This kitchen was transformed on a tiny budget of £500 - it's completely unrecognisable

Starting a room makeover can be a daunting task, especially if you're limited on budget, but this DIYer managed to transform her kitchen into a fun, feminine space – and all for just £500. 

We love how this dated design was turned into such a bright and cheery room and it's a great example of how a beautiful kitchen colour scheme can give your space a new lease of life.

Pink kitchen makeover

Tired of her old kitchen, fashion and interiors blogger Lindsey Isla Henderson was keen to give it a new look, but without spending big bucks. 

'Eventually this kitchen will be knocked down when we extend,' she told Plank Hardware, 'so I thought it was the perfect excuse to have a bit of fun with it and I knew I could paint it any colour I fancied. I love the colour pink, so it felt only right to create a pink paradise. I also love a colour-drenched room, so I thought I’d go top-to-toe pink!'

Before

Lindsey was keen to change the dated tiles and cabinetry without blowing the budget, so she decided to paint them rather than replacing them.

'I started by removing all the hardware, picture hooks and cupboards, before filling in any holes in the walls and cupboards with polyfilla and wood filler,' she says. Once it had dried, Lindsey sanded everything, including the walls.

'I wiped and cleaned the kitchen as much as possible – as well as removing any spiders, which was probably the worst bit of it all for me!' she says. 

After

The candy pink colour is a huge change and has given the cabinets an entirely new look. 'I gave everything a lick of paint, quite literally, with Lick Pink 09,' says Lindsey. 'I wanted to colour drench the kitchen and have lots of fun with it. The room is very cold in the winter, so it was important to me to use a warm colour and something that would bring a smile to my face.'

The perfect finishing touch to the painted cabinetry was new handles and Lindsey was determined to choose something fun and equally colourful. 

'I’m a big fan of using colour in my home – it brings me so much joy,' she says, 'so I was instantly drawn to Plank Hardware’s Colour Pop Collection. I went for Sage Green as I thought it would complement the green splashback tiles and the flooring. I also thought the handles would add a modern edge to the traditional-looking kitchen, in contrast to the pink cupboards.'

Despite taking just three days to carry out the transformation, it wasn't all smooth sailing for Lindsey. 'Some of the drawer fronts weren’t salvageable – they’d snapped off the inside of the drawer and everything was plastic, so it couldn’t be screwed on,' she recalls. 'I actually glued a couple of them on. I thought it was better to lose the use of the drawer and have the kitchen looking complete and as pretty as it can be.'

Next, the worktops were tiled using pink tiles and pink grouting. Lindsey used glue to stick the tiles to the worktop, as it’s quick, easy and relatively mess-free.

'I had a few moments when I questioned if it was worth updating the old kitchen or not,' she says, 'but after it was completed, I knew it was the right thing to do. It’s made a big difference to my daily life and being in here brings a smile to my face. I’m glad I challenged myself to upcycle it and I hope I’ve inspired others to do it too. The makeover just goes to show that even with a small budget and very few tools, you can make a big difference.'