Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Kitchen Update


Every year it seems I have a big project that I hope to accomplish over the summer - last year it was finish my book, the summer before that it was refinishing the dining room table. This year, it was that our kitchen desperately needed repainting, especially the cabinets. I painted them eight years ago - and some of them were fine and others {used more frequently} were really showing wear. You can see the before/after from the first time here and here.

Last time I painted, I used chalk paint and it was not easy to keep clean and just didn't last the way I'd hoped - but when I realize it lasted eight years it honestly isn't that bad.

Anyway, with needing to repaint - I was really trying to think about colors and did a poll recently on Instagram to help me decide which direction to go!

Here are a couple of before photos:



We had this wallpaper border up on the highest part of the wall:



I bought this way before I ever got married or had our own home! My grandma had this wallpaper border at her apartment and I loved the Scripture on it! I also used to have grape dishes and sort of a grape theme in my kitchen - it served me but was feeling dated and also didn't really go with the farmy look I like now. I am amazed at how much lighter the kitchen is with all the green painted over and the wallpaper gone - it feels cleaner, simpler and lighter.

I know this is obvious, but I also didn't realize how much light I was blocking in the one window we have. This kitchen is pretty dark already so to block light and add darkness with color were not a good choice, live and learn!

Anyway, I was sort of operating off of this photo of my dream kitchen:


Another thing is we aren't doing a kitchen remodel - can't rip out cabinets or big things like that! So, I wanted to work with everything that I already had to just refresh it. I ended up painting the lower cabinets gray and the uppers white. The colors that were already in our house were an easy choice for unifying the kitchen with everything else.

We used Valspar Cabinet Enamel paint in Functional Gray and Fossil Stone.








I made a small valance out of an old vintage quilt that was only useful as a cutter - I took the batting out to let some light through and tacked it up there. The only thing left is that I'm going to make little curtains for the cabinets under the sink - waiting for a grain sack I ordered to arrive and a couple of little spring rods from Amazon to finish that project. Almost done though and I'm so pleased with how it is turning out!

5 comments:

Mom said...

Looks great - and I know it feels good to have it (almost!) done! :)

Nana said...

Looks great, Monica...GREAT job!!! I know it must give you a lot of satisfaction.
Love, Grandma

Nana said...

Great job, Monica...looks beautiful. I'm sure it will give you much joy and satisfaction.
Love you, GrandmaNana

Anonymous said...

Looks great, Monica...GREAT job!!! I know it must give you a lot of satisfaction.
Love, Grandma

Cindy L. Nosacka said...

I had this wallpaper border, you are the vine, I am the branches. Is it still available! My painters are here taking my old one off as I post..