Our new house is finally beginning to feel like our home.  And although I still have lofty dreams of actual renovation, actually owning our own home and of making a nest for ourselves we all know Auckland is a bit of a dick when it comes to house prices.  So I accept defeat, for now.  But not absolute defeat. I still refuse to live with ugliness.  Anywhere can go from butt ugly to half decent with a little elbow grease, some smart thinking and a bit of cash.  So here is what we did with our kitchen.

Firstly, Painted the wall, Now, we had to ask the landlord, and he was fine, so away I went.  I found that this grounded the kitchen a little more. I used paint we already had, so ‘freebie’. But often you can get test pots cheap, or cheap paint at renovation dealerships and Habitat for Humanity stores.

Secondly, We changed the handles. The drawer handles from a second hand shop for 50c a pop. And we made our own handles for the others, You can see the DIY HERE.

Next, we covered the bench top with a vinyl. You can get it at your local bunnings, for $20 a roll, or I found it HERE for $3 a roll. So a little cheaper. It took 5 rolls to cover everything completely. It is basically like covering your books with duraseal, but its your benches….with this stuff.

Finally, The husband made me a shelf. with a couple of braces ( $3 each ) and we were lazy and bought a pre cut piece of wood ( $15 )

So under $50 for the change, that is not breaking the bank. And now I don’t want to throw up when I see the kitchen….Although I am still on the hunt for a fantastic lamp shade, I will let you know when I find it.