America's Ugliest Kitchens (and How They Became Beautiful)

See how these homeowners turned the (often hideous) kitchens they had into the kitchens of their dreams

Before

Reviving a Tudor Revival Kitchen
Reviving a Tudor Revival Kitchen


A '60s redo had nixed this kitchen's stylistic connection to the 1920s house.

After

Reviving a Tudor Revival Kitchen
Reviving a Tudor Revival Kitchen


The new great-room kitchen has lots of seating and open sightlines to neighboring rooms, as well as more than twice as many storage cabinets. Now the homeowners can monitor both their homemade Italian "gravy" and the kids' TV time from inside, and there's plenty of room for friends and extended family to gather. They capped the bay windows, richly stained cherry cabinets, and granite countertops with a detailed coffered ceiling. The result? A kitchen with 21st-century function tucked in a space with the finely crafted details of decades gone by. See more of this breathtaking transformation in Reviving a Tudor Revival-Style Kitchen.


RELATED:The Ultimate Open-Plan Kitchen

Before

$6,000 Kitchen Redo
$6,000 Kitchen Redo


Dingy vinyl floors, yellow laminate counters, and dark cabinets made this 1970s kitchen feel dated and gloomy.

After

$6,000 Kitchen Redo
$6,000 Kitchen Redo


The pro-style range by Bosch was on Craigslist for just $700, compared with $2,000 for a new one, and was still under warranty. A bigger score was the used 30-inch vent hood from Viking, which was just $100, versus $1,000 retail. The oak cabinets look like new after a few coats of oil-based paint in Soft Chamois by Benjamin Moore. What These Homeowners Saved. $3,500 on cabinets; $2,200 on range and hood. See more on this kitchen remodel in We Redid Our Kitchen for $6000.

RELATED:How to Get the Kitchen You Want at a Price You Can Afford

Before

Bold Color Kitchen Makeover
Bold Color Kitchen Makeover


Earlier upgrades brought in open shelves and white walls, and, later, a niche for the fridge and bamboo floors. But the place still needed some help.

After

Bold Color Kitchen Makeover
Bold Color Kitchen Makeover


Nothing revives an old room like an energetic new color scheme. In this 1940s ranch house in Laguna Beach, California, a previous remodel left behind a washed-out white kitchen, save for the sensational 1945 stove Sue inherited from her mother. The cabinets and counters stayed the same, but a carefully composed riot of colors makes the remodeled room as warm and welcoming as its 1940s stove. See more of this kitchen in Bold-Color Kitchen Makeover.

RELATED:Read This Before Your Remodel Your Kitchen

Before

Charm & Smart Savings Kitchen
Charm & Smart Savings Kitchen


Worn cabinets, pink-and-white laminate, and an acoustic-tile ceiling dated this kitchen. But, few well-priced nips, tucks, and fixes gave the dated cook space a new look and lots more function.

After

Charm & Smart Savings Kitchen
Charm & Smart Savings Kitchen


With the couple eager to shave costs while gaining function, style, and a home office, Dodson rejected a pricey apron sink, granite, and stainless steel for a drop-in basin, laminate, and basic white workhorse appliances. Molding gives the room a finished look-and hides signs of a former dropped ceiling. She replaced base cabinets to get needed drawer space but kept the uppers, simply adding new doors and hardware. For more ideas from this remodel see A Kitchen Renovation Adds Charm Using Smart Savings.

RELATED:Editors' Picks: Top 12 Budget Reader Remodels

Before

Same Size Sunnier Spirit Kitchen Redo
Same Size Sunnier Spirit Kitchen Redo


This old space had faded tile counters, vinyl floors, ceiling-lowering soffits...and no place to eat.

After

Same Size Sunnier Spirit Kitchen
Same Size Sunnier Spirit Kitchen


Ten long years passed before Kristin Sharpe and her husband, Mike, finally did something about their kitchen's bumpy tile countertops, crammed cabinets, and lack of gathering space. But as they pondered every possibility, from demolishing a wall in their Southern California ranch house to building an addition, they also refined their vision. The result: A more spacious feel, they enlarged a pass-through to the family room, where their twins, now 9, hang out; added a skylight; and restricted the palette to vanilla and chocolate-right down to the walnut floor. Light-reflecting glass tile and pendants as delicate as soap bubbles brighten the space. For more on this remodel see A Kitchen With the Same Size but Sunnier Spirit.

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