How to Set Up a Stylish Kitchen on Your Own for 200 Thousand Rubles

We already told about the apartment of Masha, who together with her family did a renovation for her sister. Without the help of a designer, they transformed a bare 2-room flat into a vibrant trash house, where the kitchen became the heart of the apartment. Our heroes came up with and implemented interesting, and most importantly — budget-friendly ideas that you can be inspired by as well.

Masha, a blogger and the sister of the apartment owner

The room tour (14 minutes)

The project was handled by her sister — an IKEA designer. The actual renovation was done by the whole family: they built walls in a concrete shell, poured the floor, painted surfaces, and laid tiles.

The kitchen floor features 33rd-grade laminate. The unique feature of this apartment is its high ceilings at 3.8 meters. Installing a cabinet up to the ceiling didn’t make sense — it would have been hard to reach the upper shelves. They chose a cabinet with laminated MDF doors that you can draw on. Glass shelves with backlighting were installed in the cabinets. A waste sorting system was organized under the sink.

The dishwasher was hidden behind one of the cabinet doors, and two built-in ovens (microwave and steam) were installed. A washing machine was placed under the ovens.

Our heroes wanted a ceiling-mounted range hood but couldn’t find a model that could accommodate the ducting. They came up with a great solution: they custom-ordered a ceiling-mounted range hood based on their sister's design — the construction cost 15,000 rubles. They created a space inside the hood for flowers and a smart speaker.

Instead of a dining table, they built a spacious kitchen island with a DSP countertop, connecting four IKEA kitchen sections. This island provides extra storage (open and closed shelves), and also includes a built-in cooktop — it looks stylish and functional.

The wall next to the island was clad with matte tiles with black grout, and this was the first mistake made by our heroine. It turned out that it’s hard to clean black grout off matte tiles, and they are too demanding in terms of maintenance. It’s better to replace the matte surface with more practical materials. The same matte tiles were chosen for the backsplash as well.

Another smart move — a built-in refrigerator. The family of Masha made the structure themselves: they welded metal profiles and built the niche from gas blocks. If you're planning to replicate this, don’t forget to leave a gap for ventilation.

The kitchen cost 200,000 rubles including all appliances. What’s the secret? Components were purchased at discounted prices over time. Masha advises carefully inspecting each component before buying: check for chips and defects in hardware, and also verify that appliances are in working condition.