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Emma and Zack Shay revamped their kitchen in a 100-year-old Craftsman-inspired bungalow for about $600, replacing a blue-gray palette with sage cabinets, white walls, beadboard and vintage-inspired details. The Apartment Therapy report describes a cosmetic update that kept the existing cabinets; new countertops remain on the couple’s to-do list.
Emma and Zack Shay spent about $600 reworking the kitchen in their 100-year-old Craftsman-inspired bungalow, trading blue-gray cabinets, gray walls and gray flooring for sage-green cabinetry, white surfaces and vintage-inspired details, according to Apartment Therapy. The makeover kept the existing cabinets and focused on paint, flooring, beadboard, trim and hardware, offering a lower-cost alternative to replacing the kitchen wholesale.
The Shays told Apartment Therapy that the kitchen’s earlier finishes did not suit either their home or their taste. Emma described the blue-gray cabinets, gray flooring and gray walls as “a bit uninspired.” The couple wanted a warmer, more personal room that drew on the bungalow’s Craftsman character and Emma’s preference for vintage and cottage touches.
They replaced gray peel-and-stick flooring with a black-and-white pattern designed to resemble vintage tile. They also widened the trim and floorboards, then painted the walls and newly added beadboard in Benjamin Moore’s Simply White. For the existing cabinets, they used a color matched to Farrow & Ball’s Lichen, a sage green, rather than buying new ones.
The finishing changes included brushed nickel bin pulls and glass knobs. Emma said a hardware template made installing the new pieces straightforward. The total reported project cost was about $600; the source does not provide a detailed price breakdown. Emma acknowledged that two cabinets still do not close properly, but said keeping them would save several thousand dollars compared with replacing them. The couple also had to repair plaster before covering it with beadboard and trim, and Emma said they lived with the kitchen in disarray for two months.
A Lower-Cost Alternative to New Cabinets
The project illustrates how surface changes and retained cabinetry can alter a kitchen’s appearance without a full replacement, at least in this household’s case. The Shays’ reported $600 total is specific to their makeover; it is not a general renovation estimate, and the article does not itemize costs or establish how the figure would apply to other homes.
The choices also address a practical design problem: how to make updates feel consistent with an older house rather than simply following a recent style. Emma said the revised kitchen now reflects both the bungalow and the couple’s preferences. She described having a kitchen that feels like them and honors the home as a mood-booster, saying it makes her more excited to cook, bake and host. That is her personal assessment, not a measured outcome.
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Updating a 1920s-Inspired Bungalow
The Shays’ home is described as a 100-year-old Craftsman-inspired bungalow with original wood floors and wide trim. Emma said previous owners had changed the kitchen to fit a gray palette that she felt did not suit the older house. The makeover aimed to bring in details that the couple considered more compatible with its age and style.
The work was not a complete restoration. The new peel-and-stick floor is a temporary-looking choice by the couple’s own account: Emma said they would eventually like to replace it with linoleum sheet flooring. They also left the existing cabinets in place, despite problems with two doors, and plan to keep working around the current countertops. Those are tiled, were painted white by previous owners and chip easily, Emma said.
“The blue-gray cabinets, gray flooring, and gray walls were a bit uninspired and not our style.”
— Emma Shay, speaking to Apartment Therapy
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Costs and Countertop Plans Remain Open
Apartment Therapy reports a total of about $600, but does not list individual material costs, labor costs or whether every expense was included. The source also does not specify whether the couple did all the work themselves or give a calendar date for the renovation. The report says the kitchen was in disarray for two months, but that does not necessarily mean active construction lasted for the entire period.
The countertops are not a completed part of the redo. Emma said they are painted tile that chips easily and that she still needs to repaint them, hoping to make them manageable for a couple more years. It is not clear when that work will happen, what product she plans to use or when the couple might replace the counters. Their longer-term flooring preference—linoleum sheet flooring—also remains a future goal, not a completed change.
black and white vintage tile peel and stick flooring
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Countertops Are the Next Planned Fix
Emma told Apartment Therapy that her next task is to repaint the countertops so they can remain usable for another couple of years. The couple has not announced a date for that work. Replacing the tiled counters is not described as an immediate plan, and the source gives no timeline for their eventual flooring upgrade.
For now, the Shays say they are pleased with the kitchen’s updated look and intend to live with the existing cabinets and countertops. Any further project details, including the final countertop treatment or a move to linoleum flooring, remain unreported.
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Key Questions
How much did the kitchen makeover cost?
Apartment Therapy reports that the Shays’ project cost about $600. The report does not give an itemized budget, so it is unclear how much went to each material or whether all costs were included.
What did the couple change?
They replaced gray peel-and-stick flooring with a black-and-white vintage tile-look pattern, painted the cabinets sage green, painted the walls and new beadboard white, widened the trim and floorboards, and added brushed nickel pulls and glass knobs.
Did they replace the kitchen cabinets?
No. The Shays painted the existing cabinets. Emma said two do not close properly, but she accepted the issue to avoid spending several thousand dollars on replacements.
What work is still planned?
Emma said she still needs to repaint the countertops, which are tiled, were painted white by previous owners and chip easily. The couple would also like to replace the peel-and-stick flooring with linoleum sheet flooring at some point, but no schedule was reported.
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