Steal This Look: The Design-Minded Country Kitchen, Budget Edition

A while back, Margot wrote about Charlie and Kevin Dumais’s modern-rustic kitchen in their Litchfield, CT, home. Today, we’re going to show you exactly how they designed their characterful kitchen without breaking the bank. Hint: Start with Ikea.

Featured photograph by Eric Piasecki, from Kitchen of the Week: A Design Couple’s Ikea-with-a-Twist Kitchen in Connecticut.

Above: The Dumais’s kitchen is small, just 150 square feet. “To help keep our renovation costs at a minimum, we used Ikea for the cabinet interiors and added plain front doors, drawers, and side panels from Semihandmade,” says Kevin.”We ordered them unfinished so we could paint them.” Charlie built the island himself. Photograph by Eric Piasecki. Above: Other DIY elements include the small surface-mounted brass ceiling fixtures, which Charlie made as “retrofits that plug into the existing recessed lighting,” he says, and the whitewashed V-groove pine paneling he installed himself. (Charlie designs and makes lighting for a living; see Studio Visit: Ceramic Statement Lighting by Dumais Made.) Photograph by Kevin Dumais. Above: Their one big splurge: the Calacatta Tucci marble counters from Stone Source. Photograph by Kevin Dumais. Above: The console table is another homemade piece. Charlie used butcher block salvaged from his childhood home; the legs are industrial piping painted in Benjamin Moore White Dove enamel. Photograph by Kevin Dumais.

Cabinets & Shelves

Above: Ikea’s Sektion cabinet frames range in price, depending on the size and finish. Pictured is a Sektion base cabinet frame (shown with doors). Above: Semihandmade’s DIY Slab Doors come unpainted and unfinished. Above: The couple used reclaimed oak barn boards for the open shelving. An inexpensive lookalike: Ikea’s Tranhult Shelf; $20. Above: Kevin and Charlie painted Ikea’s Ekby Valter brackets, but they have since been discontinued. For a similar look, try the Sanshult Brackets; $7.

Lighting

Above: Rejuvenation’s Foster Fitter Flush Mount is a good lookalike; it’s $299. Above: Charlie made the brass ceiling lights himself; for a similar look, try Meraki’s NOK Ceiling Light, $148. Above: Schoolhouse’s Metal Slim Cone Shade is $99.

Appliances

Above: Their Bosch 800 Series 30-Inch Slide-in Gas Range is $2,549 at Home Depot. Above: Their exact Blomberg fridge used is no longer available, but the similar 30-Inch Counter Depth Bottom-Freezer Refrigerator is $1,899 at AJ Madison.

Paints

Above: Benjamin Moore’s Sag Harbor Gray was used on the cabinet fronts and window trim. Above: The base of the island is painted Benjamin Moore’s Essex Green. Above: The walls are all painted Benjamin Moore’s White Heron.

Surfaces

Above: John Boos’ Blended Hard Rock Maple Table Top starts at $230 for a 24-by-36 inch slab at KitchenSource.com. Above: You can find Calacatta Tucci Marble at Stone Source; call for pricing.

Etc.

Above: Brass details, like the switch plates the couple found on House of Antique Hardware’s website, add warmth to the gray kitchen. This Mid-Century Switch Plate is $22.09. Above: The couple sourced their Ellis Wood Cabinet Pulls from House of Antique Hardware as well; $39.99 each. Above: Kohler’s Purist Single Handle Swing Spout Kitchen Faucet in matte black is $653.14 at FaucetDirect.com. Above: The Chantal Whistling Tea Kettle in copper is $189.95 at Williams Sonoma.

For more country kitchens we’re keen on, see:

• Kitchen of the Week: Hudson Valley Farmhouse Kitchen Reborn
• Kitchen of the Week: Country Chic in Sweden, Minimalist Edition
• Steal This Look: An Antique Dealer’s DIY Kitchen, Painted Checkerboard Floor Included

N.B.: This story originally appeared on December 22, 2020 and has been updated with new products, links, and pricing.