FunCycled - Interior Design, Kitchen Cabinet Painting, Furniture Repurposing in Upstate NY

Going Green: The Top Sustainable Green Kitchen Trends for Earth Month

Meg Booth — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 08:00:00 +0000

If FunCycled had a signature color (other than my favorite—teal!), it might just be green. There is a reason we find ourselves returning to this palette time and time again; the color green possesses so much resilience, depth, and vitality while still offering a sense of grounding and serenity. Beyond the aesthetic, green embodies the richness of the earth and serves as a constant reminder of our responsibility in stewarding what we have and where we live.

Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do at FunCycled. We believe you can achieve high-end, beautiful design while honoring the planet. This Earth Month, we’re taking “going green” literally. We’re diving into some of our favorite sustainable green kitchen trends, showcasing the transformative power of a fresh coat of paint on existing cabinetry, and sharing our top eco-friendly swaps to help you curate a kitchen that looks good and does good.

From Evergreen to Sage: Our Favorite Green Kitchen Transformations

The most sustainable kitchen is often the one you already have. By refinishing existing cabinets rather than sending them to a landfill, we reduce waste and give high-quality wood a second life. Here are a few of our favorite “green” transformations from the FunCycled archives:

High-Drama Depth: Black Evergreen by Behr & Tarrytown Green

For those who love a moody, sophisticated look, Black Evergreen by Behr and Tarrytown Green by Benjamin Moore are absolute showstoppers. These deep tones offer incredible resilience and a sense of history. They anchor a room, making even the oldest cabinets feel modern and architectural.

This is Tarrytown Green:

This is Black Evergreen

Classic Sophistication: Lafayette Green & Cedar Mountains

If you want a color that feels like a walk through the woods, Lafayette Green and Cedar Mountains (both by Benjamin Moore) provide that perfect balance of vitality and calm. These shades play beautifully with natural wood tones and brass hardware, grounding the kitchen in organic beauty.

This is Lafayette Green

This is Cedar Mountains

Curating a Conscious Kitchen: Our Eco-Friendly Essentials

Once the cabinets are painted, the next step in embracing sustainable green kitchen trends is looking at the products we use every day. We’ve curated a list of our favorite earth-honoring picks to help you finish the look.

Sustainable Surfaces: Earth-Honoring Tile & Backsplash

When updating your backsplash, look for recycled glass tiles or handmade ceramics. These options reduce the carbon footprint of your remodel while adding unique, artisanal texture to your walls.

For a polished and uniform look, ceramic or porcelain offerings work really well. Be sure to check for how the materials are sourced. I like this one below. It is not only really elevated, it is GREENGUARD Gold Certified which means it meets low VOC standards and offers a healthier air quality in your home.

These are beautiful hand-made tiles made from clay in Morrocco. This is a gorgeous blue, but this company offers a variety of colors.

Illuminating Change: Ethical Lighting Solutions

Lighting is the jewelry of the kitchen. We love sourcing fixtures made from recycled metals or sustainable woven materials like rattan and bamboo. It’s a bright way to stay eco-conscious.

This beautiful woven pendant is great for over an island or round table in your kitchen. I love the natural rattan material on display.

This is another great pendant option. Constructed from textured and recycled bamboo, the simple lines of this pendant work really well for minimalist, MCM, or even modern farmhouse designs.

The Daily Swap: Sustainable Staples & Storage

True stewardship happens in the small moments. Swap out containers made with high toxin plastics for glass storage sets or recycled materials sourced from non-toxic & organic materials. and trade worn-out plastic tools for bamboo or FSC-certified wood cooking utensils.

I really love these storage options from Caraway Home.

These teak utensils are really functional and eco-friendly.

For many food items, wooden cutting boards are a great option. I like these sourced from solid wood and natural materials.

How to Start Your “Green” Journey Today

Creating a sustainable home doesn’t have to happen overnight. If you are feeling inspired this Earth Month, here is how we recommend you begin:

Start Small with the Basics: You don’t need a full demo to make a difference. Start by swapping out your daily staples, such as food storage or cooking utensils. These small changes add up to a big impact over time.
Brighten Up with Efficiency: Lighting is one of the easiest ways to “go green” technically. Swap out old, energy-draining bulbs for high-efficiency LEDs that mimic natural light. Not only does this reduce your energy consumption, but it also perfectly highlights the rich undertones of colors like Black Evergreen or Lafayette Green.
Refresh Instead of Replace: Consider a kitchen refresh by using what you already have. By painting your existing cabinets and updating elements like lighting or backsplashes with materials that honor the earth, you reduce waste while creating a space that feels brand new.

At FunCycled, we believe your home should be a reflection of your values. Let’s make this year the year your kitchen truly “goes green.”

You can shop all of our Sustainable Kitchen Finds by clicking the image and link below!

Sustainable Kitchen Products

Ready to Upcylce Your Kitchen Cabinets?

There is no need to spend $50k (or more) on new cabinets when your current ones may only need a refresh with custom professional kitchen cabinet painting.

Wondering if you should get new kitchen cabinets or paint your existing? Check out our Painting Vs Replacing Calculator.

Serving Albany County, Rensselaer County, Saratoga County, Columbia County, and Schenectady Country (any home up to an hour from Troy, NY).

I hope you have gleaned some inspiration and perhaps discovered some key takeaways for your kitchen! To see more kitchen inspiration, check out all of our KITCHEN MAKEOVERS.

If you would like to know a more personalized estimate, follow these three easy steps to getting your FREE QUOTE today! If you are even remotely considering a kitchen refresh, I encourage you to CONTACT US today!

Thank you all for following along! If you’d like to get this blog in your email once a week, please sign up for our weekly newsletter by adding your email in the little box below my picture at the top of this page.

If you’ve enjoyed this post, please like FunCycled on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest if you don’t already. Keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity. We share fun tutorials, great before and after, and new design inspirations.

We offer interior design, kitchen cabinet painting, and custom built tables, barn doors, and repurposed furniture. Thank you, again, for working with us and for taking the time to spread the word about what we do. This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As always, I only recommend products I genuinely love and trust.

Happy FunCycling Friends,
Sarah ; )

Because home is where peace begins.

Green Kitchen Cabinet Painting in Clifton Park, NY

Meg Booth — Tue, 20 Aug 2024 08:00:00 +0000

Hi Friends!

It is so exciting when I get to share with you stunning makeovers that display the correct way to add color to a home! This summer, I have focused on incorporating color into your design which I know can be a scary or intimidating idea. That’s why I am glad to share today’s kitchen makeover story with you. Julie and her family reached out to us knowing they wanted to update their kitchen but needed some guidance on making the right selections for their project. Thanks to our team, we were able to completely change the look of their kitchen while keeping the cost down.

Here are a few before photos of Julie’s kitchen. This kitchen is what I would call a busy or disjointed kitchen. There are 2 different colors of wood tones between the cabinets and island, 2 different countertops, and 2 different colors of hardware used throughout the space. The good news…everything was in good condition, so we knew we could use the existing cabinets and drawers.

Here are a couple more photos

Next we determined that Julie and her family were going to keep the counters and backsplash. Yes, the two different counters were mismatched, but they are solid surface and in really good shape. As for her backsplash, it actually contained all of the colors that were present in her heavily veined granite counter AND the even, streamlined dark gray countertop. Now, we just needed to make all of the elements tie in together.

Here is a close up of the backsplash and the paint swatch we decided to use for the cabinets.

It was great that their tile actually contained ALL of the elements that we needed to pull together a cohesive plan. Plus, it helped to confirm our color choice!

This color is by Behr. It’s called Black Evergreen. It is a rich, deep green and can be used to add a dramatic element to a room or to provide a moody space that helps warm and welcome a room.

And here is the beautiful outcome with our cohesive design plan!

In addition to selecting the right paint color, we decided to paint the underside of the cabinets. For Julie’s kitchen, this was an important component in achieving a cohesive design plan. It’s a good idea to do this when you want to ensure the visual appearance is not interrupted and the colors are evenly spread out around a room. Choosing the right color, ensuring a continuous visual presence, and selecting matching hardware were the essential

See how well this paint color works with both counters?

Look at how well the color works with both counters…and check out the rich tone of the deep green next to the movement of the granite on their island. Isn’t is just stunning?!

And the last detail to complete the cohesive plan was to ensure we used the right hardware. Sometimes using one kind for your doors and another for your drawers is a good idea, but since Julie’s kitchen plan was to pull everything together, we decided the best option would be to select all of the same hardware. And to add just a little more interest, we decided on these black and gold handles. Here is the link where you can purchase them: Black and Gold Cabinet Pulls.

We just loved completing this project! Thanks, Julie, for working with us and for trusting FunCycled with your design plan!

Happy FunCycling Friends,
Sarah ;)

Note some of the the links provided are affiliate links, and as an Amazon Associate, I earn from any qualifying purchases.

A Celebration of GREEN!

Meg Booth — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 20:00:00 +0000

Hi friends!

Well it is just about here and in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, let’s celebrate green! I mean isn’t that what we should do?! Speaking of green, remember that we’ve launched our Earth Day Upcycling Contest. Redo something and share before and after photos HERE for a chance to win!

Over the years we have refreshed, updated, and repurposed countless numbers of kitchens, making them over into new and fresh spaces our clients want to spend time in with friends and family! Join me as I share some of my favorite GREEN kitchen makeovers, and I hope you will stick with me to the end to learn a few cool facts about St. Patrick himself and to gain a better understanding of why green is so essential this time of year and how to bring that into our homes!

If you are having trouble viewing the images, click here.

Here are some of my favorites over the years!

DID YOU KNOW?

Originally, the color of St. Patrick’s Day was blue (it’s true-Google it!). Seen in this early depiction of St. Patrick himself, blue garments were donned during early feast celebrations in honor of St. Patrick. It wasn’t until the late 1800’s when the color association shifted from blue to green (TIME magazine article).

Image Credit to FLIKR c/o Pinterest

WHY GREEN?

Okay, so besides the festivities of St. Patrick’s Day, what is it about green that we love so much this time of year?

Green elicits feelings of harmony and peace and is associated with growth and renewal. I think all of these emotions are things we all want to feel and cultivate in our everyday lives. For that reason, green makes a great color option for anyone’s home! Whether it is embracing a full paint project in your kitchen, refurbishing a tired piece of furniture, replacing pillow covers, or placing fresh greens inside or out, green is more than just a color for St. Patrick’s Day-it’s a color we can love any time of year in any place in our homes!

If you would like to know more about getting your kitchen painted (green or otherwise!), or maybe you have a piece of furniture that could use a facelift, check out the links below to learn more about those services! I would love to help!

Kitchen Cabinet Painting

Furniture Makeovers on our Projects Page

Or you can reach out to us on our Contact Us page where you will find additional details about working with us!

DON’T FORGET THE EARTH DAY UPCYCLING CONTEST HAPPENING NOW! Click the image below for more details!

Thank you all for following along! If you’d like to get this blog in your email once a week, please sign up for our weekly newsletter by adding your email in the little box below my picture.

Happy FunCycling Friends,

Sarah ; )

Dark Green Kitchen Cabinets with Copper and Brass Accents

Sarah — Tue, 07 Nov 2023 07:57:00 +0000

Hi Friends!

I hope you had a wonderful weekend! I’m giddy, excited to share with you all about the kitchen makeover in our Trolley House Flip. It might just knock your socks off! As you may know by now, we purchased an old trolley stop in 2022, and completely remodeled it before putting it on the market at the end of October.

If you have trouble viewing the photos on this post, click here.

Here’s what the kitchen part of the trolley house looked like the day we bought it:

This was the most damaged section of the house! John actually fell through the floor after we closed on it. We ended up ripping this whole section off, adding a foundation and all new framing. My favorite part about this design is that we also peaked the ceiling to match the roof line of the rest of the house. The roof before wasn’t even 6′ tall on the door side.

Check out this ceiling!!! We installed shiplap on the ceiling and a large beam to add visual interest.

Next, we worked on the flooring. I knew I wanted rectangular tile that wouldn’t show dirt easily since it’s the main access area to the house. I really wanted to do a herringbone pattern with the tile which is not a great return on investment since a 1-2 day project turned into over a 4 day project. I was so happy with how it came out though!

I went back and forth about the color of the cabinets. I know white sells quickly, but I really wanted to do something with a custom feel. So we asked our FunCycled fan’s on social media and they voted! It was almost a 50/50 vote so I went with my gut and painted them green.

We repurposed most of the kitchen cabinets by buying them on a local online marketplace, then we bought a few extra to make the whole configuration match.

John reminded me that we had strips of copper from a project that we could use in this space if I wanted. I LOVED that idea because I love how copper and dark green go together! We custom built the hood vent; adding the copper strip at the bottom. We also added all copper hardware. This is a good example of how mixed metals work together well in one space. We have gold, black, and copper, and it looks so high end.

The cabinets are painted a Behr color Black Evergreen MQ6-44. I love how in some lighting it looks black, other lighting it’s almost evergreen, and then in others it’s almost teal. This picture is a good example of the way lighting affects this color.

On the right side of the front are, we create a small eat in nook and laundry room!

We purchased a huge, old door for the Historic Albany Foundation, and it completely makes this space.

We also found a hutch in the house when we bought it. We completely redid it and added it to the laundry room. One of my favorite parts about the trolley house when we came to look at it was the stairs. They were so tiny and adorable:

But would you look at them now!!

We also installed beautiful subway tile with dark gray grout, picked Quartz counters, and a black faucet.

I couldn’t love it all more!!

Would you like help designing your kitchen? Check out our Interior Design Services page or book your consult today!

Thank you all for following along! If you’d like to get this blog in your email once a week, please sign up for our weekly newsletter by adding your email in the little box below my picture.

Happy FunCycling Friends,
Sarah ;)

My Favorite Sage Green Kitchen Cabinet Color

Sarah — Tue, 29 Nov 2022 17:29:39 +0000

Hi Friends,

How are you? I hope you’re back into the routine of normal schedules after a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend and that your hearts are full from the practice of giving thanks. It’s such a good discipline in the valleys or on the mountaintops. We all have something to be grateful for!

For this week’s makeover, I’m excited to share a kitchen makeover where I did the design and then we painted the kitchen cabinets. I feel like we most often paint kitchens white, but in this case the kitchen went from white to green! If you’ve ever tried to pick a medium sage green, you can know how tricky that process can be. We went back and for on this kitchen, but landed on Benjamin Moore’s cedar mountain 706. I couldn’t love it more!! It’s hard to photograph this green because it looks so different based on the lighting, but click the link above to see the color on Benjamin Moore’s site.

Here’s the kitchen before:

Kitchen Before

We painted the kitchen main cabinets and peninsula Benjamin Moore’s cedar mountain 706. We also added new hardware, removed the wine fridge in the island and made a shelf for a microwave to free up more counter space, and sprayed everything with a protective clear coat.

What an beautiful transformation!!

If you’d like to see how we paint Kitchen Cabinets, click here to check out our video on YouTube.

Ready for the after photos?

Kitchen After

Thank you all for following along! If you’d like to get this blog in your email once a week, please sign up for our weekly newsletter by adding your email in the little box below my picture.

Happy FunCycling Friends,

Sarah ;)