A kitchen upgrade can range greatly in complexity and in price. We love this kitchen upgrade that hit all the points but still stayed reasonable in price.
The basic layout of this kitchen was great and functional. It just needed a lift from the 90s. Staying within the right budget range was also important for this home and its neighborhood. My Realtor friend calls this a nice, Chevy upgrade. Sometimes that's a tough for one for me. Okay, a lot of times that is a tough one for me.
Cabinetry. To help keep things within the right budget, we opted to reface the cabinetry, with only a few new cabinets to make some changes for functionality and to get rid of the built-in desk. (I will put desks in a lot of spaces, as I've posted about many times on Instagram, but I really try to keep that mess out of a kitchen whenever possible.) We also kept the soffit, as you can see we had ductwork involved as well. So, we camouflaged with white paint, keeping it seamless to the ceiling.
Counters. Quartz is our go-to material for busy families and we love how this counter plays with the warmer tones of the backsplash and also brings in some of the tones from the flooring as well.
Appliances. The appliances were in desperate need of an upgrade. We kept it mid-range with the ovens and fridge and splurged on the Viking cooktop. In general, I believe that when you can add some splurge pieces, it elevates the entire space.
Banquette. This area was just screaming for a banquette, and a banquette is probably one of my most favorite kitchen items to include in my designs so I was thrilled. This one was designed also with little ones in mind. Kids can help bake and cook from the bench side of the counter which makes it so practical for busy families and still amazing for lingering with that morning cup of coffee.
And for the big reveal ... the before! Check out those totally nonfunctioning drawers in the corner (to the right of the dishwasher) and yes, that is even an intercom system above!
From a realty perspective, this kitchen was an absolutely great investment. The house sold above asking with multiple offers in one day. While the entire home had updates throughout, the kitchen is always of utmost importance to buyers. Create the space that buyers envision their lives in. Most buyers do not want to do the updates themselves.