apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Okay, you know you want a beige paint because you have a lot of beige going in your kitchen, and the idea here is to "paint out" all features that annoy you.

While I like the Filbert on your walls, my thought would be to take your Filbert color a little darker on the cabinets. Reasons:

(1) It will look less like you painted everything the same color out of existential hatred of all of it.
(2) The darker color will make the white appliances and pale counter look cleaner and neater.
(3) A chunk of Filbert-Plus cabinets against Filbert walls will emphasize blocks of space, giving you more drama.

(If you hate that reasoning, then Filbert 'em for a monochromatic look.) Then yes, choose some handles that you really like.

I second Leslie's suggestion of removing some doors. I love having open shelving in my kitchen -- perfect for the items I need/reach for on a daily basis. If you're a fan of patterns and prints, I would consider a modern wallpaper (to match the style of your light fixture) for the inside of any open cabinets.

I'm with Wende on this one. I say use the Cafe or the Roast color on the cabinets.

Also...if you can swing it, try tiling the wall to the right of the sink all the way up to the soffit. I can't tell if you have a back splash area to the left, but you could also carry the tile across as well. If you can afford it (it's small, may as well splurge on the small bits), Ann Sacks leather tiles would look fabulous.

I can't solve your cabinet problem (except to repeat the advice to paint and switch out knobs--I'm always amazed at how cool knobs class up the joint), but please--tell me where you got that light fixture. It's amazing!

I agree with Wende's suggestion of going just a shade darker on the cabinets and then changing out the pulls and handles.

You can paint them. Which color? whatever works for you and makes you happy. We had the same faux veneer formica and we redid our kitchen on a tight budget. You need to sand the surface to make it coarser and apply a high quality primer. After 2 or 3 coats of your desired color, apply 3 coats of poly to seal it and make it easier to clean and scratch resistant.
this is the out come of our kitchen:

http://blueantstudio.blogspot.com/2006/09/for-apartment-therapy-hous_115858064879086938.html

we are really happy and it has hold on very well (2 years!)

regards,

joel maria pirela

Thanks for all the suggestions!

Cassis, the light fixture is from Lamps Plus (they have retail stores all over the West Coast as well as their web site). I love their service, it's why I keep buying from them. If you get one of these, invest in a hot glue gun - the glass rods are held in by friction only with tight fitting rubber grommets. Needless to say there a variation in how well each rod fits. The instructions actually "check each piece often to make sure it's not coming loose". So I used a hot glue gun to put glue on the end of each glass rod where they go into the grommets. Their stock number is 78955, you can just enter that number on their web site.

You might like this one, too:

http://www.lampsplus.com/Products/Ceiling-Fixtures/Style_Contemporary/page_4/56051/


Joel - your photos are amazing (and your place looks great too!). Thanks , you inspire me to go get some primer and see what happens.

Sherwin Williams advertises some "self leveling" paint that isn't supposed to show any roller or brush marks...I'm seriously tempted to try it.

Thenaks for the kind words!

Buy a high quality brush. Most paint will self level but we had to sand again after our 2nd coat because of lint that came from the roller.

I'm glad I could help!

regards,

joel maria pirela

Don't take the doors of the cabinets: clutter

Don't paint the cabinets white: an ALL white or light kitchen = too sterile looking

I say paint the cabinets dark to contrast with the rest of your kitchen. Or use Minwax combo polyurethane/stain. It doesn't have to be used over wood, the base finish doesn't have to be stripped, and when using a brush, whatever finish you apply it to, it comes out looking like wood grain. I used it on my kitchen cabinets, though they are wood, and love the end product.

For a dramatic look I would consider painting the lower cabinets in a dark brown color while painting the uppers in a lighter shade (on the same paint chip). I would go with a melamine paint as it is really durable especially for cabinets which get lots of use. Oh, and make sure you clean with TSP before painting as it gets rid of anything that would affect the paint adhering to the cabinets (i.e. cooking oils or food spills).

If you did decide to take the upper cabinet doors off, you could paint the back of the wall in a bright color. A fabulous red would really make a great backdrop for white dishes and display items.

Update the hardware with something simple and modern for the finishing touch.

For paint without brush marks, I echo Joel's advice to buy a high quality brush--it never pays to cheap out there. I've also had good results by adding latex paint conditioner to semi-gloss paint on doors and trimwork--Wagner Paint Easy is the brand I found at my local hardware store.

Although I would probably paint, an alternative suggestion for you is to consider laminate or veneer on the existing doors. You have essentially a flat surface to work with, so it may be possible. I have not tried this method, but have considered it. I'm currently in the process of replacing cabinet doors with new ones custom made; this is a moderate cost fix (~$30 to 60 per door).

I would also add that hardware, such as pull bars, are an inexpensive way to update the look.