I spent $50,000 on my kitchen remodel. These 5 splurges were totally worth it — but I have one expensive regret.

I’m really happy with how my kitchen remodel turned out. 

When I bought my three-bedroom, two-bath house in 2005, I was in my late 20s, and it felt like my first real step into adulthood.

There was a lot to love about my new home, from the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves in the office (a dream for any writer!) to the 1970s archway from the living room to the kitchen that provides so much character.

But there were also things I hoped to one day change, like replacing the wall-to-wall carpeting with tile and remodeling the sad brown kitchen. Little did I know it would take 15 years to save up for new flooring and a few more still to get around to the kitchen.

I estimated it would cost $45,000 to make the changes I wanted — which included ripping out and replacing just about everything — although my final bill came in closer to $50,000.

I couldn’t be happier with the outcome. Five things stand out to me a being 100% worth splurging on, but there’s one expensive choice I wouldn’t make again.

Hiring a designer was worth every penny.

Designer Stephanie Studer helped bring my kitchen to life. 

I’m terrible with a tape measure, know nothing about piecing together cabinets into a cohesive and functional layout, and didn’t have the time or eye to pick out the perfect tile — so I hired an interior designer.

We worked together to bring my vision to fruition and she to planned all the details of my remodel. I paid $525 for an initial consultation and $5,250 for the design development.

I have no doubt that if I’d tried to do this myself, I would’ve wasted a ton of time at stores being indecisive and I probably wouldn’t have liked the end result.

I don’t regret living in hotels during the demolition and early construction.

I was able to find some discounted hotel stays during the summer. 

This project was supposed to take about three weeks, but it actually went on for about three months.

My contractor had forewarned me just how messy and loud the demolition phase would be and that I wouldn’t have access to a kitchen the entire time — so I booked three weeks of hotel stays to avoid the chaos.

Although it would’ve been easier, logistically, to stay in one hotel the entire time, I chased specials and discounted rates at some of the most luxurious resorts in Phoenix (the triple-digit summer heat means massive sales each year).

I work from home, so being able to work in peace at these hotels for a few weeks at the start of the project was priceless. I definitely had a tough time once I went back to living in my house during the rest of the remodel.

My higher-end countertops feel worth every penny.

My countertops were expensive, but I love how they look. 

I knew I wanted quartz countertops, and my designer helpfully chose some options within my budget. The problem? I hated how cheap and flat they looked.

So, she showed me some upgraded samples — and, of course, I fell in love with how much more depth and richness they had.

I ended up paying about $11,000 for countertops, which was several thousand dollars over budget. I don’t regret it because they have the “wow” factor I wanted.

I’m glad we had a millworker make custom shelves.

You can see the shelves’ beauty from my living room, too. 

I knew I wanted quartz countertops, and my designer helpfully chose some options within my budget. The problem? I hated how cheap and flat they looked.

So, she showed me some upgraded samples — and, of course, I fell in love with how much more depth and richness they had.

I ended up paying about $11,000 for countertops, which was several thousand dollars over budget. I don’t regret it because they have the “wow” factor I wanted.

I’m glad we had a millworker make custom shelves.

I’m happy with my new appliances so far. 

At first, I thought I might keep my 19-year-old stove and fridge for another year or two until I saved up for replacements.

However, once you design a kitchen around appliance measurements, it’s not as easy to swap them out down the road.

So, I spent over $5,000 on a gorgeous LG stove and LG fridge I’d had my eye on. It was the right call — they look sleeker and more modern and are far superior to my old appliances.

The new fridge is enormous, and my new induction-style stove heats up twice as fast as the old electric one.

On the other hand, I don’t think installing under-cabinet lighting was worth it.

I don’t use the under-cabinet lighting as much as I thought I would. 

I’ll admit that a slew of TikTok videos about task and mood lighting convinced me to install trendy under-cabinet lights.

Although I dig the vibe they give off, I just don’t use them as often as I expected. One of the reasons is that I didn’t spend even more money to have them put on a dimmer switch, so they’re just too bright at night.

I could’ve saved a few thousand dollars if I hadn’t bothered with them at all.