Changes in the Kitchen
Just like the wrong shade of lipstick can ruin your whole look, the wrong paint color can make your home look dingy! Luckily changing the look of a space is almost as easy as changing your lip color! A new shade can enliven your space and I can't wait to show you how we freshened up our kitchen with paint!
Updated 6/2025
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I love sharing budget-friendly tips with you because saving money is one of my favorite things!
Let's be real though...if you asked me whether I'd rather paint a room or go shopping...shopping would win hands down!
What our home needed wasn't new furniture...
I was ready to chuck all our furnishing when we moved, because they looked terrible in our new home. However, a fresh coat of paint saved money and gave our whole home a whole new look!Our sand-colored walls were much too warm for our taste; they didn't match anything we own, and made our neutral furnishings looked drab, dull and blah! Enter paint. A fresh coat of light gray makes it feel like a whole new house!
Before I get too deep into this post, you're going to realize something if you haven't already...the ceiling is the same color as the walls were before we painted. We didn't touch the ceiling because I have neck issues, but it will be getting painted too so I need you to visualize it white.
We're in the process of lightening and brightening our new home. It's got great curb appeal, and the interior is mostly updated.
The paint used throughout the home is fairly new, but the sandy, taupe color did absolutely nothing for our furnishings!
And because buying all new furnishings and decor was not about to happen, new wall color was a must! And a much more affordable option!
The new paint color does a better job of matching the back splash, and goes nicely with the black marble counters. The floor tiles contain some gray, hard to see in these pictures, but it does match.
Going lighter really opened up the room without moving any walls! If your home feels tight and cramped, try lightening the paint color to breathe space into your rooms!
My kitchen is painted with Sherwin-Williams Emerald paint. The Emerald line is a paint and primer in one and has exceptional one-coat coverage, which is very important when you've got shopping to do LOL! I used the satin finish which keeps it washable, but not shiny.
The color we chose is a light gray color called Repose Gray. It's a shade lighter than the color I used in my TN house, but is from the same paint swatch.
Did you know gray is a neutral? It can be either warm or cool...but if you're not careful, it can look a little bit blue, green, even purple! Look for grays known as greige; they can look either beige or gray, depending on the light and time of day.
I've had great success with the colors on this swatch and plan to use them throughout our home. You can see the difference changing the wall color from beige to gray made in our dining and sitting rooms in this post Best wall color for light, neutral furnishings.
Painting my kitchen inspired another paint project! This large oak wall cabinet is being used as a coffee bar. I really disliked how the wood tone looked with the sandy walls. I was going to paint it white but decided to paint it the same color as the walls, which helped it to recede.
Update: you can see what I chose to do with this cabinet by jumping here. You'll get to see the whole kitchen with its updated look, including white ceilings!
We'll be making more small changes in the kitchen once the holidays are behind us. I'll be making a simple skirt for the coffee bar to hide the storage. We need to create a small breakfast area in the nook by the windows, and I'm hoping I can convince Mr DIY to shiplap the island!
Stayed tuned for more updates and decor...you know, the fun stuff!
Update: the ceilings are white, the coffee bar has a skirt, and the breakfast nook is in place...no go on the shiplap island yet. See my current kitchen here.
Disclosure: I received paint from Sherwin-Williams as compensation for this post. All views and opinions expressed are my own and no other compensation was provided.
I really like the new color. Looks great. I would definitely paint the coffee bar white. The oak color is to dark and heavy.
ReplyDeleteHey Pam, thanks for your words. I tend to agree with you about the coffee bar, it does need to be lightened. That'll be a project for after Christmas!
DeleteYou're doing great! Love the new paint color. It was smart of you to make the little desk into a coffee bar. A skirt will be so cute!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Stacey, I am loving the lighter color!
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