A DIYer saves thousands giving her dark and dingy kitchen a stunning, textural transformation

A DIY enthusiast has given her formerly dark and dingy kitchen a textural kitchen makeover. 

The whole room was a real compromise on the house she and her husband bought.  What was once an uninspiring space is now perfectly in keeping with the rest of her bright and modern home. It's full of stunning and homely kitchen ideas with plenty of natural textures, which give the space a calming vibe – and plenty of space for her coffee machine!

Before the textural kitchen makeover

'I had always hated our kitchen!' admits Mariah, who shares her DIY projects on Instagram account @rusticrosehomestead. 'When we first walked through the house as a showing, my first thought was, "if we buy this house, the kitchen HAS to be updated."

'We ended up buying the house, and guess what? We lived in it for a little over two years before I finally buckled down and renovated it,' she tells us. 

Mariah knew she wanted this to be a very budget-friendly renovation, so she decided to do everything herself and to source inexpensive materials.

After – the textural kitchen makeover

After watching lots of YouTube videos, she taught herself how to tile a wall, install a new sink, cut granite countertops, and much more. She saved thousands by learning how to do these things herself. 

'Another way we saved money was by painting our countertops instead of replacing them,' she tells us. 'I painted them and sealed them with epoxy and achieved the look of marble without the cost.

'In just eight weeks, I went from hating my kitchen to loving it,' she says. We're loving the warm oatmeal tone to the kitchen cabinets and the blend of natural materials - from the wooden hood above the stove to the DIY marble countertops.

A kitchen rug, as above, is always a great option for introducing some color, texture and visual interest into a space that can feel a little sterile and functional. 

Feeling inspired by this impressive transformation? Mariah has saved all the tutorials for her textural kitchen makeover on her Instagram page and blog. 

It just goes to show what some thrifty DIYing and a fresh lick of paint can do!