Kelly Christakos Stivers

Treasure hunter, reinventer, interior decorator, furniture refinisher & dog lover, creating champagne spaces on a shoestring budget. kstivers@Hotmail.com

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Thursday
Jul262012

painted cabinets

Recently, I've been gearing up for a major overhaul....painting upper and lower cabinetry in a ginormous kitchen for a client, who also happens to be a good friend.  No pressure, right?  Haha! For the last few months, we've been going over color selection and whether or not to add a soft glaze to her oak cabinets when, all of a sudden, girlfriend pulled a U-ey and is now contemplating whether she should  stain them darker, instead.  Don't get me wrong - I loved stained cabinetry, but her kitchen does not get a lot of natural light and since we're on a very tight budget and can't afford renovations of any kind, painting them a lighter color would add a breath of fresh air to an otherwise dark space.  Here are some of the inspiration photos I sent her to help make her decision.  I'm off to Philadelphia for my brother's engagement party this weekend, but I'll know next week whether I'll be painting or staining these cabinets, so stay tuned!

I love the soft gray cabinetry and trim in Sally Wheat's kitchen-they blend so seamlessly with the marble countertops and soft white walls:

Joni Webb's kitchen is stunning in its simplicity, as well.  Her cabinetry is such a whisper-light shade of gray:

The lovely and uber-talented Erika Powell of Urban Grace Interiors knows a thing or two about painted cabinets.  Many of the homes in her portfolio boast cabinetry in soft-hued nuetrals that are breaktaking:

Despite my preference for white kitchens, Windsor Smith's jaw-dropping navy blue cabinets and trim is at the top of my list of dream kitchens:

Martha Stewart is a pro at tone-on-tone kitchens and her gray Beford Farmhouse kitchen is no exception.  Gray cabinets and walls exude warmth and softness:

What do you think?  Would you go with painted or stained, after seeing these beauties?  I'm sure you can tell which way I'm leaning....stay tuned!

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Reader Comments (4)

Definitely painted! I keep going back and forth between a grey and white kitchen or navy and white kitchen. I think the grey is the safer choice, but this navy kitchen is to die for: http://pinterest.com/pin/78179743501829597/
I hope she makes the "right" choice :)

July 28, 2012 | Unregistered Commenterangela foster

As for the color of your cabinets, whether you go with a painted color like a cream, hunter green, brown or black, you’ll want a color for your kitchen cabinets that creates the ambience for the room. Since most of the wall space in a kitchen is covered by cabinets , kitchen cabinets are what really set the tone of the room. Once you decide on a color for the cabinets, then you can address the colors for the appliances, the floor covering and the walls.

July 28, 2012 | Unregistered Commenterplumbing supplies

Me, too, Angela! Me, too!

July 30, 2012 | Registered CommenterKelly Stivers

We're about to move next month and our house kitchen is not that renovated yet, so we contacted alder cabinets  and asked them what could be the best piece of art our kitchen would perfectly suit. They've given several examples and we all love it. I love how you placed all of the plates and utencils in it.

September 25, 2012 | Unregistered CommenterMelissa

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