Refaced Cabinets Give This Kitchen a Whole New Look
Homeowners buck the white trend and choose warm, earthy neutrals for their kitchen makeover
Before: Here’s how the kitchen looked prior to the renovation — Narum figures it was last remodeled in the 1970s, and the cabinet boxes were still in good shape. She had the doors and drawer fronts removed and new cabinet doors and drawers made by Decore-ative Specialties, a custom cabinetmaker in Southern California. The painter painted the existing box frames and exposed sides to match the new cabinet doors.
“Refacing is probably 25 percent of our business,” Narum says. “It’s one of those options that we like to present for people who don’t want to spend as much. It’s much more cost-effective. You can still get all the benefits of a new kitchen without gutting it.”
To be good candidates for refacing, Narum says, cabinets should have solid wood boxes in good repair. The homeowners wanted painted cabinets, and fortunately the existing boxes were made of birch, a wood whose grain doesn’t show through paint. “If they were oak cabinets, we would have had to do a lot more prep work and painting,” Narum says.
Prior to the renovation, the cabinet fronts had a raised decorative molding that was a bit out of place in the couple’s Spanish-style home. “They wanted something that was a little bit cleaner, more true to the house,” Narum says.
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“Refacing is probably 25 percent of our business,” Narum says. “It’s one of those options that we like to present for people who don’t want to spend as much. It’s much more cost-effective. You can still get all the benefits of a new kitchen without gutting it.”
To be good candidates for refacing, Narum says, cabinets should have solid wood boxes in good repair. The homeowners wanted painted cabinets, and fortunately the existing boxes were made of birch, a wood whose grain doesn’t show through paint. “If they were oak cabinets, we would have had to do a lot more prep work and painting,” Narum says.
Prior to the renovation, the cabinet fronts had a raised decorative molding that was a bit out of place in the couple’s Spanish-style home. “They wanted something that was a little bit cleaner, more true to the house,” Narum says.
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After: The new doors and drawer fronts are Shaker-style and made of paint-grade maple. The Benjamin Moore paint is color-matched to one the homeowners liked from another cabinetmaker, Cabico, which offers a color called Woodbridge, a tan with green undertones.
“They are not people who like white. They like the warm, homey, earthy tones,” Narum says.
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“They are not people who like white. They like the warm, homey, earthy tones,” Narum says.
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The homeowners chose stainless steel cabinet handles to match their appliances.
The upper cabinets to the right of the sink and the left of the refrigerator are secured with earthquake latches, so the doors won’t swing open in the event of a temblor.
The window frames are maple and original to the kitchen.
Backsplash tile: Fireclay Tile
Browse backsplash tile in the Houzz Shop
The upper cabinets to the right of the sink and the left of the refrigerator are secured with earthquake latches, so the doors won’t swing open in the event of a temblor.
The window frames are maple and original to the kitchen.
Backsplash tile: Fireclay Tile
Browse backsplash tile in the Houzz Shop
The homeowners wanted to add a dose of color to their mostly ivory backsplash and chose colors often seen in Arts and Crafts decor. “We sparingly added the red and the green tiles,” Narum says.
The countertop material is Cambria engineered quartz in the Berkeley design. It has burgundy flecks that match the dark red in the backsplash.
The countertop material is Cambria engineered quartz in the Berkeley design. It has burgundy flecks that match the dark red in the backsplash.
The new flooring is easy-to-clean plank vinyl that looks like wood. Before the renovation, the floor was Marmoleum.
Narum chose a counter-depth refrigerator to maximize square footage. “The space just feels so much bigger when you don’t have something protruding out from a cabinet,” Narum says. The 30-inch Sub-Zero model has a hinge that allows it to open fully without hitting the wall.
Browse refrigerators in the Houzz Shop
Narum chose a counter-depth refrigerator to maximize square footage. “The space just feels so much bigger when you don’t have something protruding out from a cabinet,” Narum says. The 30-inch Sub-Zero model has a hinge that allows it to open fully without hitting the wall.
Browse refrigerators in the Houzz Shop
Narum covered the pullout cutting board on this bay of cabinets (to the left of the refrigerator) with a stainless steel sheet so the homeowners can use it as a landing area for food just out of the oven. The distance from the oven to this countertop is just 60 inches, and when the landing board is pulled out the space shrinks to less than 4 feet.
She added two rollout trays to the cabinet for ease of use.
She added two rollout trays to the cabinet for ease of use.
Before: Before the renovation, the homeowners hated the heavy lazy Susan cabinet to the right of the oven. It wouldn’t stay shut, and sometimes it would swing around and hit people.
After: Narum converted the joint cabinet into two cabinets. One is now a swing-out blind-corner cabinet, shown here.
The other part is now a trash and recycling pullout.
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More on Houzz
Read about more kitchen makeovers
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Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A retired couple
Size: 185 square feet (17 square meters)
Location: Alameda, California
Designer: Lisa Narum of Custom Kitchens by John Wilkins
The owners of this California home liked their kitchen layout but felt that its finishes needed an update. Rather than do a full renovation, kitchen and bath designer Lisa Narum of Custom Kitchens by John Wilkins suggested refacing the cabinets to get a fresh look. New countertops, flooring, backsplash and a new fridge and dishwasher further transformed the kitchen.
Wall paint: Wheeling Neutral, Benjamin Moore