Since we purchased our home my biggest pet peeve about our house has been our cabinets. It was one of those things that wasn’t big enough for me to nix the house when we did our search, but I knew at some point I would need us to make a change. There are tons of fixes I would do to the kitchen to make it a little more us, but I knew the cabinet color was one that would make a huge impact without us spending a ton of money. We already had a great backsplash and though the granite wasn’t my taste it was a solid surface that did a great job holding up to the wear of a kitchen.
What I wanted in our kitchen was to have cabinets that were light colored, contrasted with our original wood floors, and allowed there to be the largest amount of light in the space as possible since it is a galley style. So we decided going white was the best option. Some people would have considered just replacing them, and we did, but when we thought about the design we wanted it was this exact simple style cabinet so we decided it wasn’t worth the extra cost and ripping out the whole kitchen to replace perfectly fine cabinets. We knew it was nothing a good coat of paint (or 5) couldn’t fix.
Sure enough using a color such as Behr’s Ultra Pure White made all the difference in our space. The kitchen took on a whole new feeling and experience from what it originally was. The color of the cabinets and walls matched so we could make the most of the space. The beauty of using white in a space is the amount of space it creates. We talked about potentially doing the cabinets in a light gray to create some contrast and even placed swatches in the kitchen. At the end of the day we felt it just wasn’t going to give us the final result we wanted. Now, I couldn’t be happier with the white. It is very simple, but it has been so easy to keep clean and really has made the space feel much larger.
The best part of sticking with the white we have in the rest of our home is that the whole space feels cohesive for the first time.
Though my natural instinct when thinking of my ideal kitchen in my home is a little modern, there is a nice farmhouse quality to this space that makes it feel very home-like. One day that more modern kitchen will be something we might have, but goodness for now this kitchen is just the right one for us.
It is nice to see how the cabinets now pop from the floor with just one simple change to the space. So if you have a home where you aren’t 100% crazy about the cabinets, think about updating them with just a coat of paint instead of redoing the whole kitchen. You might be surprised by how a little goes a long way.
Cabinet paint color: based off of Behr’s Ultra Pure White
Wall and Trim Color: Behr’s Ultra Pure White
Cabinet Restore done by Nhance in Raleigh
Cabinet Handles from Home Depot
68 Responses
I actually just painted my galley kitchen cabinets last weekend. It’s amazing how much brighter it makes the room! As always, thanks for the great content.
I’m planning on painting my cabinets white too. Did you paint them yourselves or did you hire someone to do it? Did you/they use a paint sprayer? I’m petrified of mucking up the project!
PS, Kitchen looks fabulous!
Wow! I love the white cabinets. Giving them a coat of paint really changed the whole look of the space. What a great idea!
http://www.livinginsteil.com
White makes such a huge difference in a kitchen – especially when the originals were that dark!
Looks great! i’ve been wanting to do the same around here…
wow, I actually had to scroll back up to check they were the same doors, the lick of paint really has made all the difference, your kitchen looks absolutely amazing! Definitely more you!
http://www.elzbthchlmrspps.blogspot.co.uk
I’ve been thinking about painting our kitchen cabinets white for a very long time. Did you paint the inside of the cabinets too? And did you use a primer? Thanks!
We didn’t do anything to the cabinets they were done by a company we hired.
Oh, how lovely! The white is so light and elegant, I just adore it.
Lovely. Just curious…What kind of prep did you have to do to the cabinets?
We didn’t do anything other than clear our cabinets because the company cleaned it all for us.
looks great!! The white makes a HUGE difference!!
ABSOLUTELY!
I love this look, and I think instead of redoing our whole kitchen will consider just replacing the cabinet doors. I love white cabinets, but are they hard to keep clean?
No! sounds nuts but the dark ones drove me crazier than the white because it actually shows where the dirt is better. I think it is easier anyways 🙂
Beautiful! Love the simple touch & how it transforms the space.
wow what a difference! i can see why you decided to change them =o)
http://dreamofadventures.blogspot.com/
Lovely re-do on the cabinets! Could you tell what kind of teapot(?) is in the photo next to the candle on the counter? Where can I find it? Thanks!
Yes it is from TRNK NYC. Sadly we recently broke the top on ours, which was such a sad day 🙁
White will always be my first choice! Love it. Looks sort of like my rental kitchen (in a good way), I just wish we had all that light!
xo,
Caitlyn
http://www.catonthemoon.xyz
We very much enjoyed doing the work for Mike and Megan – they were ideal customers, giving us all the space we needed to get the job done right. and yes – it did take 5 coats (or maybe 6) to get the ultra pure white “all the way.”
Do you know what the color name is of your granite? I love the combo!!
I have no idea. It was with the house when we bought it, but I am almost 100% sure it is a stock granite at Lowe’s or Home Depot. I am sure they have something really similar in-store.
Your kitchen is totally my favorite because we have the SAME granite (giallo fiesta) and we painted our cabinets ultra white. I have been on pinterest trying to find inspiration for a backsplash and found this! I love it all. And im so glad i found this because our granite is the same and ive had a hard time finding it with ultra white cabinets. I love the contrast!
COULD YOU POST A PICTURE OF THE BACKSLASH YOU CHOSE? WE ARE PAINTING OUR KITCHEN CABINETS/WALLS BUT ARE NOT QUITE SURE WHAT TO DO. WE ALSO HAVE A COUNTER TOP THAT IS SIMILAR
We no longer live in that home. The backsplash was just white subway tile though if that is at all helpful.
What type of finish do you have on the cabinets/wall/Trim(matte, semi-gloSs, etc)? Was planning on doing the ultra white alSo but wasnt wire about white on white on white. Love it!
Hi Jill – we did semigloss for protection. I would recommend that. Matte can hold stains, I heard
I saw the pictures of your kitchen and this is my Dream look!!! I am so in love. We have the basic builder cabinets and they drive me crazy everytime i see them. Thank you for the inspiration, your kitchen turned out amazing!
It was very easy and done in just 2 days! It was amazing to see how such a little change made such a huge difference.
I love this! I am literally in the process of doing my cabinets right now and i am also using Behr Ultra pure white. What sheen/finish did you use? I am stuck between semigloss and satin!
We did Satin. They were easy to keep clean AND they didn’t come off to shiny. You will be happy with it. I promise 🙂
In one reply, you said you used a semigloss finish, but in this one you said you did satin. Do you remember which finish you used and how it held up? Thanks
I am sure we did a semi gloss and I am not sure how it held up because about 4 months later we sold the house and we no longer live anywhere near the area.
Absolutely love it! I used your pictures to show my cabinet guy and they look awesome. Now i need to know what size Pulls you used? They look like theyre the 5 or 6 inch.
Honestly, I am not sure because they were on the cabinets when we bought the house and we no longer live in the home so I cannot measure them for you. I am sorry! I think you may be right though!
Pam, dId you ever Figure out The pull to cabinet pOrportions here? I am also interested. we are doing our kitchen Now and i am struggling with the pull size!!
Do you happen to know what grout was used on your backsplash?
We used a light gray. Our tile guy chose it but I just told a light gray.
How many inches are the cabinet handles?I am trying to decide btween 6 1/2 inch or 3 1/2 inch
Hey Chris, we no longer live in the home so I am not 100% sure. I believe they were the 3 1/2 but I am just guessing.
This kitchen is beautiful! Love your style!
I absolutely LOVE the look of your kitchen. It’s so gorgeous. You should be proud of yourself!!
IT IS GOOD IF YOU ESTABLISHed PRIORITY WITH YOUR KITCHEN RENOVATION PROJECT. AS YOU PLAN, YOU SHOULD MARK WHAT STEP IS NEEDED TO BE DONE FIRST. THIS POST CAN ALSO BE YOUR GUIDE ALONG THE PROGRESS OF YOUR KITCHEN. SO MAKE THE MOST OF IT FOR YOUR KITCHEN.
Looks Great, thank you for the pictures. Did you use a satin finish on the Cabinets? I just want a no glow look
Hi Maxine, you are correct we used a satin finish.
Love!
What size were the handles that you chose from home depot??
Your kitchen is beautiful. SImple and CLean! Can you tell me the name of the tile for the backsplash, color and where you got it?
What was the floor made of along with the color. Also what bRand and color Was the counter top
Hi Pat, the floors are original and the countertops were already installed but it seems to me they came from Home Depot and are granite.
I love everything about your kitchen. Im painting my CABINETS now. Can you please tell me what kind of Concealed hinges you have?
I honestly have no idea they were with the home when we bought it. I wish I had a better answer for you.
What color grout did tou use for the subway tiles? Are the tiles white or bright wHite?
I actually am not sure because this part of the reno was done already when we purchased the home.
wHAT COLOR YOU USED FOR YOUR BACK SPLASH? WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF REFACING THE CABINETS AND PICKED THE SAME GRANITE AS YOURS. wE HAVE OFF WHITE CABINETS AND CONSIDERING OFF WAIT BACK SPLASH ALSO…lOVE YOUR KITCHEN!!
Hi Maria, This is our kitchen in our old home and I actually didn’t pick out the tile at all it came with the house. From what I remember I believe it was just an off white cream color.
Hi! Your kitchen update looks great! We are planning to paint our Cabinets white and add a backsplash. Our granite is similar to yours-can you tell me What color the grout is? I’m a but nervous about balancing/coordinating White tiles wIth white cabinets. Thanks!
Love the look! We are having our cabinets also painted white from Nhance. Could you tell me if you used a semi gloss or satin?