Everyone has that one room in their home that they would love the opportunity to update. For me, that room is the kitchen. I would love to tear everything down to the drywall and start new. The ability to choose all of the finishes and features that are important to me (like a large pantry!) would be a dream come true! Unfortunately, that's not our current reality, so instead I'm dreaming about ways to improve my current kitchen into one that I'll love. 

The kitchen in our home can get quite dark since there aren't any windows. So for a while, I had been contemplating painting my kitchen cabinets to help lighten up the space. But fear of ruining perfectly good cabinets has kept me from actually acting on my plan. One thing that we will eventually update is the backsplash. We currently have builder grade beige tile that looks exactly like our floors and they aren't doing us any favors. So that led me to think, If I'm able to chose the backsplash that I truly want, I would also want to change the counters because my goal is to remove the beige tones from the kitchen. 

So my journey into researching affordable kitchen counter tops began. Read on to see why I think you should consider concrete counter tops for your next kitchen update. This has become a very strong contender for me and I think it'll be yours too after checking out my inspiration below.

COST

Can you believe this is CONCRETE? When I first saw this kitchen from Chris Loves Julia I became convinced that concrete would become the material for our next kitchen counters. I love how elegant the white looks against the dark cabinets and how much brighter the space looks. The best part about using concrete? The price tag. These counters were completed for approximately $890! Completely unheard of if you go with other traditional stone counters.

DIY FRIENDLY

Concrete in the traditional gray color can look stunning and best part - you can totally create them yourself! Bless'er House (pictured below) did and they look STUNNING! Although, I don't think I would consider this option if I plan on keeping my cabinets dark. A Beautiful Mess (pictured right) paired their concrete counter tops with beautiful white cabinets. The concrete counters are actually wood underneath and skim coated with concrete! It's a beautiful transformation that can be done on a budget. 

CUSTOMIZABLE

If gray counter's aren't your thing then don't fret, concrete countertops may still work for you. Did you know that you can pretty much customize them to make them any color? How about a pretty white? Or a marble looks perhaps? And color customization is not all, you can also add colored glass, wood inserts, practically anything your heart desires to make your counters unique. 

BEAUTY

Joanna Gains does concrete beautifully. This double island kitchen has me dreaming of creating something similar in my own space. The concrete blends in beautifully with the wood detail and pops against the gray cabinets in the background.

What do you guys think? I have a feeling that you'll be seeing some of these ideas in my own kitchen! Leave me a comment below and let me know your favorite counter top material.

Happy DIYing!

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