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See this kitchen go from dated to delightful after a major makeover — for $160!

Find out her secret weapon!
/ Source: TODAY

It’s true what they say: a little paint can go a long way. And that’s the secret to this big makeover on a small budget.

Sheena Tobin of Mobile, Alabama, wasn’t a fan of her kitchen. “It was just so dark, not to mention outdated,” she explained to TODAY Home. The dark wood cabinets and striped wallpaper made the room feel old and cramped.

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Before, the kitchen was dark and outdated.Sheena Tobin/ Bean In Love

So, she decided to give the space a little facelift, and documented the $160 DIY project on her home design blog, Bean In Love.

Her goal? “To make it as bright as we could to make it feel bigger,” she said. “Green is my favorite color and after seeing some fun, two-toned kitchens across the internet, I decided to incorporate it into our new kitchen design to add a little more spice to the traditional bright white kitchen.”

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It's amazing what paint can do! The white cabinets make it feel so bright and airy.Sheena Tobin/ Bean In Love

Tobin painted the lower cabinets a dark green hue from Sherwin Williams called “Rock Garden” and gave the top ones a fresh coat of crisp white paint.

One of the most challenging parts of the six-week project was removing the existing wallpaper, she said. “It's something I had never had to deal with before and so getting it off was completely new to me, as was the mess that it involved.”

For the backsplash, she didn’t know exactly what she wanted until she found a couple of rolls of the white subway tile wallpaper on major clearance. Inexpensive and gorgeous? You can’t go wrong!

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The subway tile wallpaper was on super clearance. Score!Sheena Tobin/ Bean In Love

Affordable DIY accents also helped keep the cost down. The pendant light above the sink along with the ceiling fan shade cost her less than $10.

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She covered up the old boring ceiling fan light with a cool shade.Sheena Tobin/ Bean In Love

Even the rug was DIY-ed; the stripes were painted with black spray paint.

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Want a fun new rug? Just paint an old one!Sheena Tobin/ Bean In Love

“Keeping costs down is all about using what you can find,” she said of her secret to getting huge results on such a small budget. “Paint is a miracle worker — one that can happen with not a lot of cash. I also love shopping secondhand, and big savings always come in there.”

See more of Tobin’s tips, as well as pictures of the project at Bean In Love.