Wednesday, May 20, 2015

BH&G DIY Kitchen Cabinet Makeover From BHG Guest Blogger

Today's Inspiration comes from Better Homes and Garden's Style Spotters BHG Guest Blogger.

Hi, my name is Alexandria Szwarc, and I’m so excited to be with you at Style Spotters! I am a DIY home improvement blogger at DIO Home Improvements (the DIO stands for “doing it ourselves”). Being featured in Better Homes and Gardens was a dream I never thought would become a reality!

How it happened.  In January, I received an email from a Better Homes and Gardens remodeling editor asking me if I would be interested in having my kitchen makeover featured in the May issue. I had to re-read the email a few times before it hit home and I determined this was real!

After exchanging a few emails, a photo shoot date was set for two weeks later. The night before the shoot, two BHG photographers arrived at my home to do a walk through and unload their equipment for the following day.  As one can imagine, I didn’t get much sleep that night with too many thoughts running through my mind.

The following morning a stylist arrived at my home. After helping to unload her car full of props, she got to work on setting the kitchen up while I got ready. A short while later, the photographers arrived and started setting up their equipment.

The day was a whirlwind to say the least!  Everyone made the shoot so much fun and put me at ease since I much prefer to be behind the camera! A few hours after arriving, they had their shots and my interview was over.  I sat down still not believing that in a few months my kitchen would be in the biggest home magazine there is!

A couple of weeks after the shoot, I received an email of the photo proof that would be used in the May issue. It was so hard not to share that with everyone!  In April I received a package with my copies of the issue. I was beyond excited! I couldn’t wait for it to hit the stores for my family and friends to see it!

 

A little more about my kitchen. When I looked at my house before buying it, I cringed at the kitchen and both bathrooms, but I knew these rooms had potential. Growing up in a house that was 100 years old and full of character, one of the things I missed most about my current house was the charm that’s lacking in newer homes.

The first project I did in my kitchen was the wall opposite the door to my yard. I added interest to this area by attaching craftsman-style wainscot and making a new air return vent cover. When asked how I came up with the idea for the door on my refrigerator surround, I explained the air return vent cover I made. I loved the Union Jack sheet metal that I used in that project and thought it would look great above the refrigerator. I was also on a very tight budget and wanted to use what I already had in the house!

Another project I did in the kitchen before redoing the cabinets was building a plumber’s pipe bench.  I have been obsessed with all things plumber’s pipe for about six years now.

I’ve often been asked how I came up with the idea of redoing my cabinets. The house I grew up in had 12-foot ceilings, my previous home had 10-foot ceilings, and my current home has 7.5-foot ceilings. I felt claustrophobic when I first moved in here. I wanted to make the kitchen feel taller. I was able to accomplish that by adding height to the cabinets. It worked because now I feel short in the kitchen!

I wanted to add the refrigerator surround because I felt it would make the kitchen look more custom and expensive than it actually is. After the cabinets were finished, I painted my refrigerator and range hood with appliance paint. Yes, you can paint your appliances! I also had some leftover fabric that I used to make a faux roman shade and matching roller shade for my kitchen window. You can see more of the cost breakdown and how-tos of my kitchen makeover here.

Being a part of the Better Homes and Gardens experience has been a dream come true and so much fun. You are invited over to DIO Home Improvements at any time to follow along with my projects or  talk about your own projects. I love seeing readers’ before and after photos!

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