Kitchen of the Week: Refacing Refreshes a Family Kitchen on a Budget
Two-tone cabinets, vibrant fabric and a frosty backsplash brighten this eat-in kitchen
Becky Harris
February 12, 2016
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia.
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe... More
With two teenage boys going off to college in a few years, this couple didn’t want to break the bank on a kitchen renovation. However, they were tired of living with the room’s dark and gloomy style. In addition, they wanted a closer connection to their backyard patio, which they had to walk through another room to access. By repurposing what she could and keeping the existing layout intact, interior designer Sabrina Alfin was able to give them a bright, fresh and new-to-them kitchen at about a third of the cost of a complete renovation.
“After” photos by Dean J. Birinyi Photography
Kitchen of the Week
Who lives here: A couple and their two teenage boys
Location: San Carlos, California
Size: 209 square feet (19.5 square meters)
Designer: Sabrina Alfin Interiors
BEFORE: While not compact, the previous kitchen looked small and cramped because it was so dark. In addition, the family had to cart food and drinks through another room to their backyard entertainment space. However, their appliances, granite countertops and cabinet bases were in great shape.
“At first they thought they wanted an all-white Shaker kitchen, but I thought that could wind up looking too stark and antiseptic for them — I wanted them to have something more cool updated to reflect them,” Alfin says. So she nudged them toward a two-tone cabinet scheme that injected the room with more color.
Learn more about using two-tone cabinets
Kitchen of the Week
Who lives here: A couple and their two teenage boys
Location: San Carlos, California
Size: 209 square feet (19.5 square meters)
Designer: Sabrina Alfin Interiors
BEFORE: While not compact, the previous kitchen looked small and cramped because it was so dark. In addition, the family had to cart food and drinks through another room to their backyard entertainment space. However, their appliances, granite countertops and cabinet bases were in great shape.
“At first they thought they wanted an all-white Shaker kitchen, but I thought that could wind up looking too stark and antiseptic for them — I wanted them to have something more cool updated to reflect them,” Alfin says. So she nudged them toward a two-tone cabinet scheme that injected the room with more color.
Learn more about using two-tone cabinets
AFTER: “My clients liked blue but didn’t want nautical navy or to go too beachy,” Alfin says. Instead, she helped them find a grayish teal that’s updated and sophisticated.
One of the biggest cost savers was refacing rather than replacing the cabinets. The designer added new custom Shaker doors and drawer fronts, updating the classic style with long bar pulls.
Lower cabinet paint: Refuge, No. 6228, Sherwin-Williams; upper cabinet paint: Ice Cube, No. 6252, Sherwin-Williams; bar pulls: Emtek
One of the biggest cost savers was refacing rather than replacing the cabinets. The designer added new custom Shaker doors and drawer fronts, updating the classic style with long bar pulls.
Lower cabinet paint: Refuge, No. 6228, Sherwin-Williams; upper cabinet paint: Ice Cube, No. 6252, Sherwin-Williams; bar pulls: Emtek
Alfin didn’t stop at just blue and white. She knew that her clients loved deep reds and wanted to find a fabric that incorporated those while tying into the teal. She also knew that spicy colors would warm up the blue and white scheme and steer it away from a coastal look.
She had the built-in bench refaced in white, with new drawer fronts and hardware that coordinates with the cabinetry. The eat-in area is an important part of the room, as the family enjoys almost all their meals together in here.
New recessed lighting and vintage-style glass pendants help brighten the room. Framed groups of vintage bottle caps add an eclectic touch. In case you’re wondering, the door leads to the existing pantry.
Chairs: Crate & Barrel; bottle cap artwork: Bed Bath & Beyond; Eastmoreland pendant lights: Rejuvenation
How to Reface Your Old Kitchen Cabinets
She had the built-in bench refaced in white, with new drawer fronts and hardware that coordinates with the cabinetry. The eat-in area is an important part of the room, as the family enjoys almost all their meals together in here.
New recessed lighting and vintage-style glass pendants help brighten the room. Framed groups of vintage bottle caps add an eclectic touch. In case you’re wondering, the door leads to the existing pantry.
Chairs: Crate & Barrel; bottle cap artwork: Bed Bath & Beyond; Eastmoreland pendant lights: Rejuvenation
How to Reface Your Old Kitchen Cabinets
BEFORE: Here’s a glimpse of the original upholstered bench. The family wanted to keep the existing table, and Alfin made it work with new chairs, a refaced bench and new upholstery.
AFTER: “I was looking for fabric that had a lot of visual interest and has the blue in it, and I found a bunch to show them — my clients fell in love with this one,” Alfin says. “It was so much fun to work with them, as they were so willing not to go down the neutral path and to take artistic risks.”
Rowten fabric: No. 4354 in Fiesta, Pindler & Pindler
Rowten fabric: No. 4354 in Fiesta, Pindler & Pindler
The upholstery has a contrasting welt detail.
Callahan welt fabric: No. 2381 in turquoise, Pindler & Pindler
Callahan welt fabric: No. 2381 in turquoise, Pindler & Pindler
BEFORE: The room didn’t have a physical connection to the adjacent patio and outdoor entertainment area.
AFTER: The biggest structural change to the room is the new window over the sink, which opens to the patio. Alfin took out the cabinets flanking the original window, which gave her room for a 7½-foot-wide window. Of the window’s three panes, two slide open to the outdoors, making it easy to pass food and drinks through to the bar counter on the other side.
Another cost saver was preserving the existing granite countertops, but the coordinating granite backsplash had to go. The designer replaced it with classic 6-by-3-inch subway tiles. Next she added a border of 3-by-1-inch frosty glass accent tiles. “We could have gone with just white subway tile, but it would have looked too monolithic,” she says. “We wanted to break it up without too much contrast — we already had that from the two-tone cabinets.”
She also added LED lighting underneath the cabinets. Previously the only source of light on the counters had been from the vent hood.
Arctic White subway tile: Daltile; Frost Iridescent accent tile: Water & Light series, Boyce & Bean
She also added LED lighting underneath the cabinets. Previously the only source of light on the counters had been from the vent hood.
Arctic White subway tile: Daltile; Frost Iridescent accent tile: Water & Light series, Boyce & Bean
A spicy mat at the sink picks up on the colors of the bench fabric across the room.
The floor looks like weathered driftwood but is actually porcelain tile. Because the homeowners have dogs, they needed the durability of porcelain.
Sidecar floor tile: SpeakEasy series, 36 by 12 inches, Crossville
The floor looks like weathered driftwood but is actually porcelain tile. Because the homeowners have dogs, they needed the durability of porcelain.
Sidecar floor tile: SpeakEasy series, 36 by 12 inches, Crossville
When it comes to refacing cabinets, Alfin says that although finding good-quality paint-grade doors and drawer fronts is important, the key is finding a great painter. She recommends looking for someone who is very detail-oriented.
“They should do good prep work on the cabinet bases first, filling in all the holes,” she says. She also says it’s best if the painter has a spray booth in which to paint the doors and drawer faces before bringing them to the house to install. “It’s not cheap, but it’s still a lot less expensive than buying all new cabinetry,” she says.
How to Reface Your Old Kitchen Cabinets
“They should do good prep work on the cabinet bases first, filling in all the holes,” she says. She also says it’s best if the painter has a spray booth in which to paint the doors and drawer faces before bringing them to the house to install. “It’s not cheap, but it’s still a lot less expensive than buying all new cabinetry,” she says.
How to Reface Your Old Kitchen Cabinets
The floor plan shows the bar counter on the other side of the window.
Browse more Kitchens of the Week
Browse more Kitchens of the Week
Related Stories
Kitchen Makeovers
Kitchen of the Week: Beer, Shuffleboard and Pizza Bring the Fun
Entertaining features and a warm industrial style create a lively atmosphere in this revamped Craftsman bungalow space
Full Story
Kitchen Makeovers
Kitchen of the Week: Airy Beach Style in a Lake House
By Becky Harris
A designer creates a cottage feel by adding classic architectural elements and mixing white with warm woods
Full Story
Kitchen Makeovers
Kitchen of the Week: Baker’s Dream Kitchen With Two Islands
A kitchen-family room makeover adds happy' aqua cabinetry and a dedicated baking space to a Massachusetts farmhouse
Full Story
Kitchen Makeovers
Kitchen of the Week: Open Feel With White-and-Wood Japandi Style
A design-build firm helps a couple relocate their kitchen to gain space, openness and a warm and welcoming look
Full Story
Kitchen Makeovers
Kitchen of the Week: Bold Black Style With Nods to ‘Star Wars’
A designer helps a young couple create an open kitchen with a large island and a dramatic look with fun sci-fi roots
Full Story
Kitchen Makeovers
Kitchen of the Week: Rich Color and Style in a 19th-Century Condo
A 160-square-foot kitchen in a Chicago three-flat gets a traditional look with dark green cabinets and authentic details
Full Story
Kitchen Makeovers
Kitchen of the Week: Former Barn Gets a Modern Rustic Style
A designer opens up a closed-off kitchen and creates a warm and moody look with walnut cabinets and black details
Full Story
Kitchen Makeovers
Kitchen of the Week: Respecting History in a Seattle Bungalow
By Becky Harris
A designer uses an English-inspired palette in the kitchen to honor the style of the landmark Arts and Crafts home
Full Story
Kitchen Makeovers
Kitchen of the Week: White, Wood and Blue With Cottage Charm
A 181-square-foot kitchen in a 1920s Atlanta bungalow gets a light and airy makeover filled with small-space ideas
Full Story
Kitchen Makeovers
Kitchen of the Week: New Location for an Open Layout With Style
A designer transforms a dining room to create an airy kitchen with an island, natural light and white-and-wood style
Full Story
I think their intention was to restain the floor darker. We just didn't get to that final change
Amazing - a total update using same layout and existing materials. Love this designer.
I’ve been told that I can’t replace my loathed porcelain floor without gutting my kitchen, these homeowners didn’t gut theirs. Something for me to think about!