Kitchen Makeover: From Dreary and Dated to Big, Bright, and Beautiful

Name: Cassie Hsu

Location: Las Vegas, NV

"I travel a lot for work, so our home is my sanctuary. I wanted to feel comfortable and relaxed at home. So I knew we had to do the remodel -- and fast," says Cassie of her outdated kitchen (left). 

"The kitchen looked like something out of the 1980s, even though the house is only eight years old. It had dark oak cabinets, black appliances, and orange granite square tiles as the counterop and backsplash."

"The cabinets were actually in good shape, so we decided to just paint them Benjamin Moore White Dove instead of replacing them."

"Painting [the cabinets] instead of replacing them saved us a lot of money. We also painted the ceilings in our house the same Benjamin Moore White Dove. We painted all of the walls Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter for a neutral 'greige' (gray meets beige) throughout."

"The process basically involved removing all of the old materials first. Then they painted the cabinets and added the hardware."

"We wanted to brighten the kitchen to make it appear bigger. We wanted quartz countertops and a subway-glass backsplash. The one thing my husband wanted was a farmhouse sink."

"We decided to take the small cabinet next to the sink and make it a glass front to showcase our mugs and beer glasses from our travels together. We then decided to create a frame on our pantry doors and painted inside the frame with magnetic primer and chalkboard paint." 

"We use this magnetic chalkboard all the time. I hang coupons and reminders on there and write our grocery lists."

"We partnered with Acquired Designs & Remodel to put our wish list to life. He bought all of the quartz and subway tiles from a local supplier. He also purchased the farmhouse sink at a local hardware store. [We were] able to incorporate all of these elements for just under $10,000."

"We are so happy and thrilled. We love our kitchen, and it really has opened up our house. It's so inviting -- we love to entertain now! Sometimes I even catch my husband just standing there staring at our kitchen with a big smile on his face."