A Big Phat Kitchen Update

Man oh man, do I have a slew of Before & After shots for you today! Happy Monday, by the way. I hope you all had a fabulous weekend. I am now truly blonde again (as opposed to that weird orange color I was sporting), and my son's wrist is officially broken. Awesome. He's trying to convince me he can play soccer, but not piano. Clearly he thinks this is my first rodeo, because he was shocked to find out there are plenty of left-handed pieces to choose from for recital! Score one for mom (a rare victory!)

So on to today's post. When I showed you our new Fig Friend and Organized Drop Spot, many of you emailed to find out the color of our kitchen walls. Which reminded me that we had the kitchen painted and I'd never shown you!! Go ahead and crown me Queen Blogger. I might be a crappy blogger, but I have a bright and cheery kitchen!

It was originally painted 'Fen' by Martha Stewart for Sherwin Williams. A nice green with some gray and brown undertones, but too dark and muddy with the new espresso cabinets. I also never loved how it competed with the smoky gray/blue glass tile backsplash.

It's amazing how simply changing the wall color has transformed this room! It's Farrow & Ball 'Skylight,' color-matched at Sherwin Williams (they have all the F&B formulas, and their paint isn't $80 a gallon!). I brought a sample pot of it back from this trip, and just fell in love with the pale gray/blue. It brightens the space and lets the glass backsplash take center stage.

The sheer curtains on the picture window were hung too low, so I kept them off until I find a better choice. I also started painting the breakfast room chairs. And by started, I mean I painted one. How about we have all kinds of fun and back waaaaay up...here's the kitchen when we moved in. Warning: cover your watch because this room is so homely it could stop time.

We lived with that kitchen for five years before I had the nerve (and dollars) to bring it to this millennium. And here it is after the renovation. Mr. Sugarplum insisted I keep the fake plants on top of the cabinets. I kid. He tossed them to the trash when I wasn't looking.

I have to agree, it looks so much cleaner without them. Here's the same shot with no more fake plants and a brighter wall color.

The ceilings in this room are lower than the rest of the house, so they're painted the same as the wall color for a more open feel and seamless look. Before with the green...

And after with the gray/blue. Literally all that's changed here is the wall color and a few accessories.

These empty bottles have no purpose other than to add color and make me feel fancy. Doesn't every magazine kitchen shot have Pellegrino bottles? You can also get a peek at how the under-cabinet lights are mounted.

The most utilized cooking supplies are corralled on a white ceramic tray, and the utensils are in a stainless Ikea canister. The bird tray is also Ikea.

This side of the kitchen received the only real demolition, by removing the sweet wall oven and microwave, and making it a more usable work space.

I added more pop to the cabinets by backing them with fabric and ribbon trim.

Clearly I don't do a lot of cooking. Doesn't my 'brass' elephant look cute, though?

I still haven't figured out how to photograph a window, but the glass tile extends up over the ledge. It's the perfect sunny spot for plants and herbs.

I may add some kind of window treatment.

The coffee maker and supplies are kept tidy on another Ikea tray. The tea tin is a keepsake from this trip, picked up because it has my initials.

Here's a 'Before' view of the Breakfast Room from the Den. And you see why I'm painting the chairs? It's chair-palooza in there! I like mixing the shapes, but I'm not digging the different wood tones.

Pretty cheery 'After' view now, eh? (Sorry, prepping myself for our trip this weekend!) And doesn't the Windsor chair look so pretty white? I prefer honey on my yogurt, not my wood grain. The other three chairs will be white, too. Someday.

This angle gives you a peek at the Drop Spot. It took us a few weeks to re-train ourselves, but now it's a fully functioning command center.

The drum pendant is a DIY, so I'll post the tutorial. Someday.

I get a lot of emails about the bar chairs. They are from World Market, are still in mint condition after two years, and are only a tad scratchy on the backs of bare thighs. I love the warmth and texture they bring to the slick and shiny room. The Maine watercolor was my parents.

Let's relive the evolution one more time....Before...

And bright and modern After!

Does the power of paint ever get old? Is there anything a gallon of paint can't fix? Have you changed up any rooms with just paint lately? You can read all the details of the Kitchen Renovation here and here.