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Monday, March 25, 2013

Kitchen Makeover



 I've been wanting to give my kitchen a "new look" for quite some time now. When we bought our Colonial-style home over 24 years ago, I had big plans to "update" the kitchen almost immediately. But, being newly-weds, we had little money to invest and so our kitchen didn't see any changes for MANY years. Except for removing the linoleum to find hard wood underneath, adding a new sink area and 1 set of cabinets (the original kitchen had NO cabinets), it has looked pretty much the same as it did when we first walked through those doors the week before we got married in August of 88'. The wood finish throughout had a heavily-lacquered, shiny-look to it that was "all the rage" back then. Ugh!  I lived with it for YEARS because, well, no one paints over beautiful, natural wood that's "original" to the home that was built in 1904....right?
Well...I took back my kitchen!!! (It only took me 24 years)!
With a can of paint & primer, several tubes of caulking and a few other things in my bag of tricks,
here's the transformation that began last Fall....... 

In my excitement to get started painting, I did not take a "before" wide shot picture of the kitchen. I know, "Before and After Projects 101". But here's a picture taken about 10 years ago. It will give you a good idea of what that lovely, heavily-lacquered wood looked like....

Then......

Now....

I DID take "before" pictures of the rest of my kitchen projects though. 
My kitchen island before.....
...and after....



Swinging door from kitchen to dining room "before"....
...and "after"....





We have several "doors" in the kitchen....1 from the kitchen to the dining room, 1 down to the basement and 1 is the door of our food pantry. That's a whole lotta plain, creamy white paint to look at so I decided to add some "texture" by using these panels of faux pressed tin.


You can buy them by the sheet at your local hardware store/home design center. I found mine at Loewe's.



Using the heavy-duty double-sided adhesive tape that is sold with the sheets, I taped them, patch-work-style to the doors.....

...a coat of primer....







...and 2 coats of paint.....

...and ouila!
(Food Pantry Door)

(Door to basement)


...and random photos of the entire kitchen.... 












Primer: "Kilz 2"...no need to sand even the heaviest-laquered finishes.
Trim Paint: "Bone White" by Ben Moore....semi-gloss finish.
Wall Paint: "Pony Tail" by Ben Moore...egg shell finish.




54 comments:

  1. so so pretty, and I love the addition of the pressed tin, it really adds a lot of character. Great job!

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  2. Amazing what one can do with paint!!! So pretty! That was quite an undertaking!

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  3. Love your kitchen Michelle! you did a great job, now you made me want to paint mine!
    Have a wonderful week!
    XOXOXO Ido

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  4. It turned out so beautiful Michelle. I love what you did with the doors and all the other little touches too. Just wonderful!

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  5. Tres Chic! Your kitchen is stunning. How fresh and inviting it is now. Your attention to the details is really what warms this space and makes it homey and comfortable yet beautiful. Happy Hearts are Creative Hearts...

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  6. Wow Michelle, that is one amazing makeover! I am in love with your door, that looks so great!

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  7. Wow.....what a change, it looks lovely, have a great week!

    Smiles,
    Sheila

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  8. It looks so pretty Michelle, that tin on the doors is gorgeous, the perfect touch.

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  9. So beautiful! I adore your kitchen.

    xo Danielle

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  10. Your kitchen looks so beautiful! I am normally a fan of natural/stained wood, but there was a lot of it in your before, lol. Your island looks stunning in the after, and the tin panels on the doors are perfect. Can you tell us what color you used on the upper part of the walls? It reads buttery (without being too yellow) on my monitor, and looks gorgeous!

    Patty

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  11. Gorgeous-ness! So glad you finally reclaimed your kitchen. It is so YOU now. I adore the creamy whites everywhere, and you did manage to keep some wood on the island top and floors of course. LOVE how the island turned out - very Miss Mustard Seed-ish. Well done!
    Can't wait to see you Wednesday...

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  12. Holy moly what a beautiful transformation! Your kitchen came to life ! Ah the beautiful color of white :-) .LOVE,LOVE,LOVE Michelle absolutely breathtaking!
    Magnifique!
    xx
    Anne

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  13. Beautiful Michelle!!!Luv it... especially the tin on the doors.
    Cheers, Gee

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  14. Oh Michelle, you got a totally "new" beautiful kitchen,
    I love what you did to the doors, with those panels...and to your table ,too!
    It is a wonderful room now, looking so bright and light filled,- and love your personal little adds , that you are so clever in doing alwayes!
    Hugs from Dorthe-
    Happy Easter week!

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  15. Sweet Michelle,
    wow love the new look!!!! Now I want to do mine too!
    many hugs
    Karen B.~ Todolwen

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  16. What a gorgeous transformation,Michelle.
    Love it and thanks for the tutorial.
    Hugs,
    Marie

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  17. Well, there's pretty and then there's PML pretty!!! How gorgeous! I thought your kitchen was beautiful "before" but now it's gorgeous!!

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  18. Your kitchen really looks gorgeous, Michelle! It's amazing the light that white wood gives to the rest of the decoration... Congratulations... once again. And happy Easter holidays.

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  19. Your kitchen are so beautiful. Love the doors. What a great idea with the tinn plates.

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  20. Amazing!! Your creativity is absolutlely inspiring. Thank you for taking the time to share them. Have a beautiful and creative day.....Chickie

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  21. Amazing!! Your creativity is absolutlely inspiring. Thank you for taking the time to share them. Have a beautiful and creative day.....Chickie

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  22. your kitchen is simply stunning. adding the faux pressed tin panel to your door was poor genius. it added so much character to it. love it!
    rita

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  23. What a beautiful transformation. I love the beadboard, the open shelving, the doors - it's all lovely.

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  24. Absolutely stunning Michelle!!!
    I have to go back and tour again so I don't miss a single detail!
    Well done girl!

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  25. oh so gorgeous!! What a great new look. Love the tin on the door and as the backsplash. Sigh. Makes me want to go paint my kitchen...

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  26. Oh, yes, yes, yes. I love the makeover. Every bit of it.

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  27. Love everything about it Michelle. What a beautiful transformation.

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  28. Beautiful!! I know it had to be a difficult decision to paint the woodwork but it looks SO good!! I love the treatment you added to the doors. It is a gorgeous space!
    Jane

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  29. Your kitchen looks beautiful! Your home has so much character, I can see why it was hard to paint the trim but it all looks so much larger and fresh now. The pressed tin on the doors is awesome and I like the open shelving, the changes to the island, and oh, to have a pantry! Love it all!

    XO,
    Jane

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  30. Beautiful kitchen transformation!!! So simple, clean and pretty. I bet it makes cooking more fun as well:-)

    xoxo
    Kathleen

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  31. Love your gorgeous kitchen makeover, Michelle. The doors are just fabulous.
    The calming white to the island piece is just perfection. It's a joy and an inspiration.
    Hugs,
    Patti

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  32. You did a wonderful transformation....I love it! It is so refreshing, the white. I like the island also, with the white and the dark. A question though??? What are the things in your kitchen window...over the sink. Stained glass??? dresser mirrors on either side??? Just curious,It looks beautiful from afar, but I would like to see a close up, lol! Thanks for sharing.

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    1. hi marilyn...i went to your profile page and did not see where i could email you so i hope you see this.The centerpiece in the window is just a large metal "frame", if you will, with scroll work. no glass. and, yes, those are old vanity mirrors you see on either side.

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  33. What a delight it must be to cook in there! I absolutely adore every detail...and the brighter, fresh new whites are perfect! You are a decorative, and creative genius! This all belongs in a magazine...and I'm sure at some point that will happen ... heeheee.....

    Love the ornate metal detailing on the door and backsplash. That is gorgeous stuff. Thanks so much for sharing. What a privilege it is to have a peek into your sweet home. xo



    Ciao bella
    Creative Carmelina

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  34. absolutely gorgeous. i love the door ideas. really gives it a uniqueness.{is that a word??} its mine if not. it really does look very nice. wish i had a kitchen door to do that with.backsplash would be neat like that though. table gives me a grat idea, so now i may do that instead of getting a new one. if it scuffs, may give it its own uniqueness, or should probably NOT PAINT THE TILES on the table. im so rambling. anyway you did a sweet job. glad you finally got to do what you wanted. you so deserve it. enjoy my dear....

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  35. I am so thankful for you taking the time to photograph your hard work. We are slowly making over our kitchen and yours gives me so many great ideas. It helps to see how it looks when it all comes together.
    *Smiles*

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  36. The white doors and painted wood paneling makes such a great difference. Your kitchen turned out gorgeous, Michelle. The beige wall color goes so very well with the white. I love it.
    Have a wonderful week!
    Hugs,
    Julia

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  37. So fresh & pretty! Congratulations on such a beautiful, beautiful job, Michelle!
    Hugs,
    Zuzu

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  38. I adore your kitchen with all of the little/big touches. I especially am in love (have been for years) tin panelling. I am curious about the tin panelling on the kitchen table, did you put a protective finish on it? and is it durable or do you have to take care not to mark it? The same question for the backsplash. I love the primed/painted faux tin on the door(s). J'adore your Etsy store. When I have extra money...
    Thankyou, Michelle, for the beauty and inspiration of your blog.

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    1. hello "beadhen"..went to your profile page but did not see a way to email you to answer your questions so i hope you check back here. The pressed tin on the table and backsplashes are the real deal....metal, not plastic, like on my doors. I nailed the tin onto my tabletop and then had a piece of glass cut to fit over it. No "maintenance" needed. The backsplash sometimes needs some sanding with fine grit sandpaper if it gets "wet" and starts to rust. I have thought about painting it but i like the silver finish. hope this helps!

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    2. Thankyou for your reply of information, Michelle.

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  39. Just beautiful! I love all the choices you made for this amazing transformation! ~Kristie

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  40. I love your transformation of your kitchen! I know what it is to wait for a new kitchen, but it is worth it. The idea to use the faux trim on the doors is perfect, and the rest is just gorgeous!

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  41. Your new kitchen is so full of charm! I can see that it was always beautiful. But we change! Our kitchens can too! Lovely job! We have done some recent white paint over dark finishes in our home too. It feels so light and spacious! So glad you shared!

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  42. Beautiful makeovers!! I live in a century home as well and what you've done here is a huge inspiration! thanks for sharing ! xo

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  43. What a GREAT makeover Michelle. Its so fresh and clean now. I do a lot of these repaints in my job so I know how much work it is. I don't know how you waited as long as you did!!!
    Hugs Lynn

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  44. What an amazing difference Michelle! It's just wonderful. Love all the white. It's so fresh and updated looking. I do love old homes.

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  45. This is absolutely beautiful Michelle! You have turned your shiny brown into something wonderful.... I love what you have done with your kitchen - it's so charming!

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  46. So amazing. You did an incredible job and all the little details are sooo nice. Love it ;) Let me know if you ever come to Denmark and need a job as interior decorator ;)

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  47. WOW! It looks awesome! What an improvement! Love it!
    tot

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  48. Hi Michelle!
    I found this post thru Pinterest. I am in the midst of trying to talk DH into painting my oak faced cabinets white and switching the white laminate for black granite. I think DH would have a stroke if I had him paint the woodwork white (our house is a 120 yr old Queen Anne Tower home). But we do have the tin ceiling from an old bank building that was being razed and no one wanted the tin so DH was taking it down as they were tearing the building down so that will go on the ceiling. My question is where did you find the small chandeliers? They're the size I need!

    Thanks for your sharing of the kitchen! It's gorgeous just like everything else you do!

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    1. hi pam..i went to your profile page and did not see an email so i hope you find this reply. i found the chandeliers at a local antique shop. you might do a search on eBay for similar ones. I hope this helps.

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  49. This is a really cool post. I love this kitchen. It is completely the style that would fit me.consumer reports panini press

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Taking the time to share your thoughts...your words...and your inspiration fills my soul....Merci.
~*~Michelle~*~