I enjoy seeing before and after pictures. It’s amazing how items can be transformed with paint! We moved into a home a few months back that had a few built-ins. The one thing I couldn’t wait to get my hands on was the built-in China Cabinet and desk. This China Cabinet Makeover turned out beautiful. I share the details below.
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE how it turned out. In our home, every single piece of wood that was stained was made out of maple. ALL the wood flooring, kitchen cabinets, laundry room cabinets, office cabinets, china cabinet and desk cabinets – were all maple wood. I’m not a huge maple wood lover – especially with the entire house showing it. But one thing I know for sure – it paints really well!! I love painted wood furniture. Staining was out of the question for me. It’s not the look I was going for. Check out the image below for the before:
This is just one part of the house that is showing all the maple wood. The chair that is shown is one of those swivel-attached-to-the-desk-chairs. We removed it and gave it away – just wasn’t my style.
The hardware and cabinet doors were removed. The cabinet and doors were cleaned, lightly sanded, putty filler for the holes (where the handles were) and sprayed with an acrylic enamel paint with a satin finish. You can also see the lovely wallpaper border was removed. The inside of the upper china cabinets were sprayed a lighter color than the exterior. I’m so glad I did this.
Close-up details of the desk. I love pretty decor. And this just makes me happy. Of course, this can be a spot that gathers junk but when it looks pretty I really don’t like to place all the typical items that can just start gathering e.g. junk mail, keys, packages, purses, etc. I find what works for me is making spots in my home look beautiful, warm, inviting and organized and then it’s harder for me to make it unorganized ; ) .
The majority of my dishes are a cream/ivory color. Some of these dishes I’ve had for a very long time. I like neutral colors for my dishes.
Greenery and flowers are such great details that add texture and pops of color to a spot.
My husband gave me this picture of Christ for my birthday. It’s beautiful and I get lots of compliments on it. See bottom of post for more details on this picture.
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PAINT COLORS:
China Cabinet Exterior – Rockport Gray – Benjamin Moore– acrylic enamel satin finish
China Cabinet Interior – White Dove – Benjamin Moore– acrylic enamel satin finish
SHOP similar decor items:
Most of the decor items shows in my pictures I’ve had for a long time and are not available to purchase anymore. Some of the items came from online purchases, Home Goods, Rod Works etc. I’ve included some links for similar decor:
Lead Kindly Light – picture of Christ (this one is just a canvas there is no frame)
Wood Vintage-look Tray
Boxwood Wreath
Galvanized Stand
White Teapot
Cable Knit Throw Blanket
More fun ideas I’ve shared on my blog:
My kitchen cabinet surprise! A great idea for the inside of a cabinet.
The benefits of a farm house sink.
OMG!! It looks so good you did an amazing job love your styling too.
Hugs to you Rose!!!
Toni
what about using Chalk paint.?
your cabinets look really stunning.
You could use chalk paint. It just depends on the look you are going for. I wanted a really professional finish so I decided on regular paint.
Did you have done, or did you do them yourself? They are beautiful! I have golden oak and they need to go.
Tanya – I have painted cabinets before but this time I hired it out with a professional. I was remodeling an entire house and had way too much going on. They were painted over 2 years ago and the cabinets still look fabulous! I love them!!
what about the floor,they were different also
Hi DJ,
Yes, the floors were replaced with French Oak. I LOVE, LOVE them! I’ll be doing a blog post on my new flooring.
Wow….what a transformation. Love it!!
Thank you, Jo!! It’s so appreciated it.
You said you sprayed the cabinet. What type of sprayer did you use. I am getting ready to paint my cabinets with Benjamin Moore White Dove.
You did a beautiful job.
Sherry,
My kitchen is BM White Dove. I love it. Do a search for farm house sink on my blog and you’ll get a peek at my kitchen. It was a professional spray gun used by a painter. However, I’ve used the HomeRight sprayer on cabinets and it works great http://amzn.to/1T57oHP and it’s under $150!
Love love love .!
Thank you, Donna!
xoxo
It’s elegant and gorgeous! I have a pine dresser and wardrobe and would love to do the same …I was wondering when you said the cabinets were spray painted, what exactly did you mean? Professionally ?
Joanne,
Yes, I hired a professional to spray paint them. Although, I’ve done it myself many times. I was completely redoing our main floor including our kitchen and laundry room. So I hired out a few projects. This being one of them.
Thanks,
Toni
I can see why you love this makeover.
Absolutely beautiful.
Did you do it yourself?
Someday we will do lunch and have a proper conversation.
Deal?
Hi Donna!
I think the cabinets are beautiful too! I did hire a painter to paint them. I’ve painted many a cabinet but had too much on my plate at the time.
Thanks,
Toni
Hi, you did a wonderful job, my cabinets are maple & I was undecided about painting them, but after seeing how your cabinet turned out ,I’m sold. I’m curious about what is behind the wreath? I can’t make out what it is. Thank you for posting.
Hi Betty Ann,
Thank you for your sweet comments. I love my cabinet and so do many friends who come over. It’s a large rectangular wood slat tray that is behind the wreath.
Toni
Hi, I too have maple kitchen cabinets and am replacing my laminate counters with Quartz and think I’ll paint cabinets gray. So many colour choices though. Do you think my golden oak wood floor (same as your original) will go with gray cabinets? And any suggestion for wall colour?
You’re best bet for wall color is to get sample paints and paint on your wall. The wall color I used is Edgecomb Gray. I love it. I used some of my old cabinet doors and painted them the color I planned on using and then held up the door to flooring samples etc. It helps with figuring everything out.
Good luck!
Hi
The cabinet is stunning. When you say sprayed, I would assume this is by a power sprayer and not a can?
I have a whole kitchen to paint and not sure what method to use. The standard brush, spay can, power sprayer and cross my fingers.
Thanks for any suggestions
Sue
Hi Sue,
Yes, the cabinets were sprayed with a professional power sprayer. For the real professional look, spraying is best at least for the cabinet doors. You can paint brush the rest of the cabinets. You could go to a thrift store or second hand home improvement store (ReStore) and purchase cheap used cabinet doors to experiment/work on.
I’m excited for you to explore your talents and get the painting going.
Toni
what is a good color for painting a huge livingroom, , and hall way… i have a dull off white ,or cream colored walls, and im desperately in need of a huge makeover.. i dont want bright bold colors , just a color will say “warmth”
Sally,
The best thing to do is to get paint samples -Home Depot and Sherwin Williams are good ones. Purchase several and paint in small areas on your wall. Live with it for a week or so and decide which color you like best. Most of the walls in my home are Edgecomb Gray by Benjamin Moore. Most paint stores can make their color.
I love your work…great ideas. It’s great to see something close to an idea I might have…. but soooo much better to see it done and describing the materials used really makes getting starting easy without testing, testing and testing.
I hope you get a chance to work on your project! It’s always fulfilling to accomplish something and love it!
Hi! Did you prime these cabinets?
Yes, the cabinets were primed before the paint. It’s really a must to prime cabinets.
Beautiful kitchen! I’m interested to find out what color the walls are painted. It’s a nice backdrop for the Rockport Grey cabinets. Thank you!
The walls are Edgecomb Gray Benjamin Moore. My kitchen cabinets are White Dove. You can see more of my kitchen here: https://www.designdazzle.com/kitchen-remodel-final-reveal/
Enjoy!
I love your style! China cabinet project looks beautiful! Would love an idea on how to update my office IKEA Furniture with paint! Ideas??
Thanks, Deb! Is you IKEA furniture a laminate type finish? If so, it’s a bit trickier to paint than wood. I would google some sources of what your finish is on the furniture you want to paint and see what others have done. I do know you can do it and you definitely need a great primer. : )