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    Home » Home

    Let’s talk Kitchens

    Updated: Oct 9, 2016 by Melissa Mortenson · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads · 9 Comments

    Let’s talk Kitchens.   Specifically Kitchen Updates.  Do you love yours?  I will shamelessly admit to coveting the Barefoot Contessa’s Kitchen.   Come on you’ve got to admit it’s gorgeous!

    image source

    It’s gorgeous, light and bright.  White cabinets, dark countertops and green wallpaper backsplash.

    We moved into the house we are in 5 years ago.  Every house we’ve lived in I’ve wanted white painted cabinets.  So far it’s not working out.

    Kitchen Updates

    Here’s our kitchen before we moved in.  Still no white cabinets, but a very nice kitchen.

    Right away we started making simple changes to make the kitchen what I wanted, using the Barefoot Contessa’s kitchen as inspiration.

    First thing was to swap out the cooktop to gas.  I LOVE cooking on a gas stove, and after burning meals for months on our electric cooktop we swapped it out.


    Green Glass Tile Kitchen Backsplash

    We also moved the microwave from above the cooktop and put in a vent hood. I’m tall and the microwave kept getting in the way.

    Green Tile Kitchen Backsplash

    Next  added a green tile backsplash.  This one we had to have installed since the green glass subway tile is hard to work with. I was ecstatic with how it turned out! It’s my favorite feature in my kitchen.

    (no my kitchen is NOT EVER that clean I took that photo before I put all the stuff back on the counters)

    Still no white cabinets…. The kitchen update has been a work in progress. Slowing picking small projects that we could do to get to that “dream kitchen”

    Simple Kitchen Updates

    It’s only ½ way done.  As you can tell from that top photo we STILL don’t have crown moulding above this section of cabinets. It’s been that way for 2 years I keep forgetting that it’s not there.

    The cabinet painting is next.   We have decided to do this ourselves as the price to have it painted was a bit too much.  The only thing holding us back is that WE HAVE NO IDEA what we are doing!  Small detail right?

    We’ve started researching what to do (so grateful for bloggers that have shared how they painted their cabinets) and hope to take on this project as soon as the weather warms up!  I will tell you we realized that the doors should be sprayed, not brushed.   I’ll be sure to share with you the project when we’re done.

    If you’re like me and you are thinking about ways to refresh your existing kitchen you may enjoy this video from the Home Depot. It’s got lots of great ideas for Kitchen updating.

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    About Author

    Melissa Mortenson

    Melissa Mortenson is a blogger, designer, and content creator. She is the Polka Dot Chair blog founder and has been sharing fresh and creative ideas with readers since 2008. She is the author of “Project Teen, Handmade Gifts your Teen will Actually Love.” Her work and designs have been featured on HuffPost, TODAY, Pioneer Woman, HGTV, BuzzFeed, Better Homes & Gardens, and many other established publications. Her first fabric line, “Derby Style,” debuted in January 2015 through Riley Blake Designs.  Additional fabric collections have followed it in subsequent years. A mom of 3, she considers herself lucky to be living in Kentucky.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Boo McCready says

      April 10, 2013 at 7:36 pm

      It looks beautiful so far! We are getting ready to remodel our kitchen and will use white cabinets too! Houzz.com has some great ideas and loads of pictures.

      Reply
      • Melissa Mortenson says

        April 12, 2013 at 3:44 pm

        Thanks for the tip!

        Reply
    2. gale says

      April 11, 2013 at 11:02 pm

      Is there a link to the home depot video? I can’t seem to see one. We’re deciding on a kitchen for our new house and I’m still looking for ideas.

      Reply
      • Melissa Mortenson says

        April 12, 2013 at 3:44 pm

        It’s still there, what browser are you using?

        Reply
    3. kourtney says

      April 15, 2013 at 3:48 pm

      http://www.younghouselove.com/2012/01/how-to-paint-your-cabinets-aka-hallelujah/

      Check out these tips on painting cabinets… I love their blog! Oh and you have a beautiful kitchen!

      Reply
      • Melissa Mortenson says

        April 22, 2013 at 10:45 pm

        Thanks for the link! I just started reading Young House Love this month! Such a fun blog!

        Reply
    4. Simple Simon and Co says

      April 16, 2013 at 10:35 am

      THe best thing I ever did was paint my cabinets white….well, I didn’t. I hired it out. I found that they could do a much better job in 2 days and it really was pretty reasonably priced. (And I am cheap.)

      They used an oil-based paint (which I highly recommend). It hasn’t chipped one bit, unlike the latex I have used on a lot of tables and other furniture. The finish is perfect!

      Good luck, I LOVE white kitchens!!!

      Reply
      • Melissa Mortenson says

        April 22, 2013 at 10:45 pm

        Thanks for the tip! We are going to paint our Butlers Pantry and if that works tackle the kitchen!

        Reply
    5. Christine Johnston says

      January 16, 2018 at 1:34 pm

      Can you tell me what brand and color is the backsplash tile? I love it!

      Reply

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