Use Benjamin Moore Simply White paint to transform your kitchen with just a little time and effort. You will love this budget friendly makeover for years!
Oh y’all!! I can’t believe this day has finally arrived! My kitchen cabinets are white! Cue the angels singing the Hallelujah Chorus, because this girl is happy, happy, happy!
Let’s just say that it’s been a long time coming – almost 4 years of wishing and waiting – and not to mention the long, painful process of actually painting them. We’ll get to the nitty, gritty DIY details another day, but for now I just want to show them off! OK?
Shall we look back at where we started? I think we shall. 🙂
Sorry for the teeny, grainy picture, but this is from the real estate listing when we bought the house. Plain, old regular kitchen. Nothing fancy, nothing special. And the minute I walked through this house, I knew that if we bought it, I would paint those cabinets white.
That was 4 years ago this month.
Nothing like a real-life budget and kiddos to keep the home to-do list moving at a snail’s pace. But that’s OK. We’ll get there a little at a time.
Another reason for the long time coming? Let’s just say I was skeeeeered with a capital S. So, I painted my bathroom cabinets for a small practice project. And that went great! I still love them and they look awesome. But I was still scared. My kitchen is not super big, but I knew it would still be a pain.
I have very few pictures of my kitchen in my files or on this blog because I just wasn’t proud of it. It didn’t reflect my style or what I wanted. So, I would take pictures of everything BUT it.
I finally decorated it and showed it off last Christmas. Not too shabby, huh? But still not the kitchen of my dreams. Totally functional, though.
And then last November, I was tired of sitting in the house with sick kids and I got the DIY bug. I thought it would take me 2-3 weeks to finish painting them by myself. (Haha!!) I started prepping for paint the first week of November. (I am crazy, for sure!)
I ended up hiring a babysitter to come every day the week before Thanksgiving and painted my heart out trying to get them finished before Turkey Day. I finally finished them on December 7. Not too bad, but I literally busted my tail to get them done.
And looking back?
I was an idiot.
The time I spent painting cabinets should have been spent shopping for Christmas gifts and decorating my house. Subsequently I was so rushed and crazy all through Christmas.
So learn from me… wait until January to tackle a big project like this. Although the warm weather in November and December made the prep work in the garage so much more bearable. But still, just wait.
OK, I’ll stop talking now and let you see the pictures. EEEE!!!! I’m just so excited that they are DONE!
Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Simply White
RELATED: How to Prime Cabinets for a Smooth Finish
I will be changing this wall with the EAT sign very soon! I’m selling the art and moving the EAT sign to a new location and replacing it with some open shelving! I just need to make a trip to shop for some old barn wood first. Hopefully I can get there soon to get it and get them up.
I can’t wait to have a place to store Miss A’s art supplies and some other things we need close by, but don’t have the storage. I’ll also look forward to making them pretty and changing them with the seasons.
If you read my Home Goals post, then you know I want to change out the counter tops and add a pretty back splash, but those big projects may take a while. We’ve either got to figure out a DIY solution for the counters or save up some serious moolah.
I know this picture is not of my cabinets, but I wanted to document it one more time. I’m about to change a bunch of things in here!! #giddy
I just LOVE it! Now if it were only this clean all of the time and the pretty pink carnations would stay fresh forever. #itsneverthisclean
A pretty close up of my pretty flowers and favorite new daily planner! It’s the Simplified Planner from Emily Ley. I’m exercising my #1 tip for making my to-do list more effective. It’s working so far this year.
And one final look at the before and after together. I love this picture so much, I could kiss it!
I’ll be sharing the DIY how to soon, so stay tuned! It’ll be called “How to Paint your Kitchen Cabinets in the Middle of the Holidays with Two Little Kids and Not Go Crazy!!” 😉
Update: I posted it! How to Paint Your Kitchen Cabinets Tutorial
Kitchen Sources:
Curtains: Target (here)
Kitchen mat: Target clearance (similar here)
White and Wood Bar stools: Target (here)
Green Bar stools: they were given to me and I painted them (tutorial here)
Share a Random Moment art: Amazon (here) or eBay (here)
EAT sign: DIY tutorial (here)
Pam Siegel
How would Simply White cabinets look with white appliances?
Laura
Hi Pam, I would have to recommend getting a swatch of Simply White and holding it up to the appliances. It would be hard for me to give a blanket statement since I don’t know if they were true white appliances or a cream. Simply White definitely has some warm creaminess to it.
Donna Persico
I’m renovating a kitchen and plan to paint the cabinets simply white as well, what is the wall paint color you used? It’s a beautiful combination 🙂
Anita
Your kitchen looks fantastic now:-) It’s incredible how some white paint can change the whole interior! I love your white kitchen:-) Great job:-)
Laura
Thank you, Anita!!
Rebecca
Wow, your cabinets look awesome! Very nice job. They make the whole kitchen look bigger, and cleaner, and more up to date.
We moved into our home 3 years ago, and I am still waiting to update the kitchen that we were going to tackle first thing! It sure would be nice if life could just stop for a little while so that I can get some of my major home projects done. 🙂
Laurie
Your cabinets look great!!! I just did a post on my blog about trends for 2016 and painted cabinets in pale gray, blue and beige, as well as incorporating mixed materials are very on trend.
Your Kitchen looks fab!!!
xo Laurie
http://www.northofchic.com
Lynne
Beautiful job! Your kitchen looks amazing…so bright and fresh. Enjoy!
Amy Smith
My kitchen looks very similar to your before pictures and we too have been skeeeered to start the exact same endeavor. Please reveal your DIY cabinet techniques and hopefully we can have ours look like that too!! I love the grey counters. Mine are beige👎🏻
Vineta @ The Handyman's Daughter
Your kitchen looks amazing! I’m gathering up the courage to tackle my own kitchen. We have beige melamine cabinets straight out of the 80’s, but I hope that by painting them white, it will at least look a little brighter. I can’t wait to see how you did yours!
Laura
I know you want to change your counter tops, but with the white cabinets, the grey looks great! Just sayin’…
Amy Dowling
Great job!!! Looks amazing! I did mine this fall. I know what a job it is but best decision I ever made! 🙂
Karen
LOVE LOVE LOVE what you have done….GREAT JOB!!!!!
Krista
It looks fantastic Laura!! I love the change – so fresh and pretty!!
Sarah
It looks so beautiful Laura! I’m really looking forward to the tutorial as well!
Shonee
This is an incredible transformation! It’s amazing the difference thT paint can make. I’m sorry it was so much work, but wow! The results are fantastic! Thanks for sharing. I can’t wait to see the open shelving.
Shonee
http://www.hawthorneandmain.com
Shonee
Fantastic! It’s incredible, the difference some paint makes. It’s looks like a totally different space!! I can’t wait to see your open shelving. Thanks for sharing!
Shonee
http://www.hawthorneandmain.com
Michelle
Your “new” kitchen looks amazing-you did a wonderful job! I can’t wait to see what’s coming up!
Laura
Thank you, Michelle! I’m excited to continue the transformation!!
Nancie
Looks awesome, Laura! Makes the whole kitchen look clean and bright! We upgraded our cabinets (maple) when we built this house in Florida nine years ago. The last few years I’ve been wanting to paint them white too, but I’m really scared! We have granite countertops and I’m not sure if the white cabinets will go together. Can’t wait for your DIY details on how to do this.
Laura
I think white cabinets look fabulous with all granite! 🙂 Good luck!!
Meredith @ unOriginalMom
It looks amazing, Laura! What a great before and after. It’s amazing how a bit of paint can make such a HUGE change in a space. Those hours and hours of painting were worth it!
Laura
Thank you, Meredith! I felt like it was like giving birth. Hours of pain, but totally worth it! 😜 Hope you’re doing well!