Our Basement Kitchen plans, where to Start
Beginning to finally finish our basement into the studio apartment I designed it for so we actually have a place for guests. The biggest job down here is absolutely the basement kitchen. And I’m still on the fence about what exactly I want to do with everything. At some point the top of the kitchen faucet was broken so it absolutely needs to be replaced. Besides that I really don’t feel right about spending money down here that isn’t totally necessary. Unfortunately it sure would be awesome to replace that kitchen sink too!
Even if I do bring my island down into this space there is so little counter space for actual cooking that that giant sink seems really really silly.
It was “free” though and its in pretty good shape.
The cost of replacing the sink would also include having to replace the countertop and I could totally build it with lumber I already have but still… my frugal brain is telling me its a perfectly good sink.
I really struggle in situations like this one lol
On the one hand I hate to spend money I don’t need to but on the other hand replacing the sink would improve this space by ALOT.
So, I’m going to sit and think on that one.
Here’s the sink I really want for this space on Amazon. It’s $73 and 15×15 so its only about 1/3rd of the size of the big sink that’s here but its still deep enough to not be silly for a small kitchen like this one.
In the mean time the cabinets all need to be fixed and painted.
I need to take all the doors off, replace all of the hinges, clean everything within an inch of its life and then paint it all out. (These were my Grandma’s kitchen cabinets that they built and I took out when I started renovating.)
I’m going to paint the upper cabinets white for sure but I’m on the fence with the lower cabinets…
I’m getting pretty sick of the monochrome of this space being either black or white but painting the lower cabinets black just feels so expected… maybe I could get away with a gray or even a blue gray?
Another thing for me to over think about… but white lower cabinets might look best beside that white oven.
Something else that is a must purchase (like the sink faucet) is I have to do something about a backsplash above the sink though that should be reasonable as its not a ton of space. I’m thinking white faux subway tile would fit down here pretty well.
If I use the peal and stick tile I will need to do a little fixing on the sheetrock to get it flat.
I will definitely be adding shelves above the cabinet beside the refrigerator and above the stove as well. When we started working on this basement years ago I saw a deal and ordered all of the steel hardware and brackets for shelves so I have all of the materials already for this.
The shelves I will just sand and clear coat to bring some more color to this space that ISN’T black or white.
My first instinct is to run a shelf across the whole wall, starting beneath the lowest cabinet on the right. And then running another shelf above that cabinet, all the way under the shorter cabinets as well.
The lowest shelf would be about a foot tall and be great for glasses, decoration etc. and I think it would balance it all out a bit more as there is definitely an awkwardness going on here.
That upper cabinet was NOT built for this space and its obvious.
(I would also add under cabinet lighting under that shelf too. The upper cabinets will end up matching the cabinets in the bathroom down here, complete with same hardware too.)
Currently the lighting here is impossible for a kitchen and I have to do something about it but I’m not sure what yet. There are two light boxes centered in this space and currently we have Edison bulbs in them.
Edison bulbs do not create light to work by lol.
So, I’m just going to replace the bulbs with LED bulbs for now so I can actually see what I’m doing so I can fix this place up.
As I mentioned earlier I’m going to be bringing my old kitchen island down here and it might be great to hang a pendant over it but this is such a small space an island might not work at all.
So definitely going to wait and see on that!
Right now the microwave is (obviously…) on top of the refrigerator but (by some kind of miracle) it would fit above the stove with just enough room to spare.
But I would have to add an outlet for it so, is it worth it for me to “hide” the microwave above the stove or does it really not bother me where its at?
I mean its not like I have plans to put anything else on top of the refrigerator…
More decisions to make!
The entire back wall with the refrigerator feels unfinished to me. (Yeah I need to fix the floor and add some trim but that’s only going to do so much.) I’m really hoping adding the shelves I mentioned earlier above the cabinet will help.
I’m also considering adding a deep storage shelf above the refrigerator across the entire back wall. I could add some decorations and decent looking storage baskets / bins up there.
You can see I moved the hosier cabinet since the last post about this basement to the right side of the staircase.
You can also see just how rough she is and how much work she would need to really shine again.
I can’t let her go.
She’s too amazing.
But that cabinet is going to take a lot of time to bring back and I’m definitely considering taking it out of this space entirely until I can devote myself to its restoration.
So, first step for me here is a top to bottom clean of the space, fix the floor and walls and add the missing floor trim. From there I’m going to tackle the cabinets. The rest of the basement is empty so it will give me a great space to lay out the doors and drawers for painting.
Excited to get started!
Wow, you have a project for sure.
Suggestions: I would put the microwave on one of your new shelves next to the fridge. This would make for a perfect cooking station.
On the sink—definitely keep it. Without a dishwasher—one really needs a two sided sink. Consider a slip-on breadboard counter to go over the one side when you need more prep space.
Adding the new shelf low on the left hand of the sink counter where the light fixture for a coffee pot. The sink socket is not code…and will need to be upgraded anyway and maybe move it up.
Invest in a hood/light fan over the stove to keep the area cleaner This would not reduce your counter space and give you a workable kitchen with light on your work areas. Under cabinet lighting isn’t that expensive and lasts forever with the LEDs. We have our cabinet lights on all the time for 8 years and haven’t needed to replace anything (Ikea). Utilize that corner wall with pegboard or racks for hanging pots.
Consider totally removing those really awful upper doors and using the shelves open A pantry shelf could be made easily as a pullout next to the left side of the fridge. You could even reuse those door/wood for shelves. There are many easy designs on the internet.
Adding the island with a couple of stools for sitting will give your small kitchen a cozy feel and add a work station as well as eating. This area does scream for some color, but maybe keep the white thing going and add a floor stencil border or runners to add a pop of color.
If you are going to rent this space…it will have to be electrically up to code and kitchens are important to women tenants, it will be fun to see what you do with your budget. Good Luck, Sandi I’ve had to design 4 kitchens and everyone is happy!
Sandra, you made so many good points thank you for the thoughtful comment! I didn’t consider removing the cabinet doors until now so that’s something for me to think about. You have a very good point about the sink and not replacing it would save us money. The outlets are actually all to Minnesota state electrical code. Minnesota now requires any outlets in a kitchen or bathroom have to be on GFCI breakers (which they are) so GFCI outlets by themselves are unneeded.