A pine kitchen got a stylish new look for under £200 - thanks to some genius hacks

Kitchens can be one of the most expensive rooms to replace, but before you start looking at new cabinets and kitchen ideas, or shaking your head at the price of flooring, why not follow this clever DIYer’s lead? 

For less than £200, Leanne Ward, from Derbyshire, completely transformed her existing kitchen from old to bold, with a funky terrazzo-effect floor and stylish black-painted cabinets.

Documenting her kitchen journey on Instagram at @sixtysevenbelmont [link to ], Leanne couldn’t wait to update this room. ‘The kitchen was the one area that I thought we were going to have to rip out and start completely from scratch,’ she told homeware designers Joseph Joseph.

Terrazzo floor black kitchen makeover

Having moved in eight months earlier, Leanne tried to live with the room while she and her husband Ash saved for a new kitchen. 

‘Our plan was to look at removing the adjoining wall and making a kitchen-diner space,’ she says. 'But I think I lasted around 8 months before I started looking at budget kitchen ideas to update the room. I took inspiration from Instagram and Pinterest originally just focussing on the tiles and cupboards for a quick fix.’

‘As soon as I could afford to buy more and collect more ideas, I then moved onto the tile trim, the worktops, floor etc. Even if you can afford to only do a little bit at a time, small changes can still make a big difference.’

Before

Orange-coloured wood and country-style splashback tiles certainly didn’t fit in with Leanne’s style, which she describes as ‘eclectic boho with a modern deco twist’. Keen to revamp them, she settled on paint for the cabinets in a bold, black shade. 

‘I decided just to go for it,’ she says. ‘At the end of the day it's only paint. Some ideas don’t always work (believe me, I’ve had a few disasters), but there isn’t much that can’t be painted over or sanded back.’

After

It’s hard to know what to look at first, isn’t it? Leanne used Frenchic’s paint in Black Jack for the cabinets, which immediately gave the room a completely different look, while the worktops have been covered in vinyl for a pale wood effect.

‘Sometimes it can be scary to make drastic changes, but there are ways to update a space that aren’t permanent,’ she says. ‘Artwork and soft furnishings are a great way to bring colour and pattern into a space without commitment, and there are some great products on the market, such as removable wallpaper and vinyl. There are always ways to create a happy space without breaking the bank.’

While tile paint was used to freshen up the dated tiles, a wood-slat detail sits behind the hob as a  budget kitchen splashback idea. Even Leanne’s accessories tie in with the look, from the woven plant pots to the jute rug and macramé trim basket.

The end kitchen unit had glass doors originally, with old-fashioned lead trims, but Leanne removing the cupboard doors and painted the inside black. ‘It created a more on-trend open shelving area for me to display accessories and plants,’ she says.

We love the marble-look wallpaper used above, and how the arch into the dining room frames the bold striped wallpaper – all in the same monochrome colourway.

When speaking of transforming a space on a budget she says her top tip would be to 'do your research on products. There are so many options available nowadays it doesn’t always mean the most expensive is the best.'

For us, though, the best part has to be that terrazzo-effect floor, which Leanne created using Rust-Oleum’s Decorative Colour Chips. You simply sprinkle them on to your floor and add a sealant or clear topcoat to protect them over the top. 

‘The floor is my favourite part of the kitchen and it’s an integral part of the design that has made the room feel more modern,’ she says. ‘It was the last job I did, and I was a little nervous about painting over the original tiles, but I knew it would make all the difference to the overall feel of the kitchen. I saw a couple of people on Instagram who have done similar terrazzo-effect floors, so I decided to take the risk. It’s been down 18 months now and it hasn’t budged.’

With the whole room coming in at under £200, we can't wait to try some of these budget tips at home.