the yard, now it's ... um, where i bathe.
i'd love to see we renter peeps share with one another.
whaddya say?
finally, i don't go a day without checking in at brownstoner. it's an addictive and terrific site.
rock on.
oh, yeah, the topic at hand. i don't like your kitchen. how the heck is a professional chef suposed to cook in there? i do, however, LOVE the marble, love the history, would love to just feel its coolness on my skin. can't understand the granite thing ... polished granite in pink and brown tones brings to mind a rash; more specifically, leprosy. that's a lot more ick than pee, don't you think?
i hope that, if, when you move the kitchen, the marble doesn't fit, you can use it in the powder room.
finally, mr. "how's that microwave working out for you as a vent", or whatever you said, what's your problem, dude? do YOU have a commercial grade restaurant exhaust in your hovel?
i actually AM a chef, one who has yet to have lived in any dwelling that had an exhaust over the cook area. nope, not in my whole life. trust me, you can work it out.
Posted by: suzy at August 9, 2007 12:12 AM
to 3:33 -- would you mind telling me where you purchased your marble? did you go through someone or just find a stoneyard yourself? any details would be most helpful! also, how much did that cost (if you don't mind telling)?
anyone have a great contractor that they love and have had no problems with to recommend???
Posted by: anony at August 9, 2007 9:16 AM
Mr. B-just curious, what is that double handled amber thing hanging to the left of the stove?
Posted by: Anonymous at August 9, 2007 9:19 AM
to suzy 12:12 a.m.: i'd love some advice from an actual chef. since i'm not much of a cook and my kitchen has been so small, no counter space, and i've been using the oven for storage -- and now i'm renovating it -- do you have suggestions for what would make a kitchen a great place to cook? what does it need in terms of layout, appliances, or anything else? also, about that vent/exhaust issue -- sounds like you think its not necessary which is a relief to me b/c i don't think i can fit one in my place but everyone seems to have one so i was beginning to think i had to get one. what do they do? will my kitchen turn black or get covered in grease if i don't have one?
Posted by: anony at August 9, 2007 9:23 AM
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