STAGES OF A KITCHEN REDO

This is it!  The family kitchen that is the core of our paleolithic cuisine.  This is where it happens.  It is a cozy space suited for one cook but we frequently squeeze in five at a time.  It's a basic, builder grade kitchen and since I'll paint just about anything that is sound, to save it from demolition... that is where the update begins.  Call me frugal but I would rather take a chance and repaint the kitchen cabinets for under $100 than spend thousands on replacements.  It is part of my passion to restore beauty to the broken, chaotic, unlovely things in life.  That passion has been singularly directed toward to the hub of our home; the kitchen.

This blog entry is about our year long journey as we experimented with the goal of transforming a our kitchen into a space that is both efficient and beautiful on a shoestring budget. 

A little bit of background:  Our kitchen was supplied with standard medium oak colored cabinetry with less than ample lighting that created a dark, drab and dreary space for cooking and entertaining.  Three types of wood & stain were used on our kitchen cabinets... not appealing!  Change was in the wind but it came in stages. 

Stage 1:
We replaced old yellowing appliances with white counterparts.  (Sorry, no photo of that nastiness!) Out-dated light fixtures were removed and a can light was installed over the sink.  Two pairs of off-colored cabinet doors were removed  to create shelves for baskets (over the microwave) and cookbooks (over the refrigerator).  We installed a microwave and vented it to the outdoors.  With these changes, our micro-mini kitchen quickly became more efficient.

Stage 2:
Repainted the ceiling and walls.  An easy-peasy DIY project that took one day to accomplish!  That improved the look by reflecting natural light but there was still too much brown.

Stage 3:
Courage!  We removed cabinet doors, drawers and hardware... took over the garage area to sand, prime and paint them, inside and out.  We lived with the white lower cabinets for a winter to test the durability of the paint.  It held up beautifully and gave me the courage to keep painting!

Stage 4: 
Upper cabinet doors were removed, sanded, primed and painted.  Under-cabinet lights were installed, greatly improving task area lighting.  (see photo below).

Stage 5: 
Faded vinyl flooring was replaced with large ceramic tiles.

Stage 6: The nasty, aging tile backsplash was replaced with vertical strips of beadboard (Yes, it too was painted white).

Stage 7:  Repainted the walls again. We used a warm, bright white to reflect the light and let it bounce around surfaces in the room!  A few decorative flourishes added a dose of personality through texture and color.  Our kitchen project is finished (for now) and is being fully enjoyed as the light-filled, joyful hub of our home.  :)

Thinking of repainting your cabinets?  Need some tutorial advice?  Check this out:

http://www.younghouselove.com/2008/11/how-to-paint-your-kitchen-cabinets/