apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Looks good Charmaine. Wood trim and cabinets like that kind of skiv me.

Wow Charmaine, it looks so much better, especially the kitchen countertops (they are the same ones, aren't they?). A job well done, and thanks for posting the "after" shots to your original post.

It looks great! The backsplash and counters look much better against the white. I especially approve of leaving the stairs and hutch unpainted. Now they add a needed pop of warmth your otherwise very "cool" space.

Nice work! It looks really good! I wish I would just stop dallying around and just do this in my house, which is full of shiny oak.

Yes this looks so much better. There was just too much wood before. Now it looks warm and inviting and the granite really pops. Great job!

I usually don't like people to paint over wood in good condition, but in this case I think it was a big improvement. Your kitchen looks really sweet and charming now and so much less dated--and I love the Amy Butler roman shade. :)Did you make that? Good call on taking down the chair molding, too. I might've just painted it, but the clean look with it gone is nice, too.

Wow. I'm thoroughly impressed. What a GREAT change, and finally, (at least in the kitchen) it really was just paint.

I'm seldom this impressed with before and afters!

Fantastic look in the kitchen! Your cabinet pulls are darling and look great with the paint color. Love love love it!

Kudos Charmaine. You've knocked 20 years off the age of those rooms!

Fantastic! Great job.

Love the couch in the after photos...where is it from?

Wow...I had to go back and forth between the before and after to make sure you really only painted. It looks like you spent a lot more money. Awesome job!

don't hesitate for a second to paint over those stairs too.. I'd stain just the treads (the part you step on) deeper, (walnut) and EVERYTHING else white... spindles, railings. Immediate classic update and that hideous orange/yellow dated oak is gone.

Oh, SOOOOO much better!!! It's remarkable how nice the original backsplash and counters now look with the painted cabinets - in the before picture, they didn't necessarily look redeemable.

I think you're on a roll - I would paint the built-in in the living room and the stair trim and railings also!

Indeed, such an improvement! I don't know if I'd have gone with white for the living and dining rooms but what you did by removing the chair rail and reducing that dated oak (which is not a bad thing in and of itself but it was just too much and probably cheapish stuff anyway) and getting rid of that dinky chandelier in the dining room for the current one helps there too.

I can't see by the after shots but did you replace the lighting in the kitchen? Because if you did, I was going to say, ditch those fixtures as they are so cliche'd now and so common.

Gorgeous! I'd live there in a heartbeat!

Amazing - I also went back and forth to make sure all that changed was the paint color!

(I'd also like to know where the couch in your living room is from - love it!)

Very nice! Such a great and simple improvement.

excellent
excellent
job in the kitchen
it might look like laminate
in the picture
but probably not when you are in the kitchen

i agree with matchjames
on the railings

Great makeover!! Its unbelievable that the countertop and backsplash are the same in the before and after! They look infinitely better.
I'm torn on the staircase and buffet. (I have a very similar situation in my house and can't decide either) I think the oak is wrong, but I'm not sure painting it white is the right decision either. I would either paint it or possible stain it in a much darker finish to ground the space. I think that could look really modern and fabulous.

It looks like the living room / dining room is actually a pale blue...not white.
And that negative commenter is crazy i think. The new cabinets are much, much, much better than that dated oak.

Looks great! I agree with the other posters that the stairs and hutch should be a darker wood stain (my vote is for walnut).

I like the kitchen, but i think the all white living room is a bit much, I feel like the wood trim could have been left in that room, maybe painted another color. However, I am impressed that this looks like a real makeover and not something from a magazine!

A lovely change. I recently painted my oak kitchen cabinets too. We both did the right thing! Enjoy your *new* kitchen!

Definitely updated the kitchen! I love the rug in your living room, where is that from? I really like the style in your home. Good choice painting the trim, it was doing the room no favors.

SUCH an improvement. Thanks for sharing!

Nice job! I'm glad you got rid of the chair rail (and rembered to paint/replace the registers too), it looks so much better and much, much cleaner.

it looks so much better! i strongly dislike wood that has red undertones and love white kitchens, so for me this is the ultimate renovation. such a big change for such a simple change. i love it!

What a difference some paint makes.

I want to know where the couch is from too!

gorgeous! i agree with everyone that it looks like you did a lot more than paint and change hardware! and i agree you should keep on with the white trim/stairs.

Charmaine -
Beuatiful. What color cabinets did you do? Can you provide a step by step how to? I want to do the same with my cherry cabinets.

What material was used?
Paints?
Brushes?
Rollers?

Inspiring! Thanks for sharing.

Kitchen is an improvement, but I think the trim in the living room added a nice bit of detail. Perhaps it could've been kept and painted in an accent color or stained darker (I'd do the same for the stairs too). Now the living room looks kind of blank.

Great job!

FANTASTIC!!! And yes, I am yelling. It is just that good. Keep having fun with your decorating - it's always a work in progress and WOW what progress you have made. Great job!

Gorgeous!

I agree with MatchJames - I was going to suggest that but he beat me to it. Lovely lovely over all. I think kitchens are look so much better in white anyway.

Beautiful job! Like a few others, I wouldn't hesitate to either stain dark brown or paint the hutch and the stair rail. Can't wait to see the next lot of pictures! I love that this 'before' and 'after' didn't involve a very expensive total kitchen re-fit.

Kudos to you -- this is fabulous. And the living room looks great! Painting out the trim makes a huge impact; it really calms and lightens the space.

As others have noted, you might next consider doing something with the stairs and dining built-in. Stain or paint in a darker tone would be nice.

Oh WOW, thanks everyone!
To answer your questions,
-the couch is from a local design store but is manufactured by southern furniture. i really love it and is very well made!
-yes, it is the original granite
- i did make the roman shade (special thanks to Jenny of Pearl Street Interiors for the turorial!)
- the paint is BM atrium white for the trim and cabinets and iced cube silver for the living/dining room walls

- the rug is a home goods find
-Guinness, we ended up hiring a painter. He first cleaned the cabinets with tsp then applied liquid deglosser. I guess he wasn't satisfied with is so he sanded the cabinets as well. He then used oil based Kiltz primer (he used mostly his brush and roller for larger surfaces). He only did 1 coat of the paint for the inside and the base of the cabinets but applied 2 coats for the outside. He did an amazing job and he was very thorough. Oh, he used purdy brush for paint.
-ciddyguy, i intentionally excluded the fixtures in the picture because i haven't replaced them, I will though eventually.
I am seriously considering painting/staining the hutch and stairs but might do the bedrooms first(more oak!).
I love AT and thanks guys for all the input and nice comments!

Love the look, and like chesterandtrudy I am thinking of taking the plunge myself with my own tacky oak. Did you remove cabinets before painting? Sand beforehand?

normally I'm sort of meh about white kitchens and prefer wood but this time I think the white is a huge improvement.

Really nicely done! Kudos for not ripping the cabinets out, throwing them in a dumpster and buying new ones. Better for your wallet AND the environment. Way to go.

Wow! Congratulations on your marvelous transformation! Great job. Looks so fresh and clean. I'm amazed at the amount of work you've done. It must have taken forever! Can you come paint my apartment?