Reader Rehab: Danielle's DIY Kitchen Remodel for Under $500 - Remodelista
New York City public relations consultant Danielle Arceneaux lived for several years with a soulless, postage-stamp-size kitchen that didn’t jibe with the rest of her Park Slope apartment’s 1920s detailing. Photography by Manuel Rodriguez via One Kings Lane. Having worked on home design campaigns for One Kings Lane and Target, Danielle knew what she liked–and what she lacked: “I adore classic British design, especially the cabinetry by UK company Plain English.” And so, when she noticed some pre-made beadboard paneling being used as a photo backdrop... ...she found a key detail: a new cover for her bland brown kitchen island: “I realized it would give my kitchen the charm it was lacking.” Danielle cut the paneling to size (using a friend’s handheld jigsaw) and applied a Loctite adhesive and small wood nails to hold it in place. To install her subway tiles, Danielle borrowed a Dremel diamond tile cutter, among other tools, from a handy friend: “I tiled over the existing stone backsplash using pre-mixed mastic and pre-mixed gray grout–and tile spacers, of course. I watched a lot of online instructional videos and just went for it.” With her kitchen nearly done, the one thing missing was storage: “I didn’t want the hassle and expense of replacing the upper cabinets, but I’m an avid baker and I needed more places to put things.” Impressed by the work Danielle had done, One Kings Lane special projects editor, Megan Pflug, a colleague at the time, helped her come up with a simple solution: over-the-cupboard shelves built from plywood, and wine storage racks, all painted the same Benjamin Moore Dove White as the walls. Cutting boards that Danielle uses as serving trays hang as wall decoration. American Olean Starting Line White Gloss Subway Tile from Lowe’s, $3.64 per tile; $51.87. A glimpse of Danielle’s kitchen pre-makeover. Pflug posted on One Kings Lane about the kitchen’s ceiling storage and detailed her feather DIY on Design Sponge.