Design Tips To Transform A Builder-Grade Boring Kitchen Into A Cozy Cottage

A boring builder-grade kitchen is far from warm and inviting. These spaces often feel cold, plain, and lack personality. It's up to homeowners to customize a builder-grade kitchen to make it feel homey. Giving the space a cozy cottage home makeover is a great way to do this. The aesthetic is defined by design elements like exposed rustic wood, brick, and a warm, earthy color scheme. You can add these features to your builder-grade kitchen to give it that inviting feel it may be missing. Thankfully, you don't need to pay for a complete renovation to add the cozy cottage aesthetic to your space. To achieve the look on a budget, consider installing peel-and-stick faux cobblestone wallpaper, incorporating raw wood, and repainting your cabinets a cozy color.

If it's within your budget, you can also make more time-consuming changes. This could include details like butcher's block countertops or bare rustic wood cabinets. After you try out this affordable transformation, you can say goodbye to your uninviting builder-grade kitchen. The new space will make you feel like you're living in the European countryside. Most importantly, this is a practical way to customize the impersonal kitchen design scheme to make it your own.

As you can see in the video above, the owners of @theaverycottage installed large cobblestones on their kitchen walls, totally transforming the space. You can recreate this look on your own walls using peel-and-stick faux cobblestone wallpaper. Although the end result won't look exactly like the cobblestone shown in the video, this option is a lot more affordable and easier to install.

You can browse online for wallpaper designs that provide the same cozy cottage feel as the cobblestone the homeowners used. The FOMEIL Rock Stone Wallpaper is a great option that will bring a touch of nature into your home thanks to the natural stone pattern it features. If you are more of a fan of traditional brick, you might prefer to use the Timeet Brick Wallpaper. Either option is a great way to embrace the cozy cottage look.

Along with the cobblestone walls, you may have also noticed that the homeowners in the video installed rustic wood ceiling beams. If you are interested in a more affordable alternative to this design element that's easier to install, consider adding raw wood shelving instead. This way, you can embrace the look of the natural material without having to purchase large wood beams or get up on a ladder to attach them to your ceiling yourself. The BAYKA Floating Shelves, for example, would complement the cozy cottage aesthetic beautifully. 

Many builder-grade kitchens include cabinets painted white or gray. Switching these shades out with something more warm and inviting can also give your space that cozy cottage feel. Warmer white or creme shades are often used within cottage-themed kitchens. Keep in mind that this gives the space a far more relaxed and homey feel rather than bright cool-toned whites that often make those builder-grade kitchens feel lifeless. If you would like to switch to a shade like this, check out Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch in the Satin Heirloom White shade.

The great thing about the cozy cottage kitchen aesthetic is that it also gives you the freedom to embrace colors that aren't commonly used in kitchens, such as earthy greens. You could also paint your cabinets in one of these bolder color options. If you prefer to go this route, you might be interested in the Satin Hunt Club Green shade that's part of the Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch line. This paint color would be a great pick to help you upgrade your builder's grade kitchen with colorful accents to give it more personality as well.