"How it all started in the kitchen..." - The Lemonheads

They say the kitchen is the heart of the home. I'd like to say it's the new living room. Meals are created, loved ones come together, dance parties take place, etc. So, in my opinion, you need to love this space. Although there were so many things about our kitchen that I loved when we moved in (Viking appliances, windows, wood burning stove...), there were also things that I knew needed to change. One item: the cabinets. Although nothing is wrong with cherry cabinets, it just ain't my thing. And since we just installed our new dark hickory hardwood floors, I knew it was time to say adios to our cherry cabinets. Along with a black granite countertop, this color combo was just too dark for me and couldn't hang around for long.

Like many others, replacing the cabinets was not in our budget. So we opted for the next best thing...painting them. I've always had a vision of my dream kitchen having dark floors with everything else white. White kitchen cabinets are chic and seemingly timeless. They work in kitchens of all sizes and with vintage, traditional or modern design aesthetics.

I figured it could't be too difficult to just paint them white. However, after hours and days of research on how this is done, and how I could possibly get myself through a task this big, I finally decided that...well, I can't. Not without my husband killing me (as he'd end up doing half...well most...of the work). So we decided to call in the pros - Lori and Sal from The Dusty Attic Shop: a trendy store for upcycled antique furniture, custom signs and home goods. The shop is also one of just two dealers in Suffolk County of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. Not only do Lori and Sal purchase and refinish furniture, they’ll also do so as a service to customers. They use dealers that can help people find pieces they’re envisioning but can’t quite find in area stores or online. I was thrilled that they expanded their business to go into people's homes to paint their kitchen cabinets. We couldn't be happier with the work they did in our kitchen. The entire job took about a week. Three coats of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Pure White and one coat of poly.

Here is an article on their step-by-step process of the job: Painting Cabinetry with Chalk Paint.

White cabinets can serve the same purpose as white walls, amplifying natural light and offering a canvas on which to create your kitchen. They don't need much to look great just by themselves, but you cam make your white cabinets look even better by adding finishing touches. Most people can never have enough kitchen cabinet space. However, a large expanse of white cabinets can look plain if it’s not wearing any jewelry. Yes, cabinet knobs and pulls do for cabinets what a necklace or earrings do for an outfit. They provide the finishing touch and make everything feel complete. For a bit of pure elegance, I decided to go with antique brass hardware.

And here are some pics of everything complete and put back together:

So the dream kitchen is almost complete. The only two items left to redo are the backsplash and the countertop. The ideas are in place, but the work still needs to be done. However, I'm not telling you what's up my sleeve for those. ;) You'll have to check out my "Kitchen Reveal" blog, which will hopefully be posted in the next couple of months, to see the new backsplash and countertop!

Thanks for stopping by all! And Happy Memorial Day!

xo, Claudine

Drawer Pulls in Antique Brass - House of Antique Hardware

Cabinet Knobs in Antique English - MyKnobs.com

Kitchen Runner - Rugs Direct