DIY Gray Kitchen Reveal - An 80's Kitchen Goes Cottage Style

Our kitchen has served us well over the years. We built our home in the 80's and the kitchen reflected the style of that period. The space was filled with warm wood tones and had a rustic charm that we enjoyed, but the time had come for an update.

We have a lot of stained wood throughout our home, as this was the popular choice of the time....stained wood floors, cabinets, wainscoting, trim, doors....I am talking a lot of stained wood!

As much as I loved the warmth of our stained wood and the sense of home it brought about, a big part of me was longing for - dare I say it ... PAINTED WOOD.

Yes, I had a serious craving for a lighter version of our house but the thought of painting all that wood terrified me. Surely, there had to be another way to bring a lighter palette to our home without having to paint ALL THAT WOOD. I tried painting the walls lighter colors, bringing in lighter decor pieces and even painted some of our furniture. This helped some, but it didn't give me the overall look that I was yearning for.

Over time I convinced myself that the daunting task far exceeded any possible benefit, that it was too much work and that it was just not going to happen.

But, then along came home improvement shows and blogs and pinterest and a non-stop barrage of lovely painted interiors that seemed to be calling my name and taunting me to get with the program.

At some point, I cracked and the painting battle began. I started slowly with a small bathroom. The freshly painted wood was everything I dreamed it could be. It brightened the room and gave the space a clean, updated look that I was longing for. Pandoras box had been opened and there was no turning back.

For this kitchen update, keeping a warm and cozy feel to the room was very important to me so I opted for a 'Cottage Style Kitchen'. When I think of cottage style, I picture a simple, fresh and natural feeling to the space. When you step into the room, it should make you feel at ease.

We are old school, in that we live by the adage - use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without. Our cabinets were still in decent shape, so we chose to give them a lift by painting them. We also made a couple small tweaks to the trim to bring our kitchen out of the dark ages and into this brave new world.

I heard one too many stories about painted windows sticking, so our solution was to leave the sashes stained and paint the jambs, casings and sills. It ended up being one of my favorite features, as I think it emanates the cottage feel that I was going for.

As you can see, our mahogany floors still need refinishing, but that is a battle for another day.

My decorating style has evolved over the years. I like to think that my older and wiser self has it all figured out, but I know that is not the case. Because of this, I try to go with classic choices that have staying power. Knowing that my tastes change, the neutral palette allows me to alter the look by switching out a few simple decor pieces. Today I was in the mood for touches of yellow, but next week lavender might be on my mind.

We don't get a lot of natural light in our kitchen, so the newly painted cabinets, trim and walls made a huge difference.

Plants and pottery make everything nicer - don't you think?

We replaced the old handles with brushed silver knobs. This one simple change softened the look of the cabinets and gave them a more casual feel.

Source List:

- Wall Color - Edgecomb Gray by Benjamin Moore
- Cabinet Color - Silver Fox by Benjamin Moore
- Kitchen and Broom Closet Door Color - Bear Creek by Benjamin Moore
- Wainscoting and Window Trim - Valspar Signature White at Lowes
- Cabinet Knobs - Heirloom Silver Cabinet Knobs by Liberty at Home Depot
- Faucet - American Standard Two-Control Kitchen Faucet in Satin Nickel at Lowes (since discontinued)

And finally, the before and after. Seeing the old kitchen next to our updated version really shows how some paint, elbow grease and a hankering for a lighter world have come together. I am so glad we gave our kitchen the boost that it so badly needed. It just makes my heart sing.

Linking up with the following lovely blogs:

Design Dining Diapers
Finding Silver Pennies
Funky Junk Interiors
Homework
Live Laugh Rowe
Pieced Pastimes
Refresh Restyle
The Crafted Sparrow
Thoughts from Alice
Thrifty Decor Chick
Too Much Time on my Hands
Whipperberry