After a Makeover, This “Off-Yellow” Kitchen Feels 3x as Bright
Opting for a beadboard or tongue-and-groove backsplash instead of tile can give a kitchen an extra-quaint cottage or farmhouse feel. Candice Shah (@studioandcodesign) used beadboard as a backsplash in her kitchen makeover, and she also updated the cabinets, hardware, and floor tiles.
“The bones and structure of the kitchen were in good shape,” she says. She just wanted to upgrade the aesthetics a bit. “The kitchen was an off-yellow color with off-white cream cabinets and drawers, including the countertops,” she adds. Candice brightened the kitchen up a bit with three big changes.
The cabinets got a Shaker-style upgrade.
Giving the cabinets new Shaker-style fronts was a big difference-maker. “This took a little over two months to complete, as the new cabinet doors were custom-made,” Candice says. The custom cabinets also brought the project total to around $30,000.
“The important steps were getting the right measurements for each door and cabinet drawer that was being refaced,” Candice says. She painted the cabinets tan (Farrow & Ball’s Elephant’s Breath), the walls are Benjamin Moore’s Chantilly Lace, and Candice also added new hardware from Rejuvenation to the cabinets.
Goodbye, beige floors. Hello, sophisticated checkerboard.
Another thing that made the kitchen feel less “off-yellow” was replacing the flooring. (You can see the dated brownish beige flooring here.) Candice selected a Parisian-inspired gray and white marble checkerboard look. Both the gray and white tiles are from Floor & Decor.
The new arched threshold (added by a contractor, along with the tile) also gives the kitchen a European feel, and the new white countertops help to brighten the kitchen, too.
A beadboard backsplash adds charm.
Candice also added a beadboard backsplash for some cozy vibes, and it’s painted the same white as the walls. (For more beadboard backsplash inspiration, check out this fuchsia kitchen, this bright white kitchen, and this cozy green coffee station.)
Candice’s favorite part of the redo is that she didn’t have to change the footprint of the kitchen to create a totally new feel. “By doing so, I was able to have some room in my budget to upgrade my dishwasher and refrigerator,” Candice says. “I also purposely kept my oven, as it’s still in great condition, but eventually I would like to upgrade it later down the road.”
Here’s to home projects down the road! To see Candice’s bathroom makeover, check out the Before & After post.
Inspired? Submit your own project here.