We felt our white kitchen was past its best. We took it over from the previous owners ten years ago, and they had also used the kitchen for years. Back then, the kitchen was still pristine, but a decade of family life had certainly left its mark. Literally. Damaged fronts, crooked doors, and a bit of wear and tear here and there. Buy a new kitchen? Oof, expensive. And also: is that actually necessary if the basics are still sound? So, we looked for a way to give our kitchen a second life. We decided to wrap the kitchen!
Choices: new kitchen, new fronts, paint the kitchen or wrap the kitchen
Our kitchen had certainly seen better days. The basics were still fine, but the fronts were covered in damage, some cupboard doors hung crooked, and after all these years we were simply tired of the whole thing. We had taken over the kitchen when we bought the house. It was a fine kitchen, we were extremely happy with it at the time. Read: the money had run out. But it was rather... tame. Lots of white, a dark worktop, dark tiles. We felt it was time for a bit more colour and flair. And if we were going to dream about a new kitchen, the wish list was immediately quite ambitious. A different layout, swapping the hob and sink, a kitchen island, that sort of ffancy an extractor fan rising up from the worktop. And yes, the 100%, plus a little bar unit to boot. As you can imagine, that was going to cost a pretty penny. So we started to wonder whether a completely new kitchen was actually necessary, or whether there might be a smarter and more sustainable middle ground. It didn’t take long for the magic word to come up: reuse!
Reusing an old kitchen
Then came the next question: how? Are we just replacing the fronts, getting out a paint roller, or is kitchen wrapping perhaps a smarter option? Just replacing the fronts initially seemed like a good compromise, until we received a quote of over five thousand euros. Oof. We also seriously considered painting the kitchen, but would that really look good? And more importantly: would it stay looking good? A kitchen is, after all, used quite intensively. We could already picture ourselves with damage, scuff marks, and paint that would chip again over time. Moreover, we really wanted a sleek result. When someone suggested kitchen wrapping, a lot of puzzle pieces suddenly fell into place. You keep your existing kitchen, but give everything a completely new look. Exactly the middle ground we were looking for. No complete renovation, hardly any waste, and sorted within one to two working days.
Kitchen wrapping by KleefEef
Eventually, we ended up with Eefje Hendriks from KleefEef, and we were immediately enthusiastic. Eefje first visits to select colours and materials together, which is really great as there's a huge choice. From calm tones to wood effects, colour combinations, or something bolder. Then she makes an appointment for the wrap job. She removes all the fronts, sands everything down neatly, and repairs damage so the surface is smooth again. Only then is the wrap applied, and the cabinets are rehung and adjusted. It's genuinely amazing to see. It simply looks like a completely new kitchen!
Before and after photos of kitchen wrapping.
Another thing we liked was that you can have other items wrapped at the same time. So we went ahead and had the skirting boards, our extractor hood and a bathroom cabinet wrapped as well. And perhaps best of all: our kitchen will probably last for years to come, without a whole kitchen ending up in the rubbish tip.
Would you also like to get your kitchen wrapped? KleefEef is a real tip! You can best reach her via Instagram.
You might also find this interesting
- Also see: Must-haves for a plastic-free kitchen.
- Also see: Tips for maintaining your wooden chopping boards.
Photo credits: thegreenlist.nl.
