10.4.10

Lady Ren-Ovation


I am an amateur do-it-yourselfer. Growing up my parents always hired people and at one point in time the house was ‘under’ renovations for two years (bad contractor story).

The first place Dr. J and I owned was our condo in St. Martin and the moment we moved in I started ‘getting things done’. The thing about living in the Caribbean is that there is a plethora of people to hire for anything and everything. Seriously you are doing a disservice if you don’t hire help- that is certainly what I told myself to justify my daily maid and nanny. Over the course of many years of studying Feng Shui the concept of doing things for yourself around your home, mindfully, has ingrained itself into my ideas and given me (a sometimes false) determination.

I love the house we live in right now. When we first moved in I hired a bunch of people to do things but we also taught ourselves fix and redo- thanks in part to U Tube and Wiki-how-to!

For the last two years I have been BEGGING Dr. J to redo the kitchen cabinets. They were in near perfect condition just not the color I wished they were. Because Dr. J is THE BEST husband in the world (or is it because I am THE BEST nagger in the world) we just finished the biggest home renovation project we have ever done.
This is what our cabinets looked like prior to our kitchen makeover-


Keeping in mind that I wanted to be mindful in the process, I used natural environmentally conscious cleaning products and recycled rags. We washed all the cabinets and removed the hinges and hardware carving corresponding numbers under the hinge of every drawer and cabinet.


We then sanded the cabinets and rewashed them.

Sanding the frames in the kitchen was probably the biggest pain but with lots of prep we were able to keep the dust mostly in the kitchen.


We then put two coats of primer, on both sides of the cabinets which of course involved drying them thoroughly before flipping.

And primer on the frames.

Choosing the color was no small feat. I likened it to choosing my second monkeys name. We were well into the project before we chose- In the case of naming, we were well out of the hospital before we chose.

We applied two coats on the cabinets and frames and let everything rest for two days- (Actually Dr. J left for two days for a bachelor party on the Las Vegas Strip- Congrats B and A).

Drilling the cabinets back on was much less painful than I had anticipated. With the numbers easy to coordinate and no screws missing, we were done in no time.



We could not be happier with the final result. I have my dream kitchen and all it took was some sweat, dust and a few buckets of paint.



Please check out all these wonderful Party Links that I linked to- Thank you so much to all the hosts!

42 comments:

essbesee said...

I am majorly impressed and majorly inspired - great job, there.

msihua said...

Oh Wow!! Well done! I would never have been able to do that...!!!

Bossy Betty said...

What a difference! I am impressed. I saw the cabinets in the first place and thought you were crazy to change them. You were absolutely right to--gorgeous!

Erika said...

They look amazing. Job well done.

Lazaro Cooks said...

Amazing job. The renovation was temendous. Your are supremely talented. Thank you for sharing your inspirational and interesting story with us.

Karumen said...

the dark brown colour is so classy! love it!
i always want to make over my own bedroom - to turn it all white! but hv been waiting for another long wkend...perhaps...sometimes next year :P hehe

erin said...

I am so impressed. Your kitchen looks just amazing.

Lazaro Cooks said...

Thank you for pointing out my oversight. I will repost with info on silpat mats. They are the best baking tool known to man. Nothing sticks to it and clean up is simple. Here's a linkage...http://www.amazon.com/Silpat-2-Inch-Nonstick-Silicone-Baking/dp/B00008T960

I would highly recommend them. Cheers!

Ren- Lady Of The Arts said...

Sherri- Thanks!
msihua- It is not a one person job.
Betty- Thank you.
Erika- Thanks!
Lazaro- Thank you- I am glad you enjoyed the post.
Karumen- It took some time. When the time is right you'll do your bedroom.
erin- thank you.
Lazaro- I have never used them but if you say they are the best I will seek and try.

Mary Bergfeld said...

The two of you are really something. The cabinets look wonderful. Cross training is a good thing :-). I hope you are having a wonderful day. Blessings...Mary

Adele said...

That is beautiful! And while I do like our white cabinets, I must confess that the dark color is a bit more practical, and very elegant.

Christine Kizik said...

Wow - that is a big job, and it looks awesome! Much better!

Blessed Homemaker said...

Very impressive! You made it sound so easy but I'm sure it's a lot of hard work!

cpcable said...

What an improvement! Congratulations on a beautiful job well done!

Katie Olthoff said...

The black is beautiful! Great job!

Ren- Lady Of The Arts said...

Mary- I agree keeps the mind sharp!
Adele- I totally agree, I do think it looks more elegant and it is pratical although the color it was did not show up 'splatters' much either.
Christine- Thank you, we love it and I agree- so much better!
Blessed Homemaker- I did make it sound easy- Everything considered I would do it again- I am so happy with the results (but A LOT of work)
Cpcable- Thank you SO much.
Katie- Thank you- It is actually a dark brown- I was worried it might look funny because my appliances are black and stainless steel but I think it looks fine.

A Green Spell said...

I am completely in love with your renovation! Beautiful and beautiful color! I just made curtains for my kitchen windows, so I can relate to the feeling of exhilaration from doing some redecorating! Way to go!

Jacqui said...

Woohoo! What clever peeps you both are - and very understanding monkeys too :) x

Ren- Lady Of The Arts said...

A Green Spell- thank you so much- I still feel like dancing when I see my 'new' kitchen.
Jacqui- the monkeys were at their grandparents- It would not have been possible otherwise- my monkeys are not of the understanding variety!

Amy said...

so glad you linked up to "Anti-Procrastination Tuesdays" @ New Nostalgia so I could see this awesome transformation! Love the color (do you have the name of the paint?). I love your style, that last pic is so GREAT, makes me want to live there!

Deb said...

Hello! I am SO impressed with your kitchen cabinet reno!! They look fabulous!!

I was just wondering if the cupboards are solid oak? And does the grain really show through the dark paint? It certainly doesn't look like it on your pics.

Our kitchen cabinets are well made, solid oak, but are now an outdated "oak" colour! I'd love to paint them, but have always been afraid.

I think your kitchen looks fantastic, I can't get over what a beautiful transformation this is. Especially the last pic you posted.

Also, what colour/brand of paint did you use?

Thanks! :-)

Rita said...

I love what you both did,and love the white-brown black contrast- and I would leave couple of open shelves (or with glass door) to brighten the effect. However, I like your version too:)
hugs
Just

Leah said...

What a beautiful outcome to all that hard work!! Thanks for playing Toot Your Horn Tuesday!

Aunt Juicebox said...

Oh, I love it! I'd like to redo ours, but they're pressed board or whatever that's called - not real wood, and no matter what I do to them, I don't think they'd look any better.

Roeshel said...

Love the transformation!!! You make it look so easy! I'm bookmarking this for help later as we have plans to tackle this project this summer. Thanks so much for linking to the DIY Project Parade! :)

Roeshel

Marianne said...

Amazing, I would love to do something similar in my kitchen, but first of all I need a new counter and sink. That is next on my to do list for major house improvements.
Thank you for the inspiration.

Be Colorful Coastal said...

Stunning. love it and it works so well with the wall colors you have chosen. I am considering black so I will add your image to my decor folder for future reassurance that it is going to look great. :)
Pamela

Holly Lefevre said...

WOW! It looks great. We are getting ready to do this to our kitchen...wish me luck. I hope mine turns out half as good as yours...Fabulous!

Holly
504 Main

Kristi Flanagan said...

This is beautiful! Come paint my kitchen!!!! LOL!

Come plant your creative seeds at my blog party on Friday: Plant a Punkin Seed at Punkin Seed Productions.

Hope to see you there.

Kristi
Punkin Seed Productions

Helena said...

Wow, this turned out so beautiful! I would like to compliment you on your nagging skills :)

Thank you for linking this to A Little Craft Therapy with Life in the Pitts.

Court said...

I love the look of the dark cabinets. We are going to be painting our kitchen cabinets soon. I am dreading the prep work, but am excited to paint and have them done.

Recaptured Charm said...

LOVE the vast improvement! I have just finished my own cupboard transformation, as well as the entire kitchen. I KNOW how much work it is! Congrats on the new look!

Tracy said...

Wow! Great job! Thanks for sharing. Have a great day!

Lisa Nelsen-Woods said...

Great job! What color paint did you use? I want to paint my kitchen cabinets (because my husband won't let me light them on fire) and I'm looking for color ideas.

Maryann @ Domestically-Speaking said...

Such a great transformation... I hoping to get to my kitchen cabinets this year... thank you so much for sharing at the POPP.

Sawdust Girl said...

Saw you on Trendy Treehouse. I always love a good makeover story. Love the new kitchen.

Tracey @ My House of Giggles said...

WOWWWW!! What a difference a new coat of paint makes!! Great job! Such a tedious job, though, isn't it?
But it's done now, and you can just enjoy staring at them and smiling :)

Have a wonderful weekend!
And thanks for joining in on my Tuesday Talent Show!

Tracey

Ren- Lady Of The Arts said...

Amy- thank you- the paint color is from Lowes an it is called brown velvet-
Debbie- our cabinets are wood ie: sandable, not sure if I would use solid oak to describe them- The grain does not show through-color is brown velvet- I saw your email too, sorry it has taken me so long to respond- good luck with your project
Just- thank you
Leah- thank you and thanks for hosting

Michelle said...

Wow! What a wonderful transformation!

Mary Beth @ Live. Laugh. Make Something said...

Bee-You-Tee-Full! What a great job you did! I jumped over from It's so Very Cheri's blog hop and am so happy that I did! Please accept my invitation to drop in at my place when you get a moment. I have become a follower and would be honored if you choose to do the same!

Amy said...

this post was featured today at New Nostalgia "Anti-Procrastination Tuesdays"

The Polka Dot Closet said...

I'd say you are a whole lot more than amateur!! What a great job! I am so glad i found your blog! I am a new follower. If you get a chance I would love for you to peek at my blog www.thepolkadotcloset.blogspot.com

Thank You Carol

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