Are you currently planning a project but feel creatively stuck? If you are craving some real-life inspiration, look no further than these stand-out kitchen transformations…
One reason why I love social media is the immeasurable amount of inspiration at a click away. And the renovators’ community on Instagram is where you can truly find winning ideas, nuggets of advice, and words of encouragement. Which is why I went on the hunt for striking, real kitchen makeovers to show you just what’s possible.
So, whether you are pondering starting a project or need some motivation to power through your renovation, these real-life kitchen transformations are bound to inspire you. Let’s begin…
Before and after kitchen transformations:
1. @theoldforgeincolour
Katherine’s old kitchen, in her 1960s house in Kent, was small and dark. Luckily, she could knock through some adjacent, less-used rooms to improve the layout. “We took out a structural and some non-structural walls to create a large, light-filled space. We moved the kitchen position to the sunnier side and created a dining space where the old kitchen was, and added a lounge corner, too,” she says. “I was keen to have a plywood kitchen with a mix of colours and wood, to tie in with the rest of the space.”
Katherine went for an integrated fridge-freezer, with ovens on one side of the island for a living-kitchen look. “The hob on the island has an integrated downward extractor which keeps the space streamlined,” she adds.
Katherine chose patterned wallpaper in yellow and blue, a warm buttermilk colour for the ceiling, and painted woodwork – all working together to evoke a mid-century feeling. “The cork floor adds pattern and warmth underfoot. I couldn’t be happier with how it’s all come together!”
2. @vincent_the_house
The previous kitchen in Roxanne’s Edwardian London property was dated, featuring cracking mock-terracotta floor tiles, cream cabinets with peeling melamine, broken UPVC doors and poor lighting, she tells me. “When we first viewed this house six years ago, one of the biggest selling points was the south-facing garden. We loved the view so much, it was our main inspiration when designing the kitchen.”
Roxanne decided to open the back wall and install bi-fold doors to frame the garden. “To draw the outside in, we added shelving for plants and hung foliage-patterned wallpaper near the doors. The pops of green tiles and the mirror reflecting the greenery and movement from outside were all part of the plan,” she says.
“As you get further inside, it feels a bit more like a bistro with stone countertops, banquette seating, tiles up to the ceiling, mosaic tiled floors, and pale stone painted cabinets. The reclaimed wood touches and natural linen textures all blend with nature to help create the exact indoor-outdoor vibe we wanted,” says Roxanne.
3. @thishovehome
We love Lucinda’s warm and welcoming kitchen transformation. When she purchased her Sussex property in 2023, the kitchen was made up of two disconnected spaces – a dark, narrow galley kitchen off the living room and a small snug at the rear.
“We set out to create an open-plan kitchen that would feel like the heart of the home. Working with an architect, we removed the wall between the kitchen and snug to open up the space and cut a new window behind the sink to frame views of the garden,” she says.
“We chose sturdy oak Shaker units in Zoffany’s Straw and a deep burgundy island in Bordeaux. Walls in Farrow & Ball’s White Tie give everything a warm, sunny glow, while crackled glaze brick tiles from Marlborough Tiles add subtle texture.”
But it wasn’t always a smooth process. “There were a few surprises such as persistent damp, crumbling ceilings, and damage to the original Edwardian coving, which we had carefully replicated by a local specialist. Plus, the oven arrived months late – our air fryer worked overtime!” All worth it in the end.
4. @lukecatleugh
The kitchen in Luke’s home was originally laid out in a horseshoe-style format, with handleless cabinetry, and a cold grey tiled floor – but it was south-facing. “We bought the house in 2023 and, because I cook, the kitchen was our main focus. The thing that sold it for us was the light, so we got the idea of keeping the space as it was but reconfigure it to maximise its potential. Rather than extending, we switched the access to the garden around.
“We bricked up half of the door to create a beautiful window, that’s part of the side return, and did a full knock-through at the back of the kitchen to have steel aluminium doors, which fully open and offer an indoor-outdoor feel.”
Modern Shaker-style kitchen doors are painted in an impactful charcoal colour, adorned with antique brass hardware, and topped with quartz worktops with gold-rose veining. “We knew we wanted to have fun somewhere in the kitchen. So, we knocked through the chimney breast to create an amazing cooking space for the range,” says Luke. The surround is embellished with cream and volcanic orange subway tiles, laid vertically in a charming checkerboard style.
From the full kitchen rip-out to the finishing touches, the transformation took just six weeks. “I’m proud of how it turned out,” he says.
Discover the latest kitchen tile trends here
5. @belgravehome
The old kitchen in Vita’s Edwardian home in east London was narrow and very dark. “Our biggest goal was to transform the space with more light and an open-plan layout. We changed the position of the island to face the garden, which is quite unusual in London homes as they’re often narrow. Luckily, we have a corner plot, so the house was wide enough to make it work.
“We knew we wanted a wooden kitchen, but also to bring in some colour. Initially, we thought of a beige or stone shade, but I wanted something a little brighter and eventually settled on this beautiful rustic pink. I must admit, my mum freaked out when I told her we were having a pink kitchen, but now she absolutely loves it,” she says.
A pantry was high on Vita’s wishlist, along with a hot-water tap and an extractor hob. “Being a gluten-free and vegan household, we have a lot of lentils and beans. Having all of this tucked away, with only the everyday essentials on display in the kitchen, really makes a difference.”
6 . @theinteriorframe
When Anna moved into the property, the kitchen (from 2002) was worn out, filthy, with a selection of burnt food in the oven. “Not the greatest of starts, but once we got it cleaned up, we could see it was solid oak and had some potential to be transformed,” she says. And, since the layout was good, Anna decided not to rip it out.
Surprisingly, considering the beautiful result, Anna didn’t make any big changes. “It was just paint, MDF and hardware,” she tells me. “We were able to do everything ourselves, and the whole thing cost very little! At our last house, we had done a full kitchen extension, ripping everything out and designing the space from scratch.
“So, this was a very different challenge, as we had to design around the existing layout. It did mean, however, that I felt I could be braver with the colour, knowing it was just paint rather than a new kitchen that was costing us thousands,” Anna explains. So, she went for a gorgeous, bold green.
One of her must-haves for the space was open shelving. “I think taking down the wall-hung units has made the biggest difference to the space.
“The kitchen still isn’t finished. I’ve been looking for an antique piece of furniture that we could turn into an island, and more plates for my plate wall. But it takes time to find these sorts of things, especially the really good ones!”
7. @_lifeatdallas
When looking at Courtney’s kitchen, you wouldn’t believe that there once used to be dated wood cabinetry with cream countertops in a dark, north-facing room. “We knew we wanted to create something much brighter and more spacious, so we knocked down the wall between the kitchen and living room, which flooded the room with more natural light,” she says.
“I love the concept of open plan, but I also like the kitchen to be a separate space when cooking. We decided to install internal steel-framed bi-fold doors between the kitchen and living room, which enables us to have the best of both worlds. These are our favourite renovation decision to date.” Some of Courtney’s kitchen must-haves were an island with seating, open shelving, and tongue-and-groove end panels.
The kitchen now strikes the balance between modern and classic thanks to the traditional Shaker-style units with antique brass hardware, wood-effect flooring and bright white worktops.
8. @rosielaurenhome
Rosie was looking to turn the previously dark, disjointed space into a bright, open-plan kitchen-diner. “What is now a light-filled, airy hub was once a maze of separate rooms: a kitchen, corridor, downstairs bathroom, and a dining room, all divided by walls and small windows. It felt anything but inviting,” says Rosie.
“We had to undertake a major transformation, removing four walls and installing eight RSJ beams. It was a huge structural job, but absolutely worth it to achieve the seamless layout we have now.”
The space now caters to daily life with a large dining table, a central island, and a cosy snug area. “One of the most transformative features was the addition of five-metre bi-fold doors. These flood the space with light and create a beautiful connection with the garden.”
However, there were some challenges along the way, such as the positioning of a structural pillar. “Our initial plans positioned it further into the dining area. We quickly realised it would disrupt the flow and limit how we could use the space, making it tricky to place rugs, tables, or seating. So, we made the decision to incorporate the pillar into the kitchen island instead, as it was a space already allocated for a permanent fixture. Although, in an ideal world, we wouldn’t have a pillar at all, it plays a crucial role in holding up the house, so it was non-negotiable.
“My advice to anyone planning a renovation would be to visualise how you’ll use the space before finalising any plans. It can save you a lot of stress (and money!) down the line,” she says.
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