Personal Experience: How We Designed a Kitchen for 50 Thousand Rubles

Renovation is always expensive, and the kitchen usually costs the most. But not always: blogger Kristina Verшинина told us how to save. Her kitchen cost the girl only 50 thousand rubles (excluding the cost of appliances).

Kristina Verшинина — an expert, blogger, talks in her Instagram @junior.scandi about design and renovation.

Where to start?

I started looking for a kitchen even before the renovation began. And I immediately realized that well-known brands and factories are not for me: I needed a kitchen that could be changed when moving and not regret spending money. But aesthetics were still important, so I decided to make a custom kitchen.

Where to order from?

Definitely not in big cities! I'm from Moscow, but ordering a kitchen here would mean spending a huge amount of money. So I started monitoring prices in nearby cities that I could reach by car.

The key is to find a factory that produces everything itself, not resellers. They have huge markups.

What about measurements?

Since I found the factory in another city, we did all the measurements ourselves. I also planned the placement of all appliances and decided that we needed a ceiling panel. We put the machine inside and closed it with doors, and placed the microwave oven above it. This saved space.

We described our wishes in detail and sent everything to the factory. They helped us finish everything and started manufacturing.

How to correctly measure the room?

• Draw a plan of the room (preferably on graph paper). Leave enough space around for changes.
• Mark all utility connections, pipes, and electrical outlets immediately.
• Start with the door and move clockwise. Take overall measurements.
• Then measure each wall and all details separately.
• Mark with different colors so you don’t get confused later.

Where else can you save money? On materials

We took cabinet fronts made of MDF covered with film. This material comes in different qualities, but half a year has passed and everything is fine. So I'm satisfied.

On dampers

We didn’t even think about them and didn’t install them. Later, we realized that dampers significantly increase the cost of items.

On details

We didn’t decorate the cabinet fronts and overloaded them with additional details. The doors were also simple — hinged.

On the stove

We could have installed an integrated model, but since I measured the room myself, I didn’t want to take risks. In the end, it also saved quite a bit.

On assembly

The kitchen was installed by our acquaintance. It’s not an expensive service, but why not save one more time?