Honey oak cabinets have had a legendary run, but for most kitchens, this finish does not stand the test of time and often makes your kitchen stuck in the past. We recently took on an oak kitchen that was structurally solid but aesthetically… well, outdated and dark. By trading the dated tiers for a seamless, one-level white quartz counter and swapping the “builder-grade” vibe for the moody, sophisticated depth of Benjamin Moore Lafayette Green, we completely redefined the heart of this home. If you’ve been staring at your own cabinets wondering if professional paint and some fresh backsplash tile can actually save you money over a full gut, grab a coffee. Because this transformation is proof that you don’t need a sledgehammer to get a designer finish.

Here’s where we started:

The Power of Paint: BM Lafayette Green & Simply White

When it comes to high-impact transformations, never underestimate the “power of the brush.” For this project, we leaned into one of our absolute favorite, fail-safe color combinations: the marriage of a soft, warm white with a deep, soulful green. By anchoring the lower cabinets in BM Lafayette Green (HC-135) and lifting the uppers with Simply White, we achieved a “Tuxedo” look that feels intentional and grounded rather than just “painted.” This isn’t just a fleeting trend, either—this specific pairing of organic, forest-inspired tones and creamy whites is a classic aesthetic that truly stands the test of time. It provides enough drama to make a statement, but enough warmth to ensure your kitchen still feels like the coziest room in the house ten years from now.

Lafayette Green – Benjamin Moore

Simply White – Benjamin Moore

When you have a lighter color on the top of your kitchen and a darker or more bold color on the bottom, the effect is referred to as a “Tuxedo Kitchen.” What people may not realize is that employing this technique can actually make a kitchen look bigger. Here’s a comparison of the kitchen side by side.

Subway tile is a classic for a reason, but if you’re looking to incorporate design that moves beyond a standard look, the secret is often found in the orientation. We decided to ditch the traditional offset “brick” pattern in favor of a vertical offset, and the impact was immediate.

By flipping the green subway tile on its end, we created clean, continuous lines that draw the eye upward, tricking the brain into thinking the ceilings are much taller than they actually are.

It’s a simple geometric shift that gives an affordable, standard tile a high-end designer edge, proving that you don’t need a custom-made mosaic to make a modern architectural statement.

Here’s one of our top picks for green tiles for your kitchen. I love the dark emerald green!

2″ x 8″ Porcelain Tile

The Finishing Touches: Why We Chose White Quartz & Brushed Gold Hardware

To bring the whole look together, we focused on the “jewelry” of the kitchen: the brushed gold hardware and the white quartz countertops. There is something incredibly sophisticated about the way a warm metallic pop sits against the moody depth of Lafayette Green—it’s an instant elevation that makes the entire space feel curated rather than just “refurbished.”

Here are some of our favorite picks for this combo

We paired this with a crisp white quartz that effectively bounces light around the room, providing a clean, durable surface that bridges the gap between the dark lowers and the bright uppers. This combination is our top recommendation for anyone wanting a high-end, designer finish; the quartz offers the look of marble without the high-maintenance “stain-anxiety,” while the gold pulls provide that final, polished touch that makes the cabinetry truly sing.

This before photo is a good example of how a ledge/half wall between the kitchen and dining area keeps things closed off & cuts the work area short.

By taking that ledge down, the sight-lines have been opened and our clients have gained additional counter space which can now be used in a variety of ways.

For additional kitchen inspiration, check out these transformations from FunCycled.

Blue & Gold Kitchen with Open Shelves

Clean and Bright Kitchen Reveal

Classic & Farmhouse Feel Kitchen Makeover

Kitchen Makeover Ideas: Warm Taupe Cabinets with Black Island for a Timeless Look

Final Thoughts

I hope you have gleaned some inspiration and perhaps discovered some key takeaways for your kitchen! To see more Green & White kitchen inspiration, check out our design picks for your kitchen. Follow the link below:

Are you considering getting your kitchen cabinets painted (OR MORE!), 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. 

Happy FunCycling Friends,
Sarah ; )

Exquisite Spaces. Sustainable Designs. Brighter Futures.

Note some of the the links provided are affiliate links, and I may earn from any qualifying purchases.

Kitchen makeovers with white cabinets are long since a new concept. Despite this, a good makeover story truly doesn’t get old and is far from outdated-which may or may not be exactly what was wrong with this kitchen before we stepped in! Let’s jump in!

Saying Goodbye to Oak: The “Before” of the Dark Kitchen Makeover

Not every oak cabinet is equal, and the fact is that there is quite a variety of styles and hues. The challenge is that many of them feel tired and are quickly outdated. Here is a before picture of the kitchen in our makeover story.

There were a lot of things working really well for this kitchen, but it the wood cabinets next to the wood floor (a common design choice) feels overwhelming and does not allow either to stand out or shine! Here are the things we found helpful as we approached this makeover:

• Good Layout – having enough space and good flow are important, and there was no need to accommodate anything out of the ordinary
• Well Maintained Cabinets – we did not have to take any extra time to address any challenges
• Classic Design Elements – the combination of white & black counters is very timeless and works well with many colors and styles
• Neutral Backdrop – this helps streamline choices

Dreaming in White: Key Design Choices for this Cabinet-Focused Kitchen Makeover

Knowing what steps to take to get the desired outcome is sometimes really straightforward and for other kitchens, it can be a little bit trickier. For this project, our main focus and most significant change to this kitchen was selecting the right colors. Here are some common questions that often arise when making this decision. Let’s tackle some together:

For additional insights on selecting the right color for your cabinets, visit our blog post Choosing the Right Color for Kitchens.

The Radiant Reveal: This Stunning Kitchen Makeover with White Cabinets Completed!

Check out this gorgeous reveal! It is a perfect trifecta of bright, clean, and stunning.

We painted the cabinets in Benjamin Moore Simply White and the island in a mid-tone gray – Benjamin Moore Platinum Gray. It is hard to see in this photo, but I have the colors side by side for you to view better!

A Closer Look at the Details

To really appreciate the transformation, take a look at this side by side view of the before & after.

Here are some other close up’s of the details – after all, that is what makes great design. Notice the beautiful wood floors are no longer competing with the cabinets. These new beauties were installed by 518 Floor Care. They can be the showpiece they were meant to be!

Like many kitchens, just adjoining the main kitchen area is a dining area. We needed to ensure the design flowed well and created a seamless feel moving from one area to the next. Take a look.

Are you considering getting your kitchen cabinets painted (OR MORE!), follow these three easy steps to getting your FREE QUOTE 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. 

Happy FunCycling Friends,
Sarah ;)

Hi Friends!

Do you have a kitchen that is ready for an update? This week’s post is a perfect example of how our kitchen cabinet painting, tiling, and new counters can totally transform a kitchen at a fraction of the cost of a new kitchen! I can’t wait to share the story of Tom and Mary Ann and how we transformed their kitchen!

If you are having trouble viewing images, click here.

A couple months ago when I first met with Tom and Mary Ann, I remember being greeted with excitement and joy! For over 20 years they had been waiting to update their kitchen and now the time had finally come!

Here’s a taste of what the kitchen looked like before we did our magic!

Tom and Mary Ann’s kitchen had many of the same features I see in older homes – oak cabinets finished in a medium warm wood tone and encased under a soffit that meets the ceiling, scalloped features around windows or above ranges, counters made from laminate or formica, and hardware and finishes that are basic.

After talking with Tom and Mary Ann, it soon became clear that we needed to look beyond just kitchen cabinet painting. They were ready to make bigger changes to this space and create a kitchen that would reflect their personality!

As you can see, we made a lot of changes in this kitchen. An important thing to remember when you are designing a space, and this is especially true when you are changing or altering a space that is already “done,” you do not need to start over! The small details added together make a huge impact on the design of a space! For this kitchen, we changed the drawer pulls and door handles to a matte black finish. And notice they do NOT need to match, they need to coordinate!

We added this beautiful green subway tile (Mary Ann’s favorite!) and made sure the grout worked with the paint color of the cabinets. We added the Shaker trim around the end of her upper cabinets and added crown molding to the top of the soffit to extend the eye up!

Crown Molding

Here’s a closer look at the before and after when we add crown molding to the top of the cabinets! As you can see before adding the molding and having a contrast between the cabinets and the soffit, everything is broken up, which actually makes the kitchen look choppy and smaller. In the after photo, by adding the detail of the crown molding where the soffit meets the ceiling and then painting it the same color (Benjamin Moore Simply White) as the cabinets, your eye goes all the way to the top, adding height to the cabinets and making the kitchen area seem larger!

New Counters

And look at that new beautiful quartz countertop! What a major difference just that alone makes!

Shaker Style Trim

Take a look at the before and after photos when adding Shaker trim on both the outside edge of the cabinets as well as the inside where the cabinets are next to the window. This really elevated the kitchen and adds such value!

New Sink and Faucet

The sink used to be this old worn out top mounted stainless steel sink. The faucet and handle were worn out and plagued with hard water stains that would not come clean. Our solution, change the sink to an under mounted one (still stainless and divided in two) and change the faucet to match the hardware.

Peninsula Upgrade

I especially love this upgrade for Tom and Mary Ann! We could have just painted the wood paneling that was on the back side of their peninsula, but I knew that adding the Shaker detail and changing the molding at the bottom then painting it would take this to the next level and would tie in the ends of the cabinets (already decked out in Shaker trim)!

And to tie in that green color that Mary Ann loves so much, we decided to paint the back side of this peninsula in Benjamin Moore Cushing Green but we kept the front of the peninsula the same as the rest of the cabinets, Benjamin Moore’s Simply White! Here is the front of the peninsula.

And here are the paint selections:

Benjamin Moore Cushing Green

Benjamin Moore Simply White

Making it Your Own

Another important thing to consider is making sure you know how to incorporate some of your treasured items into your newly refreshed and updated space! For Mary Ann, she wanted to find a place for her cow canister as well as be able to reuse the stools she and Tom had only purchased not too long ago. And we did it! Tucked in the corner of her kitchen, dwelling amongst the other canisters, resides the cow, and nestled under a the smooth, bright countertop sit the stools where Mary Ann and Tom’s grandchildren can enjoy snacks and time with their grandparents! Mission accomplished!

Thank you, Tom and Mary Ann, for choosing us to be part of this special project and for hiring FunCycled to do the kitchen cabinet painting, the tile/carpentry work, and the countertop replacement! We loved working with you!

What an beautiful transformation!! 

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

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. 

In addition to kitchen cabinet painting, we offer interior design, 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 ; )

Hi friends,

I hope you had a good Monday! I always mention our weekends, but really by the time you read this, you and I both have already had a Monday! Anyway, I hope the week is off to a good start!

Last week, I spent some time with my mom at the Troy Hidden Garden Tour. We had a wonderful time! It was such a beautiful day, and the garden was amazing! You should definitely check it out next spring! Take a look at these photos from our outing!

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

In today’s Tuesday Treasure, I am sharing one of our latest kitchen makeovers for new homeowners Brittany and Marco. When I first connected with them, this house didn’t even belong to them. Brittany and her husband were under contract and moving toward closing, but technically, they didn’t own the home yet. So you might be asking how this could possibly work to design a kitchen space without the client living in the home. Well, the answer is, carefully, with patience, and flexibility!

For many of our clients, we are able to meet with them during a one hour design consultation (this can either be at the client’s home for a $300 design fee or at our office free of charge) and complete the design selections at that time. However, in some instances making final selections may require additional meeting and planning time beyond one hour. For Brittany, this was the best choice for her and her husband. It not only worked practically, since they did not live in the home, but is also helped them solidify the best plan for their home! When in doubt, it is worth taking the additional time to make sure everything is settled for your design! We and you want to make sure your kitchen is the best it can be!

Here are the photos Brittany shared with us when they were under contract. The kitchen is certainly a good size and has a lot of good storage, but it was far from the style that Brittany and Marco were looking for. That’s when we stepped in!

We started by selecting the right paint colors and talked through the potential of selecting a different color for the island, which I am so glad they decided to do! When you have such an open kitchen and the island sits in the middle of it all, making the choice to paint the island a different color always makes a statement!

From there, we made selections for the hardware and then moved on to other upgrades and improvements to the overall look and function to the kitchen. For example, they were hoping to update the counters and backsplash (since it was stuck in the 90’s!) and also needed to deal with little quirks like the breadbox that crowded the corner and hindered the full use of the counters.

Here are the after photos!

We painted the cabinets in Benjamin Moore Simply White and the island in Benjamin Moore Oxford Gray.

To bring the backsplash and counter up to date, we selected classic white subway tile and white quartz counters. Isn’t it just beautiful!

During our second consultation with Brittany, we discussed some additional upgrades: replacing the existing sink for a farmhouse sink and removing the built-in breadbox to maximize the counter space in the corner of the their kitchen–it is good and usable space, right?! Check out how what a difference these changes make!

A huge thanks to Brittany and Marco for letting us work with you! We loved this project, and we are so glad you chose FunCycled to to do the kitchen cabinet painting  and accompanying work for you!

It is a 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 Kitchen Cabinet Painting 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 ; )

Hi Friends!

How are you? I hope your weekend went well! We had a nice weekend – more low key than normal but still sweet. We worked on projects at the airbnb and at the house.

This week I’m sharing a recent kitchen cabinet project that shows how much a professional paint job can enhance a kitchen. Here’s some photos of the kitchen before:

We painted the cabinets with Benjamin Moore paint; color Simply White, sealed it with a water based protective clear coat, and added new hardware. The island is painted BM’s Kendall Charcoal. One thing I like about this transformation is that it really showcases how much painting your kitchen cabinets can change the look of the room. In this case, the tile, counter, stools, lights, and all appliances stayed the same. 

Ready for the after photos?

A huge thanks to Sasha for sending the business our way!! It means so much to us! 

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!

Please sign up for our weekly newsletter by adding your email in the little box below my picture. 

Happy FunCycling Friends,
Sarah ;)

If you like what you see, please like FunCycled’s Facebook page to keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity. We also offer interior design, kitchen cabinet painting, and custom built tables, barn doors, and furniture. We can deliver for customers in upstate NY and also help you ship throughout the US. Send us a note with what you would like using our contact page. Or buy something that we’ve already designed from our online shop.

Hi Friends!

How’s your week going? Can you believe the Christmas is next week?? I know we can’t! It’s been such a busy season (as it always seems to be with work events, school for the kids, and church events). This year, I was able to be part of the lobby design at our church. We did a couple photo backdrop areas for families to take pictures. Here’s one of those:

Ohhhh… and my beautiful sister in law came for a visit over Thanksgiving so I can show you what it looks like as a backdrop with people! <3

This week, I wanted to share before and after of a kitchen makeover that we painted the cabinets on. Here’s the kitchen before:

We painted the cabinets with Benjamin Moore’s Advanced paint; color Simply White, and sealed it with a water based protective clear coat.

Ready for the afters? 

You can use our Contact Us form or 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!

Check out some fun new furniture for sale in our store now:

Please sign up for our weekly newsletter by adding your email in the little box below my picture. 

Happy FunCycling Friends,
Sarah ;)

If you like what you see, please like FunCycled’s Facebook page to keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity. We also offer interior design, kitchen cabinet painting, and custom built tables, barn doors, and furniture. We can deliver for customers in upstate NY and also help you ship throughout the US. Send us a note with what you would like using our contact page. Or buy something that we’ve already designed from our online shop.

Hi Friends!

How are you? I hope you are having a great week! We have some really exciting news coming soon so stay tuned to our blog and social media sites. Right now, I’m in the season of busy and I’m sure so many of you can relate to that. I wanted to encourage you all in this season of busy, whether that’s busy because of school, or the holidays, or in ministry, or in work, or whatever else; take the minutes, the hours of the day that aren’t busy and be so smart about them. Stop to take time to asses what you need most in this season or day. Do you need rest? Do you need family time? Do you need to take your kids and encourage them? Do you need a date night with your hubby? Well, schedule in time for that! I know that sounds counterproductive to a busy schedule, but it’s the only way to live a healthy life of balance. Our schedule reflects our priorities in life. Our schedule teaches our children (without words) what’s our priority is in life. Sometimes we have to say no to a good thing to be able to say yes to the best thing. In this season of insanity, I’m learning to schedule the priorities first and then fit the rest in. Time to start my day reading the Bible and prayer. Time with my husband either at home after the kids are in bed or on a date night. Family night once a week. Time to be faithful in church – both to be encouraged and to serve – is a priority. Time to work and do well with it. Time to be a good friend to some (probably not all I want to). Life is just too short to let things that aren’t really that important fill our days. Things like extracurricular activities or social media or TV can zap our time and leave us feeling empty and too busy and like a failure. I fail at this often friends, but I’m in this busy season and am really loving the word margin. Scheduling less. Leaving room to have time for spur of the moment lunches or extra work time that may come up or time to lay in bed with my son to talk to him about what’s on his mind instead of rushing downstairs to work. Let’s work harder at living with more margin, more calm, and purposeful planning in our days friends.

For this week’s makeover, I wanted to share a beautiful kitchen makeover in Mechanicville. Here’s the kitchen before:

We painted cabinets Simply White and the cabinets Chelsea Gray by Benjamin Moore. We also installed rough cut shiplap on the back of the island. We painted the shiplap Chelsea Gray first and Simply White second so both colors in the kitchen blend well together and it adds visual interest in the room. Everything else in this kitchen stayed the same so you can really see how JUST paint truly changed this space.

Here are the afters for you!

Would you like your kitchen cabinets painted? Use our Contact Us form to let us know! Just email us a picture of your kitchen, a count of how many doors and drawers, and let us know where you are located. Then we can send you an estimate for redoing them for you! It will up the value of your home at a fractions of the price of buying new cabinets!

Please also check out new furniture for sale on our website here or let us know if you could use some help with decorating. Please use our Contact Us form or stop by our store at 272 River Street, Troy, NY.

There is a box at the top right of this page to enter your email address to receive notifications by email when I post something new on this blog. Please sign up today!

Happy FunCycling Friends,
Sarah ;)

If you like what you see, please like FunCycled’s Facebook page to keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity. Last but not least, let us customize a furniture piece for you. We create custom furniture and will deliver for customers in upstate NY and also ship throughout the US. Send us a note with what you would like using our contact page. Or buy something that we’ve already designed from our furniture for sale page.