For $800 and in 6 Weeks, a Homeowner Transformed This “Everything Beige” Kitchen

You’d never know by looking at Alexander Rigby and Bobby Naugle’s colorful kitchen nestled in their 1900s townhouse in Pittsburgh that it once lived a very sad, very beige life. “When I bought the house, everything in the kitchen was beige: the walls, the cabinets, the counters, and the floor,” Alexander says. “Granted, everything was a different shade of beige, some dark, some light, but overall the kitchen just felt very brown and boring, without any personality at all. It was not a space that I wanted to spend much time in.”

The room hadn’t been touched since the early 2000s, and Alexander had a few requirements for its update: “Both retro and modern at the same time,” but also “fun and whimsical.” A balanced color palette was the solution for combining both aesthetics.

“The first thing I did was paint the walls a light gray. Then, I painted the cabinets white,” Alexander says. “The counters came next, which I painted black and epoxied. I painted the door orange and added wallpaper accent walls with an orange fruit orchard with small green leaves in two smaller spots, and then painted the kitchen tiles into an alternating black-and-white checked pattern. Every surface was transformed!”

All of the projects in the kitchen were hand-done by Alexander, and while not exactly challenging, it was time-consuming. He dedicated almost six weeks to getting everything done, and the room’s transformation is his favorite DIY project in the house — it only set him back around $800.  

Not only is the room a reflection of Alexander’s design genius, but it also holds a family heirloom. The oak table was built by his grandfather in the 1950s after attaching a salvaged wood piece to the metal sewing machine base, which still has the foot pedal. It was in his childhood home, and his mom gifted it to him after moving. 

When asked what he loves most about the kitchen, it’s hard for Alexander to pick just one spot. “The wallpaper pattern somehow feels welcoming and connects the space with both nature and a very delicious, edible fruit,” he says. “The bright blacks and whites make the space more inviting and less boring!” To see more of Alexander and Bobby’s colorful home, visit the full house tour on Apartment Therapy. 

This post originally appeared on The Kitchn. See it there: For $800 and in 6 Weeks, a Homeowner Transformed This “Everything Beige” Kitchen