• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Sungrown Kitchen logo

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Summer Recipes
  • Recipe Index
  • Garden
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Shop
  • social

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Summer Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Garden
    • About
    • Subscribe
    • Shop
  • social

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Sungrown Kitchen » In My Kitchen

    Published: Jun 8, 2015 · Modified: Sep 13, 2023 by Meryl Downing Leave a Comment

    The Sungrown Kitchen Upgrade

    14 shares
    • Share

    This is our old house, with our kitchen updated in 2015!  See the before and after of our tiny kitchen renovation, on a tiny budget. Painted cabinets, new butcher block countertop, new sink and subway tile backsplash!

    Newly remodeled kitchen with butcher block counters.

    Love to Cook, Love your Kitchen

    It's easy to love cooking when you love your kitchen, and ours was in desperate need of an upgrade!  The renovation that started out as "let's just paint the cabinets," is finally complete.  We did a little more than that. 

    New butcher block countertops and stainless steel dishwasher.

    We did paint the existing cabinets and replaced the hardware, new counter tops, new subway tile back splash, and a new sink and faucet.  We couldn't be happier with how a little upgrade and a lot of hard work turned out.

    Here's a Before and After...

    Before picture of stove area with old oak cabinets.
    The updated kitchen with painted white cabinets, new black hardware and butcherblock counters.

    The handy work was mostly done by my husband, who is far more talented than I knew, and kept the mini renovation pretty budget friendly.  I did paint cabinets through a lot of afternoon toddler naps, but he did all of the heavy lifting.

    A before photo of the kitchen with the old floor to ceiling tan oak cabinets.

    The before and after says it all, I don't miss the green counter or the floor to ceiling oak.  I am loving cooking in my new kitchen, I don't have to be so careful to crop out the background in my food photos!  

    Kitchen renovation with new white subway tile backsplash sink area.

    It's light, it's bright, it's still tiny, but I love how it turned out.

    And a fun memory of "during."

    Kitchen remodeling during the process, a big mess!
    Small kitchen upgrade with undermount sink and white subway tile.
    Knife and Cutting board on the new butcher countertop in our new kitchen.

    Favorite Recipes from Our Kitchen to Yours!

    • Creamy Farfalle Pasta with red bell peppers and peas.
      Creamy Farfalle Pasta with Prosciutto and Peas
    • Maple butternut squash fall salad with apples, bacon, pistachios, and Parmesan.
      Maple Butternut Squash Fall Harvest Salad
    • A bowl of spring asparagus soup next to the soup pot.
      Spring Asparagus Soup
    • Double Chocolate Zucchini muffins on cooling rack with big chocolate chips on top.
      Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

    Be sure to subscribe to get Homemade Recipes from the Garden delivered right to your inbox!

    Subscribe

    More In My Kitchen

    • 27 Homemade Foods to stock in your Freezer.
      27 Homemade Foods to Stock in Your Freezer
    • Frozen berries on a sheet tray with parchment paper and jars of frozen berries.
      How to Freeze Summer Berries
    • A spoonful of homemade brown sugar from a jar.
      How to Make Homemade Brown Sugar
    • Two pink pint jars of pickled red onions.
      Refrigerator Pickled Red Onions

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Profile Picture

    Welcome to Sungrown Kitchen!

    Hey guys!  I'm Meryl, chef, gardener, and mother of two little Minnesotans.  The Sungrown Kitchen combines two of my favorite things that naturally go hand in hand...cooking and gardening (read more)

    Subscribe

    Summer Recipes

    • A bowl of Cucumber Feta Salad with red onion slices.
      Cucumber Feta Salad with Basil
    • Bowl of summer panzanella salad with feta, cucumber and basil.
      Panzanella Bread Salad with Cherry Tomatoes
    • Blackened chicken tacos topped with red onions, avocado and spicy corn Cotija cheese salsa.
      Blackened Chicken Tacos with Cotija Corn Salsa
    • Melon wrapped in prosciutto on a platter of salad greens with mozzarella.
      Melon Prosciutto Salad with Arugula
    • A bowl of spaghetti with prosciutto, olives, and basil tomato sauce.
      Prosciutto Pasta with Artichokes and Olives
    • Strawberry Cucumber Salad with red onion and feta cheese.
      Strawberry Cucumber Salad
    • Lemon feta green bean white bean salad in a bowl.
      Lemon Feta White Bean and Green Bean Salad
    • A skillet of zucchini orzo pasta topped with salmon and basil.
      Salmon Zucchini Orzo Pasta

    Weeknight Dinners

    • Grilled kabobs with steak, red and yellow bell pepper and mushrooms.
      Grilled Steak Kabobs
    • A bowl of spaghetti with green beans, mushrooms and Parmesan cheese.
      Bacon Mushroom Green Bean Pasta
    • A bowl of garden roasted tomato soup with fresh basil.
      Roasted Tomato Basil Soup from Garden Fresh Tomatoes
    • A serving bowl of orecchiette with Italian sausage and vegetables.
      Sausage Orecchiette with Peppers and Spinach
    • Garden BLT's with pesto aioli and extra veggies on ciabatta bread.
      Garden BLT with Pesto Aioli
    • Creamy gnocchi with goat cheese and lots of garden vegetables.
      Italian Sausage Gnocchi Skillet with Spinach and Cherry Tomatoes
    • A skillet with ground beef, black beans, peppers and onions.
      Ground Beef Fajita Tacos
    • A large sub on ciabatta bread with prosciutto, lettuce, and homemade giardiniera on a cutting board.
      Italian Sub Giardiniera Sandwich on Ciabatta
    • A bowl of yellow Zucchini Corn Chowder soup with white cheddar cheese.
      Zucchini Corn Chowder
    • A rice bowl with blackened salmon and mango salsa.
      Blackened Salmon Rice Bowls with Mango Salsa

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Resources

    • Shop
    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility Policy

    Contact

    • About
    • Subscribe to the newsletter

    Stay Connected

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

    Copyright © 2025 Sungrown Kitchen