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Emma and Zack Shay refreshed their kitchen in a 100-year-old Craftsman-inspired bungalow for about $600, replacing a blue-gray look with sage cabinets, white beadboard and black-and-white peel-and-stick flooring. The Apartment Therapy report describes the work as a budget-conscious update using existing cabinets; a countertop replacement remains on the couple’s to-do list.
Emma and Zack Shay spent about $600 refreshing the kitchen in their 100-year-old Craftsman-inspired bungalow, trading blue-gray cabinets, gray walls and gray flooring for sage-green cabinetry, white beadboard and vintage-style details. Apartment Therapy reported that the couple kept their existing cabinets, using paint and lower-cost finishes to make the room feel more in keeping with the older home.
The Shays’ changes included replacing the original gray peel-and-stick floor covering with black-and-white, vintage tile-look peel-and-stick flooring. They also replaced trim and floorboards with wider options, and added beadboard paneling to bring a cottage-style detail into the kitchen. Emma Shay said they repaired the plaster as well as they could before covering sections with beadboard and trim.
The couple painted the walls and beadboard Benjamin Moore Simply White and used a color matched to Farrow & Ball’s Lichen for the cabinets. They finished the cabinets with brushed nickel bin pulls and glass knobs, which Emma said were chosen to evoke hardware that might have suited the home when it was built around 1924.
Keeping the existing cabinets helped hold down costs, although Emma acknowledged some drawbacks: two cabinet doors do not close properly. The couple’s reported total for the makeover was about $600. The source does not provide an itemized budget or clarify which project expenses were included in that figure.
A Lower-Cost Alternative to New Cabinets
The makeover is a specific example of how homeowners can change a kitchen’s look without replacing its cabinets. In the Shays’ case, paint, flooring, paneling and hardware formed the main visible changes, while keeping the original cabinetry avoided the cost of installing new units. Emma said accepting two doors that do not close properly was a trade-off she was willing to make to save several thousand dollars.
The project also reflects the couple’s effort to make a remodeled room feel consistent with the character of an older house. Emma said the prior gray finishes did not suit the bungalow’s original wood floors and wide trim. The changes do not restore the kitchen to a documented original state; they give it a vintage-inspired appearance while working within the couple’s budget.
For readers considering a similar update, the account offers a useful distinction: a cosmetic makeover can change color and atmosphere, but it does not resolve every functional or material issue. The Shays still have a countertop they say chips easily, and the flooring is a temporary choice rather than the finish they ultimately want.
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How the Bungalow Shaped the Redesign
Emma described the house as a 100-year-old Craftsman-inspired bungalow with original wood floors and wide trim. She said previous owners had changed the kitchen to fit a gray trend, leaving blue-gray cabinets, gray flooring and gray walls that felt out of place to her. The couple wanted a warmer look that connected the kitchen to the rest of the home.
The redesign combined Craftsman references with vintage and cottage touches, according to Emma. The black-and-white patterned floor, wider trim, beadboard and glass cabinet knobs were selected to support that direction. The Shays installed the peel-and-stick flooring after moving in, but Emma said they would eventually like to replace it with linoleum sheet flooring that better honors the house.
Apartment Therapy’s report presents the work as a before-and-after home project, based on details and comments from Emma. It does not describe an independent inspection of the renovation, provide a full schedule, or verify the age and history of each kitchen feature.
“The blue-gray cabinets, gray flooring, and gray walls were a bit uninspired and not our style.”
— Emma Shay, quoted by Apartment Therapy
Budget Details and Countertop Plans
The reported $600 total is not itemized, so it is unclear how much went to paint, flooring, hardware, beadboard, trim or tools, and whether the figure includes any labor. Apartment Therapy’s account does not provide receipts or a separate project-cost breakdown.
The countertops also remain unresolved. Emma said they are tan tile painted white by previous owners and chip easily. She planned to repaint them and said the couple hopes to make them manageable for another couple of years, but the report does not say when that work will happen or what replacement material they may choose.
The couple’s longer-term flooring plan is likewise not complete: Emma said they would like to install linoleum sheet flooring in the future. The source does not give a timeline for that project. It also does not report whether the cabinet doors have since been repaired.
Countertops Remain the Next Project
Emma told Apartment Therapy that the countertops are the next item on the couple’s list. She said she still needed to repaint the existing surface and expected the repair to keep it usable for another couple of years. A replacement is not described as imminent, and no dates or contractor plans are provided.
Over a longer period, the Shays would like to replace the peel-and-stick floor with linoleum sheet flooring. For now, the kitchen’s updated paint, beadboard and hardware represent the completed makeover reported by Apartment Therapy. Whether the couple later repairs the cabinet doors or makes the planned countertop and flooring changes remains unknown.
Key Questions
How much did the kitchen makeover cost?
Emma and Zack Shay reported spending about $600. Apartment Therapy did not publish an itemized breakdown, so the exact cost of each material or any labor is unclear.
What did the couple change?
They painted the cabinets sage green and the walls and beadboard white, added beadboard, replaced some trim and floorboards, installed black-and-white peel-and-stick flooring, and fitted new cabinet pulls and glass knobs.
Did they replace the kitchen cabinets?
No. The Shays kept the existing cabinets and painted them. Emma said two cabinet doors still do not close properly, but she accepted that issue to avoid the expense of new cabinets.
What renovation work is still planned?
Emma said she planned to repaint the easily chipped countertops and that the couple would eventually like to replace the peel-and-stick floor with linoleum sheet flooring. The report gives no timeline for either project.
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