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White Kitchen Reveal ~ A Before & After

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We have lived in our current home for quite a while now, and I have hated the kitchen since day 1.  It’s not like it was absolutely horrible, it just wasn’t me.  I love white.  I have wanted white cabinets for years, but was terrified of painting them myself.  I thought it would be horrible…lots of sanding, priming, painting, then repainting.  So I just lived with the dark, smudged, and faded cabinets until two weeks ago.
Please do excuse the dishes…we live here ;)  Okay, see the faded cabinet right under that sink of dirty dishes?  I can’t tell you how much that bothered me!  I tried touching it up with stain, but it wouldn’t stay…that door gets a ton of use because our trash can is behind it.  There were smudges and scratches everywhere, and I just couldn’t fix them.  So, when Brooke at Get Outta My Head {Please} posted a Nuvo Cabinet Paint Giveaway, I entered…AND WON!!!  Woot woot!
I painted those dark and dirty cabinets a lovely white!  It took me two days, because I was also doing other things at the time.  I cannot tell you how easy it was!  I started by opening my cabinets and painting all of the small wood pieces first…yep, I left my cabinet doors on while painting!  It took 3 thin coats to cover the dark cherry, but it went on like a charm and dried pretty quickly!  Isn’t it lovely?
Now I can decorate with all of the pretty bright colors I love…everything bright and cheery!
While I was brightening up my cabinets, I decided to take the leap and put up the beadboard wallpaper I had bought months ago…I love it!!!  My friend Meg at Nutmeg Place used it on her backsplash, and gives the full tutorial on how to hang it!  All I can say is I LOVE IT!
A good friend gave me an entire bag of rubbed bronze knobs, which happen to match our light fixtures, so I saved a pretty penny there…aren’t friends great?  My chalkboard menu used to seem lost in all of the darkness…now it just pops off of the wall!  Looks like my sweet Kate left her momma a nice little note too ;)
We made a little area by the toaster for breakfast prep…cinnamon toast, french toast with powdered sugar, and sweet paper straws for our milk can all live together now.
Now my kitchen and Breakfast Nook are a match made in aqua and white heaven!
So, what do you think?  Do you like the before or the after?  Do you dare paint your kitchen cabinets?  The sink and counter tops are next!
Wanna see more?  My entire home is on display at Debbiedoo’s !
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~Jessica

Comments

  2. I think it looks amazing! You did a wonderful job and I wouldn’t even guess that the cabinets were painted. I love the color palette and your style. :)

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  3. It looks very nice. We are going to paint our kitchen cabinets in the next few months, but I’m dreading it. Our hinges are visible, so we’ll have to take the doors off. I’m estimating 2 weeks of work.

    Anyway, I usually don’t go for white, but white really is a great choice for kitchen cabinets, and yours look fabulous. That’s what we’re doing!

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  8. Love the White! I painted our cabinets white years ago when we moved in – makes everything so much brighter & clean looking.
    Your pops of aqua didn’t “pop” much w/the dark cabinets – now they do!
    I also love what you did with the little chalkboard clips on the basket. I bought some of those from Michaels weeks ago, simply because they were cute. Had no idea what I would do with them :)
    Great job!

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  10. Oh Jess, it really looks amazing! Mine took 2 weeks! I’m jealous it only took you 2 days! I’m partial to the backsplash… just sayin’!

    XO

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  11. How cool that you didn’t have to remove the cabinet doors to paint!! That’s my kind of project!

    Love the lighter, brighter kitchen! Is there any french toast left over for me?
    Kelly

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  14. Looks great, Jessica! The white really pops and I love your accessories. I have my kitchen half white and half black and it makes a huge difference.

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  17. You KNOW I love a white kitchen :) Looks great Jess! I bet you just stand there and gaze at it :) You do huh? It sure came together pretty. Kudos on all your hard work!!

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  18. Jess! WOW! What a difference the white makes! I am sooooo totally going to paint our cabinets! I think I’ll wait for a day when Scott’s off pheasant hunting, so it’ll be all done when he gets home. HA! Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! Can’t say it enough! It looks absolutely fabtastic!

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  19. Looks great! I think the countertops look awesome with the black appliances. Black and white have made a comeback! In one of the pics, is that a toilet paper holder storing your soup bowls?

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  20. I love it so much!!! I love looking at all your little details! My Mom had that white bowl with the tulips on it…my sister has it now…I am trying to steal it ;) ~Julie

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  21. Girl this is an unbelievable makeover…I just can’t get over how cheery and bright it looks now. Can’t wait for the tour tomorrow.

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  22. I love your newly painted kitchen. I love the white cabinets and have them too. Love your beadboard wallpaper too. You did a great job and I know you’re enjoying it.
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia ;)

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  23. I love your newly painted kitchen. I love the white cabinets and have them too. Love your beadboard wallpaper too. You did a great job and I know you’re enjoying it.
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia ;)

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  24. Love them! Your kitchen is adorable! Question – what kind of paint did you use?

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  26. Wow– the power of paint for sure. Love the white! Love your little menu sign too–how nice to be organized enough to have your meals planned. I so need to do that :)

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  29. Your kitchen looks so crisp and bright and everything just pops. What a difference some paint can make :) I am stopping over from Overflowoing party.

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  33. White kitchens are my favorite right now. I love the remodel.

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  35. You did a wonderful job! It’s all so fresh and pretty! Isn’t it much nicer to walk into a bright kitchen than a dark one? Love it. Saw you over at DIY Parade. Would love it if you would share this at my Make it Pretty Monday party at The Dedicated House which goes live at 8am CST on Monday. http://thededicatedhouse.blogspot.com Hope to see you at the bash! Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse

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  36. Wonderful job!! Did you have to put a varnish or finish coat on your cabinets?

    Judy

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  37. This looks amazing, Jessica!! My friend is talking about doing something similar. I can’t wait to show her your transformation. Great job!

    Johnnie

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  38. Oh, I just love it! The cabinets turned out great, I can’t believe you didn’t even have to take them off!? and the beadboard wallpaper, did you say?? awesome!!

    Your breakfast nook is still just so inviting, and wants me over for coffee still, hehehe…there I go again, inviting myself to your house ;)

    Great job!!!

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  39. I think it’s gorgeous! LOVE the white – perfect for your colorful accents and looks so pretty! What a great transformation!

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  43. I love the white! We got rid of our dark cabinets as well and went with white. Isn’t it so fun waking up to a bright white kitchen in the am :) I love having my cup of coffee now in there :)

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  45. wonderful makeover!
    i painted our kitchen cabinets a creamy white 2 years ago — love them. just remember to save some paint for those touchups.
    Especially the cabinet under the sink! I touch up the cabinet paint once a year, before Thanksgiving, and that’s enough to keep the paint looking fresh and chip free.
    You will adore your “new” kitchen.
    I do mine.
    Cass

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  46. Just bounced over from Lil’ Luna’s Link Party 98 and I just have to say Wow! It even looks like you replaced your counter tops–even though they were there before. I have to look for some of that beadboard wallpaper too!
    So, you didn’t have to sand and prime and everything? Just paint? That would be so awesome!
    Great job (PS–where did you find the Kurig in a color????)

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  47. What a gorgeous transformation! Congrats on your kitchen’s makeover! I love that you were able to keep the doors on the cabinets as you painted…that makes it sound a bit easier and I just might get around to doing the same!

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  50. You are my new hero. that is what i want my kitchen to look like. we have horrid brown laminate cabinets and i’ve always wanted white cabinets. we’ve been in our place for 14 yrs and i think i have suffered enough. i want your look and your fantastic taste. just found your site from looking at Giani Granite. i saw your kitchen and it took my breath away, right there was my kitchen all done in white and beautiful. now i have to read, read, and research to see if i can do that too. need to find out health risks (bad heart / have to watch out for fumes)and see if this will go over laminate and pressed wood. was it terribly difficult? do you know if it would cover and not peel off of laminate? that is why i haven’t done anything before because i was told everything would peel off of laminate. i have thought of doing this for so long. i even designed a new bar (on paper) at the end of my kitchen with pieces given to me by friends. i want a bar with all drawers… LOL. i only have 4 tiny drawers in my kitchen, so all drawers in the bar. counter height cabinet with a old weathered plank for the bar, set about 12-16″ higher than the counter. we live in the country so i love old weathered wood, just have to figure out how to seal it for cleanliness. have two tall wooden bar stools that i thought i’d do in the white also or maybe black for contrast. gonna paint all the counters dark, maybe black, and add some red in my kitchen for a splash of beauty. i love red, i’d have red in the counters but i don’t want solid red and don’t know how to put it into the marble / granite effect that i’ve seen.
    i have chewed your ear long enough. if you know about the treatment on laminate, i would so appreciate it. any suggestions for what and how to do the counters would be appreciated also. do you think that treatment would work on the bar stools also?
    you have a lovely kitchen, i hope some day that i can do mine in white also. white just makes it brighter and prettier. thank you

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  51. Hi! Your kitchen looks awesome! Just wondering how your cabinets are holding up. I would love to repaint mine white (they’re cream now). I used the Giani granite paint and was initially happy with it, but now it’s chipping in several places. Just wondering how durable the cabinet paint is. Thanks!

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  52. hey i was just wondering how your cabinets are holding up? we were looking to use the nuvo for our cabinets but are scarred with a little one and dog.. hope to hear from you soon!

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  53. Recieved my cabinet paint. In the middle of the job And I love it. Please tell me if there is a way to post my before and after!

    Reply

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  4. […] year, I discovered that wallpaper has actually taken a turn for the better when I was working on my white kitchen reveal.  I was cruising the aisles at my favorite home improvement store, when I noticed they sold […]

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