Tabitha Shakespeare, founder of Colorado–based fashion and lifestyle blog
Tabitha Lane, recently remodeled the 100-square-foot kitchen in her 1940s home using mainly IKEA cabinetry and appliances. Shakespeare didn't like the look of the old space, but what really bugged her was the lack of separation between the living area and the kitchen.

$2,700 Kitchen Cabinets	$900 Cabinet Installation	$250 Subway Tile
$240 Sink	$70 Light Fixture	$90 Faucet
$1,500 Appliances	$1,900 Quartz Countertops	$150 Bar Stools
$30 Open Shelving
Grand Total: $7,830

Because the original kitchen had an L-shaped plan, there was a lot of wasted counter space. The house also lacked a proper dining area, so one of Shakespeare's goals was to find a way to include a breakfast bar in the redesigned kitchen.

“In the end I decided to gut the whole kitchen and start from scratch. I knew from the beginning that I wanted an IKEA kitchen because the pricing and storage options are unbeatable. Since it’s such a small space I wanted to make the most of it,” says Shakespeare. She sourced all the cabinetry and appliances from IKEA, and she was able to complete the remodel for just $7,830.

Shakespeare hired Denver–based firm Idea Guy Assembly & Installation to install the IKEA cabinets, and she was very pleased with their work.

“I cannot say enough good things about them. They did the entire job in three days, and were able to tackle all of the custom cuts to make the kitchen look really professionally finished,” says Shakespeare.

The built-in pantry and drawer-style cabinets provide ample storage, and Shakespeare and her husband were able to reduce construction costs by installing shelves instead of upper cabinets.

The tile and the shelves were DIY jobs that helped further reduce construction costs. For the shelves, Shakespeare purchased a long piece of wood from Home Depot, cut it into four pieces, and then mounted each slat on metal IKEA brackets that she spray-painted black.

“The scary part was definitely hanging these shelves on the tile wall and hoping they would attach well, but I couldn't be happier with the result. I kept them functional but styled them up a bit by doing things like switching out our plastic mixing bowls for pretty gold ones, and putting our coffee in a cute canister,” she says.

Unless you have plenty of free time on your hands, Shakespeare suggests hiring a professional to install an IKEA kitchen. “We've built our fair share of furniture, but this was a whole other ballgame. We estimated it would have taken us two to three weeks to do ourselves, so the time we saved having someone else do it—and do it right—was well worth the extra money,” she says.

Project Credits:

Interior Design: Tabitha Shakespeare / @tabbilane

Cabinetry Installation: Idea Guy Assembly & Installation

Photography: tabithalane.com

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Budget Breakdown: A Denver Kitchen Gets a Beautiful IKEA Makeover For Just $7.8K