Commencing Kitchen Makeover: Phase 1

Err... actually, I guess this is sort of phase 2 already, since I have painted in there once. But this is the REAL makeover, not just a stop-gap!

Here's where my kitchen is now (more or less, I've done a few things since this shot was taken!)


Dark red oak cabinets, dark reddish counters, dark reddish linoleum floors... all in all way too dark! Despite the patio doors and double window I need the lights on in there pretty much all the time!
I know I want to paint the cabinets white, and brighten up the walls. Ideally (at some point!) I would love to replace the counters with butcher block (sort of impractical, but I LOVE them!), and run the same wood floor we installed in our dining room through the kitchen as well.


In a great flurry of "must get started!" last weekend I ran out and got a couple color samples to see what my idea might look like. That one white cabinet looks so funny! (Don't worry, that door is coming down, so I can test on it without worrying about messing it up!)


I also know I want to turn some of the cabinets into open shelving and paint the interiors an accent color.

But what color exactly? Well, not the one I just put up there! Something a little more green, I think. I've got all the chips stuck up around my giant iron trivet, since that's one thing I'm pretty sure I want to stay in the room!
Here are a few of the inspiration pics I'm working from:

This one from Better Homes and Gardens has the sort of glam-cottage feel I want. I love the colors, though I don't know if I'll do that green on the walls, or just inside the cabinets.


Not sure where I got this shot from, but I LOOOOOOVE those counters! And the white combined with the wood and the tarnished silver... ooh yeah...

How can you not love Brooke's kitchen from Velvet and Linen? Both in this incarnation, and the update! So light and airy! She's also made great use of different textures. Lots to be inspired by here!


And then I kind of like these two 50's looking ones from coastal living.


I'm seriously contemplating spraying my fridge a minty-blue color!


This is something like I'm hoping my doorless cabinets might look with a little trim added on. (I think this shot was also from Coastal Living.)


And finally, I would love to put some kind of sparkly mother-of-pearl backsplash up like this one. I think a full backsplash is well out of my current budget, but I'm thinking I could do something above the stove and sink at least! (again, lost the source on this photo, let me know if you know who should get credit!)
That doesn't exhaust my inspiration file, in the least, but I think these shots give the best taste what I'm going for.
Stay tuned to see what I end up doing next!

The Big Kitchen Reveal!

When we moved in, the kitchen walls were a pale yellow (that looked sort of greenish) and the light fixture was an ugly standard (the cheapest they sell at home depot.)
Here is a picture:


I wanted to paint it a nice cheery yellow, but found that all that very red woodwork made finding a yellow to stand up to it very difficult. (That's the ugly light fixture.)

The one on the left was a strong enough color not to look green, but it made the wood look cheap, and it also looked very orange in daylight, which wasn't what I wanted.

That's the same color in different light...

So I decided to go for a more subdued wall color with a crazy fun chandelier.

The paint is Morning Gold from Freshaire Choice at Home Depot.

The chandelier is from Gallery 802. The color the fixture came in was more of an eggnog than an ivory, so I spray painted it ivory before I hung it. And those red shades are from Lowes.

Are you shocked? A subdued (comparatively...) color!
Now my only problem is that I find my kitchen clashes with my living room... which I confess I suspected would need to be repainted in the near future about three strokes into painting it blue. Not that I don't LOVE that color, ADORE the blue... but it's maybe a bit much for the living room.

I'm thinking more pink... a nice salmon-y seashell-y pink... Only time (and about 75 paint chips) will tell...