1990’s Oak Kitchen Update – From Cringe to Cream!
My clients were ready for a big change in their outdated kitchen. And while the cost of removing the bulkheads and the built-in light cloud were too high, we MORE than made up for it by creating a tone-on-tone palette which helped to blend-in the bulkheads and modernizes the space – without spending more money than we needed to!
Before…
After…
To save on the budget, we didn’t change the ‘footprint’ of the kitchen but gave it a brand new look with new painted wood cabinets, countertops and mosaic tile backsplash.
For impact, we did a stainless steel and travertine blend mosaic backsplash tile from the countertop to the bottom of the cabinet. We pulled it all together with a gorgeous 2 tone quartz countertop that complemented the cream cabinets and dark wood floors.
The layout might be exactly the same, but the LOOK is totally different!
To add drama in this space, we created an office area and recycling cabinet behind the sitting area, which formerly housed a buffet (and darn it all, I forgot to take before pictures from that angle…)
NEED HELP WITH YOUR KITCHEN?
Check out my affordable Online Decorating and Colour Consultations for your own custom-tailored design!
Chat soon,
Kylie M Interiors Interior Design and Decorating E-design and Virtual Interior Decorating and Paint Colour packages Based in Nanaimo B.C. on Vancouver Island
That is fabulous!
Beautiful Kylie! Well done!!
Hi Kylie….just came across your website….very nicely done.
Was looking at the kitchen you did in Eaglepoint….my kitchen is very similar to this one with the bulkhead and cupboards.
Last year I painted our cabinets (which were previously oak) with BM paint (2 coats)….I was pleased with the colour (Ranchwood) but now I have chipping and wearing around the door knobs that are used the most. This is not a high traffic kitchen….just the 2 of us.
So my question is…..which BM paint is the most durable for kitchen cabinets and should I put a top sealer on.
Many thanks, Jane in Ottawa
Hi Jane, thanks for writing!
So, in my experience, it’s not so much about the paint that’s on top as it is about the prep work underneath….So, I’ll ask a few questions and point out a few things to think about…
1. Did you sand everything (not down to bare wood, but did you give the cupboards a really good rough up?)
2. Those areas (and also the ones above the stove) tend to get build up of oils and what not from hands/cooking, sometimes you have to prime it to ensure good adhesion. Some people also use TSP prior to sanding as it really cuts through the grease, I’m just not a TSP fan myself.
3. As for paint, the Benjamin Moore Advance line is supposed to be SUPER fab. It goes on like oil, but has many of the properties of latex (soap and water cleanup/less smelly/etc…)
4. As long as you do good prep work and use a quality paint on top then you should not have a problem with chipping and you definitely won’t need to do a topcoat. If the foundation isn’t solid, a topcoat of poly or varnish will not help.
I used CIL Furniture Paint on mine (along with mild sanding and a high adhesion primer)and it’s been about 2 years and we don’t have any scratches. Did you happen to see that post? My cabinets are painted oak as well (although we don’t have a bulkhead) http://www.kylieminteriors.ca/kitchen-update-ideas-painted-cabinets/
As for now, if you’re thinking of redoing the entire cupboards then you could definitely switch to Advance. However, if you’re just hoping to ‘touch things up a bit’, then be sure to use your old paint brand so that finishes are as close to compatible as possible. It’s going to be tricky as no touch-up is seamless, but oak cupboards have so much grain that they are more forgiving than a lot of other woods. Try sanding those spots down, kind of feather it out, then apply a rolled coat of primer (Ben Moore Fresh Start is a good one) and then paint those spots.
Let me know if that helps, that must be really frustrating as painting the cupboards is a heck of a lot of work!!!
~Kylie
Thanks Kylie for your fast reply…..after reading your post….I know what I did wrong. I had wiped the cabinets with TSP and lightly sanded, BUT….I just painted 2 coats of BM….I didn’t prime…..shame on me!!!!
So I guess I will lightly sand again and then prime before applying 2 coats of the paint…..right????
Just finished, this Spring, painting the main floor in BM “grey mist” so I want to paint the cabinets an ivory or some variation of white or I might continue the “grey mist” onto the cabinets to make a seamless transition with cabinets and walls as I do have a bulkhead….Good thing I like to paint…lol.
Many thanks for taking the time to answer my problem!
Jane
Yes, that really should work! Primer is amazing stuff. And remember, paint takes 3 weeks to cure so be very gentle with it for that first little while as it will chip easily 🙂
Now because Gray Mist is so subtle, you have to make sure that your cream isn’t ‘stronger’ than your gray mist. For that reason, here’s a few colours I’d be looking at as options for the cabinets…
1. Good old Cloud White – acts like white, just not so harsh!
2. Dune White – just the lighter version of Gray Mist, meaning it will still blend really nicely with the walls and the bulkhead without being the same colour.
Let me know how it goes!!!
Hi Kylie, would you mind sharing the paint color you used on the cabinets? I’m mostly curious to find out if its cream or white. And what wall paint colors coordinate well with cream cabinets. Also, what are your thoughts on using the mosaic (busy) backsplash when there’s a busy countertop? My cabinets are painted cream and my countertops are Baltic Brown stone granite. Thank you 🙂
Fantastic kitchen!!! We are in the process of remodeling our kitchen and I love the countertops you used here! Would you be willing to share the brand and color?
Thanks so much
Hi Rebecca, thank you! Now I’m ‘pretty sure’ we used TCE Stone TCE580 – It is lovely isn’t it! Now I’m not sure where you’re writing from, but it is a Canadian company, but hopefully if you have some info/photo you can find a comparable if you are in the States! http://tcestone.com/?page_id=299
Good luck!
~Kylie
Love your remodel. Great idea for my kitchen as it currently looks like the “Before”
Thanks!
I’m glad you’re inspired! I’m SOOOOO glad we did it (we did the same thing in the bathroom, but went gray instead). I say GO FOR IT!
I am curious how you changed the cabinet doors. Are they new or did you somehow fill the old carvings and add new molding to make them look different?
Hi Sommer, they are new cabinet doors!