My ugly kitchen reborn
Tue, 5 Feb 2008Note: Due to my painting escapades over the last 3 days, I am behind in my blog posts so this post is not about an architect or designer but about me. I should have my act together this afternoon.
I have a really ugly kitchen. Really. Ugly. And not only is it ugly but the layout is terrible and it's driving me nuts. I am not sure when I'll get around to renovating it so I realized when I was planning to paint the living room that I should just slap some crazy paint on the cabinets to make being in the kitchen a little more tolerable. Turns out I slapped some paint on the cabinets, the island and the backsplash. Not sure how feasible it was to paint tile but I guess I'll just have to be less messy when I cook. I've always wanted pink cabinets and since I now live alone, I figured what the hell. Except I realized Benjamin Moore doesn't make great pinks. I ended up with bubblegum pink. (It's actually called Springtime Bloom). I think I got the effect I was after anyway - a girly kitchen that brings a smile to my face when I see it. So hopefully it's obvious that the first group of photos includes a before on the left and an after on the right. (Note: I had nothing planned to decorate the new pink kitchen with so I ran around the house looking for "props", such as the piece of scrap fabric hanging on the stove as a tea towel, and the curtains are a piece of fabric folded over and clipped.)
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Reader Comments (65)
Huuuuge difference Kim! It looks so fresh and vibrant. The shade of pink is perfect too- so 1950s. You're a visionary, well done! I'm really enjoying seeing your progress.
Wow that looks amazing! It really looks so different. Our kitchen is going to be the last thing we do to our flat, but if it looks anywhere near as nice as that I will be thrilled!!
What a transformation! I'm not usually a fan of pink and it's quite a bold statement to make when it comes to interiors, but I have to say this really works! So great to see what a little paint, a bit of time and some thrifty creativity can do! :)
your kitchen looks great! I want to paint my cabinets, is it a hard process? I would love more details :)
A little paint went a long way. I think it looks rather fresh.
Love it!
You know you can still order all the "old" Benjamin Moore colours, right? (I.e., not Color Preview but the collection before.) I have a fan deck for the old colours and they do have some really gorgeous pinks. Any B. Moore store will mix them for you. They should also have the old fan deck behind the counter, for anyone who's stuck. That said I think the colour you went with is fab.
So beautiful! I totally love it!
loveeeeeee loveeeeeee it... it look fabouloussssssooooo
Great job!
Wowzers! A little bit (or a lot) of colour goes a long way! Looks fun and happy and much more inviting :)
Hooray for pink! This looks totally fab! I love it! I've always wanted a pink kitchen. I am just in awe of what a painting dynamo you are! You got so much done. Where did you get all that energy? It would have taken me a week just to do the cupboards.
The pantry looks wonderful. And I adore the accessories you used. The addict print is perfect. You know, addicted to pink.
The pink is actually quite fetching. I think I could dig it (or any really bright and uppity colour) in my fairly drab olive-grey kitchen.
Kim your kitchen is so cute I love it! It totally brings a smile to my face so I can only image how you must feel walking into it everyday :) great job!
Jenn
love it! now you need a chandelier in there, you know...
HOT DAMN! That's some serious pink. very brave of you - turned out fabulous!
hot-dang, that's pink-o-riffic. with the print it's kind of a rock & roll kitchen! hang a guitar on the wall!
Umm I LOVEEEE that kitchen!! Can I move in??? The pink accents are amazing and you did just the right amount.
Nice work!!
That is an astoundingly good improvement - and I don't even like pink! Congratulations on following your instincts. It looks awesome.
So fresh!! Love the color!! Good work! :-)
Oh, I love this colour (as I love your blogg)!!! It´s a totally different room and atmosphere.
Great!
Greatings from Sweden //AnnA
Your kitchen is too cute for words. Love it. Especially the metal cart with the painting above it.
This is kind of dull compared to your blog, I'm disapointed.
Kim I think for the price of a can of paint and considering this is going to be demolished you've done a fabulous job! The reader who commented above just didn't get this point. Sometimes normal people like you and I can't throw buckets of money at a final solution straight away and a quick cheap and cheerful cosmetic solution is what is called for. The designers we feature here are invariably high end (99%) and this blog is for inspiration not slavish copying. Poor reader above can keep their negative disappointment to their almost anonymous self. I'm so impressed by your speed painting, sense of humour in the colour choice and your bravery for taking snaps of an unfinished room to give us all inspiration. Now having got off my soapbox are you sure you can't come to Australia and help me speed things up at my place? :)
Wow, that's one happy color. Love it.
I think it looks wonderful - sweet, cheerful, happy. It made me think of all of the pink in the fab pad on "Down With Love". Enjoy it!
Thanks everyone for all the sweet comments. A part of me thought you'd all think I'm nuts. Glad to see only one thought so. And to anon who said I need a chandelier, I WISH, but I don't want to spend money in there on stuff like that when I might not be able to use it after the renovation. I would have replaced it with a vintage light fixture I have but it's so dark in there that the 3 bulbs of the fan are great lighting. Too bad it's god-awful to look at. I may just try my light fixture and see what happens. And my addict print doesn't quite match nor is it centered but it was all I could find in the basement that worked somewhat and the nail was already in the wall. :)