This Plywood Kitchen Reno Proves IKEA Cabinets Can Be Completely Unique
Anthony Espino and Jeremiah Corley bought their first home in Brooklyn with a problem they couldn’t ignore: a kitchen stuck in the 1980s that was falling apart at the seams. They knew they wanted a space that could handle their love for cooking and baking, but they quickly realized the renovation would be more complicated than a simple facelift.
What Do You Do When Your Dream Kitchen is Full of Hidden Problems? You Build a Better One.
The existing kitchen was a puzzle of poor choices. A previous owner had cut corners, running a washer’s wiring through tubes inside the cabinets, and laying floor tiles without a subfloor, which caused them to crack.
But Espino and Corley, with the help of a Sweeten contractor, weren’t deterred. They saw an opportunity to create a kitchen that was not only functional but also deeply personal, reflecting their artistic tastes and smart, cost-saving strategies.
Written in partnership with Sweeten homeowner Anthony. “After” photos by Kate Glicksberg for Sweeten.
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Jeremiah and I bought our first home together one year ago in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn. We knew immediately the kitchen would be our first renovation project. The kitchen hadn’t had a true upgrade since the 1980s when the building was built and it was in serious need of some TLC.
Jeremiah and I both love cooking and baking. In fact, Jeremiah would consider it his favorite hobby. Before moving in, we had had a pretty great kitchen in our rental, so we had to bear it until we could renovate.
It wasn’t until we started the renovation that we uncovered the details of how things were connected in the kitchen—the previous owner had cut a lot of corners. Our washer was wired through tubes running inside the cabinets. We also discovered the floor tiles were set without any buffer on the subfloor, which caused them to crack. Sweeten brings homeowners an exceptional renovation experience by personally matching trusted general contractors to your project, while offering expert guidance and support—at no cost to you. Our plan was to incorporate as much working countertop and storage as possible. But to keep costs low, we’d have plumbing and electrical remain in place where we could. The plumbing for the washer and dryer did move slightly, however, and got plumbed into the wall so it was up to code. By stacking the units and moving the refrigerator, we gained a lot of new counter space.
Our second money saver was to opt for all IKEA cabinets. I desperately wanted oak fronts, which IKEA didn’t have. I searched everywhere and found a company that made them specifically for IKEA cabinets. We ended up going with their plywood cabinet doors with oak veneers for half the kitchen. On the opposite wall, we installed recycled Kungsbacka cabinet doors in black.
“To keep costs low, we’d keep plumbing and electrical in place where we could.”
Our biggest splurges were the stone floor tiles and handcrafted tile made of clay for the backsplash. For the past two years, I’ve thrown my own pottery. It was going to be important to have the unique qualities and natural imperfections of handmade materials included in the kitchen.
We experienced massive delays due to the supply chain issues. All our orders for appliances and materials varied in delivery times. It ended up adding about 3-4 months of just wait time before we could start the renovation.
Even then, our backsplash tiles made a dramatic entrance the day before their scheduled installation.
We were incredibly fortunate that our contractor offered their warehouse for storage, free of charge. In our Brooklyn apartment, space is a luxury, and we wouldn’t have had a square inch to spare for the growing pile of renovation supplies.
Our Sweeten contractor was a huge help in solving problems on the fly. The retractable vent hood was much more shallow than our extra deep upper cabinets. Our contractor came up with a quick fix by framing around it with leftover cabinet material. The vent was now completely hidden unless it was in use.
Before we began, one of our biggest questions was how long would the renovation take. It was Sweeten that put us in touch with all of the possible contractors. They really helped us to compare all of our bids so we could make an informed decision on who we wanted to hire.
Our project took about five months from planning to completion. In addition to material delays, we had an electrical issue within the island that needed to be resolved.
Our new kitchen is amazing for dinner parties! My family visited from Seattle and we had four or five people doing separate things in the kitchen, which would be unimaginable before.
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KITCHEN RESOURCES: Plywood kitchen cabinets with oak fronts and hardware: Plykea. Black Kungsbacka cabinets: IKEA. Backsplash tile in M4 Canvas Sage: Heath Ceramics. Floor tiles: CIOT. Quartz countertops in Fresh Concrete: Caesarstone. Andrew Neyer Astro Globe mini pendant lighting: YLighting.
A note on fixture and appliance deliveries: If you’re on a tight timeline, Appliances Connection has over 50,000 items in stock and ready to ship nationally. If you’re in the NY/NJ metro area, in-stock items typically deliver within 2-3 days.
Correcting some kitchen “wrongs”
Renovate to live, Sweeten to thrive!
Saving money with a design-forward plywood kitchen
A general contractor with solutions
Five months to a dream kitchen
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Renovation Materials
