Having recently moved into a house that was covered in various shades of yellow-based tan complete with brass fixtures and yellow oak trim, a kitchen overhaul was the first to-do on the homeowners' list. What the room had in store for them: A standard builder chandelier hanging where the homeowners imagined something more their style and a kitchen's worth of cabinetry needing to be painted along with the taupe-colored walls.
Painting the cabinetry white, the walls a cooler white, replacing the light fixtures and adding dramatic drapery did the trick! Read on for the details of this overhaul, including what advice Laura, the homeowner, is sharing with The Color Cure!
The Color Cure: How long have you lived in your home?
Laura: Almost 3 months (this is our first house).
The Color Cure: When did you overhaul the space?
Laura: IMMEDIATELY! We had the cabinets painted the day after we closed on the house. The house is only 4 yrs old, so we didn't feel the need to do any major renovations right away. However, the entire interior of the house was painted various shades of a yellow based tan. The wall color along with very warm cabinetry and a lot of gold/brass hardware gave a very monochromatic feel to the kitchen. And not in a good way. So, that needed to go. Immediately.
The Color Cure: How long did it take?
Laura: We decided that painting our kitchen cabinets ourselves would be taking a risk. Neither of us know what we're doing and it would be an expensive project to mess up. So we found a company on Angie's List to come paint the kitchen cabinets the day after we closed on the house. It took them about 2 days. Once those were finished we painted the walls in one evening, after our daughter went to bed. So, really just a couple of days.
The Color Cure: Where did you find your color and design inspiration?
Laura: These were actually the same colors we used in our wedding! I love the look of a white kitchen. And I love pops of color and bold prints. Green is my favorite color, and I never tire of black and white. The contrast is just so striking. Seeing before/after shots of other people's homes and projects on Apartment Therapy aways gives me endless ideas, as well!
Having the kitchen white will allow me to change the accents in the future, when we tire of what we currently have. As far as what we have now, I found the light fixture at CB2 and knew it needed a place in our home. The fabric on the window and door wall are from Ikea, the kitchen table and chairs are from Crate and Barrel. I just kept stumbling onto things that I loved, that I was pretty sure could work together. The inside of the window sill is painted the same grass green as the chairs. That was something we figured could either look awesome or be a total mess.
The Color Cure: How much planning did you put into the project?
Laura: I don't spend a lot of time second guessing my choices. I find something I like, and I go with it. And thankfully my husband is usually willing to go along with whatever I have in mind. So this was a project that was put together and finished within the first weeks of moving into our new home. The kitchen is a place where people inevitably end up gathering. I knew I wouldn't be happy unit it was a room that reflected our style and personality. So it was the first room we took on when we moved in. And now it makes me happy when I walk in everyday!
The Color Cure: What was the most challenging part of the project?
Laura: Painting is one of the easiest ways to make a dramatic change in a room. This project was fairly easy because changing the color of the kitchen made a huge impact on the space. So for us, I think the biggest challenge was not getting paint everywhere!
The Color Cure: Did you learn a new skill during your home improvement project?
Laura: We learned that we get a much cleaner line when we just free hand around the edges instead of using paint. Plus it sure saves a lot of time. Taping takes forever!
The Color Cure: Are you happy with the outcome?
Laura: Very. We will eventually change the countertops, flooring and add subway tile. But we are very happy with how quickly the kitchen could be changed and made clean, fresh and current.
The Color Cure: What, if anything, would you do differently next time around?
Laura: I would have looked at our different shades of white in different kinds of lighting. In the late afternoon one of them looks much warmer than the other.
The Color Cure: If you had one piece of advice for Apartment Therapy readers, what would it be?
Laura: Choose what you like. Don't second guess all your decisions. It is your home, and if you love it, then it is never wrong.
Do you have a Before & After or a Color Inspiration Story to share with The Color Cure? Go ahead and get your entries in soon. We can't wait to hear from you!
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Looks great. Love the pop of green again the black and white.
It looks beautiful. good job!
Love it!!
wowza! nice.
The new lights really sell it. I would have preferred just a wee bit more of the green though.
Quite a dramatic change --- for the better. I wonder how it would have looked with cabinets painted a bit more of an ivory or warmer white? Right now, the cool white kind of fights with the warm countertops, although I understand the owner intends to change those out.
The project really looks good. Painting dated cabinets can be such a time consuming project if you do it yourself. But the end result is usually great and has a lot of impact. When we bought our house and had no money to spend on renovations, this was a quick and easy way to make a splash without spending a lot.
Well done!
Absolutely in love with the uneven light fixtures.
Nice! I would consider painting the appliances white too, so they don't stand out as much and replacing the mini backsplash with a proper backsplash, but it already looks a lot better!
I was praying you didn't do anything "creatively stupid" as some bathroom i saw some weeks ago.
You had some great stuff to start with and you did!!!!, this looks, fresh, amazing, young, and for what i can see... a budget well under control!!!
Amazing job!
I'm all for keeping the natural wood but when you do something so well, like this, it just trumps all preconceptions.
I'd like to see more, do you have a flickr page or anything?
HOORAY!!!!!!!! The wonders of white paint and good taste. Makes me wanna weep, it's so refreshing.
Wow. My first thought was that the before wasn't too terrible but the after is fantastic! Great job!
The curtain ties together the black and white, of course, but allows the counter top to become benign, receding into the background. Those three colors provide the perfect support for that pop of green. Delicious.
It looks fantastic! I love that light fixture, too. You've done an amazing job and should be very proud!!
Looks great. What paint color did you choose for the cabinets?
How much does it cost to hire someone just to paint cabinets...anyone have a ballpark?
It is something I would like to do in my own kitchen but am terrified of messing up myself...
I totally needed to see a transformation like this! I am moving into an apartment riddeled with 1960's "baby-green" and brown. The kitchen is the first on my agenda. Now I feel confident in my attack on olive cabinets!
WOW! I mean that is a WOW makeover. This gives me hope that I won't have to totally renovate a kitchen.
soo much better
I had a very similar blah tan kitchen and did something similar - I had those awful honey colored cabinets and black appliances, but a decent granite countertop with browns/grays. I had the lower cabinets painted a charcoal gray, to blend with the dark range and dishwasher, and had the upper cabinets painted a creamy white. We also had the little stumpy (2-3") granite backsplash removed, and beveled subway tile installed, plus new pendant lights, cabinet hardware, and a work table. It's like I have a totally new kitchen. It wasn't inexpensive, but it was much cheaper than a full kitchen renovation would have been (and only took a week!).
Painting cabinets is by far the easiest way to update a kitchen! We took this project on right when we moved into our house (built in 1912!) and although it was pretty time consuming, it was the most affordable way to get this done! You can see that massive transformation at http://twosixe.blogspot.com/2011/01/house-tour-first-floor.html
Love, love, love the new ceiling lamp.
Where did you get your drapes? They're awesome!
where are you chairs from? i love 'em!
Looks great. I love the light fixture. CB2's Firefly is one of my favorites.
OMG, I love it! I hate hate HATE boring stock kitchens like this. Love what they've done.
I think the only other thing I would have done is get rid of the cabinet to the right of the window. I don't like isolated cabinets. This one at least has the bulkhead above to tie it into the kitchen. Nice job!
I love the new light fixtures! Gorgeous table and chair set as well. Though I feel that something else could have been done with the cabinets. The white paint makes them look old an cheap, as well as eccentuates the inlaid design on the cabinets that does not go with the rest of the decor.
Looks great! I used to dislike white kitchens, but now after seeing all these before & afters on A.P., I'm loving them! That light fixture is awesome and I love the pop of green in the black and white color scheme. The only thing I would do differently is add some cool hardware to the cabinets. Cabinets without hardware always look unfinished to me.
I just bought a house and am trying to figure out how to update the 80s kitchen quickly and cheaply. This is good inspiration! It's amazing what a 2-day refresh can do for a kitchen. I'd love to see what it looks like once the countertops and the floors are done. I'd probably replace the light above the sink too.
PS… Anyone have any good solution for covering or updating nine recessed can lights? They went a little crazy with those things back in '82.
Bravo!
This is one of the best kitchens I've ever seen! Love it!
Wow, it's amazing what some paint can do!!
Major improvement!
this room looks so much better in white. I'll have to do the same in my own kitchen!! thanks for the idea.
I have those same cupboards and counters! Wish I could get the landlord to agree to painting them white. Your kitchen looks so much better! Love the light fixture. Great job!
INCREDIBLE transformation. Bravo!
I love it! I love a black & white theme with pops of color!
WOW! This house has the same layout as my first home, and it makes me wish I'd put more effort into my ugly-but-solid cabinets. And the black & white looks SO good!
Amazing tranformation!!
Those disgusting cabinets are standard in so many places all over the states. I wish I owned that company that makes them. Of course it looks great. Maybe just adding a little bit more color in a few places in the kitchen would be good.
Looks great! Good job!
Ah-mazing. Love it. It looks so much better I cannot even express it. The light fixture is awesome. All that yellowish brown was gross.
Where did the lights come from? They're droolicious!
awesome. just awesome!
love it. i am in search of a calendar like in the photo, anyone know where to source it?
I love this!
I'd like to know how much the cabinet painting can cost, maybe AT could ask some money questions in the Before/After, especially in budget-friendly projects
The white makes such a difference!
Thanks for the inspiration.
That dreary kitchen became so light and airy - a wonderful transformation!
Although it sounds like the owner is planning to change the countertops, I really like the contrast of the granite (or faux granite) with the white walls. This was a nice makeover; am surprised at how much more contemporary the white looks considering that the kitchen was very new (4 years old) when they started.
Just love those light over the table!
Nice!
All it needs now are handles!
It was by no means ugly before, just cookie-cutter.
Great job! Terrific transformation.
I wouldn't change anything else - the countertops and floor look fine now. However it's your home, so best of luck with it.
*swoon!* I love it!
@designnewbie
Lamp is from cb2:
http://www.cb2.com/pendant-lamps/lighting/firefly-pendant-lamp/f5281
Very nice! Still a bit monochromatic, but that's ok. I've been thinking of helping my mom redo her kitchen, which looks a lot like the before. This might just be e kicker that gets that done!
Bee-flower, have you considered painting everything white and leaving the olive? What type of hardware is on there? Are they laminate?
What I like is that you did such a stunning job with the existing cabinets and counters. Less (perfectly good) stuff in the landfill. I'm curious about those magnificent glass lights, and how they're configured on the ceiling – did you take several lights and hang them separately, or is that one unit?
The black accents work beautifully with the black appliances... bravo!
wow- insane what a bit of paint can do!
awesome how you've made a dramatic look change, whilst only actually changing the simplest and cheapest elements. Love how you've made a tired looking granite bench top actually look quite funky with the new B & W colour scheme - well done!
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. For every person who hated the before, there's somebody out there who loves the look. No matter what you do, someone else will want to change it..and our own tastes may change too. It looks nice, but I didn't hate the before.
Somebody should start a cabinet exchange service -- somebody out there probably has white cabinets they hate and would have gladly traded for your before.
okay. i'm so excited and inspired! our kitchen has the exact same blah colored cabinets, brass light fixtures, etc. thanks for this post and giving me hope! :)
I did this as well. It's completely worth the time and really inexpensive.
awesome!
Posts like this frustrate me SO much! I see a room I LOVE with perfect details and colors...and then I have to stop and remind myself that I ALSO love my OWN room with the perfect colors and details and I can't have both!
I painted my ugly laminate cabinets with spray paint by Krylon. It provides extremely even coverage. Just make sure to cover everything and take cabinet lids outside to a terrace/balcony if possible.
Thank you for the feedback everyone! I was happy to share what we did with our kitchen, because I think it was a situation everyone can relate to. We needed a change but didn't want to do anything huge or expensive. There are plenty of things to be done as time goes on (hardware, tile, floor, counters, etc), but we are happy with the start we got.
That said, the total cost (labor, supplies, etc) for having the cabinets painted was around $1500. We were afraid of messing them up ourselves, as we have no experience in home improvements. At all.
The chairs are from Crate & Barrel (Felix chairs) the light is from CB2 (Firefly light), the curtains were made with fabric from Ikea (GUNVOR and only $6.99/yd!), the cabinets were painted with Cabinet Coat, in True White. Thanks again for your time and comments!
This is perfect. My kitchen is exactly the before. Copying this with pops of color like this. Our home is brand new, and JUST like each of our neighbours.
@ljorgenson
For the CB2 Firefly, can you tell me the height of the longest hanging globe? I have seen 26 on CB2 and others have said 39 including the bulb. I have been trying to gauge if it will look ok over our peninsula.
Your transformation rocks. Congrats.
thanks! h