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anniepetey

Want to change kitchen cabinet color (either paint or reface)-

Would like this overall feel of the living areas to be brighter so would like to change and update the kitchen cabinets/island with either painting a lighter color or refacing, so that they will still go with the hardwood flooring. Will also plan to repaint all walls and ceiling, so would like suggestions for colors, please. (All furniture will be changes as well) Thanks in advance!



Comments (15)

  • rantontoo
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    I am usually a “paint if you want” person; but with all honesty, the only things I would change in your kitchen would be the backsplash, paint color, and the pendants if you want a lighter look and to downplay the browns.

    Teresa Rutherford thanked rantontoo
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  • housegal200
    5 years ago

    I like it the way it is! The cabinets, though they could harmonize better with the extensive warm flooring you have, does work with the backsplash, your mantel, and the stone fireplace. Consider a pendant over your dining area and as decoenhusiaste says, add some table and floor lighting before you change out too many elements. It's a lovely space.


    I'm not seeing any art, and you certainly have the room for a couple big pieces to bring in color in grays and warm tones in subjects you like. This would lighten the space and add a lot of interest.

    "Red Leafs B" Fine Art Canvas Print, 48"x48" · More Info


    Minerals I Fine Art Giant Canvas Print, Yellow, Gray, 54"X54" · More Info


    "Dawn" By Maurice Sapiro, Original · More Info


    Teresa Rutherford thanked housegal200
  • rmshill
    5 years ago
    I agree I like it how it is but backsplash and pendants are too busy
  • aprilneverends
    5 years ago

    your floors are so beautiful and versatile, you can do almost everything next to them (unless you decide on mahogany or smth along the lines)) No stain that's too red or too grayed.)

    I'd be more preoccupied about new color/stain working with the countertop/backsplash..they seem pretty versatile too but I can't see them up close thus hard to say at the moment. But if they stay-they are the ones to consider.


    Colors are very personal..is whatever on the pictures right now yours? Does it reflect your general taste? Style? Mood you want to go with?


    It's a nice house, looks bright as is..lazy me wouldn't touch it..so before you do it, if you're set on it-think about the whole vibe you want your place to be, the whole big picture, in order to get maximum joy for yourself and family out of this endeavour. Pro painting/refacing is pricey.

    Think of what you prefer, what colors have the most magic effect on you (calm when you need calm, invigorating when you need invigorating), and then go about how to translate them in your space.

    Teresa Rutherford thanked aprilneverends
  • Teresa Rutherford
    Original Author
    5 years ago

    Thank you for your comments all. (housegal2000, rattan too, and decor enthusiaste. These are the photos from the realtor's listing, so I believe that iswhy there are no end tables. The cabinets are a bit dinged up and not in great shape, so that is why I was thinking I will need to do something with them before we move in. The counter top is a taupe color, and I am not loving the brown wood on the cabinets. Do you think I could go lighter to white/cream and white paint? Is this going to be in style for a while? Maybe keep hardware in bronze to still pick up the warmth from the flooring? If I stayed neutral I can buy furniture to easily coordinate. Thanks again in advance.

  • Teresa Rutherford
    Original Author
    5 years ago

    To aprilinneverends- thanks for all your good advice. I would like to make the overall feel of the house more contemporary/transitional- less traditional feeling. It is a stucco/transitional exterior with a tile but not barrel tile roof, (see photo). But the yard is modern and clean, however the interior seems a bit pulled down by the beige walls and the dark wood - which is why I was hoping a lighter cabinet in a color that will work with the backsplash and counter (taupe quartz). I included a few of the other rooms so you can see what I mean about traditional feeling with the darker cabinets....if you think white cabinets will be around for a while, do you think that could be a possibility? The drapery will most likely be removed to use Silhouettes and roller shades to modern it up...Thanks again in advance for help and suggestions.





  • housegal200
    5 years ago

    Oh, dear. All these things you're telling everyone now should've been shared in your initial posting. I'm sure most of us thought those were your furnishings, etc. It's best to state, up front, what the situation is, then ask what to do. Over and out.

  • Teresa Rutherford
    Original Author
    5 years ago

    Ok well I guess now I know you need to know if those are my furnishings before color advisement is possible- I hope all I have shared can be commented on by any other designers. Thanks.


  • Jennifer Svensson
    5 years ago

    Nice house! i dont have any suggestions but please post pictures after your modernizing updates. I’m trying to infuse a little Scandinavian minimalism into our Texas home.. (might be an oxymoron..)

  • rantontoo
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    Okay...so painting the cabs, BUT research the best process: doors/hardware off, cabs/doors cleaned, sanded, and a conversion varnish painted finish off site in a spray booth on the doors/drawers. That process is costly. There are second best methods and materials that will cost less, but you need to research the pros and cons.

    I would try a color match to the white trim to see what you get. The wall paint looks like it might have pink undertones....I would avoid that in wall and cab colors, but that’s me. I have White Dove cabs (griege undertones) and love that color in my space.

  • highdesertowl
    5 years ago

    Fewer pendants--four is too many for that area. Also choose pendants with less visual "weight". I think the cabinets will be lovely painted an off-white, or cream color; to harmonize with the warm tones in your new home. Then decide about the backsplash.

  • PRO
    Patricia Colwell Consulting
    5 years ago

    Paint the walls a nice sagey or grayed green to add some color to this very blah house.Add a colorful area rug in the LR and some colorful stools in the kitchen Install LED bulbs in all the fixtures in a 3500 - 5000K range so that colors stay true at night. I like your LR furniture but a little more color with the pillows would be nice, Gray green walls are very neutral actually more neutral than beige but they add a layer of color that is easy to work with.Of course art is always a good addition to any space. The pendants are a bit much so rethink those or maybe a nice single larger piece above that island.

  • PRO
    The Cook's Kitchen
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    Make a whole home wish list. Prioritize the changes you want to make. Make a whole home budget. There is obviously a large difference in what you can accomplish for 100K vs 10K.

    If changing out the kitchen is more of a priority than building a new deck, or painting the exterior, then talk with a good local Kitchen Designer to help you pull this all together. A couple of hours of a consult may be all that you need.

    I would suggest changing and adding more lighting before making any other changes. Being able to actually see you room with enough lumens at the proper color temperature will change how you perceive it’s “lightness”. It changes your perception of color as well.

  • aprilneverends
    5 years ago

    these are photos from the listing

    Theresa, first, let me say-I'm in love with all the cacti! Incredibly cool.

    many great things about the house.

    I'll try to answer the question about white cabinets.

    There will be many who'll say white kitchens are classic, and they'll be right, in a sense that there'll always be houses where white kitchens would look great and appropriate. Whether it's white glossy contemporary kitchens in some urban apartments, or white beaded doors in a cottage, or many others.

    Then there'll be many who'll say a white kitchen is at the end of its cycle, and they ill be right too, because too many people install same kitchen everywhere, and in 7-10 years another trend comes, and the other new trend is already here, and it's stained wood again. (especially certain woods in certain stains)

    There are also painted (or colorful) kitchens that are not white, and they can be also very nice, and fit a house like a glove.

    There's not one color that will make a place modern, or traditional, or whatever, all by ttself, because every color is a part of the bigger context. And our associations with it will depend on our own traditions, our own likes and dislikes, and how it correlates with the rest of the place.

    So I'd take the "whether white is here to stay" out of equation, and my questions to myself would be:

    -how white will work in my house, its style, where it stands, etc? how it will work with all the other elements, and what these elements are/will be?

    and

    -do I love white enough to look at it every morning and evening for years to come?

    Second question, only you can answer.

    In terms of the first question. Your house is transitional (whatever it means because it's not a very exact term) already. The legs on the island are the most traditional thing about our kitchen from what I can see. White itself wouldn't make it more contemporary kitchen. It might make you personally happier, but it won't be significant change in the feel of the kitchen. It will stay a transitional kitchen, pretty nice at that, just in different color.

    Now, I can't see the backsplash-but changing backsplash can give it more modern feel. Or changing legs on the island and refacing, say, to slab doors will give it more modern feel. But I need to understand whether that's what you want-or you just want departure from dark wood because you don't like darker wood. which is totally fine.

    For example you want just the departure from stain because your preference is painted.

    And your preferred color is white

    (which it doesn't have to be. My kitchen is taupe for example, and another colors I seriously considered were purple and, to the less extent, green)

    Then you need to decide-you keep your counter which is softer taupe..you take very clean bright white out of equation. But look for a softer "muddier" version of white. The one that'll work the best with your countertop..and the backsplash if backsplash stays. Maybe it's an off white, and you'll have to try several(ask for samples done on wood if you enlisting a pro) and look at them in your kitchen with your countertops etc, to make a decision.

    For us to give the best advice it'll be best to see the countertop and the backsplash up close. When you say "taupe" I guarantee you, well almost, that my brain pictures one color, and you mean slightly another one. There are hundreds of neutrals that we call white, gray, taupe, off white, etc, etc-and while it gives general description, it's not enough to then say "in your kitchen, with its light and all the unique things it has, color X by brand Y will work". All these colors change with light. and also in presence of other colors, and you need to narrow onto several and try them there.

    And it might be that while looking for that white you'll see another color you'll like more.

    Or you'll decide to go not for paint but for a different stain. That you like more.

    Or melamine (which means refacing. But maybe that what you actually want when you say "contemporary")

    Now don't forget that you'll decorate differently than previous owners did. It seems like too much dark wood because there are many elements in same stain. Most of them seem built in, but maybe not all of them are? You can also go with different materials when you pick tables, and chairs, and whatnot. You can introduce different lighting. (Layers of it too-very important)

    You can layer textures and add colors. You'll bring in your own art. Plants. Etcetera. In short, you won't see just the kitchen. The kitchen will be a part of a whole.

    Look at many pictures if you haven't yet. and see how they make you feel, to choose the general pallette for the house first. A start. Can be interiors but many images can be inspiration for colors, from fashion to cinematography. And also nature. Especially landscape surrounding your house(they did a great job with it)-whatever you see from your window is still your space)) Part of it. So let it inform you too and inspire you, when you choose.

    Most choices that look great throuout years and never bore us are these that go with the house and its surroundings.

    I quite like the bathroom, and it doesn't feel dragged down to me. It's just largely empty because they staged for resale. As they did with other places. Add but a flowerpot-and it'll feel differently.

    I really tried to make this post short, but didn't quite succeed)))

    Bottom line: I can see why you like the house. The previous owners didn't do anything majorly irritating. They neutralized for resale and had quite a lot of one-note things, certain stain, stacked stone that adds a bit of heaviness etc. But it's a nice house. I know that feeling of being in a hurry-but try not to be, give yourself sometime to figure out the pallette that works for both you and the house, maybe start with furnishings even as fabrics give us inspiration and ideas too..don't worry, you'll get to that paint thing, but you'll be happier with whatever choice you make when you make it not in a hurry.

    I personally would be inclined to yes, use sage green..or some other soft grayed green, yes..but would it be kitchen itself, or walls, or fabrics, or accents? Or maybe tonal shades in several of these? I don't know. I'd need to be in the house and think. Same goes for every other choice. It's a puzzle that you put together. And as with puzzles-there's fun in it. Enjoy the process. Enjoy your new house.

    Teresa Rutherford thanked aprilneverends