Decorchick!

The Moment You’ve Been Waiting For…Our White Kitchen Makeover Reveal!!

Well today’s the day! Finally. We have our dreamy new white kitchen and I couldn’t be more ecstatic about it. I guess it’s been about 4 years now that I’ve wanted to do this, so to be able to write to you all that it’s really done, just blows me away. Fair warning though, this post will be picture heavy but it deserves it. And here it is.

White Kitchen Makeover

I seriously get giddy each time I walk into it. And don’t forget our entire breakfast room is windows and I just haven’t figured out the trick to photographing windows yet. It annoys me but I did my best. Anyway…

I will add sources for everything on the bottom of this post. I am even going to do a separate post on painting the cabinets because they deserve their own.

But for now, let’s look at a few before pics…

Then we redid the backsplash last year…

And then here’s a side by side to compare.

Kitchen Before and After

Such a crazy difference I can’t believe it when I look at the old pictures.

Again for reference on the entire kitchen makeover process:

I bet you’re wondering if we did the cabinets ourselves, and the answer is NO. For a multitude of reasons. And here’s a few for you:
  1. I don’t have the time. I’m still nursing so I can’t exactly just drop off the kids all day or for a few days and just work on this project.
  2. I don’t have the space. Our garage is packed to the max. And I have 20something doors and drawers.
  3. I wanted them to look professional and be sprayed. I don’t own a good sprayer yet. Nor do I have the space to in the garage to even lay them out anywhere to be sprayed.
  4. Our cabinets were heavily grained and the grain was deep. And I didn’t want the grain to show through when painted. I was afraid it would if I were to try it. If my cabinets were not grainy oak, I might entertain the idea of doing it myself.
  5. I like a good DIY project and I know this can be done, but for me and our particular cabinets, this job was better left to the professionals. Some things are just worth paying for y’all. You don’t have to DIY everything.
Now with that last statement about not having to DIY everything, it’s true. Some things are just better left to cabinet painting pros who have done this many many times and for several years. And please know that having your kitchen cabinets painted by a professional is not just going to cost you a couple hundred bucks or something. You will pay for it, but trust me. It.Is.Worth.It. I would have been on my own with this project and I just couldn’t have done it alone, nor could I have gotten the smooth as a baby butt’s finish like my painter did.
Modern Cabinet Hardware
For you locals (Houston and surrounding cities), I hired Wood Finisher Pro & Repair, Inc, and the painter is Adel. He really did a fantastic job and is quite the perfectionist like I am. And no I’m not getting paid to say this. I’d highly highly recommend him. And I will get more into the paint and the process of how he painted them in a different post don’t worry. We sort of butted heads on which paint to use, but ultimately I let him win because he is the professional and I know this is what he likes. Me telling him all of my home blogger girlfriends use this and that really didn’t do much for him! haha.
Yep, that’s oil based paint! Again I’ll get into all of that in a different post but I must say that it did leave the most beautiful finish ever on our cabinets. Special thanks to Sherwin Williams because they did provide the paint for this project so thank you!!
The Cabinet Paint Color:
  • I went with Sherwin Williams Alabaster. It’s a perfect white. Creamy white but not yellow or antiquey white. It’s not stark white either which I did not want. It really is just the perfect creamy white and I would love to do all of our trim throughout the house in this color.
  • Fun Fact: When the painter went to get me a sample of Alabaster at SW, I also wanted to get a sample of the famous Benjamin Moor Color “white dove.” Well, it turns out that SW’s Alabaster is the exact formula of white dove if you were to match it there, so boom, I guess you could say my cabinets are white dove also. :)
Here’s what the inside of my cabinets look like. Adel hand painted the cabinet frames and all of the doors and drawers were sprayed at his shop.
Cabinets Inside
He could have sprayed the insides if I wanted him to, but I didn’t. They just would have gotten tore up from dishes and I didn’t really see the point. I like how it looks anyway.
Same deal with our drawers.
Kitchen Drawers
I do like how he painted the sides of the drawers so they are still white when you pull them out. Nice touch.
I added these little felt pads to all of my cabinet doors and drawers to protect them when they get shut.
Cabinet Felt Pads
It would have been a shame if my new paint job already got chipped or something from people slamming the doors shut. These pads are a lifesaver and will help our cabinets hold up very well over time. I got these at Home Depot.
Okay I think now I’m just going to show you a billion pictures so get ready. :)
Creamy White Cabinets
Desk area…
Built in kitchen Desk
Kitchen Countertops
Kitchen Accessories
Quartz Sink
Painted Cabinets
Kitchen Cabinet Decorating

White Kitchen Redo

Kiss the cook

Kiss the Cook Jars

Kitchen Makeover

White Kitchen Cabinets

Sherwin Williams Alabaster

White Cabinets in Kitchen

And another before for grins and giggles…

Kitchen Before

And after.

White Kitchen Makeover

I’m so grateful you all have no idea. It really is such a joy and I can’t believe I have a white kitchen now!!

Again, here’s another brief rundown (click the links to view the posts and info):

I think that’s about it. Any other questions feel free to leave in comments! And yes since everything is white in there now and the walls grey, I really wanted some color so I used some colorful accessories that I love. And I may have gone a little crazy on the boxwood plants, but I couldn’t help myself. They are so cute!

Now I want to know if you’re ready to paint your cabinets??! Are you going to attempt to DIY or hire it out?

Sharing this post at Sarah’s before and after party.

xxoo,

Decorchick!

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Comments

  1. Dria @ Dio says

    WOW, your kitchen is absolutely gorgeous, you outdid yourself! I love everything about it. The old kitchen was really nice the way it was but the all white, with those counters look stunning! I’m so happy to finally see the end result it was worth the wait!

      • Laura Snow says

        Your white kitchen looks stunning. My California painter recommends oil based paints too. How do your cabinets look now 3 years later? Has the white yellowed? Did you put a bit of gray in your white paint so it would darken to a grayer white?

  3. Lori says

    Wow I love your kitchen! You did a great job. BUT I have to know where you got that little stack of turquoise/aqua/orange/yellow/white bowls from?? SOOO cute!!

  4. Lucrecia says

    Love it!! I’m about to start the big project of painting mine myself. I just can’t afford to hire it out right now and I’m afraid I’ll end up never having it done if I keep waiting!

  6. Niki says

    WOW!!! It looks A-MAZING!!!! I actually LOVE that the inside is still brown…I thought you had painted it that way, until I read that it was left from before…so cool. FABULOUS job!!!

  7. Amanda Padgett says

    It looks FANTASTIC!!! You did an amazing job! I love that it didn’t take $50,000 (like most kitchen remodels) to give your kitchen a whole new look.

  8. Leah N. says

    WOW! This looks amazing! I didn’t see if you used the same wall color (SW Balanced Beige) in the kitchen as the rest of the main floor. Is it the same? If not it transitions beautifully into the other room.

  9. Kristina says

    Wow! It looks stunning. I saw your post on countertops and have been looking to see the whole room. It is really beautiful. I was also so happy to read about your countertop choice and why because I have been leaning toward the new HD laminate as well. And now to see the finished product makes up my mind! Enjoy your new space.

  10. Tania Luna says

    BEAUTIFUL!!!! It is such eye candy through my phone, I can understand why you get giddy everytime you look at it! We painted our cabinets all white last year, my sweet husband sprayed them in our garage, it was a huge project, ALOT Of work but worth it in the end. Congratulations on such a beautiful kitchen!! Love love love!!

  12. TidyMom says

    oh Emily it’s BEAUTIFUL!!! I’m so jealous – we rent with such ugly kitchen cabinets (Formica) I SO wish I could have a pretty white kitchen!!

  15. Kalee says

    Love! Now that pantry door just needs a splash of color (maybe turquoise, robin’s egg blue??).

  16. Jennifer@ Blissfully Ever After says

    Emily,
    Your kitchen totally caught my eye from Sarah’s Before & After party! I love the AFTER!!! It looks fabulous! One of our projects for this year is to redo our kitchen and painting the cabinets will be one my to-do list. I am a little nervous but think I can do after being inspired by your kitchen cabinet makeover. Great job!
    xo,
    Jennifer

  18. Lori m says

    Your kitchen makeover is beyond breathtaking, beautiful. I even adore all the little finishing touches, ” Kiss The Cook” canister set, awesome!

    Hugs, Lori m

  20. Julie says

    Absolutely fabulous! I’m so jealous now! I’m sick of our honey-oak cabinets, but have yet to convince the man that white or grey or anything else will look better. Maybe once I paint the walls…

    Again, beautiful.

  21. Tys says

    Beautiful!!

    We actually used Sherwin Williams Alabaster as our trim paint when we painted our house last Sept! Fab color!

  25. Liz @ Infuse With Liz says

    You did an amazing job. This is a case where the room really does look bigger because of the color. Your wall color, counters and backsplash look fabulous. I really like the backsplash tiles you used and the countertops are beautiful. The island looks so much more impressive.
    I don’t think I could talk my hubby into painting ours but this is a good one to show him for a hint!

  27. Dee says

    Emily your new kitchen is absolutely beautiful. The white made a world of difference. I have been wanting to do the same thing to my kitchen, but I knew that Painting the 31 cabinet doors and 13 drawers was not an option. I will check out the painters, do not know if I can afford it, but it is sure worth looking into. Thank you for sharing all your great information. You have saved me lots of time and some money with all your hints.

  28. Edie Cummings says

    Love, love, love it! My kitchen cabinets are also white & I’ve never regretted the choice. My neighbor, who originally had dark wood cabinets, liked mine so much she immediately had hers painted. Really does brighten everything up & make the room look bigger.

  31. Anonymous says

    @Lori: Those look like Latte bowls from Anthropologie. I just pinned some on Pinteret last week!

  32. Jill says

    Like it, I took the plunge and have actually painted mine twice, they are now a rusty brick red, I really like them.

  34. TQ says

    Love, love your kitchen and the rest of your house! I just found your blog yesterday and couldn’t be more excited. I’ll have to catch up but I’m in Houston and my bestie-neighbor has your floor plan. Kimball Hill builder? I have the Rosewood and will be using your great ideas to update my house. Love the floors! Keep on blogging!!!

  35. Anita says

    Emily, it turned out fantastic! I love the new brighten up look. The desk extension is a great addition. I too recently painted my kitchen and it was the best change I could have made. I don’t hate my kitchen anymore! Perhaps it’s time to show mine off a little too.

  37. Natalia Magdalin says

    It looks AWESOME! But I couldn’t help but notice that I space above the fridge seems not done. Additional cabinets would have been nice…

  38. Nancy Wiebel says

    It looks really, really nice! I’m amazed at the difference. You had a nice kitchen before (you took good care of it and didn’t let it look “run down”), but painting the cabinets and making the other changes spruced it up and gives it a totally different look. I personally love white cabinets, so it’s not hard to love your new space. Great job!

    Nancy

  39. Donna Lynn says

    WOW WEE!!! I am sooooooooooooooooooooooo super happy for you! I know what you have just gone through, I am in the process of painting every square inch of my 4,000 sq ft house, every door, every cabinet, every baseboard, and my husband and 3 boys if they stand still too long! What a blessing to have them done, I may hire out my kitchen too after reading your post. Thanks for all the inspiration!!!!!

  41. cheri morgan says

    I wish I had someone spray ours, I hired a painter, he painted by hand last February, did a good job I thought, however they have chipped in a ton of places, and he sanded, primed and did 2 coats with BM Advance paint. I am disappointed to say the least. Probably explains why it only costs about 600 bucks. Live and learn! Yours look great!

  42. Olivia says

    I liked the wood cabinets better but the white cabinets are still nice! I think the “Kiss the Cook” jars are adorable!

  43. Lauren says

    I love your kitchen, especially the counters. Do you have a budget breakdown? I’m contemplating something similar for my own kitchen.

  45. Little Bit says

    Your new ‘white’ kitchen looks amazing! love all your choices, especially the one to finally paint the cabinets! :) Little Bit

  46. Luz says

    wow im loving it from the simplicity and arrangement and design is superb. I’m gonna make it my model kitchen

  50. elaine says

    That is an amazing transformation. I have a kitchen layout almost identical to yours in AZ but I have maple cabinets and black granite counertops…….that was here when we bought it. I would love to paint the cabinets white or have someone do it but I don’t think I would ever convince my hubby to do it…..men and their wood! I think you were probably smart to hire it done and though it might have been expensive, it would be much cheaper than putting in new. Congrats on a job well done!

  51. Brenda says

    Everything about it is beautiful! Our painter is coming this Tuesday to paint our cabinets in BM White Dove! I’m so excited! Any chance you remember where you got the Chalkpaint Canister set?

  53. Lara says

    Can you tell me where you found the fabric on the kitchen chair at the desk? It is simply beautiful!

  54. Elizabeth says

    Hi – Your cabinets looks amazing. We’re thinking of investing in the same and I was hoping you could give me a rough idea of how much a project like this costs? Also, would you recommend spraying as opposed to using a brush and roller? Thanks and enjoy!

  55. Julie @ Being Home says

    Stunning and impressive! What an amazing makeover! Congrats on being featured at Thrifty Decor Chick! :D

  56. Anonymous says

    GORGEOUS. soooo nice. have you ever considered painting your pantry door in say, black or a nice blue-grey?

  58. Crunchy Diva says

    You totally rocked this project. And I LOVE that the post is picture heavy! I can see every detail and I really appreciate that. And are you serious? Laminate?!! Totally, awesomely impressed.

  59. janice says

    Love the make-over. Can you tell me about the sink? Why black? Does it show water spots a lot? Dirt? Are you liking it in terms of every day use?
    THANKS!

    • Decorchick! says

      Janice I love love LOVE my sink! It’s so weird because you hardly ever see water spots. It’s so easy to clean. You’d think otherwise but it’s true. Love!

  61. Deirdre says

    I LOVE your new kitchen!!! I want to feature it on Houselogic in June. I just sent you an email. Can you reply when you have a chance? Thank you!!!!

    Deirdre

  63. Deirdre says

    Hey Emily

    I know you are super busy. I just sent our photo permission document to you. It’s a formality. It just helps us to caption your images exactly the way you want them too. FYI, the article about your white kitchen should go live on June 13th.

    Thanks!

    Deirdre

  64. Deirdre says

    Hey Emily:

    Sorry to bug you again. It’s a formality I have to do — I just need you to response to the following questions (shown below) in regard to the two images we will be using to highlight our article about your kitchen (we will also encourage readers to click to your site to get all the nitty gritty details). I sent you an email with the links of the image we plan on using. Just send me an email back with responses to the following. THANK YOU!!!

    · You own the image rights.

    · You have the authority to grant to the National Association
    permission to use the images as described.

    · You grant that permission.

    Please also let us know:

    · How you would prefer to be named in the image credits.

    · What URL you’d like the image credits to link to, if any

  65. Katie says

    Holy cow I am excited to have found this post!! Your kitchen is almost identical to ours (as far as layout!) and I have been trying to figure out what counter tops would look best with our white cabinets and satin nickel hardware. I’ve always loved white cabinets so I was stoked when our house that we just bought had them!

    • Lori says

      Holy cow Katie you just read my mind. I was about to post the same comments and then noticed yours! Emily, how well do these countertops hold up to everyday life? Currently building a new house and was positive I wanted granite, but now not so sure. I have tons of cabinets, therefore would need tons of granite! For the price point I could replace the formica MANY times!!! But I do have concerns about staining, scratches, etc… Anyway, love your kitchen and glad I found this post.

      • Decorchick! says

        Lori this formica has been awesome. I could be wrong but one of the features of laminate is how it does not scratch/stain etc. I definitely hadn’t had any. Love love love it!

  66. Sue says

    Love, love, love your kitchen! So fresh! We are about to paint our ugly 80’s dark oak grainy cabinets off white and can hardly wait!!! And really love your countertops – can’t believe they are laminate! I love the low maintenance of laminate – despite the granite world we are living in! Can you please share the laminate brand and color name and where you got them? Did you have installed or did you install yourself? Thank you for sharing your beautiful kitchen!

  67. Sandy says

    Hi! LOVE your kitchen! I am having my kitchen painted Dove White tomorrow!! Can I ask what color your walls are painted? I am looking for a “greige” color. Thanks!

  68. Kay says

    What a beautiful kitchen! I’m also tired of the Oak cabinets but I think they’ll have to stay this way for a while. Can you please tell me where you purchased the wreath for your pantry door? I love it!

  71. Christina says

    I love your kitchen. Looks great. Where did you get the canisters where you have kiss the cook on them?

  72. Bonnie says

    It kind of looks like the pictures show a different color of white on the upper cabinets than on the lower cabients. Is this the case or is it just the lighting? I just love the way that they look – glad you are happy with them!

  74. kathy t says

    Do you have a link to all your paint colors including the charcoal door? I was reading your post on the silver wreath and ended up on this post. Lovely kitchen. And I am going to make the wreath :-)

  75. Ngoc says

    I love your laminate countertop. Contemplating between travertine, Crema Mascarello or the Calacatta Marble. I saw formica at the big box stores but didn’t really like the feel of them. I must admit they didn’t have the three that I was looking for, but the samples they had were too shiny, grainy and “plasticy”. I’m very confused as I LOVE your countertop and it would be within my budget!!!! Does your countertop have a smooth surface or a grainy one? Also did you buy sheets and have it installed or whole countertop?

  78. Lidonna says

    Did you use satin or semi-gloss on your cabinets. I love the color you selected.

  80. Emily says

    They are beautiful!!! The best before/after white kitchen cabintes I have ever seen. So I have a question- you said you used a satin finish. Were you apprehensive to use satin in a kitchen? Do they wipe up well or do you wish you had used a semi-gloss?

  81. Melissa says

    Hi- I absolutely love your kitchen transformation and it is the single blog (out of hundreds of them) that I used most to re-do my cabinets. now that I have the granite installed, I am stuck on a backsplash. Looking for ideas, I thought to check here and of course I LOVE your backsplash. Could you tell me what material/color you used. Your whole post is so inspiring. I just hope my kitchen looks half as good as yours when I’m finished. Thanks!

  83. Nancy says

    I am so glad to have found your blog, we too have a Perry Kitchen and have your old cabinets and navajo white trim and want to change them to white. My question to you is did you change your trim, pantry door, bead board 1/2 wall from navajo white to the new Alabaster White color? We are unsure of what to do with ours. We want white cabinets but are afraid they won’t match the rest of the house’s trim color. And I am absolutely going to call Adel for a quote! You have given me so many ideas!

    Thanks,
    Nancy

  84. Paula says

    Thank you!!
    The painters have been here for 4 days now, stripping and deglossing my entire downstairs. Saying goodbye to paneling. Yippee!! Sooo I got a sample of SW Alabaster today and I love it so much then decided to get some opinions and found your website. Now I know this color is going to be gorgeous on all my wood downstairs.

  85. Sharon in Baltimore says

    Honey, your kitchen looks amazing! I found your site when I Google’d how to get the grain look out of my painted kitchen cabinets. We already had two coats of paint up, but I sent my carpenter right out to get the Sherwin Williams paint in Alabaster. They only had acrylic. Guess what, my island redo come out marvelous! We are going to do the kitchen cabinets this summer. I’ll send you some pictures. Thanks again

  87. Tracy says

    I’m about to have some cabinets painted white and came across your post. I love what you did! I would love to know the wall color that is with the cabinets. It’s looks like grey-beige.

  91. Patty says

    What is the backsplash tile? I am using that formica and the Alabaster White for my cabinets! THank you

  92. Courtney says

    Absolutely gorgeous! I’m having difficulty with my new alabaster cabinets because they look so yellow. Yours however do not look yellowy at all. What wall color did you pair them with? And is your trim still very white?

  94. Jessica Kruger says

    Love your kitchen. I want the same cabinets, countertops and sink! How has the undermount sink held up with the countertops?

    • Patty says

      You are right, Maribeth! I checked too. They are VERY different colors. Alabaster seems more yellow to me

  96. Dee says

    The cabinets look great. The whole kitchen looks great. You mentioned that you had laminate counter tops put in, can you tell me what kind, where did you purchase etc. We did a makeover in our bathroom. We had lovely solid oak cabinets and when I looked at the quality of cabinets that I could purchase from menards / home depot, nothing compared to the quality we already had. We pulled of the doors and drawer fronts and hand sanded them all down and stained the doors and drawers natural and the cabinets frames were stained a darker color. Kind of like the two tone cabinets you see. It came out great. Was hoping to do that in the kitchen also, but it was so much work.
    Anyway I’d like to know about the brand / manufacturer of the counter top, since my counter is pitiful and really needs to be changed.

    • Decorchick! says

      Hi Dee, all of the information and links about the countertops should be in the post. The color is called Crema Mascarello and Formica.

  98. Dawn says

    Love your new kitchen. Just beautiful!! One thing I will say is to remove everything from the top of your cabinets and then step back and some pics. You will be amazed at how much less cluttered and gorgeous your kitchen will look without all that stuff up there :)

  99. Pat says

    I love it! My hubby painted our really dark cab too. It turned out great n we didn’t need to spend a crazy amt either. We got Formica countertops that look like a granite then put in a one piece laminate floor that looks like a wood floor n added a nice backsplash, new hardware n stainless steel appliances n a new kitchen was born! Lol.
    U did a Great job too. Kudos to u!

  100. Susan Clark says

    I’m screaming help about cabinet colors! Do you still love your Alabaster color? It looks really white white in your pictures. Does it lean way yellow or more a little gray? Thanks

Trackbacks

  3. […] the ceiling in Alabaster from Sherwin Williams (same color as our bedroom walls and ceiling and kitchen cabinets), and the walls I painted in Agreeable Grey, also from SW. It’s a very pretty light grey and […]

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