DIY AND DECORATE WITH ME KITCHEN REFRESH | Thrift Haul and Styling Home Decor on a Budget

Hello everyone, welcome back to my channel and welcome to a new video. I am so excited to share today's video. It is my kitchen refresh. We are going to be DIYing, thrifting, and of course, styling. Hope this video inspires your creativity. Let's jump right in. So the first thing I did when I knew I wanted to work on our kitchen is I went and got some inspiration. I noticed that I was really drawn to a dark stained island. And I remember watching McKenna XO share a recent makeover where she used a product called Retikit to stain her non-wood cabinets. And they turned out amazing. So I thought this was a perfect opportunity to give that a try. So let me share that whole process with you now. This is what the product looks like. I ordered it right off of Amazon and it is amazing. The first thing I did was give my island a really good clean. As you can see, it is very well loved. We've lived here for 13 years, three kids, two dogs. We've never really done any sort of upgrades to our kitchen. So I was very happy to give this product a try. I knew I either needed to paint it or do something to it. So the fact that I got to stain it is awesome. So just went ahead with some Dawn dish soap and hot water and just gave everything a really good clean. I didn't obviously worry about scuffs or marks because I knew that it was going to get covered. Then I went in with the Retikit paint. And as I started using it, I kind of figured out that it was really important to make sure that I had nice, even strokes. Because as it dried, that's really what gives you that wood effect. So you'll see me go over the island and then you'll see me kind of go back over with the brush dry, just to make sure that I get those nice, clean strokes. I ended up doing three coats of the Retikit on the island, doing the same process every single time, making sure that once I put the product on, I just really worked to smooth it out and make sure that all of the lines were going in the same direction. And it dried really, really fast. I was able to do this all in one day, all three coats. And I loved how it turned out. It honestly felt and looked like wood once I had this product on. I feel like this is a game changer when it comes to thrifting furniture and flipping it. It really can transform a project. So I'm so happy that I found it and I can't wait to do it to more places in my home, bathrooms, also some furniture that I have. So definitely a win. Once the third coat of the Retikit was dry, I went in with Verathane Stain in the color Kona. Absolutely love this color. It's so rich and so warm and very closely matches my hardwood floors, which is the look that I was going for. So I used the product just like I would on wood. It was amazing. It took the stain really beautifully. So I went ahead and actually ended up applying two coats of the stain. And you'll see in just a little bit why I ended up going in with one more coat. I wanted it to be a little bit more opaque, but it took the product really beautifully. And if you wanted something to look more grainy, then definitely just one coat like you would stain any other wood project. Here's how the island looked after the first coat of stain was dry. I did go back in and add a second coat of stain. This time I added it with a brush. I wanted it to be a little bit more opaque. So I mimicked what I did with the Retikit product in that I used a paintbrush and the stain to paint it on. And then I went back in with the brush without any product and just made sure I had nice even strokes so that it all dried beautifully. And I could keep that kind of wood grain texture underneath the cabinet. And then once the stain was all dry, I of course had to go in with some sort of a sealer to protect it. I ended up choosing Behr's polyurethane. It was very fast drying. I went with a satin finish and this was by recommendation of the lovely lady that worked at Home Depot. And I'm really, really happy with it. It did not have a very strong odor, which by this point I had been using a lot of different odors in our home. Thank goodness it was a beautiful week so I had lots of windows open. But I did go in with the poly just to seal everything up and then let it completely dry. And then I was ready to move on. I can't wait to share the final product with you. Such a good one. Once the island was stained, I could really see the vision coming together. I just needed to organize all of my thoughts and other ideas to really complete this space, which leads me to thanking Milanote for sponsoring today's video. I am so excited to share their amazing tool with you as it really helps to organize creative projects. I've been using Milanote to organize my kitchen refresh and it has been so easy to use. It's perfect for visual thinkers like me because it allows you to organize your ideas in a way that makes sense to you. Also helps to keep you on track and organize all of your thoughts in one place versus having multiple lists on pieces of paper and various other places. This is my main project board. And as I've been planning out my project, I've organized my thoughts into several sub boards as you can see here on the screen, including a mood board to really get my inspiration flowing. I gathered some inspiration from Pinterest and really got a feel for what I wanted to do in the kitchen and really how I wanted it to feel. I love this mood board so much. The colors, the warmth, so beautiful. And it also helps me to keep a task list. I have a budget and also my next steps are clearly laid out so that I can stay on track when it comes to this project. It also allows you to collect notes and images, videos, tasks, and so much more. And you can do it all in one place. So I love this because let's say you're sourcing a product like I am, I'm looking for brass rails. I found these ones from Ikea and I'm able to link them directly into my board so that if I am ever ready to shop or buy something, I can simply just click on the link and it brings me directly to the product. So great to source products this way and just have it all again in one place. So if you are a creative like me or someone who simply enjoys planning out projects, Milanote makes starting a new project so easy with over a hundred built-in templates available for every type of project. Truly, honestly, a one-stop shop to designing a space and keeping us creatives on track. Milanote is available for free. Sign up using the link in the description box and start your next creative project. Once I organized all of my thoughts and inspiration in that one place, I was able to see what else I could look for to add to the space. And of course, I stopped off at the thrift store to see what I could find. I was specifically looking for more warmer pieces to bring into the space. So from Value Village, I found this beautiful, I don't know if this is a planter or some type of serving tray. If you know what it is, please let me know. This was only 7.99. Of course, I had my 20% off coupon, but I just loved it. And I actually did quick styling with it over on Instagram where I put my oil and vinegar and pinch pot in it and had it on my kitchen counter. But I actually thought it would look so pretty in my open shelving with some florals in it. So we're gonna play around with it in the styling, but beautiful copper. And of course, from those inspiration photos, I definitely was looking for more copper pieces. So I was very happy to find this beauty. And then from my local thrift store, I did find a couple things, again, just to really warm up the space. I'm wanting to bring in more warmer, neutral pieces. I absolutely loved this pot. I picked this up for only 4.99. It was really beautiful. The one thing I didn't love about it was how glossy it was. So all I did was add a little bit of matte Mod Podge. I gave it a really good clean first, and then I added the matte Mod Podge. It just toned down a little bit of that glossy finish and just made it look a little bit older and a little bit more worn in. And I love how this turned out. The next thing I found for $1.99 is this sweet little canister. I don't know if this is for sugar, for like a coffee set. I'm planning on using it to store my garlic in, I'm thinking, on the counter. And then the next item I found was this set of three mixing bowls. Absolutely love the pattern on them. They're so beautiful. I love that it's a warmer white because my kitchen cabinets are more of a warmer white. They're not like a stark white. And I thought these were perfect and also practical. Anytime I can mix pretty and practical, I love. So this was definitely a good find. The set was $9.99. And then I, of course, was looking for wood stools. And I have looked at so many different thrift stores over the past few weeks, marketplace, and I just can't find what I'm looking for. I am going to hold out on the stools for right now, but I will be on the hunt for them. And I hope that this inspires you that sometimes making over a space or refreshing a space, especially if you're someone who wants more of a collected home, sometimes it takes time and you just have to be okay with that. So that is something that I am still on the hunt for. And then I also wanted to share a little bit of a feel with you or something that I thought I liked, but it just didn't end up working for me. And that is this brass rail that I found at Ikea. I actually ended up using a little bit of Rub & Buff because I just didn't love how fresh brassy it was. I wanted it a little bit more worn. So I did go ahead and do that. And then I also added some Rub & Buff to the hooks. I originally thought that I wanted to add this to the side of the island to display my copper pots and some other woven baskets that I've collected, but I just didn't love it. When I put it up against the dark wood, I just, I don't know. I don't think that I wanna go ahead with this. What I do think I wanna do is add a wood peg rail to the side and then display the pots and baskets off of that. I don't know, I just felt like it just was too much. And I think if I had like a wood peg rail, it would just blend into the side of the island and then the copper pots and baskets would do all of the talking. Sometimes things just don't work out the way that you thought that they would, and that's okay. It's trial and error. I will still find a space for this for sure. Lots of places that I could add some extra storage to. So it's not a complete waste, but that is something that I wanted to share with you. And then the last thing that I picked up was this beautiful assortment of grocery store florals. Now I'm gonna turn the camera around and we are going to pull the whole space together. I'm so excited. Let's start that now. Getting started with the open shelving area here in my kitchen. Like I said, just going in and adding warmth wherever I can. And I have shared my process in several videos, but just in case you're new, I like to repeat each item on each shelf just so that your eye has something to follow. I try and do it in a zigzag pattern. So you'll see, I have like white items at the very top and then on the middle, and then on the very bottom shelf, I also have a white piece. And then I have some metal kind of going from the top down. And that's just kind of how I've made it easy for myself to decorate these kind of more bigger areas. So just a little tip. If you are trying to decorate shelves and you're feeling overwhelmed, just repeat items on each one. And I feel like that just makes it look more put together and cohesive. I'm now just going ahead and creating some simple vignettes on my countertop. Again, just sprinkling in more warmth. I can't wait for the copper on the side of the island. I am now on the hunt for a wood peg rail. I'm thinking I'm gonna stain it the same color. And like I said, just let all of the copper and the warmth of the baskets do all of the talking. My inspiration photos had a lot of beautiful organic materials, florals. So I knew I wanted to create something really beautiful and simple over here on this corner of my kitchen. And I'm using baby's breath and eucalyptus because they both dry out beautifully. So such an inexpensive way to add some florals to your home is to just pick up some grocery store, baby's breath, eucalyptus, and you can enjoy it while it's fresh. And then you can also enjoy it once it dries out. And here is the finished product. I love this so much. I think it turned out so beautiful and rich and warm and very collected and truly feels like the heart of the home. I am so excited to finish it up with the stools and of course the peg rail. But for now, I am truly grateful that I took the time to do this and give it a go. So thank you so much for coming along with me today. I hope you enjoyed it. I hope it inspired your creativity. Don't forget to check my link and sign up for Milanote. It truly was so helpful for me creating this space and I'm truly grateful for them for sponsoring today's video. So thanks again for watching and I will see you all in the next one. Bye everyone.