When my boyfriend and I bought a new house this year, a kitchen remodel was at the forefront of our plans. Like the rest of the house, it hadn’t been updated since the 1950s.
The 50s-style cabinets were charming, but the small space wasn’t functional for us. It lacked modern amenities, such as a dishwasher, and the narrow space felt claustrophobic.
We set a $10,000 budget and made a few unpopular plans.
We tore out the old cabinets (saving them for other home projects) and set out to design a more modern kitchen. Our budget was limited, and we spent about $10,000 on the remodel.
During our design process, we made a few divisive decisions that made our family — and even a few kitchen designers — turn their heads.
Yet despite the naysayers, we have no regrets about the design, and we love cooking in our new space.
First, we removed walls and a fireplace to create an open-concept layout.
Almost immediately after getting our keys, we tore down walls in the kitchen to create an open layout.
This was the first controversial design choice we made during the remodel. We wanted to expand the tiny galley kitchen, but unfortunately, this meant removing walls — and the home’s original fireplace.
The (giant) fireplace was located smack-dab in the middle of the house, which wasn’t ideal for an open layout.
I like how open our space feels now.
Some of our friends and family members said we were nuts for removing a fireplace. However, a few others (including us) thought it made the space more practical.
In the end, we’re glad we took the extra effort to create a more open space. The job was messy and labor-intensive, but our kitchen feels so much bigger and brighter now.
We still don’t regret choosing a small fridge.
Perhaps the most controversial decision we made in our kitchen design was installing a smaller-than-average refrigerator.
Every 1950s kitchen remodel comes with its own set of challenges, and our biggest one, by far, was the layout. Due to the placement of windows and doors in the kitchen, we had few areas to put appliances like the oven, refrigerator, and dishwasher.
Notably, we couldn’t find a convenient spot for a standard-sized fridge, which usually measures between 29 and 36 inches wide.
Kitchen designers suggested we move our windows and doors to accommodate a larger fridge, but this would almost certainly break our budget.
Instead, we worked with the space we had. We installed an Ikea refrigerator that measures just over 21 inches wide. It fit inside a panel-ready cabinet that matched our other cabinetry.
Friends, family, and designers we spoke to said this was a mistake. They couldn’t fathom how we would fit our groceries into the narrow fridge.
After several months living in the new house, though, the smaller refrigerator hasn’t been a big deal. With the nearest grocery store a 10-minute walk from our house, we never shop in bulk.
Instead, we shop for fresh ingredients several times a week, and everything fits perfectly into our small fridge.
We also chose laminate countertops over quartz to save money.
When it came time to pick our countertops, kitchen designers and family members all recommended materials like quartz and granite. They said a higher-end countertop was a must-have to raise our home’s resale value.
Not knowing any better, we initially agreed with their recommendations. We set a budget of $5,000 for countertops, which, for our relatively small kitchen, was a hard price to swallow.
As the renovation continued, I stopped to ask myself whether we really needed to spend thousands of dollars on countertops. Our budget was being stretched further and further by the day, and we still had a long list of projects to complete elsewhere in the home.
So, rather than blow $5,000 on quartz countertops, we spent just $258 on laminate countertops. They may not be quite as pretty or durable as stone, but they work for us.
Perhaps the cheaper countertops could affect our home’s resale value in the future, but we have no plans to sell anytime soon.
Despite making a few divisive decisions, we have no regrets.
We still have a few finishing touches to work on, such as adding rugs and artwork, but after spending a little over $10,000 to renovate our kitchen, we’re happy with our design choices.
If there’s anything I learned in the remodel process, it’s that there’s no cookie-cutter solution to designing kitchens in older homes. Our 1950s kitchen layout was unique, so we had to get creative.
The low window, for instance, limited where we could place a large fridge, but the space works well as a comfy reading bench.
Likewise, the dark, cramped layout forced us to open up the space. Now, our open-concept layout is perfect for entertaining.
We also reused the kitchen table that came with the home, helping us preserve some of the room’s original touches.
Not everyone agreed with our design choices during the remodel, but ultimately, we had to follow what worked for us — and our budget.
In the end, our controversial calls led us to a kitchen we love.
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