It will soon be my 2-year anniversary of buying my first house… and it only took 6 months for me to decide a makeover was needed. (shrugs) Decorating is truly my drug of choice.
Before moving here, I planned out all my colors and decided to take a chance in the kitchen and the bathroom. I chose a grayish-pink that wasn’t drastic, Mocha Ice by Behr. This muted shade complemented all the other colors in my house and I was excited to step outside my comfort zone, even if just a smidge.
A little time passed and I soon found myself not digging the pink as much. It’s not the color’s fault— it really is a flattering color and could be considered a neutral. It’s just that I always find myself drifting back to cool tones. I should have known, as this has happens with my clothing. I buy something pink, love it at first, but then wind up up back at gray, green, and blue’s doorstep.
I also felt the pink combined with the wood floor/accents made for too warm of a space. To keep the balanced flow of colors throughout my house, I decided on a pale mint green like I used in my spare bedroom/home gym. I actually tested out the same exact color from the bedroom, but it appeared too bright with all the sun poring in. (Champagne problems, right?) I tested a few similar colors and found my perfect match in Barely Jade by Glidden. It has a slightly bluer quality to it than the spare bedroom. It reminds me of seaglass, although not as bright. The grayish side of this color coordinates well with my gray countertops.
Another big component to this makeover that you can’t really see in these before/after pics was redoing the cabinets. They were previously white, but not completely painted. Many people don’t paint the insides of their cabinets and I feel you—it’s a major pain in the ass doing it all. But it was so worth it.
There was also the issue of the previous paint job. I believe my stepdad sprayed the cabinets with paint that was advertised as not needing primer… but that was wrong. I found some bleed-through like below:
Solution: seriously stinky primer. I used Zinsser’s BIN oil-based primer on all the cabinets and doors, inside and out. The fumes probably killed some brain cells during the process (even with the windows open), but it was very necessary. After priming, I painted the cabinets with Ultra White by Valspar. This has very little undertones, making it perfect when you want a true white. I’ve also used this same paint color on all of my moldings and trim throughout my house. Lastly, I sealed the cabinets with Polycrylic. (To this day–over a year later– they’re still holding up well.)
Decor-wise, I moved some things around but didn’t make any major changes. For instance, I bought this charcuterie board to display my utensils and zhush up the counter. The kitchen already has a lot of warmth from the wood flooring, but adding a bit to this corner gives a nice contrast to the cool countertops.
I also changed up the wicker wall art hanging near the pantry, whitewashed it, and moved it above the washer and dryer. In its previous place, I painted geometric wall art that coordinated with the makeover palette.
Sources:
Walls: Barely Jade by Glidden
Table: consignment store
Chairs: IKEA
Curtains: Home Goods
Blinds: Lowes
Cabinet knobs: Glide-Rite
Cabinet handles: Glide-Rite
Bookshelves: IKEA
Light fixtures: Lowes/DIY
Utensil holders: Amazon
Artwork: yours truly
Wicker wall art: Target/DIY
Next to come is the biggest makeover this house has seen: the exterior and yard. Stay tuned!
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