Besides having the popcorn ceilings removed before we moved into this house, we also had the kitchen cabinets painted. Again, this is one of those projects that I considered doing myself (for a quick minute) and then decided to hire somebody to do it. I knew a professional paint job was worth the cost, as much as our family of seven uses—and abuses—the kitchen.
I felt like this kitchen was meant to be classic white, but most of the beautiful white kitchens I’ve pinned have lighter countertops. (Sometimes, it’s easy to forget to notice those important little details.) Changing out the granite isn’t an option for us now—and I like it. Eventually, we hope to do some reconfiguring of the entire space which will probably force us to change the counters, but until then, we’re making limited changes.
You would think that white paint is white paint, but when you start to choose one, you realize there are a thousand different shades. I wanted to choose a softer white that wouldn’t look too stark with the counters. (I think that’s the trick to pairing white with granite countertops.) There are some flecks of gray in the granite, so I went that direction for the walls.
So, the cabinets are Alabaster and the walls are Useful Gray (both Sherwin Williams).
(Can you tell I manhandle my paint decks when making a decision?!)
I’m actually rethinking the walls a little and wondering if I should’ve gone white there, too. They’re reading a little more green-gray (in person) than I meant for them to. . . The good news is that there’s not that much wall space to repaint if I end up changing my mind. (There are just 1001 other things that are taking precedence right now.)
Next on my wish list would be a whiter tile backsplash. I’m still trying to decide if that’s a project I can (or want to) tackle myself. . .
There’s more to the kitchen than this one wall (thankfully), but I’ll show you the rest of it—and how we added some extra storage—next week.
PS—Thanks for all of the great feedback and kind comments on yesterday’s post. I was overwhelmed—in a good way. I write a post telling you I have no big news to share and get the most comments I’ve received in a long time. Go figure! Apparently, I’m not alone in my feelings. And, that’s always a good feeling in itself. :) You all are the best.
I have seen posts where people have painted their tile backsplashes as a temporary fix until a remodel. I have not done it myself – I’ve painted about everything else including vinyl flooring in a bathroom – http://madebymolliesmom.blogspot.com/2013/10/you-will-be-floored-by-this.html – which has held up amazingly for a couple of years. Maybe the same steps would work for you or I have seen people use products just for painting tile -again I haven’t used it but I have read where people have used Rustoleum’s Professional High Performance Protective Enamel. It’s oil based and stinky but less mess than tiling right away. Especially if you might change tile again in a future remodel.
Anyway, food for thought.
I love the progress you have made so far. And I painted my kitchen white 20 years ago and I still love it!! I’ve painted the walls so many times since the cabinets went white – a lot of freedom with white cabinets!!
Happy Fall. Marcie
I’ve seen that and think it’s a great fix–but…. there’s another dilemma over “on the other side” of the kitchen which might prevent that from working :)
Hello Emily,
The cabinets look great and I see you have a black microwave. I have been debating updating our cabinets with paint for some time but I have a fairly new and totally functional black fridge that keeps holding me back from taking the leap. I might have missed it in an earlier post of the new home but is your fridge black also?
Thanks for sharing your home and life with us – I have always enjoyed following your blog!
Hi Keri–The other appliances are all stainless.
Thanks so much for the reply!
Hi Emily, the new kitchen looks amazing. I love the choices you made. I too painted my kitchen cabinets white and agree that it can be really tough coordinating with granite. My granite has tons of golden undertones and finding the right white was quite the task. As the Marcie mentioned above, I painted my backsplash using Rustoleum oil-based paint and it has held up remarkably well. And cleans up like a dream. Don’t know what you have on the other side of the room, but it was a great choice for us and make my kitchen bearable.
I love your post yesterday. I too have gotten caught up in the “do more” phenomenon and realized that there has to be an end point to that, so instead I’ve chosen to “be present.” And I am so much happier for it.
Thanks for the inspiration. As a loyal reader from the beginning, I am so happy to share in this journey with you and your beautiful family.
Hi Emily!
How about painting your walls to match the subway tile?
Thank you for all your “happy blogging”!
Emily, I love it all! And personally think the paint color looks stunning with the granite. In the pictures, the tile looks good also. When you had the cabinets painted, were they sprayed or brushed? Love your new home. Looking forward to seeing more as you move forward.
Hi Emily ,
Would you be so kind as to share the painting of the cabinet (the steps ).thanks
I was going to ask a similar question. We are considering paint the cabinets our-self. Which scares me.
Was the painter expensive? What was his process, did he sand them, prime etc. How long did it take.
Love the white cabinets! They look great! I’m all in favor of a whiter backsplash … and we adore the beveled subway tile we used in our bathrooms. The way the light reflects off the bevels is marvelous. :-)
What sheen did you use for the cabinets? I’m asking because I have an entire gallon of SW Alabaster, but it’s a flat finish. I’m DIYing my kitchen, master bath, guest bath, and laundry room makeovers because this move to Texas is only for a couple of years… I just can’t live with the orange oak cabinets that are there now. Thanks, Emily! You’re house is already looking fantastic!
Hi Lindsay! It was a semi-gloss. I would probably hesitate to use a flat finish on cabinets. I just think it would be too hard to wipe down…
This gives me even more motivation to paint our cabinets. We have a darker granite also, and that has made me nervous. Looks great!!
love a white kitchen! i’m currently saving to paint ours! we have black granite, so this gives me much hope with the darker counters.
I really like the granite with the white cabinets; it provides a nice contrast. I thoroughly enjoy your blog. Thanks!
This looks so lovely! How did you find your painters for the cabinets? Were they regular painters who were just especially skilled at painting cabinets? Or did you use a speciality cabinet painting service? I’ve looked into having cabinets painted several times but have always had trouble finding the right painter for the job.
I just used the painter our realtor recommended. He was also the one who removed the popcorn ceilings.
I’m actually getting ready to tackle my honey oak kitchen cabinets soon (very 90s). I’m using chalk paint, but haven’t decided on the walls yet, and we are keeping the dark granite and light colored floor tile (lovely limitations….as The Nester would say) Seeing your kitchen helps me visualize it a little more, so thanks!! ~Kim
It looks amazing! Do you mind sharing the cost? I know it’s size and location dependent. I just want a feel for it since we are moving and I would love white cabinets! :)
I honestly can’t remember the breakdown because he gave us the quote for the popcorn ceilings at the same time. I want to say around $600… That might be off, though.
Have you tried Modern Gray from Sherwin Williams? It looks good in every home, it throws gray and beige – it is the perfect Greige!
I knew I should have painted our cabinets white. Everyone said to reface them and not paint them but yours came out great. I agree white isn’t white there are soooooo many color choices and matching them just seems to be out of the question. Luv the new kitchen. Cant wait to see the other side.
I have to say (once more), I love your blog. It’s not just the only design blog that I follow, it’s also the blog that has been on my blogroll the longest (from when the twins were wee-littles). The glimpses of your life that I see in your photos are so real and relatable
Where is this comment going you may ask. I see a crockpot on that countertop and I’m at the stumped-for-dinner-ideas stage in life. Totally off topic, but can you please share a couple of your goto recipes.
P-L-E-A-S-E!! The situation is desperate. My 4 year old twins think that chicken is spelt KFC. #ifailed
Oh, you caught that–did you? :) It was too hot to move for pics… Nothing fancy. I was just cooking a roast to use for sandwiches and in soup. But, only three of us ate it. We have some extremely picky eaters here. Goldfish are a staple.
Emily, it looks amazing! I LOVE white kitchens. Another gray paint suggestion is Gray Ghost by Olympic. We have it in our house now and love it so much I’ll probably put it in our new house too. It’s the perfect greige in my opinion.
Your kitchen looks great and the cabinet paint looks great from the pictures. Would you mind sharing the name of the painter? I desperately need to have my kitchen cabinets painted and I know there are some really bad paint jobs waiting to happen! Would love to avoid if possible! Great blog and loved yesterday’s post. It’s gutsy to say something like that these days, but I can totally relate! Contentment is a beautiful thing!
Thanks, Tricia. I’ll email you the info :)
I love the rug in front of the oven-where did you get it?
Love the gray walls with the granite. For the backsplash, my preference would be subtle gray tones w/some white to add some texture, cuz I think a white backsplash with all the white cabinets is too much white and lacks depth. But I’m sure whatever you do will be gorgeous, as usual. I painted our powder room a darker gray 9 years ago – to match the granite counters – and I’ve never gotten tired of it. It’s my favorite room & color and the entire house.
Your kitchen looks great – as does everything you do! I am considering painting my cabinets as well and was curious: what did you do about the interiors of your cabinets? I am considering a light gray stain on the insides instead of painting but also wondered how it would look to simply leave them “natural” as they are now….
We just left them as they were. I actually didn’t even think about it beforehand but it doesn’t bother me.
Love a white kitchen! And good call on calling a painter. I’m sure you have enough other stuff on your plate!
We absolutely love our white (ok, off-white) cabinets and St. Cecilia Light granite. We actually built our house and chose it for the contrast! So I think your choice looks amazing. Yes, the all white look is classic and gorgeous, but this lends a slightly warmer touch.
And, yes, OF COURSE it’s ok to be happy with what you have! Loved your post yesterday. Wish more people in my real life were like that.
I really like the updates you’ve done to the kitchen, they make a big difference. I actually just painted my entire 1 bedroom apartment in Sherwin Williams ‘Nuance’, just one step lighter than your useful gray. I totally agree that it does read a little greenish on the walls but usually only at night. It’s definitely more greige during the day. I like the colour on your walls, I actually think it complements the backsplash from what I can see in your pics.
I’m so jealous of your beautiful kitchen! The painting cost seems very reasonable. Thanks for sharing the price; maybe my husband will give in now so we can get rid of the honey oak color in our 1985 kitchen.
I painted my kitchen useful gray too! Well close to useful gray- It was another grey close to useful gray when I realized the color was reading too green after the trim color was a bright white (Chose Snowbound by SW.). So I went into sherwin williams at 7 am before the painters arrived at my house and told them I need to do a new dye job to get closer to useful gray and read slightly more blue (a true gray) than green! I would be happy to look up the code on my paint can if you would be interested in the number, the slightest change in undertone can make such a HUGE impact on a space!
Thanks, Lindsay. I’m thinking that if I end up changing it, I’ll go white instead of gray… No hurry here, though :)
I love your blog and following your family. Thank you for being real! I am curious if you used the same color on the cabinets as the trim in the adjoining rooms. If not, what color did you select for your trim.
Thanks, Maribeth. I didn’t go with same white. I’m not completely sure what the trim is painted. I think it’s just a pre-mixed white. (Duron brand, maybe?)
I am so, so, so thrilled to see this!!! We moved into an amazing colonial house last year. The cabinets are great quality and everything is only 4 years old, but I really wanted a white kitchen. The granite isn’t “prefect” for my vision and the appliances are black. I decided that since we couldn’t afford to change any of those things right now (or at least justify the expense for an already attractive, functional space) that my dream of white would have to wait. You’ve shown me that it will still look great as long as I work with the right shade of white. If you’re interested in offering some suggestions or tips, I’d love for you to take a peek at this photo… https://graceandjoygirl.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/kitchencollagejuly2014.jpg
Always an inspiration, Emily!!!
I think white would look great and definitely give more of a contrast between the floors and cabinets. Good luck! Glad the post helped.
Lovely, Emily! What a completely different feel the white cabinets effect! I’m realizing now that I need to make plans to paint the cabinets in our new home to help achieve the feeling I want in there (most likely DIY). Thanks for the inspiration!
I honestly like the existing backsplash. It looks clean and crisp with the newly painted cabinets. The area behind the cook top is a beautiful element that breaks up the monotony of the white subway tile. If I had to guess, the tile behind there was probably not cheap and painting it would make it appear that way, I’m afraid.. and as a plus, it compliments the cream tones in the granite. If you do anything, rip it out and start from scratch, as I would never suggest painting any tile, especially in an area where food is prepared. I am not sure how the paint will react with the ground joints, and could flake off, especially when cleaned… also, could be flammable? I say leave, as is. Adding peel off things from hobby lobby or painting it, will only draw more attention to that area, in a negative way, I’m afraid. But… thats just my two cents. I think it’s a cool element… you should embrace it.
I really love the kitchen as-is (that is, after you worked your magic!). The grey color of the wall connects to the rug and kind of referees between the stark white cabinets and off-white back splash. I know the off-white back splash and decorative tile might not seem ideal but I think it cozies the place up a bit and the contrast between the white cabinets makes the true white color seem even more refreshing. All that is to say I think it’s a happy accident almost that it turned out that way and that you are very skilled at playing up and working with what ya got!
I also would love the name of the painter of your kitchen cabinets.
I need to make sure the person that does it, does an amazing job! The ide of painting chipping off makes me nuts. Also live in Charlotte, and hope it’s someone close.
Feel free to email me :)
Hi Emily, Beautiful kitchen!! If you DID passing your kitchen white, and you already have alabaster cabinets, what color would you paint your walls?
Hi Emily,
Love your blog! Love the kitchen! I am presently doing a kitchen remodel. My floors are walnut, my cabinets will be painted alabaster, the island will be slate grey and the island counter will be a distressed wood top. I am trying to choose granite and backsplash. I love the look of subway tiles. Found one by Tesoro, Chicago Stateside. There’s a great deal of natural stone color in these which I like but may be too much. Any recommendations? I would also like to find a granite or quartz that’s more on the creamy side. Like TajMahal, but I’m at a loss in making decisions. Do you have any input on what you might use?
Thanks for your help!