How to avoid a kitchen renovation: paint your cabinets : Annie Elliott Design

Ah, Gentle Readers. Another year is drawing to a close. How was 2023 for you? I hope you not only survived but thrived.

If you undertook a renovation, chances are you’re content with survival. Renovations are hard to live through, aren’t they?

Washington, DC kitchen renovation during construction with open back wall — The scariest moment of our 2016 kitchen renovation

Washington, DC kitchen renovation with plywood wall — I *think* it was only this way for a day? Clearly, I’ve blocked it out

On the off-chance that you’ve been pondering a kitchen renovation but just can’t bring yourself to take the plunge — it’s expensive, it’s messy, your current layout is perfectly fine — I have a suggestion.

Consider painting your kitchen cabinets.

Classic white kitchen cabinets in Washington DC — Before

Traditional Washington DC kitchen with cabinets painted green — After

Let me amend that, please: consider engaging the services of a professional to paint your kitchen cabinets.

I’m not as DIY as I was in my youth, but even if I were so moved, painting kitchen cabinets requires expertise. You want someone who’s done this before.

There are a few ways the process can go down. If you have a garage or large empty basement, the painters may remove all the cabinet doors and paint them there. If you do not, the painters likely will take the doors off-site to do the work.

In many cases, you do not even have to remove the contents of your cabinets. Mind-blowing, isn’t it?

Witness the drama:

The kitchen below is fairly open, so we painted the cabinets as part of the redesign of the first floor. All of the colors had to work together, obviously.

Traditional kitchen with stained wood cabinets in Arlington VA — Before

Arlington, VA kitchen with light blue cabinets — After

Here’s another project in which light/natural stained cabinets were grating on the clients’ nerves. They really can make a kitchen look dated. Light green paint saved the day in this case.

Kitchen with natural wood cabinets in a northwest neighborhood of Washington, DC — Before

Light green classic kitchen in NW Washington, DC — After

It’s hard to see in my terrible “after” picture, but the light green cabinets really brightened up the backsplash. It looks so fresh and pretty now.

The kitchen below was particularly dramatic. Instead of adding color, we took it away by painting the light gray stained cabinets white. (We painted the island a charcoal gray, which was much darker than the stain.)

Gray kitchen with island in Arlington, VA — Before

Classic white kitchen in Arlington, VA — After. Photo by Kip Dawkins

Of course, if you know what you want from the outset, you’ll just START with dramatic cabinets instead of having to re-paint them later ;) Exhibit A — I cannot get enough of this butler’s pantry.

Give it some thought, Gentle Readers. Painting your kitchen cabinets isn’t cheap, but it’s the most cost-effective way to give your tired-looking kitchen a dramatic facelift.

Annie Elliott Design is based in Washington, D.C. It’s holiday party season! And luckily, my book, My Neighbor Saw Me Naked, and Other Reasons You Need Drapes, makes a terrific host or hostess gift. You can buy it right here!