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| Our New Kitchen! |
I love white kitchens. I sigh with envy every time I catch a glimpse of someone's bright, white coastal kitchen. This was the original kitchen with its' peachy walls, orange stained oak cabinetry and the old laminate flooring.
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| Phase 1 |
The next owners did a quick reno before putting the place on the market: red walls, ceramic tile (which thankfully was half decent) and funky tiger striped granite - all in all, it was just sensory overload for me.
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| Phase 2 |
I didn't like it. At all. Not one bit. But I lived with it for a whole year before tackling it because I was only gonna do it once!
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| Phase 2 |
Before we got started, we gave ourselves a budget and then made a list of what had to go and what had to stay. Red walls: gone. Cream doors and trim: gone. White fridge and microwave: stay (would love to see stainless here but realistically it wasn't gonna happen, sigh). Light oak cupboards: adios! The granite, while not something I would ever choose myself had to stay, after all granite is granite :o) The biggest and hardest decision was what colour for the cabinetry. While I dreamt of a white kitchen, it just wasn't going to work with the wild granite.
While searching for inspiration, I happened upon Layla and Kevin's kitchen at The Lettered Cottage: a rich black informal kitchen that had me swooning for something other than white!
Despite a surprising amount of opposition ("it is a depressing colour", "your kitchen will be so dark" etc. etc.) we went right ahead and did it anyways!
For someone who thrives on order and cleanliness the main hub of our home was a disaster for over a month. Trying to keep little hands and kitty paws alike out of the open doors and drawers was nearly impossible and I swear I was going nutty!
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| Makeover in progress |
And while we still have a ways to go (fella number three's arrival slowed down the painting just a tad), I am loving the new space. It feels more sophisticated and in keeping with the rest of our home and decor. A couple of red accents here and there to soften up the space a little and a coat of paint on the folding doors it'll be finished; I can't wait, I can't wait!
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| Phase 3 |
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| Phase 3 |
What a difference just changing out the red walls and cabinetry colour made! Here's hoping that something here inspired you...
Kristin
Your kitchen looks fantastic Kristin and goes great with your granite!! I think Granite is a very personal choice. I hate our granite as well and wish we could replace it but as you state it is granite. Your kitchen is not dark at all with the black! It actually pops put at ya. Great job and I look forward to seeing more! I am your first follower and welcome to bloggy land!:)
ReplyDeleteThis looks incredible. You made the right choice painting the cabinets black. It blends great w the granite. I have ubatuba black granite and I'm so tired of it. I would love to change it out to a lighter granite.
ReplyDeleteJoy
It is spectacular! I found you through Pamela's blog and I'm so glad I dropped by. You have a wonderful blog!
ReplyDeletexoxo,
Kim
Just love the kitchen! Thanks for the visit today and now I'm one of your followers! You have a great blog and I'm glad to meet ya!
ReplyDeleteKim:)
Really enjoyed looking at your before and afters! I have very similar cabinets and layout of my kitchen. I'm interested in painting mine. Maybe a cream. Any tips on painting them?
ReplyDeleteI think that one of the biggest decisions to make is whether you want the grain to show through or not - this was what made our final decision for us. We wanted to see the texture of the grain, to know that the cabinetry was made of real wood. Some people prefer not to see or feel the grain once they paint.
ReplyDeleteTPS (or something similar) is your best friend (to clean the grit and grime that has accumulated on the doors) and a special primer that is meant to seal strong grained woods (like oak) so that the darker parts of the grain do not eventually "bleed" through your paint job. Benjamin Moore has a new product out for painting cabinetry; something to check out anyways.
Number the doors with tape and draw a diagram on paper to help you remember where everything goes and don't forget that patience is a virtue :o) While time is involved, you will LOVE the final product, the biggest hurdle is just getting started.
Hope this helps; let me know how it goes!
Sometimes I think painting cabinets is like giving birth, painful but worth it, and one day you forget just how painful it was, and think you could do it again! LOL
ReplyDeleteBeautiful job!
loove this. I am going to attempt to paint my cabinets white this summer...but i'm having some difficulty with them. The doors themselves are wood, but the insides are compressed wood. How did you paint the insides of the cabinets?
ReplyDeleteLove your blog, i'm a new follower!
Amazing job! I actually really like the granite... it looks so beautiful with the black cabinets. Really nice :)
ReplyDeleteGreat transformation! We're just about to start on our kitchen remodel (it's all original 70's stuff)
ReplyDeleteThis is exactly what I want to do to our kitchen. I love the light colored walls--brightens up the room and makes the black Sharp looking!
ReplyDeleteWonderful Makeover!! We are currently renovating our kitchen!
ReplyDeleteI'm a new follower btw
Cindy @ http://cinsarah.blogspot.com
Gorgeous results! You guys did an awesome job! I've been fantasizing about a white-cabinet kitchen (too), but I really love black/brown cabinets too. Soooo hard to decided and your kitchen makes it even harder because it is sooooo gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteI too dream of that white cottage kitchen! But WOW you did a great job and I would have never thought of BLACK... but it goes great with that granite! Maybe in a year you can finish your stainless steel appliance buys. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteYour kitchen looks fabulous. I love the new look. Beautifully done and such a huge job.
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