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My Finished-For-Now Kitchen: From Kelly Green To Teal (Before & After)

Well, y’all, my kitchen is finished. At least, I’m calling it finished for now. I’ll still be getting new appliances, but this post is mostly about my new cabinet color, refinished countertops, refinished floors, and the “big picture” views of my breakfast room and kitchen together. The appliances will come soon-ish, and I’ll keep y’all posted on those updates when they happen. I also misplaced the glass that goes in those four middle cabinet doors. It’s around here somewhere, but right now, my glass-front doors are glassless.

But for now, I give you my new teal kitchen…

teal kitchen - view of wall of cabinets from living room doorway

The color is one that I mixed myself and then had color matched at Benjamin Moore (formula at the bottom of the post). It’s almost identical to the Behr Hallowed Hush that I used on the condo cabinets, but it looks completely different in this kitchen. I loved it then, and I love it even more now. And what a big difference from the green, right?

kitchen after - wall of cabinets

I really liked that green kitchen, and I’m glad I did it and lived with it for a while. It was out of the box for me, but teal has my heart. My “new” kitchen is much more me, and I feel so at home and relaxed surrounded by this color.

And it’s amazing how far the breakfast room has come since then. Now the whole area is finished, and I love the way the two rooms flow together…

teal kitchen - view from living room doorway towards back of breakfast room

But back when I finished my kitchen remodel in 2014, the breakfast room hadn’t even been touched. It was a mess.

kitchen after - peninsula 4

The range and refrigerator wall has gotten an additional upgrade besides paint.

teal kitchen - range and refrigerator wall from the living room doorway

My new range hood cover is a big improvement over the exposed stainless steel range hood and two tiny (and useless to me) cabinets that were above it.

kitchen after - refrigerator wall 3

And for those of you who asked how I turn the light and fan on and off, here’s the answer. I have a range hood that has the controls on the bottom rather than the front, so they’re very easily accessible right there in the middle just behind the arch on the range hood cover.

teal kitchen - view of range hood controls under range hood cover

 

Another major change since I did the kitchen remodel back in 2014 is the addition of this cased opening from the kitchen to the living room. (As an aside, you can see in this picture how awful the living room wall color looks with the teal cabinets.)

teal kitchen - view from back of kitchen towards the living room

That used to be a solid wall that completely closed off the kitchen from the living room.

kitchen after - peninsula

It’s amazing how much lighter and brighter my kitchen is now that there’s an opening between the two rooms, and my kitchen also feels so much bigger. Before it felt so closed off and boxed in, but now my same small kitchen feels open and roomy.

My favorite view is into the kitchen and towards the breakfast room…

teal kitchen - view from music room doorway towards peninsula and breakfast room

And I can’t even tell you how amazing it feels to finally have both rooms finished, usable, and cohesive.  I lived for over two years with a nice, finished kitchen and a dark, cave-like, totally unusable breakfast room.

kitchen after - peninsula 2

And here’s a wider view to help you get your bearings. I’m standing in the music room doorway for this picture, and you can see the kitchen opened up to the breakfast room on the left, and the opening to the front living room on the right with the fireplace.

teal kitchen - view from music room doorway towards peninsula and breakfast room and living room

And here’s the view from the back of the breakfast room (close to the pantry doors) towards the kitchen. The opening on the left goes to the living room and entryway (see the front door there?) and the opening on the right goes to the music room (with the black walls sucking the life out of that room).

teal kitchen - peninsula and range wall from breakfast room

And I’ll add just a few more pictures of my new teal kitchen…

teal kitchen - back right corner of kitchen and back of breakfast room

teal kitchen - back left corner of wall of cabinets

teal kitchen - range and refrgerator wall from back of kitchen

teal kitchen - peninsula and breakfast room from music room doorway

teal kitchen - view from breakfast room to music room

Now for those of you who are new around here or have started reading my blog after my big kitchen remodel in 2014, I’ll give you just a few glimpses of how this kitchen looked when we bought the house.

This was the back wall of the kitchen. The window was originally an exterior window, but at some point the sunroom was added on, so the window just looked into the sunroom. It was useless, so I closed it up.

Kitchen 15 - resized

That’s the wall that now looks like this…

teal kitchen - view of wall of cabinets from living room doorway

This wall actually had a portable dishwasher and refrigerator on it, but those were removed before I took this picture…

Kitchen 06 - resized

And that’s now the refrigerator/range wall…

teal kitchen - refrigerator and range wall from back of kitchen

This was the solid wall at the front of the kitchen, lined with cabinets…

Kitchen 07 - resized

…that now looks like this…

teal kitchen - view from back of kitchen towards the living room

And this was the original view towards what’s now the breakfast room…

Kitchen 01 - resized

And that view now looks like this…

teal kitchen - peninsula and breakfast room from music room doorway

Anyway, you can read all of the details of the initial kitchen remodel, including sources and links to projects that went into that remodel, right here

my finished kitchen remodel - before and after

Only a few things have changed since then.

Obviously I have a new paint color on the cabinets. Here’s the formula on top of the paint can from Benjamin Moore. I used Advance paint in a satin finish. And I left this picture quite large so you can click on it and see it clearly.

teal cabinets - benjamin moore custom mix paint color formula

My countertops are also different. They’re still concrete countertops, but I had them refinished. I absolutely love them, and they’re incredibly durable. You can read about that process here.

The range hood has a new range hood cover. You can find that project here

diy range hood cover - finished

And finally, my floors went from orange to a more neutral brown. You can see the details of how I refinished them here

refinished red oak hardwood floors

And I think that’s it! But if I’ve left something out, or you have any more questions, please feel free to ask!

 

 

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142 Comments

  1. This transformation is just amazing! To see the original compared to now – wow. Don’t you wish the previous owner could see it now?

      1. Hi! Just found this page and both colors are incredible and I especially love the teal. What /where are your appliances? I love that fridge! Thanks!

  2. I Am sooooo jealous right now!! You are amazing!! And yes, the color of the living room has to change. So happy for you to have these rooms complete. Now onto the next big project 🙂

  3. It’s truly loverly and seems so you; an area to be muchly enjoyed on a daily basis!

    Where did you purchase the 2-tier fruit holder basket? I like it!

  4. Ok now I’m convinced the LR paint must be changed. Your vantage point is real life and we, your fans, get thumbnails. Maybe that’s why you get push-back from some readers.
    Anyhow, amazing job!! Savor it.

  5. pretty much every time i comment i use one word, “shazam” because i think it’s the best way to express my continued amazement at your work. so, Kristi, SHAZAM!

  6. Gosh I love it so much! And it also seems like your subway tile is more noticeable than when the cabinets were green. So beautiful! You are so talented!

  7. I honestly thought I loved your green kitchen, until now 🙂 The new colors are so warm and cheerful and the floor with the brown tone just ties everything together. Love love love every detail. Congrats on a beautiful transformation!

  8. This is totally you! I LOVE IT! And thank you, thank you, thank you for the paint formula (I guess it’s totally me too).

  9. Just love how it all came together. Teal was a better choice, really brings your kitchen to life. Can’t wait to see you color choices for the living room and music room. Thanks for all your wonderful ideas.

  10. Your “new” kitchen (and breakfast room) evokes such a feeling of peace. What a lovely space to cook, and serve, and eat. A perfect respite from all your busy activities. I have to say that your ceiling light looks absolutely spectacular. Great job Kristi!!!

  11. OMG, I love your kitchen, my favorite color! Wish I could get my husband to allow me to paint my oak cabinets this color. We are planning to paint our cabinets, thinking of gray. One question, did you just paint cabinets or did you also finish with a protective coating and if so what did you use???

    1. I did use a clear coat — General Finishes High Performance Top Coat in a matte finish. But i didn’t use it because I thought the paint needed extra protection. Benjamin Moore Advance paint is amazing and very durable on its own. It doesn’t need any extra protection. The only reason I used the topcoat is because the satin finish Advance paint was still way too shiny for my taste, so I wanted to dull down the shine on the paint with the matte finish clear coat. If you use Advance paint and you’re satisfied with the sheen, there’s no need to topcoat it.

      1. Hi Kristi –

        In your first transformation, you used Rust-Oleum Ultimate Polyurethane in a matte finish for a top coat. It looks like now you used General Finishes High Performance Top Coat. Do you like the general finishes now? I am very disappointed with the sheen, it is driving me CRAZY! So i must do something!

        1. General Finishes topcoat is FAR superior to any other clear coat I’ve ever used, in application, appearance and also durability. I’ll never use anything else from now on.

          1. Thank you!

            Two coats of advance Benjamin Moore paint ( satin finish), then general finish top coat in flat? I could not find the matte finish you referenced, so i want to make sure i have it correct. Did you do any sanding between coats of advance and general finishes topcoat?

  12. I noticed in the photos that you painted the door to your new workshop a beautiful dark charcoal (or black, it’s hard for me to tell) but the door to your pantry is white. Is it white to keep that wall ‘calm’ since there are so many other beautiful colors in the paintings, pillows, etc. or are you considering painting it the dark charcoal/black?? Just wondering… I LOVE the colors you’ve chosen and can’t wait for the next project 🙂 Thanks for sharing your journey with us and inspiring us with your projects 🙂

    1. It’s Kendall Charcoal from Benjamin Moore. I wrestled with that decision, and a reader did a few pantry door mock ups with Photoshop for me so that I could see how different colors would look. I think she did white, Kendall Charcoal, teal, and green. In the end I went with white because everything else just seemed to make the room look too busy. And that charcoal exterior door won’t be there much longer since the garage will soon be my studio. I don’t know what kind of door will go there, but it may or may not be charcoal.

  13. AMAZING!! Really stunning Kristi! One question – what was the thought process in moving the sink to the peninsula?

    1. I’m not Kristi but I just wanted to add that the window over the old sink looks like it faced into an added on room, so it did not have as good a view.

    2. What Brenda said. 🙂 My kitchen doesn’t have any windows looking out to the exterior, and I didn’t want another kitchen with my sink (where I spend most of my time in the kitchen) facing a wall, like my condo kitchen sink did. So the only other option was putting it on the island. I really like that placement because it keeps my work triangle tight and efficient.

  14. Wow! Just, wow! The bones of the kitchen and the flow are so much better! Incredible job. Congrats!!!

  15. My prediction for 2018: some magazine or TV show does a piece on this glorious transformation and a cagey buyer offers you an irresistible caboodle of money and you sell and start over!

  16. Looks great! Are you going to put the brackets back under the wall cabinets? I liked the way they tied into/related to the “feet” on the base cabinets.

    1. I don’t plan on it. Right now, I really like the cleaner look without them, but of course, I could change my mind at any point. 😀

      1. I love that you left them off. I really like the idea that anything on the counter doesn’t have to “fit” between the supports. I did LOVE the Green, but I especially loved the gold accent. Will you put any gold accent on the new color?

  17. Giiiiiiiiiiiiirrll. You bedazzled those rooms. Without the rhinestones that is. 😀

    I love everything she did to those rooms. It flows nicely together.

  18. Could be the time of day that photographed the rooms, but did you also change the hue of the lighting? your green kitchen has such a yellow cast while the new kitchen is so bright and natural.

    1. I have been switching out all of my lights to warm LED lights over the last few months. They do seem to produce a brighter and more natural light.

      1. Thanks! We’re looking to do some lighting upgrades at our place. I love the new look of the kitchen and your design aesthetic very much resonates with my taste. I love ready your blog. Great work on another room well done!

  19. Kristi, the flow you have created from room to room is wonderful. It truly makes your home seem twice as large from the original closed in photos! I love the color you have used! I had almost that same exact shade on my cabinets in my 1790 townhouse in Old Town Alexandria, Va. (Makes me homesick for that wonderful place!) I just think your new direction in color scheme for the dining area is wonderful! So full of life and happiness!

  20. Wow……why is it that, wow always seems to be my opening remark? Because what you do and what you accomplish is wow!
    Kristi, I too loved your green/gold kitchen, it was so different, but now in the teal color, I love it even more. It’s just so fresh and gorgeous!!!! Your kitchen and breakfast room look absolutely stunning and now I see a climpse of your living room blue walls through the kitchen, you are right that it needs to be a different color to be more cohesive with the teal. What a great job you’ve done on these two rooms, your vision and skills are truly inspirational. Well done Kristi……yet another completely awesome job.

  21. I liked the green, but the teal is so much more relaxing and calming. The two rooms flow so nicely, too. I am going to redo my kitchen and the teal is certainly something I will look at. I think you have found the perfect colors so I hope you can enjoy them and compliment yourself for all the hard work.

  22. The transformation is remarkable. You poured a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into that project and it shows! I hope that the transformation makes the remainder of what is in front of you so much more enjoyable.

  23. I noticed you painted the electric socket on your sink island to match. Whenever I do that, the paint gets chipped every time I plug a socket in or pull one out. Any tips for a durable paint job on the plastic?
    I love the “new” direction you took with your decorating plan.

    1. My tip is to never paint regular outlet covers, and certainly NEVER paint the actual outlets. 🙂 The paint will never stick to those, especially on outlets that are used often. If you want to paint your outlet covers, you need to purchase one that’s actually labeled “paintable.” They have a different texture to them (i.e., not shiny plastic) that is made for gripping the paint. I also like to purchase the paintable outlet covers that cover the entire outlet with just slots for the plugs. That way I don’t have the two white circles from the actual outlet showing. I find paintable full-coverage outlet covers at Home Depot. I use that outlet on the end of the peninsula all the time, and the paint holds up very well on it.

      1. Kristi, I went to the Home Depot website, but could not find “paintable full-coverage outlet covers”.

  24. STUNNING! These photos really show off all you’ve done and how it all flows together. Warm, welcoming, cozy, *beautiful*. I have a small suggestion for you….looking at the 2 outlets (either side of the stove)…..have you seen or considered SnapPower guidelights? No wiring ….just remove the old faceplate and screw on the new one. Check them out: https://www.snappower.com/select-guidelight/

  25. Everything is fabulous! Love it all! How does Matt like it? Hurry and do more pretty rooms. 👍👍

  26. So I always marvel at the beauty of your creations but this is the first time I have ever felt pure jealousy! Hah! Those two rooms are just perfection. The green cabinets/kitchen was truly beautiful but this is so colorful and fun and inviting and and and… I think the green jumped off the cabinets and turned into the little green monster ;P

    Wonderful job though, seriously. That you did most of that yourself is a thing to be hugely proud of 🙂

  27. Such an amazing transformation, it’s so beautiful! I love it! Much better than the green kitchen, and I can see now why you want to re-paint the living room. Great job!!

  28. I AM IN LOVE WITH YOUR KITCHEN! So Stunning. And Pretty. And, actually soothing to my eye. I understand what you mean when you write “I feel so at home and relaxed surrounded by this color.” If I didn’t have to also consider my husband’s choices and wishes! I would so totally COPY your kitchen. I see on the end of the counter looking into the breakfast room, an outlet that matches the cabinet color. Any “tricks” on painting outlet covers AND the electrical outlet itself? Thank you for your inspiration!

  29. You’ve come a long way…gorgeous every step of the way (even when you changed things up). I do love your teal cabinets though 😊💕

    Thank you for the info on the bath light ~ Co

  30. OMG absolutely amazing change! Love the teal cabinets. I am planning on painting my cabinets. I see you used BM paint. Does it need a poly top coat? I have a Wagner 690 paint sprayer. Is this a good choice to spray the doors? Can I roll on the paint on the boxes or will I have to tape everything off to paint the boxes?

    Wish my husband would let me do teal, but he is more conservative, and I guess I will go with light gray or off white.

    Anyway I love your kitchen and breakfast area. Incredible job.

  31. Please share how you will care for your hardwood floors in order to keep them looking like they do now. Also, how long do you anticipate the finish to last before it will require maintenance. Thank you…….

  32. I Love the new color will n the cabinets. The kitchen and breakfast room looks very soothing and inviting. I admire your process and ability to bring it together.

  33. Your kitchen is absolutely stunning!!! I may have dreamed of preparing an amazing meal in your kitchen while my sweet baby (my husband) is enjoying some much needed down time in the breakfast room.
    Thank for sharing your steps to accomplish this tranformation. The good and the bad. Kudos to you!!!

  34. I am always amazed that someone can come into a home and just see all the potential!

    Great job!

  35. Lovely! You are right, that black in the music room TOTALLY sucks the life out of the room. Are you going to paint the living room the same color as the breakfast room for cohesiveness? it would look good.

  36. What a treat to get an opportunity to view the finished project. How far you have come! It seems like you don’t have much to do to get the living room and music room ready. Are you going to do that next? Then there will be 4 rooms that all connect that you can walk through. And, if you do repaint the music room, please please include in the pictures that beautiful light fixture that you spent a week making! That was a project in and of itself and deserves to be included in the pictures! (and if Peeve just happens to be in the picture, so much the better)

  37. I love the new color. Huge congratulations it’s a beautiful kitchen and so fun with the other room! When I look at your cabinet wall (the one with no glass for now) I think to myself “hmmm, I wonder what those pillars would look like painted in a distressed brass/dirty gold color to coordinate with the pulls and light fixtures). Okay, I just had to add that!

  38. Simply stunning. Such a major improvement over the original. The kelly green was pretty too, but I’m a teal/turquoise/aqua gal myself, and I love the new look, particularly with the dashes of purple. It’s all absolutely beautiful. How you’re able to envision what could be and then make it happen is beyond me. You should have your own HGTV show–your taste is so much better than Joanna Gaines.

  39. I gotta admit, I kind of love the ORIGINAL buttercream kitchen. 😉 That being said, WOW, looks gorgeous!! You should be so proud of yourself, you did all of this, and you’ve stuck with your timeline! The kitchen looks so fabulous and inspiring. I can see what you mean about the LR and MR needing a new paint job. Maybe that’ll be a “fun” project amidst all the cleaning. 😉

  40. Beautiful! You know when you have done something right when you walk into the room and are just happy with the way it looks. I once just changed out a light fixture in a room and every time I looked at it I smiled. That is when you know it is right. I think you are there now with your Kitchen and Breakfast room. Can’t wait to see what you do next. I also love all the positive comments people are leaving.

  41. I honestly didn’t think the kitchen could get any better than when it was painted green, but you proved me wrong. It is absolutely beautiful, especially with the breakfast room completed. As always you did an excellent job!

  42. Kristi, your kitchen and dining room look fantastic and perfect for you and Matt. Congratulations!

    For what they may be worth, here are some ideas for coordinating the other two rooms viewable from your kitchen:
    – Paint both living and music room walls the same color as the dining room.
    – Paint the fireplace the same color as the kitchen cabinetry, which will look lovely opposite from the grasscloth in the entry.
    – Make more gorgeous artwork for the music room (your paintings in the dining room are my favorite pieces there).

    You have absolutely transformed a couple of sows’ ears into silk purses. Cheers, Ardith

  43. Those pictures just LEAP off my monitor 🙂 So much prettiness and cohesiveness and I dunno, pure heartfelt happiness for you and your accomplishment. Reading your blog as you traveled this design road was truly inspiring and humbling for us to witness…my gosh, y’all enjoy your Sonic tea 😉 while sitting at your lovely table watching HGTV 🙂 🙂 🙂

  44. The result is very serene and calming! I liked the direction you were going in before, but it was more bold and contrasting. Now it all flows together, very nice!

  45. Kristi,
    Stunning! Congrats on a job well done and finished.
    Question… did you spray or brush the general finishes matte?
    I restained a kitchen table and thought about using that product and was wondering if I could get a nice finish brushing?
    Thanks.
    Jackie

  46. My very first thought on seeing these pictures… “Welcome Home Kristi and Matt.” The warmth just envelops.

    I love green but this is most definitely YOU.

  47. This is the biggest WOW I have ever given….those rooms are absolutely fantastic!!! I know you and Matt and really enjoying sitting in rooms which are finished….and gorgeous also, I know he must be proud of you. Congratualtions on this well done job!

  48. I still think you’re crazy–in a good way–as you will try dammed near anything new. I love reading your blog and, most importantly, learning new things from you. Who makes their own light fixture? !? You. Who makes benches? Why, you, of course. And the instructions are always spot on. And the tool recommendations… that’s why I bought the pancake compressor. Many thanks from this reader!

  49. Kristi, I read your blog posts every day that they show up in my inbox, but I rarely comment. And even if I don’t particularly like something or it just isn’t my taste, I always enjoy seeing what you are doing and wouldn’t hurt your feelings by commenting negatively. I was taught if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all…..which isn’t why I rarely comment, by the way.
    That being said, I want to tell you this: While your paintings and the breakfast chair fabrics aren’t MY style, I can see how perfect they are in that room now that both rooms are finished. I really appreciate your vision and your ability and willingness to share it. Good job. And I loved seeing Matt’s remarks! Precious….

  50. You must be so proud! My take on things is that you transformed a classic formal yet a strangers kitchen into your heartfelt home. This is your space. Congratulations!!

  51. It looks wonderful. I like this so much better with the teal and the darker floors. Perfect. The two rooms flow so well now. Yeah, that living room color needs to change. Maybe something in a pale gray or similar to the breakfast room will work.

  52. It is stunning! Bravo for finding what was “you” and ignoring trends. And I do see how your living room clashes with the kitchen. It’s not horrible, just not compatible.

  53. I always liked green cabinets but I’ve got to say that the teal is outstanding. I personally love teal, aqua and turquoise, as well as green and the blend of both in the breakfast room is lovely. I like the suggestion that Ardeth made about repainting the fireplace. I think the same color as the trim would look best but the teal idea is a good one too. Beautiful job all around and to think you did all this yourself! Inspirational! Oh yeah, I always smile when I see your kisitting proudly as if she is responsible for the transformation 😺. She is so darn cute!

  54. I am just in awe of your talent, hardwork, and determination to make this home yours and hubby’s. I love, love, love the amazing transformation. Looking forward to your future projects.

  55. I loved the green so much I was disappointed when I saw you were painting it again. But wow… it sure looks amazing and bright and homey and you and flows so beautifully to the other rooms. I also love love your appliances! Stainless steel looks pretty good but fingerprints and extra cleaners esp for it… no thanks. Your appliances are classy, clean, and a tad vintage. Just gorgeous.

  56. Amazing transformation. Beautiful result . I just find the plates above the tv too much bunched altogether. I don’t think they give it a homey feel they just for some reason don’t look right even though the colours are perfect. I think it should be empty space. Just a thought.

  57. I am so happy I found your blog. Your new kitchen/breakfast room are beautiful. My favorite pictures in this series are numbers one and two. They both show the, painted by you, art work in the breakfast room. I think I prefer picture number 1 – there is a little bit of tantalizing because you see only of your paintings. Perfect. I know you have already signed the contract for the work of the studio/workshop to begin. Does that mean we must wait a very long time for the living room? Everything is beautiful.

    1. Nope, I actually started working on my entryway wall (grasscloth accent) this weekend! Other people will be working on the studio, so I’ll be concentrating my focus on the living room, entryway, and music room.

  58. If no one has mentioned it, what are you going to do with your appliances you have? Are you going to sell them? I’m interested. Thanks, and your house so far is just spectacular!

  59. I don’t comment often, but your blog is the most inspiring blog, and the only one I read every day. You are so talented, and these rooms are just amazing! Thank you for sharing your journey! I can’t wait to see what’s next!

  60. Those rooms make me so happy for you!!! You work so hard and now you have several beautiful rooms to live in! Now you just need a couch so you can take a nap! Love, love, love it all!

  61. Beautiful! I know it’s a lot of work for you, but I like seeing the same space decorated different ways!

  62. Absolutely LOVE the color of the kitchen. Teal is you. I love how bright and welcoming your home is. Can’t wait till you decide the music room. It will be awesome too.

  63. WOW – hard to find the right words – AMAZING, INCREDIBLE, TO DIE FOR (for starters:). As you’ve gone through each step of your renovation, I’ve not always seen your vision right away, but in the end, everything turned out beautifully. Your kitchen and breakfast area, however, tops it all – every inch of the space is exactly what I would want in my home. I wish I had your talent, perseverance, and energy. I’m purchasing a small camper to renovate and hopefully I can come close to what you’ve done. Thank you for the inspiration:)

  64. Kristi, it’s all so stunning! What a gorgeous kitchen and breakfast room! That green kitchen was beautiful, but so is the teal one and the teal is more you. Everything just flows so nicely, and those colors (which are my favorites, too) are so soothing and peaceful and warm. I’m so thrilled for you that you have these rooms completed!

    You are an amazing talented artist, designer, builder, and decorator. If you ever decided to go back into the business of doing others’ homes, you’d have people pounding down your door, but they’d have to knock the magazine and TV people out of the way!

  65. Drop dead gorgeous! I was one of the biggest fans of the green and gold, but this is a more cohesive vision of your home, and it turned out beautifully. Can’t wait to see what you do next!

    1. PS: I really love the new configuration of cabinet doors on your cabinet wall. It’s so much more balanced (and IIRC, closer to your original design sketch).

  66. You just opened up the whole house with that flow. It’s so wonderful. I can’t wait for the living room, entrance, and music room to co-ordinate with these rooms.

  67. I’ve been a long time reader but I never comment, however I couldn’t go pay this post and not tell you what an amazing job you’ve done. I loved the green kitchen, but your current design just shows that when you choose to do things that are “you” it’s always the best choice.

  68. Beautiful! The green was unique and I liked it but now seeing the teal I realize how heavy the green was in that room. Your two rooms look incredible. I would just want to stand in there all day taking it all in……you have worked so hard! I can’t wait to see how the living room, music room, pantry and your studio all play off of these two beautiful rooms. My husband is getting used to me saying, “come take a look at what Kristi’s done now”. You are incredibly talented.

  69. Kristi,

    You are so fun and amazing to watch! I thoroughly enjoy seeing all your ideas and talent come together. So grateful you allow all of us to ‘tag along’ on all your adventures! It looks stunning!

    I think you should sell artwork as a side business. Even mini 6×6 would be fabulous…..I would put one on an easel on a console table in an entry way! Just saying….

    Grateful!

  70. Bravo! Bravo! I, like many others, are amazed and inspired by all that you do.Other blogs pale in comparison to yours. I look forward to each and every post. I too am a teal person and have been all my life so I am drooling over your makeover from the green. Can’t wait to see what’s next.

  71. What a transformation – so so so good! I very much liked the green, very stylish, but this teal . . . really speaks to my heart! Such a beautiful space! You do gorgeous work (and yes, any redos too), and your posts are so informative. You take pride in your work whatever it is – construction, sewing, painting, blogging, etc – and it always turns out beautiful in the end. Can’t wait to read the next installment!

  72. Absolutely breathtaking!!! Your talent knows no bounds :). BTW, the cabinet over your stove would make a great hidey space for items you don’t want found.

  73. I’m sorry I took a technology/social media break and have obviously missed a LOT of your blog posts. I LOVE the color of your cabinets – it is perfect and both rooms flow together so beautifully. Love it and hope you and Matt enjoy it for many years to come.

  74. What a beautiful kitchen. I like yours. I’ll plan to repair my kitchen now. Thank for your share. It’ll be a helpful idea for me.

  75. Hi! I love your kitchen and breakfast room reno! I especially love the finishes you chose to go with the cabinet color. Can you tell me where you got the brass light fixture? I’m looking for something similar. I also love the vintage style fridge!

  76. I had just discovered your blog when you were painting the kitchen cabinets green. I loved that you were making the kitchen so unique and it turned out beautifully! I absolutely love this new color and new kitchen. It is so open and airy and cheerful. I also love your range hood! You do amazing work!

  77. When applying general finishes top coat in flat, did you use a foam brush or spray application? I am not sure how thick or thin to apply

  78. PLEASE HELP!!!!!

    I am about to tackle painting my cabinets myself for the first time. I am starting very small in my basement bathroom in hopes that it will give me enough confidence to do my kitchen in the fall. The bathroom(s) and kitchen all have the same wood cabinets. While they are nice, they just aren’t in my color scheme. I have read several of your blogs and I need to know what cabinet paint you have had the most success with?? BM advance is what I am leaning towards. I do not however have a sprayer. I have lots of prior experience with hand painting, and painting walls; and I also know this is going to be completely different. We flipped a house last year and bought a new one so I am no newbie when it comes to home repairs. Did you spray all of yours? I saw when the kitchen went green that you hand painted sections and then didn’t like it. Please help a first timer….
    Love the blog,
    Jamie Decker

    1. I spray mine, and Benjamin Moore Advance is what I’ve used the two last times. But I also topcoaat with General Finishes clear coat, which dries very hard and durable. I’d like to test out using that topcoat on a cheaper paint like Behr and see if it’s just as durable.

  79. Hello, My wife and I have been looking at all of your posts and we love your house. I am very interested in your kitchen cabinets because we are starting the project of painting our 20 year old oak cabinets and want to get it right the first time. I really don’t think I will be happy with the wood grain coming through the light gray paint we chose, much like you didn’t like it with the green.

    A manager at a paint store suggested not using any type of wood grain filler because it could “fall out”. I asked him if he had experience with any products and he said no, but he heard stories….

    I’m curious how your teal cabinets are holding up now that it has been a year. Did you use one coat of the filler or two? Was 150 grit your final sand or did you step up to 220, 320 before primer?

    We also plan to use Benjamin Moore advance but i saw that you didn’t have a great experience with it. would you recommend something different for the cabinets? We do have a baby in the house so VOC is a concern. I am also on the fence about spraying vs brush/roll. Your cabinet finish is exactly what I am after, just in grey.

    Any help is greatly appreciated!

    Kevin & Katie

    1. Sorry, I just saw at the bottom that you used advance and the general finishes flat topcoat. I am glad we are on the right track with the Advance. I can assume that since you sprayed the clear, that you also sprayed the color. I think i may have to go that route to get exactly what we want. Do you dilute the paint or spray it right out of the can?

      Thanks again,

      Kevin & Katie

    2. I’ve never had grain filler fall out. That doesn’t even sound like something that could happen. My cabinets today are in great shape — exactly like they were the day I finished painting and topcoating. I don’t have any scratches or chips in them. I can’t remember if I used 220-grit sandpaper or stopped at 150 after the wood filler, but I do always sand my primer coat to 220 before spraying the paint. I brush on the primer coat, and then spray the paint (generally two coats) and the clear topcoat (optional). I don’t water down my paint. I just use it straight out of the can.

  80. I love what you’ve done in these rooms that connect! What did you use to encase your television that is mounted on the wall and is the casing touching your TV? I’m trying to figure out how to do something similar! Well done.

  81. Hi! I just came across this post [and your site] while researching what I am going to be getting myself into when I start redoing my kitchen on my own! First, love that teal! Loved seeing the really old photosbefore the 1st remodel! I am saving the hood hider project! Love that! Beautiful kitchen!

  82. I love the teal but I also loved the green! I’ve spent months on Pinterest looking at cabinet paint colors as I am about to do what I have always dreamed of, which is to completely design my own kitchen from scratch. In July my husband and I bought a tiny 100 year old house that is a disaster..but it’s on half an acre and 2 blocks to the beach. Demo on the interior of the existing house starts tomorrow and then we are adding a large addition. The current kitchen is the size of my bedroom closet, LOL. But the new kitchen will be 12 x 19 with a walk in pantry. I want to do all the cabinets in the same color, quartz countertops that look like marble (not too veiny), white beveled subway tile backsplash and then mixing some metals for hardware. I think maybe champagne brass for the faucets, I bought all stainless appliances and I’m still agonizing over what color pulls. I plan to get a sample of your paint color and see how it looks, so thank you!