Artist Sara Jeffries transformed her kitchen with an English Country style for less than $300

Above: custom made shelf in the color “Loofah” by Valspar

At the beginning of the year, I made it a goal of mine to update several rooms on our main floor, if only just painting them. We’ve lived in this house since 2017 and we had only really updated the living room and dining room. Most of the house remained untouched by our personal style.

I really wanted to update the kitchen, even if just painting it, before the end of the year to accomplish my personal goal of refreshing the main floor. In September, I created the moodboard (below) and referenced some of my own art, deVol Kitchens, fabric I found on Etsy, some thrifted finds, and the flooring I planned on using. I’m blessed to have an interior designer friend, Whitley, who was instrumental in this whole process. She renovated the kitchen island, helped with the backsplash, made the shelf, and offered tools and supplies. She’s such a great friend. I wish everyone could have a generous and creative friend like her!

Above: the moodboard I created in September to help me narrow down the style and direction

I’ll describe my kitchen as English country due its eclectic and whimsical style. It’s cozy and warm with lots of layers, textures, architectural details, and is sprinkled with my own art. I started gravitating towards this style (through Pinterest and thrift finds) over the past few years but haven’t been able to implement it much until now. I would add my secondhand finds to the kitchen but it seemed cluttered and too random to me. You can see what I mean by checking out the before photo a couple pictures below.

Above: the reveal of my English country style kitchen. Walls are “Creamy White” by Glidden, trim and upper cabinets is “Loofah” by Valspar, bottom cabinets is “Twilight Jungle” by Valspar, and kitchen island is “Fired Earth” by Valspar. Floor is TrafficMaster Black and White Marble Paver vinyl sheet. Pendant light is from Etsy, main ceiling light is a Facebook Marketplace find, and the light by the window is from West Elm.

Both of the cabinet colors I found by scrolling Pinterest. The chocolate-green color for the bottom cabinets was inspired by a deVol Kitchen that used the exact paint color from Valspar called “Twilight Jungle.” I used Valspar’s cabinet paint for all cabinetry and furniture. The upper cabinets are a dupe for Farrow & Ball’s “Hay” and the actual color I’m using is “Loofah” by Valspar. I discovered the paint color through this Remodelista blog of an Ohio kitchen. The black paint color for the backsplash and kitchen island is “Fired Earth”.

Above: the copper kitchen island table was a secondhand and DIY project.

To be fully transparent, I had no budget set aside for this. I just knew I wanted to update my kitchen without taking out loans. Obviously, this meant keeping the existing cabinetry and floor plan because those tend to be quite cost intensive. I bought a gallon of the “Loofah” paint, a quart of the “Twilight Jungle” paint, and a quart of the “Fired Earth” paint. That cost $118 for the paint and then the flooring was $150. So the biggest costs came to $268, and we had to buy some supplies and materials like wood here and there but it wasn’t much. I should mention that I didn’t factor in a lot of the secondhand items I already had like the copper top, kitchen table, rug, decor, etc.

Above: Before photo taken in October 2023. We painted the walls “Creamy White” by Glidden during the pandemic, but never touched anything else but the hardware. The hardware is from Amazon and Habitat for Humanity.

Above is the way the kitchen looked in October. You can see that the transformation really just took some paint, beadboard backsplash, and new flooring!

Above: Flooring is TrafficMaster’s Black and White Marble Paver vinyl sheet.

And let me get into the details of the flooring. It’s a black and white marble paver vinyl sheet from Home Depot. We got it 12 feet wide by 20 feet long and then used the loose lay method (per manufacturer’s instructions) to cut it and lay it down. It didn’t require any removal of the old floor! All we had to do was cut it to fit, add tape underneath the appliances and pivot points, and then put on the trim. It keeps itself in place as long as you give it an eighth of an inch to breathe depending on the indoor climate. I’m so happy with how it turned out!

Above: my tiny oval Paris cityscape styled on the countertop.

The bead board was gifted to us from my designer friend Whitley because she had some lying around at home. She had the tools to cut it, so she spent a few days coming over to install it. I painted it that same “Loofah” color and think it’s one of the key elements that gives that classic English country vibe.

The countertops have remained the same, although I did buy some soapstone contact paper. The paper looked too pixelated for me to handle, so I just figured I could wait a little longer before we update the counters. The neutral color makes it ok for me to tolerate.

Above: the column detail was some trim that I found at Habitat for Humanity. The hinges, pulls, and knobs were all spray painted black, brushed with Rub n Buff, and spray painted with a sealer.

There are some fun little details in this kitchen! I added a column trim found at Habitat for Humanity, some braided trim above the window (also from Habitat), and a hand painted scalloped detail that goes above the upper cabinets. I decided last-minute I was going to paint those scallops. I had been thinking about some sort of detail for a while but never made up my mind. But when everything was covered for painting the cabinetry, I thought “It’s now or never!” and went for it. It’s such a sweet detail.

Above: Adding these secondhand tassels just elevated the cabinets even more

Now let me touch on the hardware. I got the pulls a while ago on Amazon, and the knobs are from Habitat for Humanity. I spray painted them and the hinges black, then used Rub n Buff, and a sealer spray paint to prevent some wear. I love that the Rub n Buff has a hint of copper in it to tie it all together.

Above: The kitchen skirt was made by me but the fabric is from Etsy.

The kitchen skirt under the sink is a fabric I found on Etsy and then I sewed it to fit under our sink. It took me a while to find the perfect fabric because many of floral prints out there look a little cheap to me. I wanted a floral, expressive fabric with a dark background that didn’t have any animals in it.

Above: we updated our range in 2022 to this one by Samsung. I love that it doesn’t have a back to it so I can style this little German citsycape tile along the back.

I’ll share about the copper topped kitchen island in a moment, but let me explain the black backsplash behind the stove. It’s actually the table top from the black table, but cut to fit behind the stove. It was a brilliant idea of Whitley’s because she knew I wanted to add a curve element somewhere and it was a great way to repurpose the table top that would have otherwise gone to waste.

Above: In addition to replacing the countertops, I’d like to add a hood cover, but until then, I might wallpaper the little cabinet above the stove.

The copper kitchen island is definitely the star of this kitchen. The base is an antique table that my mom had for years and then gifted to us at some point. The copper top was part of a copper coffee table that my grandpa built and that my mom had also given me when we were first married. As the kids grew up and we updated our living room, these items found their way to the basement where things can often get forgotten.

“The copper top was part of a copper coffee table that my grandpa built ”

Above: Using the copper table top as a kitchen island was inspired by deVol Kitchens.

I had seen copper kitchen counters used in deVol Kitchens beautifully through their TV show and was determined to repurpose that meaningful copper table that my grandpa built (who has since passed). So one day when I was in the basement sorting laundry, I was looking at that antique table and realized it was the perfect size to hold the copper top! I told Whitley about it and she thought so too as long as we added some height to it so that it became counter height. So she took the table, the copper, and I bought some wood for her to build it! I painted it that “Fired Earth” color from Valspar and tied it all together! It’s now such a useful and beautiful piece of furniture that really adds that English country touch. The light above the island is a repurposed vintage bowl that reminds me of the deVol Kitchen pendant lights I love so much. My light cost only $40 and I think she makes more!

Above: A thrifted peg shelf, a Paris cityscape drawing of mine, and an oval piece of art from my great aunt.

This little peg shelf was something we had before, but I switched up the art around it. This oval frame with florals is from my great aunt and the Paris sketch is my own. I love how subtle and neutral they are.

The other shelf was something Whitley put together for me. I paid for the supplies but she built it and I painted it. I really wanted a shelf to style all of my thrifted finds and art.

Above: My friend built this shelf for me and I painted it the “Loofah” by Valspar color to match the rest of the kitchen. I love having a place just for showing off my thrifted finds and my own orange still life.

Above: my tiny oval Rome cityscape styled on the kitchen counter.

I love to style little moments throughout the kitchen, and adding my art is such a fun way to do so!

Above: The kitchen is full of style and coziness now. I love the English country vibe going on.

I’m amazed at how much this space was transformed in a matter of weeks just because of some paint, bead board, and new flooring! Take this makeover as your sign that you do not need to fully gut and renovate your kitchen to make it the style you want! You really just need a direction, some ambition, and paint :).

Above: This photo highlights the most beautiful part of the kitchen: the custom copper kitchen island.

Thank you for checking out my English country kitchen makeover! I pray you were inspired to repurpose and rethink some of the items you already have. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from a friend too!

If you’re new here, I’m Sara and am the artist at Nelson Art & Design Co. I primarily create European cityscapes and seascapes that have a vintage feel with a modern touch. Take a look around and as always, feel free to reach out with any questions!

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