The Pitfalls of Watching Too Much HGTV: EVOLUTION OF OUR KITCHEN

YE OLDE HOUSE

We live in an old house. It was built in 1976, and in that year, all the houses on our street were debuted in the "Parade of Homes". So, we're extra cool because our house was a Parade of Homes house, right? That's kinds of a big deal. Only the best and most innovative homes are showcased in the Parade of Homes. Super cool. Except...that was 43 years ago...and some of the stuff that came from the mid 70's is just plain weird. We love our house. It's a good house, and it's been good to us. BUT, being from the 70's, and never having had any major updates since then, there are a lot of odd things about the place.

I think one of the most dangerous things a homeowner can do when they own an older house is to watch HGTV and other design shows. For me, it's both agonizing and inspiring. I'll fall in love with styles I see on Property Brothers or Fixer Upper (yaaaasss!), and then my wheels will start spinning in my head. I'll get an itch to do something or make something or change something. And that's great, because I know how to do things or make things or change things. Brett and I can DIY with the best of them. We can drywall, run electrical, paint, lay flooring, woodwork, weld, and lots of other things.

CREATIVITY CAN GO HAND-IN-HAND WITH DISORGANIZATION

My artistic right-brained self has developed a bad habit, though. And it's something that is really NOT GOOD for a DIYer. I'm really bad at finishing projects. I'll start something, and it will be great. I'll even get like 90% done. But it seems like there is always something that comes up and draws my focus away for a time. Granted, we have had a very tumultuous last 3 years, filled with major family health issues, full time job obligations, and raising kids that just kept on multiplying. Despite that, my creative side always beckoned to me, and I would just want to do something about it! It's a creative outlet. I'm a creative person, and I get antsy when I don't have a "project". A lot of projects might be weather dependent, money dependent, and Brett-dependent (since I need his help with a lot of the stuff). But there are somethings I can do totally on my own. Of those things, one of them is painting.

So...my itch fro this week? Painting my kitchen cabinets AGAIN.

EVOLUTION OF MY KITCHEN

5 years in this house, and my cabinets have been 4 different colors now.
2014: Original golden maple
2015: Oil-based Java Stain by General Finishes
2016: Fusion Mineral Paint in Lamp White
2019: Navy Blue Valspar Cabinet Enamel & Bonding Primer

I've tried different DIY cabinet finishing products and have learned a lot in the process. My cabinets have been white for almost 3 years now. I've liked them. It looks airy and fresh...until little pb&j fingerprints make it not so fresh anymore. With our big family, and six little kids, my lovely white cabinets have not held up well. The product i painted them with (Mineral Paint, ordered from Canada) was advertised as "no primer necessary" (that was my first mistake). The paint was also in a matte finish (which I love the look of, but it really just grabs onto dirt and grime, and it's not easy to clean off). So with all of the above, plus different episodes of permanent marker toddler artwork, the kitchen has been looking drab for a while.

I had my heart set on just leaving it as is, and saving up for our perfect dream kitchen. I've dreamed about new cabinets and countertops for FOREVER. I was holding out and didn't want to invest more time and money into doing ANYTHING with the kitchen other than just keeping it tidy. Eye on the prize. I wanted my "dream" kitchen.

EXAMPLE OF A DREAM KITCHEN

(Concrete gray quartz countertops, light and bright colors)

Recently, though, I've made peace with my kitchen and what it is. I've made peace with the fact that life is just fine without a new kitchen. And honestly, the cabinets we have are solid wood, and pretty good quality. After thinking about it, and what I would do if I had an extra $10,000, it would not be to overhaul our kitchen for a brand-new remodel. It would be to take a cruise, or have an amazing vacation or do SOMETHING that would be making magical memories with my family. My priorities now are to: #1 make good memories; #2 have a home full of love; #4 cherish the time we spend together; and #4 have our home be a place of learning. Each of those things does NOT require a brand-new kitchen. And honestly, the only person who CARED about the kitchen being updated was me. It doesn't give the kids more or less joy to have a new kitchen. It probably give Brett LESS joy because kitchens are so darn expensive (lol). For me, the phrase "you can't take it with you" comes to mind.

So, last week I decided that we could just update our kitchen and work with what we have to make it awesome. With some soft-close hinges, and some new paint (plus primer!), and MAYBE a new nicer-looking laminate countertop, we could have a great looking, fully-functional kitchen for our family. The drawers could get some new tracks, and it really could be great. I've been inspired by a designer named Bobby Berk. I really like his modern style. I also LOVE the kitchens he's designed that utilize colored cabinets. Several of his kitchens I've seen have painted cabinets in non-traditional colors. The colors really make it look nice, and add some fun to the space. One kitchen I saw was a navy blue. And I LOVED how it looked. LOVED LOVED LOVED.

KITCHENS BY BOBBY BERK

STARTING THE PROJECT

So, with that inspiration, I first spent way too long at Lowe's picking out the right color, and I started on my kitchen. I actually was lucky enough to have a conversation with a professional cabinet painter that I ran into at Lowe's. I asked him about how to treat my cabinets that have already been painted twice, and have layer of different types of primers and paints. He recommended a couple of products and told me that it was REALLY IMPORTANT to use a BONDING Primer. He said the Valspar Cabinet Enamel is also a great product. And then he recommended some high-quality rollers for cabinet paint that have really worked well.

Overall, I'm please with the the products we got. I LOVE the color! It's so fun and different, but it still looks really nice. I've decided to finish the cabinets section by section. I did this because it forces me to have some 100% finished areas. I think it'll motivate me better as I do it in bits, and see quick progress.

DOWN THE ROAD

I'll post a full before/after when I'm finished. But this is my progress for now. I am determined to finish this project. These cabinets will be fully painted with full updated hardware by the end of the month. After that, I'll figure out what paint works well with the new space. I was thinking yellow...but I'm not sure. I didn't love the samples I got. Oh well...another question for another day. For now, it's just painting the cabinets. I'm using a really nice, rich dark blue, and so far, I'm REALLY loving it.