We all know the standard ’90s honey oak kitchen: heavy wood grain, dated yellow Formica countertops, visible brass hinges, and a bulky microwave dominating the range area. While the footprint of these kitchens is often functional, the aesthetic can leave the whole home feeling tired and dark.

For our latest project, our clients loved their kitchen’s original layout, but they were ready for a bright, classic, and sophisticated update. Instead of a costly full-gut remodel, we executed a strategic kitchen refresh that transformed the entire room, proving that smart design tweaks, professional finishes, and the right color palette can completely redefine a space.

This was the kitchen when I first met with them. The before:

The Power of Paint: Benjamin Moore Louisburg Green

The centerpiece of this transformation was the cabinetry. We professionally prepped and painted the original oak cabinets in Benjamin Moore Louisburg Green, an earthy, muted sage that adds instant character without overpowering the room. To soften the surrounding walls, we selected Benjamin Moore Classic Gray, providing a warm, subtle contrast that keeps the space feeling airy. You can see this beautiful and classic combination below.

Louisburg Green

Classic Gray

And here is the after with the right combination of paint, finishes, new counters, and customization.

Elevating Details & Smart Spatial Hacks

• The Soffit Trick: To break up the choppy visual line above the cabinets, we added crown molding directly to the soffit and painted everything to match the cabinetry. This seamless, tone-on-tone treatment draws the eye upward, instantly adding perceived height to the room.

• The Microwave Niche: The clients wanted to open up the cooking area, so we removed the over-the-range microwave and built a custom open shelf, painting the niche to match for a tailored, cozy focal point.
• Modern Hardware & Hidden Hinges: We swapped out the dated external hinges for modern, hidden, soft-close hardware, instantly giving the cabinet doors a sleek, custom look.

• Coordinated Finishes: We installed durable white quartz countertops, a soft white subway tile backsplash with matching white grout, an undermount sink, and warm metallic hardware and plumbing fixtures to anchor the classic aesthetic.

Once we are finished with a project, we always encourage our clients to consider some new styling in the space. Adding thoughtful touches, like plants and small pictures create a warm feeling and can easily tuck in the background, allowing room for practical needs (fresh fruit or cooking utensils) to still remain.

Ready for Your Own Transformation?

Whether you are staring at a dark and dated kitchen or a lacklustre living room, we’re here to help. Our team doesn’t just dream up the design, we work with you to help bring the vision to life!

To get started, schedule a design consultation so we can create a plan for your home. Click the link below to book an appointment. We offer VIRTUAL or IN-PERSON consultations, so we can work with you no matter where you are located.

Want to Start With a FREE Cabinet Painting Quote

If you are ready to begin with a free kitchen quote, contact us today. Just send us some photos and the count of your doors and drawers, and we can start you off with a free quote for painting your cabinets!

Final Thoughts

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.

Hi Friends!

How was your weekend? We had a festive weekend with the Saratoga Victorian Walk and the Troy Victorian Stroll! It was so much fun!

I’m really excited to share this week’s kitchen makeover with you! One thing that sets us apart from other kitchen cabinet painting companies is that we also do interior design. So when we come to your house to paint cabinets, we’re not just thinking about what colors would work for your space, we can also make design recommendation to completely update the kitchen. With this project, Amy started by hiring me to do a design consult to help them pick flooring, counters, hardware, paint color, etc. After all of those details were selected, we did the kitchen cabinet painting for them and added new hardware. They had a contractor who did the rest of the changes to the kitchen.

Here’s the kitchen before:

Kitchen Before

Kitchen Before

Kitchen Before

Kitchen Before

We painted the kitchen main cabinets and peninsula Benjamin Moore’s Simply White. We also added new hardware, and sprayed everything with a protective clear coat.

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

What an beautiful transformation!! 

Could your kitchen use an update? We’d love to help!! We can help pick out colors, finishes, product and do the cabinet painting, tiling, add new hardware. You can use our Contact Us form to request our design services or a quote for painting your kitchen. Please check out other kitchen projects on our For Sale page. We’ll need to see a picture of your kitchen, a list of how many doors and drawers there are, and where you are located to email you an estimate. This change ups the value of your home and gives you a whole new look at a fraction of the cost of new kitchen cabinets!

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. 

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. 

Happy FunCycling Friends,

Sarah ;)