Many homeowners dream of remodeling their kitchens to transform them into stylish and chic spaces. Whether scrolling through Instagram or catching glimpses of a perfectly designed kitchen on shows like “With Love, Meghan,” it’s not hard to find a stunning room to replicate. However, home renovations aren’t easy— especially in the kitchen. Between large appliances, lighting, cabinets, and painting, the job can get laborious and pricey.

One way to decrease costs is to go the DIY route like content creator Sonely Mateo Martinez (@sonelymateo). After living in her home for 8 months, she decided to completely renovate her kitchen to make it the swoon-worthy space of her dreams. As a DIY enthusiast, Martinez was up for the challenge. “We’ve been living in our 1993 home for 8 months now, and I’ve been loving finding ways to make everything more my style,” she posted. It took some time, but her new kitchen is filled with warmth and showcases her classic and polished style. Keep reading to learn more about how she brought her dream kitchen to life.

@sonelymateo

This is the story of our kitchen and how it came to be! We’ve been living in our 1993 home for 8 months now and I’ve been loving finding ways to make everything more “my style”. Let me know if you love the warmth now? 🥲 I always get questions about the counters and they’re Taj Mahal quartzite in the leathered finish! So easy to keep clean, 10/10!!! Kitchen links In my LTK! But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you. Matthew 5:44. #kitchenreno #tiktokhome #kitchendesign #kitchenremodel #homereno #organichome #homesweethome #homediy

♬ If You Love Me – The Informers

How She Did It

Renovating a kitchen isn’t an overnight job. Martinez’s TikTok video opens with a picture of her kitchen completely gutted and denotes that they opted for a full demolition to bring her vision to life. In the clip, the floors, walls, and ceiling have been ripped up, revealing the natural wood frame. The idea was to create an entirely new design and layout of the room and infuse it with warmth. This included building an island for entertaining and dining, sourcing new lighting, and, of course, a fresh paint job.

The Warm Minimalism Aesthetic

Once the island was built, Martinez knew she wanted to install countertops that would add dimension to the space without looking too contrived. Instead of opting for a bold and contrasting marble design, she designed to use Taj Mahal quartzite in the leathered finish. The look has depth thanks to a soft blend of taupe and cream shades, but it feels minimal and welcoming. She notes that this particular style is also easy to keep clean, which is great for family homes. To accompany the island, she added simple wooden stools for seating and topped the counter with stone-wash decor.

The walls of her kitchen were originally white, and like most people, Martinez felt that it was too bland. So, to keep with her warm minimalist style, she decided to drench the space with a softer color. Though there were many choices, she settled on Oyster White by Sherwin Williams to add a subtle touch of cream to the walls

Lighting Details

The right lamps and lighting can make or break your space. For her dream kitchen, Martinez embraced the pendant light trend and opted for a flat art deco design to hang above her island. To make her kitchen feel even more inviting, she leaned into another popular lighting trend and installed sconces above the shelves that overlook the sink and kitchen appliances. The key to pairing these two trends is to keep the designs cohesive. The pendant lights feature scalloped edges and gold trim, while the sconces have a flat gold surface and a single bulb hanging from it. The combination is luxe and pairs well with the gold hardware throughout the space.

Though the process was long, the result was worth it in the end. If you’re thinking of renovating your kitchen, trying a DIY route is a good option to create the kitchen of your dreams and one you’ll want to spend lots of time in.