Kitchen Makeovers: Before and After
Kitchen makeovers, updates, renovations, remodels …
Kitchen Paint Colors
Choosing kitchen paint colors seems an easy enough task, but once you start looking at the vast area of colors available, it can be a little overwhelming. The kitchen tends to be one of those rooms where people gather for conversation, family games, and holidays. The color of a room can make people feel happy or sad or anxious. Think of that dull green of hospitals that was so common years ago. This has been replaced in many hospitals with bright yellow because administrators realize that color plays a key role in illness and depression.
Home improvement centers and paint stores are full of color samples and cards to help you choose. But there are so many, so here are some kitchen color ideas to help you choose the right one.
First, begin by looking at the other kitchen paint colors in the room. For instance, if your cabinets are a dark colored wood, a bright yellow or green would not be appropriate. Other examples of things to be considered are the presence of stainless steel appliances, countertop colors, whether or not the room has wallpaper or chair rails. Are there windows or doors in the room? Do you want the same colors for those or would you prefer a contrasting color? All these things must be considered before choosing your kitchen paint colors.
The important part of choosing kitchen paint colors is to compliment the other items in the room, not take away from them. For some kitchen color schemes and ideas, first visit your local paint store and get some sample cards. Hold them against the cabinets and appliances in the room to get a general idea of what looks good, what kitchen paint colors you like and what seem to go best with your other furnishings. Ask yourself what exactly you hope to achieve with the new paint color. If you’re looking to make the kitchen seem bigger, choose a brighter color such as a birght yellow or green. If you want a cozier feel, choose a warm color such as tan or muted blue.
Wallpaper can compliment these colors, but choose carefully. Avoid stripes or dots and go for something that will blend in, not be spotlighted. You want people to feel relaxed and at ease during their meals and color can greatly influence this. Don’t choose anything too distracting.
The kitchen should be a peaceful yet happy place and the color you choose will be important. Also, remember that if you already have white trim around doors and windows, these will look great with your new wall paint colors so plan on sprucing these up at the same time. If they are not painted white, this may be a good time to paint them. Nothing looks better than bright white trim! Once you’ve done this, narrow down your choices to two or three colors that you really prefer and then revisit the paint store. Ask for or purchase a small amount of each of the paint colors and then paint a small area of the room with these colors. See the colors in different light situations and at different times of day. Get other family members opinions and ideas.
Once you decide the color, you must then decide what type of finish you want. A flat finish looks beautiful and smooth, but is not good for clean ups. The best paint for kitchens seems to be a satin or semi-gloss paint. This can easily be wiped down and cleaned which is important in the kitchen, where grease, smoke and odors can dull the paint.
Choosing kitchen paint colors can be overwhelming, but with the above tips, you will hopefully have an easier time. Remember also that the employees in the paint store can help you too!
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Replacement Cabinet Doors
Remodeling your kitchen to make it more modern or to clean up any old or damaged fixtures can add both financial and aesthetic value to your home.
Kitchen cabinets are often one of the first fixtures to require attention, however replacing the entire cabinet unit can be very costly and time consuming. An alternative to complete cabinet replacement is to simply install replacement cabinet doors to your existing cabinets.
Replacement cabinet doors can be custom made to fit your cabinets and your desired look. Cheaper replacement cabinet doors are often made from laminate, which is often a fiberboard material covered in a durable and long lasting plastic coating. You can also buy unfinished cabinet doors that are ready for your primer and paint. Unfinished cabinet doors are often fiberboard or wood that have no existing coats of paint, varnish, or sealer on them so that they accept paint well.
Replacement cabinet doors are available online from wholesalers or from local carpenters. You can even visit large commercial chain hardware stores to order cabinets, although these locations often charge more for the product. Shopping around for the best price can really pay off!
Also wise is the decision to consider a variety of finishes (i.e. paint, stains, glazes, etc.) for the one that will last the longest and look the best in your existing kitchen decor. Finally, additions such as unique hinges can really bring an interesting look to your cabinets. Search online or in the hardware store for these, or be adventurous and look at junk yards or resale shops for antique pieces.
No matter what you decide, though, remodeling your cabinets is certainly a wise-investment in your home for both equity and look.
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Kitchen Before and After pics from petit hiboux
I rather like the buttery yellow cabinet color myself, but petit hiboux is right that color just doesn’t go with the newer bright colors in the other rooms.
In the after shot – the cabinets have been painted white, the copper-colored hinges have been stripped back to the underlying pewter color, and the walls are bright blue. All good, but now the harvest gold fridge sticks out like a sore thumb and it’s hard to know what you could do with the spotty tile. Tile over it would probably be the best bet, if it’s solidly attached to the wall.
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Kitchen Cabinet Makeover examples
I’ve been wandering through the many kitchen makeover videos online, looking at what other people have done to their existing kitchen cabinets, since I don’t plan on ripping my perfectly serviceable (if ugly) cabinets out.
The kitchen cabinets in this video are very similar to mine – face frames with flat slab doors. These people painted the frames black, then glued pale birch veneer onto the door fronts and varnished. Looks great, though I would probably go with a light color for the frames instead of black. They also did a lot of other work but left some old countertops in place. Given that counters are one of the simplest things to change, that seems a bit odd, but maybe they have Stage II in mind!
Next, a low budget makeover on a kitchen that was really pretty good to start with. They changed the wall color from dark green to a light color, changed the faucet and the light fixtures, and the cabinet pulls, and bingo – what a difference!
Finally… well, to me, this is a “what not to do” makeover. Bright red floor, bright red door centers on white cabinets, bright red tabletop, and far, far too much fruity wallpaper. The final straw is the ugliest chandelier in the world over the sink. I wonder how long the homeowners kept it like this?
I’ll just have to remember to take video of mine when the time comes, eh. Still working on the bathroom right now though, sanding drywall mud <cough>.
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