This probably isn't what half of you thought about when you read the title :) You probably thought my cabinets were going to be painted white. I have decided to do everything I can to brighten up the kitchen without painting the cabinets. The cabinets will be the last thing to do...and that's if the hubs lets me do them. While painting the kitchen walls, he finally told me what he really thought about painting the cabinets. And he is so against painting them that he would rather buy new stainless steal appliances instead. That's like $7,000 worth of hate towards painting the cabinets lol. So...we'll see if that really ever happens ;) I don't know, maybe I'm crazy, but I'm more for painting the cabinets, which may cost a couple hundred, rather than spend thousands.
It has made quite a difference. It's so much brighter in here. But truth be told...now the cabinets drive me more nuts. So, it didn't help. Yes, it brightened it up, but it also made the cabinet color stand out that much more for me.
I also decided to change out the light switch plates for some stainless steal ones. This made a great difference. Not brightness-wise, but style-wise.
Here's the before of the kitchen. Before the change of blinds, roman shade and painting.
A little difference. The best difference is at night when everything isn't cast in a yellow haze anymore like it used to be. It's just super nice and bright :)
You can see how dark the walls and ceiling used to be when you look at the paint in the herringbone pattern. Crazy how dark that really was huh?
Oh, and since I usually get paint color questions, the paint I used is Glidden's Pebble White in Eggshell. It's not super white like the Linen White I usually use; it has the perfect amount of cream in it. Love it. And it goes with my baseboards too so I don't have to waste time painting them :)
I think staining the cabinets woud be great but not real sure about ash brown. I think it could get lost with the black granite. Would hubby allow a clored stain that still let the beauty of the wood show through? Just a thought. Love what you have done so far. The stainless plate covers really stand out nicely.
ReplyDeleteThanks Karen! I'll have to look at what other colors of stain they have :) I haven't even approached him with this new idea, so we'll see lol
DeleteI'm totally on your side. Your cabinets should be white. Even this ash brown would look better than the actual color. Imagine white cabinets and the black granite and appliances - fantastic! The 'whole thing' (living room/dining room/kitchen ) would look so much better. But for the moment, you should better take care of yourself. Maybe someday your husband will change his mind (OR spends half of the 7,000 to get the cabinets painted - is he scared of the sanding/grounding/painting or does he just hate the white color?)
ReplyDeleteThank you Ina! I'm so glad to hear someone on my side :) I think the hubs is just scared of painting them in general...not the work because he wouldn't be do it lol. I'm not sure if he likes the cabinets that much or he's just so against change..
DeleteLooks great. How about adding some knobs to the cabinets? That way the knobs would be more of a focal point than the cabinets.
ReplyDeleteIf you wanted to go even further, you could get some white solid surface counter tops. That would still be cheaper than new appliances.
I have thought about the knobs, but can't decide on any I like!
DeleteWhat about dry brushing the cabinets white? You would still be able to see the wood just like with stain. I think that would look good in your kitchen.
ReplyDeleteI haven't thought about that yet. That's a really good idea :) I'll have to try that on our bathroom cabinets and see how it turns out!
DeleteHonestly, I think you've got too much black going on, so you eye skips over those visual "holes" and lands right on the cabinets, making them annoy you. If you lightened up the appliances, I think the cabinets would bother you less.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I'd probably paint them too. :)
Yeah. I think the black appliances and counter tops are completely working against me lol
DeleteI am totally with you on painting the cabinets white. It would certainly be my choice. Staining isn't a bad idea, though. I am not in love with the brown tone. My sister sanded down an oak dining table and restained it with a gray stain. When she first told me her plan, I thought it would look awful, but it turned out beautifully! It was absolutely gorgeous! The gray would look great with your counter tops and white walls. Just an idea. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI never thought of grey! Grey would look beautiful. Great...now more decisions to make lol :)
DeleteI had to laugh when I read your post. We just moved and I wanted to update the cabinets also. Hubby said we should wait awhile, so he offered to buy me new appliances. We just bought them yesterday. Now I'm afraid I'll be stuck with my kitchen for a year or two. :-) That said, I think a soft white or even a light grey would look great. Pehaps a grey whitewash so the woodgrain shows through. Can't wait to see what you decide.
ReplyDeleteThat's so funny :) Husbands always go the easy way out lol.
DeleteI'm another hands down vote for the white cabinets. You would LOVE them. :)
ReplyDeleteGeez - EVERYBODY paints their cabinets white! Why not a different color? Or stain, milk paint, etc. I had a friend who took down several cabinet fronts, took them to a window place and had them cut out the middle and replace with a vintage-y glass (but she had a Victorian home). WHAT a difference! It lightened up the ALL cabinet kitchen. She also removed a the cupboard fronts over her fridge, giving her some open shelving. After all of that was done - she ended up not painting the cupboards at all, but painted the walls a richer color (she had cream color that did nothing for her kitchen) added some knobs to the cabinet fronts and put some cute small lamps on the counter tops (my idea - she thought I was nuts and she can't believe how cozy the lamps make the kitchen look - esp. at night). Oh! and one more thing (sorry this is so long) - she replaced her blind (like you did) with a real colorful pattern and took out her recessed light above the sink and found an antique hanging instead. She LOVES it!
ReplyDeleteI know everyone paints them white...it's the trend right now. But it's always been my ideal kitchen far beyond when the trend started. That's a great idea to change out some of the doors with glass though! That just means I would have to actual keep the insides looking nice lol :) You have so many great ideas! I have thought time and time again about open shelving, but I have so little storage space as is, that I would hate to lose useful space that I can cram things in to :) But, I am definitely going the pendant route above the sink!
DeleteWhat wonderful suggestions! I was thinking of these before posting: white ceramic knobs? removing the doors? colored stain? milk paint? I also agree that the ash brown doesn't quite work, but maybe another color? Meantime, your kitchen looks lovely. The Roman shade adds a classy touch! So even though you're basically right here, please don't angst over this; life is too short, and family is more important than cabinets. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI love that :) Life is definitely too short worry about cabinets so much! I've heard a lot of people mention milk paint; I'll have to try that out...maybe it'll get my worrying over quicker ;)
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