Groundlevel beds: Cut the lawn/sod about 6-8" deep, in sections you can handle easily. In the space you dug the sod from, lay out sheets of cardboard. Soak the cardboard. Flip the sod chunks upside down, so the grass side is on the cardboard. You now have a new bed, which can be planted into immediately, with a little compost added to the back fill.

Elevated beds: Find a part of the yard that could use a new woodchip path (alongside a bed is a good spot, because it doesn't have to be mowed or edged, because there won't be any grass to grow into your bed). Dig out the same sod chunks outlined above. Lay out the cardboard where you want the new bed, and soak it down. Flip the sod chunks same as above. It's ready to plant. Put down some landscape fabric where you dug out the sod, and cover it with 6-8" of woodchips. You now have a weedfree path that will make compost at it's bottom, which you can harvest every year. Just rake back the top, shovel the bottom into adjacent beds, rake the top back into the bottom, and put a new layer on top.

The primary benefits of instant beds are that you don't need layers of greens and browns like with lasagna beds, and they don't shrink down like lasagna beds.

I'm going to post a few pictures sequentially because this seems to be the easiest way.

Perimeter counters are soapstone.
Island counter is white quartzite.
Island paint is SW porpoise.
Cabinet paint is BM revere pewter.
Range is Bluestar (love it!)
Kitchenaid dishwasher and fridge.

So nice to have a kitchen again!

DETAILS:
Cabinets: Eudora Frameless
Island countertop: White Macaubus Quartzite
Perimeter countertop: Leathered Absolute Black Granite
Sink: Kohler Riverby Cast Iron
Faucet: Moen Woodmere in Stainless
Hardware on solid doors/drawers: Amerock Highland Ridge in polished nickel
Glass knobs and Bin Pulls in polished nickel: Van Dyke's
Range & Dishwasher: Thermador
Refrigerator: Kitchenaid Pro
Refrigerator Drawers: Electrolux
Sharp Microwave Drawer

Close up of the tile. It's hard to get an accurate color since it's so glossy. It's more blue/green than portrayed in pics:

I was standing on a chair when I took this. I feel like it makes the dining table look like toy furniture! Ha!

Behold...the unfinished bar and the fan with no blades. We live in the deep south...no judging the fan! Behind those closed doors lies my DH's very unfinished man cave.

And you'd know that the day after I took these, my new sofa cushion inserts came in. It's all fluffy and new looking again. Oh well!

The Pantry is actually the same color as the entry you see right past the range wall in the kitchen (BM Gray Wisp). But I didn't use a flash so it looks funky here:

We were originally going to have stone on lower level sides/back, but it was the first thing to go when we wanted to stay on budget. House is tumbled brick (texture) with a mortar wash. We used stone over all doors and windows. We really like the way it turned out.

In link, scroll down to second house featured - Alabama Armand: