An Inside Job
Lately I’ve been noticing glass front cabinets with a twist. The twist is that the backs of the cabinets have a little somethin’ extra. Sometimes they’re wallpapered. Sometimes they’re beadboard. Sometimes they’re upholstered. And sometimes they’re painted. So after living with our very own glass front cabinet for a little while, we decided to join the club.
In about two hours I painted the back of our corner cabinet the same beachy blue-gray color that’s on the walls. I left the shelves white and just painted the back wall to keep the contrast high and make the white plates and dishes pop against the new moody backdrop. Can I just say that it was so worth the effort? Subtle and sweet. Check it out:
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Love it! Where did you get your cabinets/countertops from? I would love to replace ours but it seems so expensive.
Hey Ashley,
Our cabinets are from KraftMaid and our counters are “Pashmina” granite- both purchased through the Home Depot since they offer complimentary kitchen design. They definitely weren’t cheap, but were a good long term investment for us (we plan to be here a looooong time and needed something durable and well made).
We saved up for a while to make sure we could afford the splurge and searched high and low for bargain fixtures, low labor quotes, and as many rebates as we could snag through Home Depot (like $300 off our granite purchase and a $500 rebate for the cabinet order).
We also got our wood flooring through Lumber Liquidators for about half of the price you’d pay anywhere else and did as much of the work as we could ourselves (painting, demo, ordering appliances, etc).
A kitchen overhaul is definitely not a cheap undertaking, but if you’re creative you can find ways to get more bang for your buck. And if you don’t have much of a budget, you’d be amazed at the difference a few coats of white latex paint (over one coat of oil based primer) can make on your current cabinets along with some shiny new hardware.
xo,
Sherry
Nice! It looks so much better that way.
Lovely! It provides just the right POP of color! I love your kitchen…..strike that, I love your whole house =)
that makes a lovely difference! funny how such small things can have a big impact. :)
Oh, I have those same scalloped bowls too! From Target, right? Or I have similar ones, at least.
I like the color in the cabinet! It makes a big difference, doesn’t it?
I love how you always find the best little changes to make. Love your blog — you guys are inspiring! :)
Ladies,
Thanks for all the kuddos. We’re definitely loving our new, blue, and improved corner cabinet. And good eye, Nicole, those scalloped bowls are totally a recent Target purchase. Weren’t they a steal at $3.99 a pop? And they’re even yummier when they’re filled with ice cream. I’m amazed you noticed them, but then again you do have quite the eye for detail.
xo,
s
Love it!! Its the perfect shade too.
I’d like to do the same but I don’t want to even go near my cabinets with a can of paint for fear of ruining them. Im a klutz.
It’s definitely worth the effort!! Looks AWESOME!! It does make A LOT of difference :D
Aw shucks guys, you’re makin’ me blush.
xo,
s
Love the update! It makes me wish we had glass front cabinets…
We recently painted the exterior of our kitchen cabinets b/c although they were brand new, they have a not so attractive door and were an icky orange stain. After much trial and error, we’ve developed a goof-proof process. Here is the process we followed, and people are constantly amazed we painted ours by ourselves: take off all doors, drawers, and hardware – sand – oil primer – sand – oil paint (use a roller for even finish) – sand – oil paint. The paint store guy recommended oil paint b/c it is more durable, heat resistant, and won’t get sticky in humid conditions. The stinky primer and 12 hr dry time wasn’t fun, but the results were worth the trouble.
Hey Elizabeth,
Almost two years ago we painted our original kitchen cabinets for a quick update until we could afford a total kitchen overhaul. Instant face lift, right? We used an oil based primer with two coats of latex paint on top, which also had a long drying time but looked pretty darn good. I’ve heard that oil paint is even more work but that the results are even more rewarding, so thanks so much for breaking down your process for everyone!
xo,
Sherry
I stumbled across your blog several months ago and have been intrigued with your style from the beginning. You both have such an ability to inspire through your blog. I continue to come back and read at least every other day if not daily because everything you put your hand to do is so do-able for the average person! You have helped me realize why I’ve always seemed to be paralyzed in not knowing what inspired me, even though I would spend lots of time pouring over different magazines. I thought I liked casual but come to find out, I like the clean lines of the modern style. I have a question regarding your Kraftmaid kitchen cabinets. I know you did a lot of research and wondered if you could share the pros and cons of IKEA cabinets versus the Kraftmaid cabinets. Though I haven’t seen prices of the Kraftmaid cabinets, I’m concerned they might be too pricey for our budget if we were to purchase in the near future. If you think it is totally worth saving up for the Kraftmaid, let me know what you think. Thanks again – Alicia
Hey Alicia,
Thanks for the kind words. Always nice to hear. And we’d love to weigh in on your cabinet debacle. KraftMaid is the most expensive cabinet line that Home Depot carries, and we’re usually not (ok, never) people who buy top-of-the-line items. We must admit it felt weird to dish out mucho bucks for those cabinets, but hearing from a friend who works at a design magazine that KraftMaid is the best and also learning from our kitchen designer that KraftMaid cabinets are good quality “50 year cabinets” made them the obvious choice. Kids can hang on them, you can bang them, slam them, kick them, etc… and they take it all without showing any signs of abuse. Very appealing.
Since we plan to be in our house for a long looong time, paying a lot for a top quality kitchen that lasts a looong time made more sense than getting something more affordable that might last 15 years instead of 50.
We also learned early on in our research that Ikea cabinets are pretty complicated to order in that you have to add every drawer slide, door, hinge, handle and knob to your order yourself and the kitchen comes in about a million pieces for you to assemble. Since we wanted to do it right (and didn’t have faith that we’d be the ones for the job) we decided to go with Home Depot’s installation guy (he rocked) and we’re confident that our kitchen is comprised of quality materials that were installed correctly. And that really helps us sleep at night.
I’d urge you to go with a more cost effective option if you’ll only be in your house a short time (around 5 years or so) but if you’d like to grow old there, it might make sense to save for something that’ll go the distance.
Hope that helps!
xo,
Sherry
Hi Youngsters.
I realize that this is a question to a very old post, I hope that you get it.
My question is…I want to repaint my kitchen cabinets. Previously I painted them with melamine paint. If I were to go to latex paint, would I still have to prime with oil based primer (the melamine is oil based)?
Love your site. Thanks for all of the wonderful tips. I’m new to blogging and hope you will visit my site.
Mel,
Mississauga, Ontario (that’s Canada eh!)
Definitely don’t skip the oil-based primer since it will save the day! Oil-based paints followed by latex bubble and peel, but oil-based primer will be the perfect foundation for the latex paint. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
I love the effect of painting the inside of your cabinets. We are about to paint our kitchen cabinets, including the insides of a few of them. I have a number of glasses that are made from greenish glass, sort of antique-y. Do you have any ideas about what color I could use in the cabinets to really make the glass stand out and will make my white Pottery Barn dishes stand out?
Right now I’m thinking about painting my lower cabinets a greenish/greyish/puttyish/oliveish something and the top cabinets a creamy/slightly tanish something (this is where the glasses will be displayed). These colors are inspired by a selection of free-range chicken eggs I have left over from Easter. They are so so subtle and complex and completely calming, but I have no idea how to use them in a kitchen!!
Hey Amy,
Hmm, good question. A crisp white backdrop would look lovely behind the green glass but won’t make the white dishes stand out. How about just sliding a shade or two lighter than the upper cabinet color you go with for a moody and sophisticated mix. Hope it helps! And we love the idea of chicken egg inspiration!
xo,
s
Hello there,
I just painted the back of my kitchen cabinet…today! How long should I wait before putting the shelves back in and loading it up? Of course, I’m anxious to do it…like…I’m sick of the contents of the cabinet stacked everywhere…but, I don’t want to mess up the new paint job when I reinstall the shelve. Any advice you can give me would be so appreciated. I hope you see this…this is an old post. Thanks again, LizzieBeth
Our best advice would be to wait at lest 48 full hours and even longerif you can stand it. Otherwise you risk thibgs sticking to the shelves and cabinet backs. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Hi there,
Do you by any chance remember the name/brand of the blue/green paint color you used to paint the inside of the cabinets? I just love it!
Thanks,
Laura
That’s Gentle Tide by Glidden. It’s discontinued but they can look it up on the computer for you at Home Depot. Hope it helps!
xo,
s