Painted (and stained) Cabinets: Before and Afters (and a BONUS project!)

I know how much you guys love your before and afters, so I figured it was time to show a few of my recent ONLINE PAINT COLOUR CONSULTING projects!

Now, I didn’t have enough good clear photos of each project to do up a blog post (I rely 100% on my E-design clients for their after photos!), so I figured I’d do a mixed post, which will also give you a whole whack of ideas to think about for your own home – it’s like a 3 for 1 deal!

PROJECT 1  PAINTED OAK CATHEDRAL CABINETS, GREEN GRANITE COUNTERTOP, AND TRAVERTINE BACKSPLASH 

BEFORE: You know, I didn’t mind the orange tone of these cabinets too much, they did coordinate nicely with my hair, but I was happy to hear that my client was ready for some fresh paint on them as they weighed down the kitchen quite a bit and kept it tucked firmly in the late ’90s…

AFTER: The kitchen is SO much fresher and brighter with the soft white uppers and lowers!

BEFORE: The island needed a little face-lift to modernize the look of the green and peach granite and the travertine tile backsplash…

AFTER: LOVE me some SW Grizzle Gray on the island! The kitchen now has some personality and a whole new lease on life!

And thanks to my clients for sending these after photo along as interior photos can be a REAL bugger to get just right – ya done good.

PROJECT 2   PAINTED MAPLE RAISED CABINETS WITH GREEN GRANITE COUNTERTOP 

BEFORE: Between the oak flooring and maple cabinets, there was just too much warm-on-warm for those green granite countertops and backsplash.

And you might notice that these first 2 projects have granite with green in them. This was a common trend in the ’90s and early 2000’s as admittedly, warm woods and green DO play well together, however, it’s about a) how much of one thing there is and b) the long-term limitations of committing to a colour in permanent surfaces, whereas neutrals tend to last longer.

AFTER: It’s like the room gave a GREAT big sigh of relief…

The new cabinet colour is SW White Duck, a really pretty warm, slightly greige/cream off-white. And notice how the floor and the countertops/backsplash balance each other off and play with each other, whereas before the room was heavily weighted into the warm family.

The Best Off-White Paint Colours

The Best Hardware to Update Wood Cabinets

PROJECT 3   CATHEDRAL STYLE OAK CABINETS PAINTED WARM WHITE!

For this project, I don’t have a FULL kitchen ‘before’ shot because it was from the realtor’s listing and I don’t have permission to use those! But, I have a few random shots taken by my client…

BEFORE: Again, that good old golden oak and cathedral style doors that were prolific in the ’90s. For this project, I had the warm-toned countertops and flooring to consider, as well as the travertine tile backsplash…

AFTER: Seriously, this kitchen just makes me SO stinkin’ happy! And look at how they filled in the bulkhead area for a full-height cabinet look – love it.

We went for BM Cloud White on the main cabinets, a warm white – a wink warm for the floor, but right on point for the countertop and backsplash. Sometimes you can’t 100% satisfy ALL of the surfaces, and you have to prioritize things based on how they visually connect.

Read more: Our Painted Kitchen Cabinets – No More Maple! 

BEFORE: The island…yup, good old oak. And let me say that I am a HUGE fan of oak on cabinets and flooring, in fact, I redid our family room/bar area in oak (stay tuned for that one). However, it comes down to the stain and grain for getting a look that steps out of the ’90s and into a more modern style.

AFTER: Seriously? Seriously. I love this island. We went with BM Ocean Floor, a gorgeous blue that works it’s magic with the beadboard detail.

And I say ‘we’ as in the ‘Royal we’, as what I do is suggest a variety of options to try, based on the finishes in my client’s home and their personal tastes. From there, it’s my client who chooses the one that they love the most! I think this is a REALLY important part of the process for a sense of ownership and pride! And of course, if they can’t decide and need a 2nd opinion to finalize their choice, I love giving my two-bits.

And guess what? There is oooooone more project. But THIS time, my client wanted to KEEP their beautiful oak cabinets and was looking for some paint colour/countertop/backsplash ideas to update things…

PROJECT 4    Oak Cabinets – Stained with New Backsplash and Countertops

Now, you might be thinking, ‘Kylie, I thought you just drank wine and consulted on paint colours all day?’ Well, back in the day (like last year) I did consult on hard finishes like countertops and backsplashes and loved it. Flash forward to this year where my lil’ self is bustin’ her butt just to get through all of the online paint colour consultations that I had to limit what I had to offer.

However, I’m HAPPY to say that I will be reintroducing the countertop option in the near future!

Now, back to this ‘au naturel’ ginger-inspired beauty (no, not me – the kitchen). My client’s package included paint colour for the walls, island, backsplash ideas and countertop options…

BEFORE: It had great bones with raised panel door style and crown moulding.

AFTER: Seriously…what a game-changer for this kitchen.

BEFORE: That’s a WHOOOOOLE lotta wood (that’s what she said).

AFTER: Painting the island was a great way to break up all of the wood without taking away too much.

BEFORE: Super heavy looking and the products aren’t doing ANY justice to that beautiful oak!

AFTER: With a fresh new warm gray paint colour, backsplash and countertop, this kitchen has a WHOLE new lease on life – I couldn’t be happier (because it’s all about me – don’t forget it).

Read more: Subway Tile Backsplash Ideas for Your Kitchen and Bathroom

So, there you have it! I hope this has gotten the creative juices flowing! If you want more, see the links below to more articles on great ways to update oak/wood cabinets!

Not sure how to update YOUR oak or maple cabinets?

Check out my Online Color Consulting packages!

Chat soon,

READ MORE:

5 Ideas to Update Oak or Wood Cabinets WITHOUT Paint! 

4 Ideas: How to Update Oak or Wood Cabinets

The Best Hardware to Update Oak or Wood Cabinets

Kitchen Cabinet Makeover with Benjamin Moore Classic Gray, Granite and More!