Back in December while doing some late night Christmas shopping at Wally world, the hubby and I ran across some (small size) on clearance for $30. They had Ultra White and Cabernet left so I scooped up the last two Ultra White kits and ran walked to the checkout with them. The idea was that if we changed our minds we could always return them or sell them to someone else but maybe we could use them and $30 a kit was a great price! The kits have been sitting in my basement since December and now that the weather is getting warmer, the kits are calling my name from the basement and they are getting louder. Either that I’ve inhaled too many paint fumes recently and this is just a side effect, hallucinations.
Just for a refresher, here is what the kitchen currently looks like, some of these are from January and some from a few days ago.
Our kitchen has a nice layout and the cabinets are in great shape, they are 11 years old but not really showing any wear at all. The appliances are staying of course, seeing as they are only 9 months old although I’d love for my dishwasher to die and go to dishwasher heaven.
Now onto the inspiration photos which are always the best part of any blog post! You can find these and many more over at my .
I have loved white kitchens for a very long time. When we built our house in 2005 I went with maple cabinets because I was too chicken to get white cabinets with small children. In the last house we remodeled the kitchen and I went for white cabinets and really loved them, a lot. The only downside is that everything shows on white so there will be constant wiping down of cabinets because with four kids and two dogs, it’s not going to be white and clean for long. Not that I don’t wipe down my cabinets but if it’s anything like my couch and chairs that are white, I might go insane.
Gray has been a favorite color of mine since before we were married, so maybe since 1993? My wardrobe for a long time was 80% gray or black. Gray cabinets are so lovely looking, not quite as dark as black but better at hiding dirt and grime than white. Hubby is not on board with all gray cabinets but he defers to my schemes as I’m better at this than he his. 
The kitchen gets plenty of sun so I’m not worried about it feeling cave like at all. I have thought about just painting the peninsula gray but that might look weird seeing as it leads into other cabinetry. The debate is on, gray on the bottom, white on top? All gray? All white? I’d love to hear from you about your kitchen or your friend’s kitchen or someone who has done this.
i love the painted cabinets! we will be redoing our kitchen next spring (that’s the plan anyhow!) and i will be painting ours, too. check out my post at decor and the dog today- it’s all about what i want to do to our kitchen! i want to do herringbome slate tile and showed it to chris and he loved it… YAY. happy dance! your kitchen has great space and bones so it will look awesome with your touch!
I’m so excited to see this transformation!! I’m getting ready to do my cabinets as well with the Rustoleum kits. I’m thinking of doing an Antique White with the dark glaze. I’m a huge fan of the two-tone cabinets (gray on bottom, white on top). Also take a look at The Lettered Cottage’s kitchen:
Good luck to you!
We have such similar kitchen layouts, Ange! I love the idea of gray on the bottom, white on the top. Go for it! What an exciting project that will make a huge impact in your home.
i love those putty colored cabinets
in a couple of the inspiration photos
i painted our cabinets black
a couple years ago
and have really liked it
but they still require
a fair amount of wiping
as spots show up well on black
can’t wait to see what you do!
alison
I’m a little biased because I have all white cabinets, but I just LOVE the look! I think it’s neutral and it makes it easy to change out accessories and decor. I know either way will look great, but I say go for all white!
I think a white kitchen is classic. You can never go wrong and you can change it up easily. I would do the white cabinets and then paint the walls a great gray color. That way you get the best of both.
Hey Ange, here’s my wishy washy, noncommital answer…haha…personally I’d probably do all white cuz I like the versatility of it and I hate painting so I wouldn’t want to have to re-paint if/when gray goes out of style. But then again, I’ve never actually lived with all white cabinets so I don’t know how hard it would be to keep that clean. Gray sounds like a good option for less cleaning…. And honestly, it’s your house and if you LOVE gray, I say GO FOR IT! Especially since hubby gave you the go ahead.
And I love your chalkboard wall to the left of the fridge – that’s so cool!
Ooo love those inspiration photos! I think I would vote for painting them either all white or maybe grey on the bottom and white on top. Either option would be so bright and airy!
We had grey cabinets throughout our kitchen and loved it, but ended up painting them white eventually. But at the time I didn’t even think about leaving the bottom a different color. Go for it! I think it will look beautiful either way:)
So exciting! I used those kits on my cabinets and 1 year later, they look great! Love the grey on the bottom idea. So pretty!
I like the idea of two different colors. Can’t wait to see what you do!
I love gray on the bottom and white on top. It’s fabulous!!
Xx. Patience
I looooooove all white kitchens. That last one is pure perfection. Can’t wait to see what you come up with!
I have the same exact cabinets and layout as you and I’m planning on doing mine over with the Rustoleum kit as well, I’m gonna do mine in Black. My countertops are a black, cream and brown granite and I’m hoping it won’t look too dark but I’m afraid to do it a cream because I’m afraid it’ll look dingy, looking forward to seeing what you decide.
Well you know how much I love a white kitchen, I also ADORE the two toned cabinets. I think either way you go it will look great. Your kitchen has such a nice layout and is so bright, it already looks nice, it’s going to look amazing when it gets the Ange touch!
Heather
Yep. Gray on the bottom and white on top. Brushed nickel pulls. Add some (also-painted-gray) bun feet at the bottom of the peninsula to set it apart and look like a piece of furniture. I’m not opinionated, am I?
I have always loved the kitchen where the chick is standing. I still have the Better Homes and Gardens that she was first featured in
I love the gray she chose because it sorta camouflages the appliances.
Could you raise the cabinets on the window wall and add some open shelving underneath? You might, as I do (the shelving in my basement cafe’) love the open shelving, too. If you keep a theme with your dishes on the shelving, it looks awesome!
Had to laugh when you mentioned your wardrobe colors. Ugh. Mine, too, is 85% gray, black, white or a combination of the above! My fave is actually black with white polka dots.
Also, if you hate the gray after painting the lower cabinets, you can repaint it white, right?
I will pray that you enjoy the process! And take a rest from paint fumes now and then.
Love, me
P.S. Via email, I will set up a time with you this weekend when I will call you next week? Is that okay?