Friday, January 30, 2009

Dreaming of a Face Lift...

Not for me, silly, for my kitchen cabinets!


I have what one would call "builder-quality" honey oak cabinets. And wouldn't you know they don't coordinate well with ANYTHING in their current state. But they are in surprisingly good condition, so I've decided to take on a low-cost, high impact project this spring: Give this kitchen a face lift!

First: Paint the cabinets a pleasing creamy white. Our entire main level is black, cream, and caramel, with a red accessory here and there. A creamy white like Benjamin Moore's Mascarpone will work wonders to brighten and refresh the space.


Second: Add hardware. While I still can't decide on knobs or handles, I absolutely want the hardware to be black or dark bronze. When Erica and I visited a model home recently, the house was full of black/antique bronze hardware, and it was absolutely stunning. (We'll post more about our tour soon.)

From Cottage Living:


And finally, a slightly more ambitious goal this year: Install crown molding along the top of the cabinets.


Ours don't quite make it to the ceiling, so I want to dress them up a bit by cutting and installing a bit of crown molding along the top of the cabinets. In doing some research on crown molding, it looks like I can get molding for a reasonable price at our neighborhood Lowe's.


So there you have it, big plans in 2009 for the kitchen! (P.S. I've declared 2010 the "Year of the Granite Countertop." Hasta lavista laminate, hello granite...next year!)

Have you refaced your kitchen? Send us pics at girlmeetshome@gmail.com -- we'd love to see your DIY kitchen projects!

2 comments:

Kimberly said...

I really like your blog. Maybe you could do this to your kitchen - http://urbangraceinteriors.typepad.com/the_blog/renovation/

Erin said...

Thanks, Kimberly, that's a REALLY good idea. Raising all of the cabinets would also let me add a microwave above the range, saving some much-needed counter space. Thanks for checking us out and thanks for the link -- I've bookmarked it!

Erin