Great JOb! It looks so much more spacious, and I love the Silestone with that wall color.

I'd like to make one more suggestion to you, though, and I hope I don't hurt your feelings because I think you've done a terriffic job, but instead of putting accessories on top of those cabinets, I'd think about adding some stacked molding instead. The cream paint will tie it all together with your cabinets and give it some extra "oomph". I'd also think about painting your breakfast chairs black to tie into the desk area and the darker pulls and appliance touches.

Hi Wendy,

This definitely belongs in the under 20K thread and will be an inspiration to others wanting to do a budget kitchen. Well done! Did you paint the cabinets or did you have them painted? I like how you warmed up the walls with the golden color and I bet you really appreciate the silestone after laminate counter tops. My existing kitchen looks similar to yours and I have the scratched laminate counter tops now and can hardly wait to get granite.

Very light, bright, and cozy. Congratulations!!!

what a great job. Your space looks so much "cleaner" and bigger! congratulations on a beautiful space. enjoy.....

Wendy,

The update makes a big impact on the space! I like the painted wall and the color. You did a fantastic paint job on the cabinets. Congrats and have fun in there :)

live_wire, no hurt feelings at all. I agree there is oomph needed still in spots. Good idea on the moulding and chairs. I agree the table looks out of place a bit now. I was tempted to paint the desk and bookcase cream because I thought the two areas might not connect well. painting the chairs black will help.

Karena, the walls are actually soft terra cotta, not gold. (Benjamin Moore Potters Clay), but, yes, warmth was the goal! Losing the warmth of the wood cabs I felt I had to get it back elsewhere. There are bits of clay in the countertop too.

I am amazed at how much brightness the painted cabinets add to the whole space.

I did the doors myself over a few long weeks with lots of attention to detail. That oak grain is a bear to smooth out. Tons of sanding and caulking and priming and more sanding and ... THe painters/wallpaper stripper crew did the cabinet frames. The frames are not oak so they were much simpler/faster to paint so I just let the crew finish them along with the woodwork.

I find with the light cabinets I am super careful about being neat and using the hardware. It's been done for about a month but I am still treating it with kid gloves. On the other hand, the countertop and floor hide EVERYTHING so I can be easily fooled into thinking they don't need wiping!

I'm not crazy about the ceramic cooktop. Gets dusty and dirty easily and is a pain to clean well. Maybe the other just didn't show dirt??? I also liked my old burner sizes and placement better. I'll probably get over this in time.

Thanks all!

Wow - that looks fantastic - a total inspiration. You did a wonderful job. Can I ask what primer/paint finish combination you used on the cabinets?

Thank you!

Wow, fantastic job! You must be thrilled!

I'd like to agree with lwo's gentle suggestion not to be put anything on top of the cabinets again and also not to put those hanging baskets back up on your ceiling. It just looks so much cleaner and open now without all of that.

I'm not sure what color scheme you're looking for with rugs but Layla Grace has a nice selection of gorgeous rugs in both rectangular and oval shapes in all different sizes. I purchased a large area rug for my family room and shipping was extremely fast and the rug is beautiful. Here's an example of one of their more brightly colored rugs but they have many in more muted tones also:

{{!gwi}}

Here is a link that might be useful: Layla Grace Rugs

Nicely done, clean, bright and warm! The ceiling rafters stand out as an architectural statement now that they've lost their role as basket hangers.

Oh I love your kitchen! I especially love the wall color. I don't think it looks too neutral and clean, but I'm worried about that with mine too.
Jazz it up with a colorful rug and some molding. What kind of range is that?

Yes, I'm looking for a round or square rug with lots of paprika in it. I got some paprika coffee mugs that I really like the pop of color. Too red or too orange and it clashes.

The range is a Whirlpool gold series, not sure of model # offhand. It has the concealed lower element inside and steam cleaning, both nice features. But I found out later that the concealed element inside steals space from the storage draw in the bottom. Only half of my pots and pans and covers fit. Of course, I don't even use half of what I've got so it isn't that terrible!!!

It is possible I'll be selling in a year or so, so keeping the color kinda middle of the road for that was on my mind.

This is from the benjamin moore site and may represent the color better than my photo

{{!gwi}}

Wendyb,

I adore your kitchen. I love the beams, the wall color,
the light fixture and the cabinets. Your kitchen
looks warm and friendly. I love the brightness!
I am so impressed witht your hard work.
Congratulations
~Boxerpups

Here is a cute rug from JCP. It is under $150 for a round
rug 5 feet

{{!gwi}}

These are pretty too from Homedecorators outlet under
$200

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

Moulding can be found at HD or Lowes or Rockler or
Outwater plastics. I am sure any style would look wonderful
in your kitchen.

{{!gwi}}

Wow! What a nice transformation! Good job with how all your colors work together. I really like how you put your towel bar on the end of your cabinets!

Thanks so much all for your kind words.

speaking of details... notice the color keyed switchplates and outlet covers?

I angst'ed over that for awhile. I really liked some ORB's and some antique copper ones. But in the end, not only were they quite pricey for so many, I decided they would be too much "clutter". Even affordable off-white ones would stand out a lot. I wanted them to just blend in and disappear. The only way to do that was to paint them, so that's what I did.

Wendy, your kitchen transformation is really lovely. What a difference painting those cabinets and putting in new countertops and flooring made! My sister has those same oak cabinets and I'm going to show her your kitchen so that she will hopefully do the same thing you have done!

Great job, and I love the cute dog who snuck into the photo!

Kat :)

Really nice work! The cabinets look great. Love your Silestone choice. The detail really shows nicely in the close-up photo.

I had a lot of baskets too in my 'before' kitchen. All gone now except a few hiding in a cabinet. ;) It was such an 'IN' thing to do, then one day you look at it and say "What was I thinking?"

Of course SOME DAY people will inevitably go back to doing 'retro-hunter-green-country-style' and we can pull them out and make a fortune on EBay! LOL!

I really love what you've done! it is so warm and bright and clean looking. I'm planning a similar colour scheme in my kitchen, I was thinking of a gold colour on my walls and painting my cabinets white (maybe an antique white) so this has really given me some added inspiration for when I do my kitchen. I also love vinyl floors in the kitchen, vinyl is such a great hard wearing flooring and very low maintenance IMO. you've done great!

I think you've done a nice job! I have a question about your trim - I noticed you painted the wood trim - this is something I'm considering in my home, but there is SO MUCH of it that it's a very daunting undertaking and the thought sorta overwhelms me a bit... Did you have someone paint it for you? Did you have the rest of the trim in your home painted as well (Assuming that it too was wood)? How much did that run you (if you don't mind my asking!)?? If you have a mix of painted and unpainted trim throughout your house, how are you liking it?

Funny about the hunter green in a way. My house was built in 1985 and the builder picked that hunter green. When I moved in in 1992, hunter green was very much "in" and I thought the builder had so much vision because the green was in style for so long! And I actually liked it for quite a long time. Until I hated it! (ditto the pine paneling accent wall in the family room...)

Stretchad, 2 rooms have had painted trim a long time. Then I added another, and another, and now the kitchen. So the whole house is a mix. its not an open concept floor plan so each room has its own feel. I suppose the whole house should be consistent, but I've always focused a room at a time.

Part of me hates covering up wood, which has its own warmth and charm and might be an important selling point someday. But I just love painted wood. I can't get over how much brighter it feels. And it is so much easier to choose wall colors with painted trim than wood trim.

It is important to do a good job and use high quality materials so it withstands wear and tear, but its nothing you can't do yourself. I have done it myself and I have had pro's do it. No difference. My woodwork was not very glossy which probably helps. But even if yours is glossy, just a little extra sanding and good primer will do the trick. (Benjamin Moore Fresh Start All-Purpose I think is the one I used in the kitchen). I used Aura paint (satin) in the kitchen as it is supposed to be exceptionally durable. For a high traffic area, that's important. Caulk all the joints really well because after they are painted, any wood blemishes show up clearly. Sand after each coat for a nice smooth finish. (browse the paint forum for more details and tips)

I keep small bottles around for touchups, but haven't had to use them much.

Try it out on a small room like a bathroom or small bedroom. You'll see its not that hard.