This is the story of how sometimes hiring a home stager as your interior designer can save you hundreds of thousands… it’s true. Even a 20 year old kitchen like the one in this case study is redeemable if the base units are still good, the layout still works and it has some modern features. Before we get started on just the kitchen we need to talk about the overall home. This property had 3 problems that needed a low budget solution: 1. A massive double volume space requiring a major punch of interest to make it feel cosy and like a home. 2. Cherry wood used extensively throughout the home (all BIC’s, all bathroom vanities and some feature cherry wood elements in the mostly white kitchen). 3. Hundreds of square metres of brown stone floors in every room. Before making a single decision we came up with a visual language and identity for the whole property and a strategy for how we were going to tackle the problem areas that were dating the interior. Our solution- redeem the redeemable and replace the lost causes. This meant painting over all the cherry wood but installing new wood look rectified tile floors for a seamless look throughout.

Because the kitchen was already mostly white we needed a feature colour and believe it or not despite there being thousands of shades on the market we ended up mixing a few custom paint colours so that our hero shade of deep blue would read as the same tone in different light conditions. Once we found the final mix we used this paint to cover all accent cherry wood in the kitchen and then repeated the shade on two double volume walls in the entrance and living room to warm the Scandinavian style interior. A key to updating the look was to remove all elements of the kitchen that were dated. For this project that meant taking off the floating shelves and replacing with modern extra long black steel shelves and styling them with a selection of super trendy vases and glassware from Country Road. This also meant updating the lighting with a hero piece that would mirror the shelves making the look more bespoke. By incorporating just these two slick modern slim line elements the entire kitchen felt new.

Now in any kitchen that has lived a while you are going to have some elements that need refreshing. A brand new stove backsplash in modern glass subway tiles (to reference the opaque glass cupboards) vs the existing grimy mosaic removed another dated element and just made the cooking area feel really crisp and clean. The other challenge we were faced with was the previous owners had specified that they would be removing their integrated appliances. This required some serious problem solving as we could not get new fridges to match the old space. By adjusting the adjoining cabinetry that we would already be painting we were able to squeeze in a non-integrated double fridge for a fraction of the cost.

One completely underrated aspect of home renovations is the amazing impact that accessories and styling can have in sending the message “I’m brand new”, without having to adjust the base fixtures. This is something I learnt after staging over 50 homes across Johannesburg. Often the homes with the worst finishes were the fastest sellers- curtains, carpets, paint and furniture might be lipstick on a pig but that pig sure does get a lot of kisses. One of the mistakes people make when renovating is blowing their entire budget on finishes and having nothing left for furniture and styling. We recommend you spend as little as possible on the finishes (within reason) and focus on lighting, curtains and the interior furnishings as that is what brings a home together and you can take it all with you when you move.

1. Be selective in what you replace and what you keep: Don’t just assume that the whole kitchen needs to be gutted. The top cabinets and door fronts are often the problem not the whole kitchen in an older home.
2. Work in stages: A space can start to feel so much better just after painting and changing a backsplash. Try these first before going too extreme.
3. Add modern elements: Interiors are a bit like building puzzles. The more pieces you add in that are modern the more modern the overall picture starts to look. It’s all the small things that send a collective message that something is updated. People can’t quite tell what has changed but the overall impression is better. Lighting is one of the best ways to change the feel of a room so start here.
4. Bring in life: Another stagers trick- if you add living things the space comes to life. Try adding floating shelves with living plants, a vase with oversized monstera leaves on the island and lemons in a bowl to freshen up a dated space. Remove heavy window coverings or trim back trees to let sunlight in and add wood or grass elements for warmth.
5. Add white: Repainting the ceiling and skirtings and adding a pop of white in a feature light or barstools creates a golden thread of freshness. White paint on the walls also reflects light and repainting dated cupboards in a fresh brilliant white can do wonders (you can even paint over tile in low traffic areas). Off set this with high contrast and modern black ironmongery and taps and your space will immediately feel better.

If you need help tackling your kitchen cosmetic fix we offer an hourly consulting package (the Pre-renovation Bundle) to help you with advice and final choices. To see how the rest of this project turned out check out Dream Gibbs in our portfolio.