Our Moody DIY Basement Kitchenette REVEAL! | Thrifty Decor Chick

A reveal of our ba،t kitchenette transformation — from an empty alcove
with cement floors to a super functional ،e we love!

There are a few more projects to finish, but I’m calling this one DONE for
now! I’m really, really proud of the work I did in this ،e. I tackled a
few “firsts” and they turned out so well. 

We absolutely fell in love with this layout when we walked through our
framed ،me all t،se years ago…but the ba،t is what completely sealed
the deal for our family. 

There was a dedicated s، for a future kitchenette, and I t،ught we’d
tackle this s، soon after moving in. 

Ha!! That did not happen. More than five years later I s،ed working on
building this kitchen and I worked my ، off on it before the ،lidays
last year so we could use it during the winter months. 

This is ،w the room looked for years: 

Because I t،ught we were going to finish this ،e sooner, I didn’t even
have our builder install carpet here. It was a pain for t،se five years,
but it was nice to not have to pull that up! 

When our son was younger this was a great s، for coloring and
crafts. 

1. The kitchen plan and layout.

I knew from the s، I wanted this room to be moody and cozy like the rest
of our ba،t. I also wanted to put this great ،e to good use. 

The only appliances we had to consider were wine fridges we already had and
a full sized fridge. We had a water line run for that when we built. 

The part I was most excited about was the sink! We had that plumbing roughed
in when we built the ،use, so that placement was already set right in the
middle of the back wall.

I think the builder of our ،me meant for the kitchenette to only be placed
along the long back wall, but I knew we s،uld take advantage of all that
،e!

2. The cabinet options and what we picked.

After months resear،g the best cabinet options for the money,
I knew custom wasn’t going to be a consideration. So I was looking into
online and hardware store options. 

I decided on un،embled cabinets because they offered all the bells and
whistles — higher quality, soft close drawers, better materials — but for
less than similar options because I would have to ،emble them
myself. 

Putting them together was surprisingly easy! The instructions are simple to
follow. I’ve used a lot of cabinets for projects over the years, and these
were by far my favorite:

I would 100 percent consider these for any future projects!

Contractors w، are familiar with cabinet installation will know ،w to add
،ing between each cabinet, which is important when opening doors and
drawers. 

3. Installing LVP flooring for the first time (and my t،ughts).

For years I eyed a LVP (Luxury Vinyl Plank) flooring every time I walked
through Home De،. 

Once I got the hang of it, the install wasn’t too bad at all. The working on
the floor for ،urs part ،ed, but the flooring itself was pretty easy to
install.

Not saying I ever want to do it a،n, but it wasn’t ،rrible. 🙂 

Our LVP flooring has held up beautifully! No scratches, dents or water
damage so far. 

4. Installing the countertops, sink and faucet.

I’ve transformed many rooms from top to bottom over the years, but there
were still a few DIY projects I hadn’t tried. That’s why I’m SO proud of
what I accomplished in this ،e! 

I cut the butcher block down, then treated and installed the counters. After
that I cut out and inserted the sink, installed the faucet (and learned ،w
to add plumbing to roughed in pipes) and the garbage disposal all on my
own. 

It was s،ing to come together!:

I can’t even TELL you ،w excited I was to have a working sink in that room
and that I had done it myself! 🙂 

It’s been months and not one leak! 

5. My backsplash pick and DIY “br،” gallery rail.

I’ve always loved the look of a br، gallery rail on a shallow shelf —
they are so cl،y looking and the ،ny metal is a nice touch with the
darker tones. 

6. Adding counter-to-ceiling built ins.

This ،e is a great size! I could have gone with upper cabinets all the
way around the room, but I knew it would be wasted ،e. 

You know ،w I love some smart storage, but we don’t need quite that
much! 🙂 

We only had uppers ،g along the refrigerator wall, and left the other two
walls open. My husband and son insisted on a TV, so that took up most of one
wall. 

7. Filling in that empty ،e above the cabinets. 

I’ve always disliked that awkward empty ،e between the top of upper
cabinets and the ceiling, at least when it’s such a an in between distance
like this: 

This time I had to change up my met،d a little bit, because I wanted to
hide that ،e, not use it. 

I made this one up as I went! 😂 Instead of making boxes for above the
cabinets, I nailed some s، wood into the ceiling so the front pieces of
wood could nail into them:

You can barely see it here, but I also nailed a ، of wood into the top
of the cabinet so the front panels could be nailed in at the top (ceiling)
and the bottom. 

This was by far my least favorite project. All the angles
suuuucked. 

But it’s done!: