Before and After: 3 Kitchens Transformed by Refaced Cabinets
Check out the dramatic difference that refacing cabinets can make, and decide if it’s the right option for you
Cabinet refacing is a great option if your kitchen layout functions well for you and you have quality cabinet boxes that are in good condition. Refacing involves saving the cabinet boxes, replacing the doors and drawer fronts, and covering every other part of the cabinet that shows, to match the rest. If your kitchen and cabinets are good candidates for it, refacing will save money over replacing cabinets and is a more sustainable practice. Also, refacing usually takes much less time than fully remodeling. Check out the dramatic differences that refacing made in these three kitchens to see if might be a good option for your kitchen.
After: Wintersteen helped the couple save money by refacing the cabinets over replacing them. This meant she had all the cabinet doors and drawers replaced but saved the original cabinet boxes. In doing so, she gave the room more crisp, clean lines, stripping some of the more ornate details such as fluted filler pieces on either side of the range.
With so much crisp white in the room, the designer brought in some warmer elements for balance. The new vent hood she designed is composed of a wood-like laminate material from Cleaf. And she helped her clients select quartz countertops in a warm gray-brown color. Iron lanterns over the island suit the Spanish modern style of the space.
Browse wall and floor tile in the Houzz Shop
Browse wall and floor tile in the Houzz Shop
After: Refacing gave the island a cleaner look while maintaining a vast amount of storage on the working side. The arches and fluted legs are gone, replaced by molding with crisp rectilinear lines.
Another part of the remodel was replacing the dark tile floors. Wintersteen anchored the room with warm light-colored white oak.
Countertops: Santenay Honed, Pental Surfaces
Another part of the remodel was replacing the dark tile floors. Wintersteen anchored the room with warm light-colored white oak.
Countertops: Santenay Honed, Pental Surfaces
The designer extended the island countertop 12 inches on the long and short sides seen here to make room for seating. This made the kitchen a hub for gathering in the house. Now the kids can sit here for meals or a snack while their parents work in the kitchen. The new bar stools have iron legs that match the lanterns and brown leather seats. The style of the stools adds a modern touch.
Seen beyond the island is a spot where Wintersteen removed upper cabinets for a more open look. Open shelves add warmth and provide a spot for displaying some favorite vintage family pieces. To the right of the sink, she replaced existing solid cabinet doors with glass-front doors. Both the open shelves and the wood details on the glass cabinets are the same Cleaf laminate used on the range hood.
Read more about this kitchen renovation
Seen beyond the island is a spot where Wintersteen removed upper cabinets for a more open look. Open shelves add warmth and provide a spot for displaying some favorite vintage family pieces. To the right of the sink, she replaced existing solid cabinet doors with glass-front doors. Both the open shelves and the wood details on the glass cabinets are the same Cleaf laminate used on the range hood.
Read more about this kitchen renovation
2. Brightening Up a Dark Space
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their teenage son. Two adult daughters come home for extended stays.
Location: Atlanta area
Size: 3,381 square feet (314 square meters); four bedrooms, 3½ bathrooms
Designer: Laura Freeman of Merits Design Group
Before: An emptying nest made this Atlanta-area couple rethink how they were using their 24-year-old home. With the kids moving out, they found they used their spaces differently. And they also were planning to downsize at some point, so they considered how to make their home appealing for resale. They hired interior designer Laura Freeman to help them make the home function best for their changing lifestyle.
While the kitchen was within an open plan, it was in a windowless interior location. The dark finishes didn’t help the lack of natural light, and after 24 years, some elements were showing their age. However, the layout worked well for the homeowners, and they’d kept up on maintenance. They’d recently refinished the floors, replaced old appliances and had new windows installed. Because the kitchen already had quality cabinets, Freeman knew they were a great candidate for refacing.
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their teenage son. Two adult daughters come home for extended stays.
Location: Atlanta area
Size: 3,381 square feet (314 square meters); four bedrooms, 3½ bathrooms
Designer: Laura Freeman of Merits Design Group
Before: An emptying nest made this Atlanta-area couple rethink how they were using their 24-year-old home. With the kids moving out, they found they used their spaces differently. And they also were planning to downsize at some point, so they considered how to make their home appealing for resale. They hired interior designer Laura Freeman to help them make the home function best for their changing lifestyle.
While the kitchen was within an open plan, it was in a windowless interior location. The dark finishes didn’t help the lack of natural light, and after 24 years, some elements were showing their age. However, the layout worked well for the homeowners, and they’d kept up on maintenance. They’d recently refinished the floors, replaced old appliances and had new windows installed. Because the kitchen already had quality cabinets, Freeman knew they were a great candidate for refacing.
After: The refaced cabinets, lighter paint colors and new countertops, backsplash and light fixtures brightened up the space. Freeman hired a cabinet refacing company, Detail Design & Remodeling, after finding them on Houzz.
On the side of the island seen here, she removed a breakfast bar overhang. She also replaced the pendant lights to open up the views of the backyard from the island. She matched the paint colors to the existing mullions on the windows. Marble-like quartz countertops and oversize white subway tiles with a tumbled look brighten the space and bounce the light around.
Wall paint: Nuance, Sherwin-Williams; trim paint: Drop Cloth, Farrow & Ball
Find a local cabinet refacing professional
On the side of the island seen here, she removed a breakfast bar overhang. She also replaced the pendant lights to open up the views of the backyard from the island. She matched the paint colors to the existing mullions on the windows. Marble-like quartz countertops and oversize white subway tiles with a tumbled look brighten the space and bounce the light around.
Wall paint: Nuance, Sherwin-Williams; trim paint: Drop Cloth, Farrow & Ball
Find a local cabinet refacing professional
Before: As a designer who is also an expert in promoting wellness through home design, Freeman knew that the tops of the upper cabinets collected dust and other allergens, and that they were difficult to keep clean.
After: As part of the refacing, Freeman had the upper cabinets extended to the ceiling. After removing the original upper doors, the cabinet refacing pros added foot-high cabinet boxes on top of the original boxes. Then they installed tall doors that covered the new boxes.
Another neat refacing trick was replacing some of the lower cabinet doors with deep drawers that are more ergonomic and easier to access.
Part of the refacing process can be outfitting the interiors of cabinets with smart storage elements, such as swing-out blind-corner cabinets or cookie sheet slats. A less expensive option to replacing lower cabinet doors with drawers is adding rollout drawers behind the doors.
Another neat refacing trick was replacing some of the lower cabinet doors with deep drawers that are more ergonomic and easier to access.
Part of the refacing process can be outfitting the interiors of cabinets with smart storage elements, such as swing-out blind-corner cabinets or cookie sheet slats. A less expensive option to replacing lower cabinet doors with drawers is adding rollout drawers behind the doors.
Freeman believes in reusing and repurposing as much as possible, so the opportunity to reface the cabinets was a welcome one. Refacing kept the original cabinet boxes from winding up in a landfill. The homeowners had recently purchased a new dishwasher and refrigerator, so there was no need to replace those. “By working with what we had and refacing rather than replacing the cabinets, we saved them at least $35,000 over a full kitchen remodel,” Freeman says.
Read more about this kitchen remodel
Read more about this kitchen remodel
3. Designer’s Own Update
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Interior designer Michele Merz and her husband, Shane Merz
Location: Houston
Size: 275 square feet (26 square meters), including breakfast area
Designer: Michele Merz of MMI Design
Builder: Yoder Residential Remodels
Before: Admittedly, this photo of the existing kitchen looks more like an “after” version than a “before” one. But the kitchen belongs to a designer, Michele Merz, and designers like to switch things up and test out new things before recommending them to clients. A few elements in the kitchen were bothering her, and she wanted to experience the refacing process to learn how it worked and test the results for her clients.
Merz had lived with this kitchen for 15 years and was ready for the change a light remodeling project could provide. In addition to cabinet refacing, the project included removing some upper cabinets, adding a new range hood and replacing some of the appliances. She also refinished the floors and mixed in new colors, cabinet hardware, lighting fixtures and a few other details. She preserved not only the cabinet boxes but also her Taj Mahal quartzite countertops and marble tile backsplash. “I wanted things cleaner and simple,” she says. “I wanted the whole kitchen to feel less boxed in. I had to get rid of some cabinets to make it feel more open.”
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Interior designer Michele Merz and her husband, Shane Merz
Location: Houston
Size: 275 square feet (26 square meters), including breakfast area
Designer: Michele Merz of MMI Design
Builder: Yoder Residential Remodels
Before: Admittedly, this photo of the existing kitchen looks more like an “after” version than a “before” one. But the kitchen belongs to a designer, Michele Merz, and designers like to switch things up and test out new things before recommending them to clients. A few elements in the kitchen were bothering her, and she wanted to experience the refacing process to learn how it worked and test the results for her clients.
Merz had lived with this kitchen for 15 years and was ready for the change a light remodeling project could provide. In addition to cabinet refacing, the project included removing some upper cabinets, adding a new range hood and replacing some of the appliances. She also refinished the floors and mixed in new colors, cabinet hardware, lighting fixtures and a few other details. She preserved not only the cabinet boxes but also her Taj Mahal quartzite countertops and marble tile backsplash. “I wanted things cleaner and simple,” she says. “I wanted the whole kitchen to feel less boxed in. I had to get rid of some cabinets to make it feel more open.”
After: Removing the upper cabinets around the range made way for a more dramatic vent hood, open shelving and an extension of the marble backsplash to the ceiling. These changes made the cooking area feel more open and airier for whoever is cooking. She also got rid of the small recesses beneath the cabinets, as she was tired of cleaning out crumbs from there.
She had the lower perimeter cabinets refaced with white oak and added custom-fabricated steel cabinets with glass doors on either side of the sink. The white paint on the cabinets and walls is Benjamin Moore’s Ballet White. The designer used a mix of hardware, including acrylic-and-brass pulls on the drawers, brass knobs on the perimeter doors, matte black knobs on the glass cabinet doors and custom horn pulls on some of the island cabinets.
Shop for cabinet hardware
She had the lower perimeter cabinets refaced with white oak and added custom-fabricated steel cabinets with glass doors on either side of the sink. The white paint on the cabinets and walls is Benjamin Moore’s Ballet White. The designer used a mix of hardware, including acrylic-and-brass pulls on the drawers, brass knobs on the perimeter doors, matte black knobs on the glass cabinet doors and custom horn pulls on some of the island cabinets.
Shop for cabinet hardware
Replacing the sink and faucet was part of the project, and Merz added a sink apron in a quartzite that matches the countertops. Also, the microwave used to be along this upper cabinet run. Now it’s beneath the counter, just outside of where this photo ends on the right.
Check out our beginner’s guide to get started on your home project
Check out our beginner’s guide to get started on your home project
Before: The wall on the left was filled in with cabinets between the appliances. The remodel offered the opportunity to break it up in a stylish way.
After: Merz broke up that wall with elements like this spice cabinet with glass doors. The glass makes it easy to find everything she needs when she’s cooking. The cabinet also adds a personalized touch.
Merz also broke up that appliance wall by replacing the existing solid white pantry door with a white oak door. The antique mirror inset, tiled walls, apple green shelves and ceiling light inside provide fun little surprises.
Shelf paint: Fraser Fir, Benjamin Moore
Read more about this kitchen renovation
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Shelf paint: Fraser Fir, Benjamin Moore
Read more about this kitchen renovation
More on Houzz
Read more kitchen stories
Browse kitchen photos
Hire a kitchen remodeler
Shop for kitchen products
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A young family
Location: San Diego
Size: 221 square feet (21 square meters)
Designer: Susan Wintersteen, principal designer and owner of Savvy Interiors
Before: A couple in San Diego with children chose this Tuscan-style home because of its location, size and architectural details. While they liked the layout of the kitchen, they wanted to update it in Spanish modern style. They hired designer Susan Wintersteen to help them get the finishes just right.
Hire a local kitchen designer