casual elegance on a budget

Working on a tight budget allows me to really get creative in my approach to a project, so when a friend asked me to help her revamp her “builder beige” kitchen, I jumped at the chance!  The only catch was that we were working with a very tight budget.  Here is what I came up with:

Her kitchen already had great bones-gorgeous crown moulding, granite countertops and mahogany cabinets, but all that got lost under coats of flat, dull paint.  So the first thing we did was add two coats of Benjamin Moore’s Valley Forge Tan-it’s the perfect gray/sand/taupe color and it made everything pop.  We found a dining table and chairs on Craig’s List for a steal, and I’m going to give it a whitewash finish, similar to this one. 

Natural accents like rattan placemats, a seagrass rug and baskets mounted to the walls add texture and warmth to the space, while an oversized palm adds a pop of color and softens the eating are.  And no budget beautiful space would be complete without Merete grommet panels from Ikea-they add a breezy elegance to sliding glass doors and look amazing next to the wall color! 

We’re getting close to being finished with this project, so stay tuned for finished pics soon.  Happy Hump Day!