Our Renter-Friendly Kitchen Design Plan

I tell you that designing a kitchen has always been my greatest desire. I love kitchens! Since my husband (then boyfriend) moved into this apartment, I was only thinking about how I could make changes to it without damaging or compromising anything, since it is a rental.

After so many searches and watching many videos on YouTube on how I could do it, I learned about adhesive vinyl or peel and stick vinyl. This material is perfect for making a change without having to spend a lot and you can install it yourself if you wish. Now, nothing is going to replace the quality and durability of a real stone (such as marble, porcelain, granite, etc.) but for those of us who rent or those who do not want to spend a lot on a renovation, it is a good solution to make the space feel like ours and more beautiful.

There are many options, both for the backsplash and for the countertops, but before choosing any of these, I first looked for ideas that were similar in color to the cabinets we have to see how I could combine it and then I selected the paper and ceramic design I wanted.

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This would be my first time using these materials, which makes me a little nervous about installing the paper for the countertop over the sink. but what’s the worst that can happen?… that you cut it wrong and have to do it again… hahaha. But YouTube does not fail, I will try to follow the steps as rigorously as possible.

Pros:

-Waterproof

-Easy to clean

-Economy

-Comes with glue

-Easy installation.

Cons:

-Does not resist very high temperatures

-Not resistant to sharp devices

-Not as durable as a stone

-It can look cheap if you don’t choose a paper that looks real

If the kitchen was there before. This building is relatively new, it was built in the 2009 and it’s really not bad, but as an interior designer, I want to bring out its best version and especially since a similar wood finish is now being used in kitchen cabinets.

What motivated me to make some changes was not only for aesthetics, but also because the dashboard does not have ceramics, which is a problem because grease and dirt sticks to the wall and is a little more complicated to clean. Apart from that, the paint has also been scratched and the grease is very visible. :/

The first changes I made was removing a cabinet door so the kitchen wouldn’t feel so monotonous and would breathe a little. see Then I changed the handles to more modern black ones and this is how it looks now.

In this second stage I am going to place the adhesive vinyl on the dashboard and on the plateaus. I will also paint the wall above the cabinets white (right now the kitchen is the only common area left to paint white). Since I like to visualize everything, I made this photo montage of what it would look like.

Looks super cute! I also want to change the faucet to this matte black one and the outlets. This will definitely elevate the look of this kitchen.

I love it!

It also occurred to me that I could change the look of some cabinet doors with adhesive paper or wood sheets. I found this wooden plank that is very fashionable by DIYers on social networks, but it has been out of stock for months. So I’m still looking for another alternative to achieve this finish, taking into account that it is economical, renter-friendly and that it looks good aesthetically. But wow! I am in love with this option.

I love that modern-retro vibe that this design gives and how it complements the rest. hIt makes the kitchen look more interesting and modern.

I saw this video on YouTube where it shows how you can cover cabinet doors with vinyl when they don’t have a smooth surface (like in my case) and I thought about the possibility of doing the same. Also the idea of opening another shelf and closing the existing one since the current one is a bit small and I would like to have more space to place kitchen utensils, decorations, etc…

This is what these ideas would look like.

What do you think? Your opinions are heard. Let me know which option you like best and if you know of any material that could work to achieve the finish in serial plans for the cabinets.