Updating a Brown Kitchen

I think this brown kitchen refresh will resonate with a lot of you, since I know that brown/beige finishes are staples in a lot of homes out there (mine included).  While tearing everything out and starting with a blank slate would be a nice option, it’s just not realistic in most instances.  These finishes – flooring, counters, carpet, etc… – are expensive to replace, and in many cases, they’re still in good shape.  Today I’m going to show you how updating a brown kitchen is possible.  This brown kitchen was made to look new, while still working with many of the existing finishes.

The Before

The homeowners are doing several updates as part of this project – painting the walls, adding a backsplash, etc…  But this photo shows you what it looks like before any of the work began.

Brown Kitchen Makeover Before

Brown Kitchen Makeover Before

By the time I got ready to start my work on the cabinets, the walls had been painted.

Brown Kitchen Refresh Before

Oak Kitchen Before and After

Brown Kitchen Refresh

The color is Virtual Taupe (Sherwin Williams) and it works beautifully with the existing brown finishes in the floor and counter, which are staying.
Brown Kitchen Refresh Before

The Plan

Here is a peek at some of the fabrics and finishes that are in the running.  I love that modern colors are being brought into this space, while working with the finishes that are already there.

Brown Kitchen Refresh Before

The After

And here it is now (and my apologies for the tape that I didn’t take down by the windows – oops).  The color on the island is Willow – a Benjamin Moore color.  While this color took many coats to get good coverage, it’s a great color if you have a lot of brown in your house that you need incorporate into an updated design.  The white on the cabinets is a creamy white – a custom color that was color matched to the color I used to have on my kitchen cabinets.  It’s close to the color Creamy by Sherwin Williams.

Brown Kitchen Makeover - After

Again, sorry about the tape on the walls.  But you get the idea.

Brown Kitchen Cabinets Painted White

Brown Kitchen Makeover

Brown Oak Kitchen Painted - After

Brown Kitchen Refresh After

Oak Brown Kitchen Makeover

Oak Brown Kitchen Cabinets Painted

I’ve said it before, but notice the difference in how the counters and floors look with the other updates that have been made so far.  It just goes to show that you don’t have to tear everything out in order to give you home an updated look.  There are colors that will work with existing finishes, it’s just a matter of working with what you have, and identifying the colors that will pull it all together.  I’m working on another post on this very subject, so bear with me as I pull it together. 🙂

Jenny

5 Comments

  • Reply
    Mary
    May 7, 2018 at 1:10 pm

    Nice update, the cabinets look great. I do hope they remove the band of granite before putting in a full backsplash. Whenever I see it left in place during a kitchen refresh I think what a lost opportunity.

  • Reply
    Nickie
    May 17, 2018 at 4:39 pm

    Looks great! Do you know where the fabric swatch is from and what it is called?

    • Reply
      Jenny
      May 17, 2018 at 9:56 pm

      The swatch was from the designer that the homeowner was working with, so I don’t have the source – sorry!

      • Reply
        Sarah
        May 25, 2018 at 8:33 am

        I was curious too and did a reverse image lookup in Google and tracked it down 🙂 It’s Waverly Lunar Lattice Mineral Fabric. It’s described online as having more Browns, creams and golds than the blacks and greys I see on screen. But a sample swatch will fix that .

        • Reply
          Lisa
          October 13, 2018 at 12:27 pm

          I fell in love with that swatch as well, thanks Sarah for saving me the effort of finding the fabric. Did anyone follow up and find the fabric? I did, and boy it looks nothing like that little swatch. Lowes has curtains in the fabric, didn’t know if a link was allowed so just search on Waverly Lunar Lattice Mineral.

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