It’s been 70 years since this kitchen was first added onto the back of this 100-year-old heritage house. Determined to give it the update it desperately needs, contractor Sebastian Clovis and designer Sabrina Smelko infuse fun and function into the new design on Save My Reno.
![Lady of the Manor Charming renovated kitchen with wooden centre island, white cabinets and countertops and retro-inspired fridge](https://assets.hgtv.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/1-save-my-reno-season-2-kitchen-island.jpg)
Lady of the Manor
With a design brief described by Sabrina as “English countryside with an edge”, the Save My Reno team worked with homeowner, Charlotte, to bring her outdated 1950s kitchen into the 21st Century – while still keeping its mid-century charm.
![Time Traveller New white kitchen featuring quartz countertops, a large apron sink and new contemporary cabinets](https://assets.hgtv.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/2-save-my-reno-season-2-kitchen-cabinets.jpg)
Time Traveller
The new contemporary white cabinets go right up to the ceiling, giving Charlotte the amount of storage space now standard in modern kitchens. To keep one foot firmly in the past, Sabrina opted to add traditional crown mouldings to the top of the cupboards.
Related: 40 Brilliant Kitchen Backsplash Ideas for Your Next Reno
![Handy Homeowner Charming country inspired kitchen with black herringbone tiled floors and a round wooded dining table](https://assets.hgtv.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/3-save-my-reno-season-2-ole-kitchen.jpg)
Handy Homeowner
Over the years, homeowner Charlotte had done some updates to her kitchen, such as installing beadboard wainscoting and laying down a black-tile herringbone floor. Now she’s allotted $40,000 to spend on future update projects.
![Upcycling Gets Centre Stage Newly renovated kitchen with wooden centre island, white countertops and a black herringbone tile floor](https://assets.hgtv.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/4-save-my-reno-season-2-kitchen-diy-island.jpg)
Upcycling Gets Centre Stage
To save on renovation costs, the Save My Reno team decided to keep the recently updated herringbone-tile floor and upcycled Charlotte’s old wooden kitchen hutch into an English farmhouse-inspired centre island.
![Appliance Science Old kitchen with round dining table, white cabinets and tired appliances](https://assets.hgtv.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/5-save-my-reno-season-2-old-kitchen.jpg)
Appliance Science
While Charlotte’s old kitchen had oodles of charm and character (thanks to her fun collectibles and crockeries), the layout was cumbersome and the appliances were on the brink of breaking…she even had to wheel over and attached her dishwasher to the sink for it to run. Remember those?
![Splash Out, Eat In New white kitchen featuring quartz countertops, a large apron sink, contemporary cabinets and stainless steel appliances](https://assets.hgtv.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/6-save-my-reno-season-2-kitchen-appliances.jpg)
Splash Out, Eat In
With the money she saved helping out Sabrina and Sebastian on the renovation, Charlotte was able to afford brand-new, top-of-the-line stainless-steel appliances that work well – and remain stationary.
![A Wonderful Sinking Feeling A pretty white sink](https://assets.hgtv.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/7-save-my-reno-season-2-kitchen-sink.jpg)
A Wonderful Sinking Feeling
A pretty white apron sink, with a charming farmhouse-esque faucet, is perfectly positioned under the back window, providing an unobstructed view out into Charlotte’s lush backyard.
![The Craft A butter yellow wall in a kitchen decorated with two metal boards, two mason jar flower vases and DIY wine rack](https://assets.hgtv.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/8-save-my-reno-season-2-kitchen-wall.jpg)
The Craft
Sabrina spearheaded a few DIY projects that really played to Charlotte’s love of handmade objects and funky accessories. The white wine rack is made out of a discarded pine palette and a rake head, while the wall vases are fashioned from a couple of mason jars.
![Details, Details Newly renovated kitchen with wooden centre island, white countertops and a DIY display shelving unit](https://assets.hgtv.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/9-save-my-reno-season-2-kitchen-island.jpg)
Details, Details
Sebastian decided to keep the beadboard Charlotte installed herself a few years back, but updated it with a coat of white paint. To freshen up the windows, Sabrina found a roll of grey-and-yellow fabric on deep discount, which she fashioned into chic roman blinds.
![What’s New is Old Looking Industrial pipe and pine shelving holds collectibles and cookbooks in a newly renovated kitchen](https://assets.hgtv.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/10-save-my-reno-season-2-kitchen-shelf.jpg)
What’s New is Old Looking
This kitchen is a balanced mix of old and new ingredients, perfectly represented by this on-trend industrial-pipe-and-rough-pine shelving, which Charlotte made with Sebastian to display her unique collection of antique tins and bottles, bowls and cookbooks.
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