The kitchen is, without a doubt, the place where I spend the most time during the day. To be accurate, our entire family tends to congregate there, despite it being the smallest room on the first floor. There is an eat-in counter, but only one stool (we are saving for ones we love rather than buying more cheap ones that fall apart). There is a giant window that looks out into our back yard so I can see the boys playing while I chop veggies and prepare meals. There are things I love about our kitchen, but mostly it is outdated and strange.
For the past 3 years, Andrew and I have discussed renovating it. And then we realized the renovations we would want to make would be astronomical in expense, and we may as well move if we are going to go down that road.
So, no renovations.
But, as I perused my “Kitchen” board on Pinterest, I started noticing a theme. Simple. White. Wood elements (I would kill for hardwood floors). Subway tiles (maybe). Open shelving. And I decided that there are a few things we can do that don’t cost a lot of money that I feel will make a drastic difference in the space. 
The first, most obvious thing, is paint. We have plenty of windows and natural light in our kitchen, but the medium-finish on the cabinets makes it almost cave-like at certain times of the day… especially in the winter. And let’s face it, the Swedes are onto something with their white walls: I’m figuring that because they must live with so many hours of darkness for part of the year, the white helps tremendously.
And so, with a huge bucket of primer, I have been painting. Every day during Emil’s 2-hour-long nap, I set Milo and Oliver up with an activity (one I will share with you this Thursday) and get to work. As soon as they are in bed for the night, I am back at it, listening to podcasts of This American Life and various music (thanks, Mary) as loud as I dare. It feels really, really good to finally do something to this space that I inhabit so often.
The downside? Everything, I mean everything, is in disarray right now. There are drawers on the dining room table drying, cabinet doors on our back deck and scattered throughout the kitchen, propped up haphazardly against walls, the contents of our cabinets are in the basement or spread out over every available counter space. It’s a wreck. But once it is complete, I think it’s going to look amazing.
P.s.- I will keep you updated on the progress of the kitchen as it comes along. The above paint is just primer. We decided on Martha Stewart’s “Pure White” after trying several different shades and brightness, and I will show you a picture of that once it’s in.
P.p.s.- Do you know how crazy-making it is to try to choose a white? Too bright, too dull, too bluish, too creamy, too stark… aaaaaaaahhhhh!
Wow! What a difference the white makes. I love the open concept. It’s going to be lovely.
Ah! You are living my dream right now! (I mean, I guess aside from the disarray, but still…) A white kitchen. Right now our cabinets are all peely because of the use of no primer when the previous tenant painted, and they’re mustard yellow on the surface and baby blue underneath. I’ve been doing a good job ignoring them for the past few months but as soon as I have money for paint? And you know what? I kind of like your cabinets openfaced. They look more spacious that way.
Just keep telling yourself that all the mess and chaos will be over soon and then you’ll have gorgeous cupboards and a lovely space. We just redid the entire downstairs floor and everything was insane for a while. But it was totally and completely worth it. Deep cleansing breaths.
I LOVE the white and can’t wait to see it finished. I didn’t know how great white cabinets were until I had them.
Honest question – Don’t you have to sand off a bit of the old finish to get the primer to stick / last?
How fun! Our kitchen is not my style at all and I’m also pining away for more brightness, but now is not the time 🙂 You did a great job with the primer, it’s going to look awesome. And yes, picking white is just as tough as any other color- so impossible. I have a list of favorites from past work, but it never matters because they look different in a new room, with new light, etc. I’m sure yours will be just right for the room!
As for sanding the cabinets before priming, I found that it wasn’t necessary. It may depend on how glossy your cabinets are, or what primer you use: I sanded a section first and compared primer with and without sanding, and they looked identical, so save yourself the effort! If you use a very sticky primer like Kilz Latex Primer/Sealer, you should be fine without sanding first.
A coworker of mine recently re-did her entire kitchen, but she went for a grey/white combo–white cabinets, grey walls. Choosing the right shade of grey for her paint drove her (and us) totally nuts–too blue, too institutional, too pale, too dark, too green. When she finally found the right shade, the entire office rejoiced!
I forgot to ask…. What stools are you buying?
Jamie, we aren’t sure yet, but I am loving this style:
http://www.restorationhardware.com/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod2110535&categoryId=cat280014
I am SO interested in seeing what you do to your kitchen without officially remodeling! This has been a dream of ours as well….
xo
cortnie
I love those bar stools…. And you can’t go wrong with RH. Their stuff is awesome. I have been looking at these stools…. http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Christopher-Knight-Home-Adjustable-Natural-Fir-Wood-Finish-Barstool/6087759/product.html?cid=209797&fp=F&TRACK=CSEShopzilla&mr:referralID=1a2a6de2-c26e-11e2-9dea-001b2166becc#product-detail
I’m with you on the white. The previous owners painted my cabinets white, but did a terrible job and used cheap paint that permanently absorbs every fingerprint and grease splatter. I’m repainting soon. The importance of the “right white” can’t be overstated!
I just redid our banquet (which acts like our pantry), so I feel your pain. I will post pictures. Hopefully before you are done with your remodeling. 🙂 It already looks great!
Wow, just the primer has already made a huge difference! It’s going to look great x