Kitchen of the Week: Refaced Cabinets Brighten on a Budget
Instead of a major overhaul, homeowners make modest tweaks to create big change in their Rhode Island kitchen
Jim and Noriko Whittaker moved into their Colonial home in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, in 2005, and for almost 14 years they lived with the existing open kitchen and its light-oak cabinets and pink-and-beige color scheme. The empty-nest couple knew they wanted a brighter space that better meshed with their style, but they didn’t want to spend a fortune making the changes. They realized they could save a big chunk of change by refacing most of the cabinets they had.
Working with design consultant Richard Mooradian, the Whittakers transformed the kitchen with crisp white refaced cabinets, new countertops, a new backsplash and other minor updates on a budget under $25,000 for labor and materials.
Working with design consultant Richard Mooradian, the Whittakers transformed the kitchen with crisp white refaced cabinets, new countertops, a new backsplash and other minor updates on a budget under $25,000 for labor and materials.
After: Mooradian helped the couple choose new white recessed Shaker-style cabinet doors on the existing cabinet boxes for clean lines that give the kitchen a more modern style.
To add extra detail and visual interest, the cabinets have vertical satin nickel pulls, while the drawers have horizontal satin nickel pulls. “It’’s not what I think of as a large kitchen, so doing this makes the kitchen feel larger than it is,” Mooradian says.
The white cabinets and drawers offer contrast for the now light-gray walls for the kitchen and adjoining sunroom, which Jim painted himself to save money. “The kitchen is in the center of the house with no windows of its own, so we wanted it to be as bright as possible,” Jim says.
Satin White Statesman cabinet doors and Luna Pearl granite countertops: Kitchen Magic
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To add extra detail and visual interest, the cabinets have vertical satin nickel pulls, while the drawers have horizontal satin nickel pulls. “It’’s not what I think of as a large kitchen, so doing this makes the kitchen feel larger than it is,” Mooradian says.
The white cabinets and drawers offer contrast for the now light-gray walls for the kitchen and adjoining sunroom, which Jim painted himself to save money. “The kitchen is in the center of the house with no windows of its own, so we wanted it to be as bright as possible,” Jim says.
Satin White Statesman cabinet doors and Luna Pearl granite countertops: Kitchen Magic
Shop for kitchen island lighting
The black, gray and white polished-granite countertops give the couple the durable surface with pattern they wanted. The counters also complement the new Carrara marble tile backsplash with a glossy finish that Jim installed. Keeping the existing solid-oak wood floor with a walnut stain, the pendants over the island and peninsula and some of their appliances (including their late model microwave, dishwasher and stainless refrigerator) also helped the couple save money.
The couple never used counter stools, so they created custom cabinets on the backside of the peninsula to provide extra storage for Noriko’s yoga equipment. “They really help keep clutter out of the sunroom,” Jim says.
The couple never used counter stools, so they created custom cabinets on the backside of the peninsula to provide extra storage for Noriko’s yoga equipment. “They really help keep clutter out of the sunroom,” Jim says.
Before: Previously the pantry area included a series of shorter cabinets grouped together, with an upper cabinet with textured glass in the middle. There also was a plain wall behind the open counter between the cabinets. “We wondered why no one put tile there before,” Jim says.
After: Jim installed the same Carrara marble tiles used for the main backsplash to the wall in the pantry area. Mooradian thought the couple would have a more streamlined look and better storage if they replaced a few of the shorter cabinets with the two tall cabinets that flank the open counter. “It was fitting with trying to get that Shaker look and a bit of a more contemporary style for this kitchen,” Mooradian says. “It also helped with the ergonomics of the kitchen too.”
Upper cabinets now include textured Tree Bark glass that adds a bit of extra detail while obscuring the contents inside. “It gives it a nice textured feeling, and it’s a bit nicer than plain etched glass,” Mooradian says. “It’s also easy to clean.”
Upper cabinets now include textured Tree Bark glass that adds a bit of extra detail while obscuring the contents inside. “It gives it a nice textured feeling, and it’s a bit nicer than plain etched glass,” Mooradian says. “It’s also easy to clean.”
Previously, the existing microwave above the cooktop hung lower, making the cooking area feel a bit claustrophobic. Mooradian raised the microwave about 3 inches to allow more workspace. He also added a new custom cabinet above the microwave and refaced the two cabinets flanking the microwave.
The new electric ceramic glass cooktop is a single-surface piece without knobs. “It’s very easy to keep clean,” Jim says.
The new electric ceramic glass cooktop is a single-surface piece without knobs. “It’s very easy to keep clean,” Jim says.
The open shelves by the stainless steel refrigerator were existing, but the shelves to the right of their second microwave and Wi-Fi-connected convection oven are new. “Before there was an old freestanding bookcase there,” Jim says. “The shelves were Noriko’s idea, and we keep decorative food containers there.”
The new shelves also help visually balance out the kitchen. “It creates dimension and makes looking into this area of the kitchen more interesting,” Mooradian says.
The new shelves also help visually balance out the kitchen. “It creates dimension and makes looking into this area of the kitchen more interesting,” Mooradian says.
This close-up shows the new undermount stainless steel sink and pull-down brushed-nickel faucet, with a motion sensor that turns the faucet on and off.
The sunroom fills the new kitchen with lots of natural light. “It’s a pleasure to be in the kitchen and cook in there now,” Jim says.
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Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Jim and Noriko Whittaker
Location: North Kingstown, Rhode Island
Size: About 200 square feet (19 square meters)
Design consultant: Richard Mooradian of Kitchen Magic
Before: The existing kitchen had been remodeled in the 1990s by a previous owner. The Whittakers had grown tired of the light oak cabinets and the pink hue of the sink, tile backsplash and island countertop, which the homeowners had covered with two cut slabs of granite.
As the years went by, Jim and Noriko updated some of the appliances, but the hardware on the cabinets and the cabinet doors were showing wear. While the existing layout worked well enough for the couple, they knew they wanted something brighter and more inviting.
The adjoining space with windows seen on the right side of this photo is a sunroom. The doorway on the left leads to the family room.
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