It is very rare that a project goes EXACTLY according to plan around here, but the green cabinets Robert and I envisioned for our kitchen a few weeks ago have turned out just like we had hoped and more!
I’m officially smitten over our Sherwin Williams Billiard Green lowers.
Side note: Forgive the weird lighting and purply/teal color casting all over the place, but as soon as we attached the doors, I went all photography ninja in here just as the sun came up so that I could snap a few pictures for y’all before the electrician arrived for the next phase of this kitchen refresh.
My photos really don’t do the color justice at all, but I’ll be sharing more in better lighting really soon since we already have more changes finished in here.
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This is how far we’ve come since adding the faux pressed tin backsplash and paint:
Since this is only a refresh to hold us over until we do a major gut job to change the layout of this kitchen, the paint, hardware, and lighting swaps are really the only tools we’re using. But I’m always amazed what a big impact those three things can do for a space.
If you didn’t see my previous post before, I considered a lot of other green paint colors for our lowers, 12 to be exact.
And while we were at it, since the white cabinets were already looking yellowy from age, we painted them too using Benjamin Moore Simply White. (You can see our tried and true cabinet painting tutorial here. Basically, Benjamin Moore Advance paint is the most legit cabinet ever.)
Green was really the winner in our kitchen mainly because we plan to work with the existing leathered granite countertop that has the slightest green tint in it. But since deep green cabinets are quickly becoming a huge trend right now, it’s a win/win.
I love how bold and modern they look, but can still work with traditional style.
It’s certainly much less “vanilla” in here now. And I love that this kitchen ties in so well with the rest of our house that is rockin’ the high contrast.
Dark darks and bright whites have been my jam this past year. It never fails to make a space look high-end with just the cost of paint.
I originally planned to spray paint the existing knobs and pulls too and even experimented with 4 different brass/gold spray paint colors to save us about $75.
Turns out they all just looked really glittery and weird. So I sprung for this pack of aged brass pulls and this pack of matching aged brass knobs that just so happen to tie in with our new lighting that I’ll share later. Totally worth it. And at least now I know for sure they’ll hold up to wear and we won’t have possibly chipping spray paint.
We managed to install the cup pulls, but we were still waiting on knobs. It’s really interesting trying to open cabinets without them. 😉
So with the backsplash, paint, and hardware, this kitchen refresh so far has cost us about $340. Pretty amazing considering the cost just to have a pro come in to paint the cabinets would be well over $1,000.
Here’s where we are on the kitchen refresh to-do list:
Cover existing backsplash with pressed ceiling tilesPaint kitchen cabinets Sherwin Williams Billiard Green and Benjamin Moore Simply WhitePaint walls Benjamin Moore Swiss CoffeeAdd new knobs and pulls- Add mini pendant light over sink
Take down cluttered shelf and add command center wall- Swap old track light for new aged brass light
Remove shamrock cut-outs from built-in shelf- Refresh floor grout
- Hang wall art around coffee bar
- Add accent rug
If you want to know more details about how we painted our kitchen cabinets, you can check out my quick video tutorial in my Instagram Stories highlights. 🙂 More updates coming soon! Eep!
HeatherB says
June 11, 2018 at 1:54 pmI so want to do this, but am scared.to.death! of trying to paint my cabinets. I do not want some janky painted DIY cabinet fail in the middle of my open floor plan kitchen, but so desperately want something I like. Keep hoping someday I’ll get up the courage and go for it. With every post I see where it is done successfully, I work up a little more courage to give it a try 🙂
Kitchen looks beautiful, BTW!
Lauren says
June 11, 2018 at 3:10 pmYou can do it! The success is all in the prep work and the Ben Moore Advance paint really is the best (speaking from failures of trying other paints).
Jewell says
September 5, 2018 at 3:15 pmHave you ever painted cabinets that are pressed wood with contac paper wood grain on top??? We live in a manufactured house and the cabinets are cheap but I can’t afford new ones.
Lauren says
September 5, 2018 at 9:31 pmHi Jewell! I haven’t dealt with that personally, but maybe this post will help? https://inmyownstyle.com/how-to-paint-laminate-cabinets.html
Marty Oravetz says
June 11, 2018 at 2:08 pmWow, it really looks fabulous. I am loving how it turned out. Can’t wait to see the lighting.
Lorree says
June 11, 2018 at 2:18 pmLOVE LOVE LOVE!
Nancy says
June 11, 2018 at 2:45 pmYou are a delight and an inspiration. Your style and design sense exemplify what it takes to make a house a beautiful home.
Carol morley says
June 11, 2018 at 2:51 pmA great improvement, but the colour looks blue not green to me is it the light ?
Lauren says
June 11, 2018 at 3:09 pmYes, it is the light. I mentioned it in the post that I had to photograph early in the morning before the electrician came so there are some color casts that make it look teal/purple in spots. And your screen can vary the color too. I’ll share the progress as we keep adding more changes when the lighting is better. 🙂
valarie sanford says
June 11, 2018 at 6:58 pmYOU. ARE. A. GENIUS!
Mary says
June 11, 2018 at 11:27 pmThat is a lovely color Lauren and is in keeping with the whole feel of the room. I can’t believe you did it so frugally!
Stacy says
June 12, 2018 at 2:06 amI absolutely love how it turned out! I really love how you combined working with what you already have (Which now looks so much better!), making it your taste and still prepping for the future. That’s something I am trying to figure out in my home and it’s not always an easy balance!
MARY-ANN (FROM CANADA!) says
June 12, 2018 at 2:38 pmYou are so gifted, Lauren, and what an inspiration you are to all of us! Just love what you have done! Everything is just beautiful! Enjoy! Have a blessed week!
Lauren B says
June 12, 2018 at 3:40 pmLauren…can you give advice on how to paint the actual cabinets? I am worried about having brush strokes. Also, did you use any type of “top coat”? Thanks!
Lauren says
June 12, 2018 at 5:49 pmHi Lauren! We use Benjamin Moore Advance paint that is self leveling to help prevent brush strokes. And we also use a sprayer on the doors since it’s a factory-like finish and is much easier/faster to do. No top coat needed. Here’s the post about our process: https://www.blesserhouse.com/paint-kitchen-cabinets-like-pro/
Rebekah Embree says
June 27, 2018 at 4:59 pmHi Lauren,
Where is your step stool in your kitchen from? I would like to get one similar for my kitchen because I have twin daughters that are toddlers who love to help momma cook. Did you repaint this one by chance because it looks a lot like one from Ikea, but thought I would check with you? Does your little girl use it when helping you in the kitchen?
Thanks
Rebekah