Week 7: We have a white kitchen and a black ceiling

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One week before the Better Home and Garden’s One Room Challenge final reveal and it’s been a whirlwind – the most exciting news this week is that our cabinets are now white – Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee to be exact!

Here’s a reminder of how our dark espresso stained cabinets looked before:

And here’s how the cabinets look now (minus the appliances and some doors):

We chose Swiss Coffee for everything – cabinets, walls and baseboards.

Why did we choose only one paint color? Partly because I didn’t want to deal with matching different white undertones. Mostly because I knew it would look flawless in our kitchen.

Why does Swiss Coffee work in our particular space? I typically love Benjamin Moore Simply White but was hesitant because of how much cabinetry and sunlight we get in our kitchen – It could be too starkly white especially because we would also have white quartz and back splash.

Swiss Coffee has yellow undertones, but I’m happy to say that Swiss Coffee does not look yellow in our space and probably looks more like a light warm ‘greige’ due to the grey in our floors and backsplash, the gold in our hardware and the black of our ceiling.

Are you trying to decide the best white paint for your space? Read my easy method for choosing white paint.

So the paint is all the same but the sheen is different and because of that, the color actually looks different but stays cohesive:

• Cabinets: Satin
• Walls: Eggshell
• Baseboards: Semi-gloss

We painted both the island and butcher block cabinetry Benjamin Moore Onyx. I think the Onyx brings out the brass leg caps. What do you think?

We also installed satin brass knobs that feel oh so velvety good to the touch.

The butcher block got a coat of Boos Block oil and cream and now looks deep and beautiful.

Did you notice the ceiling?

I made a last minute call to paint my 12′ ceiling Onyx as well. I think it actually makes the ceiling look even taller and adds unexpected drama to the room.

Do you dare to paint your ceiling black? Read about my other black ceiling from my bathroom remodel.

Are you considering painting your cabinets white? Here’s a quick overview of the process.

1. Take the cabinet doors and drawers out. Clean and repair any imperfections by sanding and filling.

2. Set up a paint spray section outside that is tarped up.

3. Paint the doors with shellac primer. Let dry. Paint with sprayer with 2 to 3 coats of paint.

4. Mask up and tarp the entire kitchen (this takes hours, almost the whole day) and spray the cabinets with primer and then 2-3 coats of paint. There are intense fumes despite the diligent masking so open all windows and consider being out of the home while this is happening.

5. The process takes about 1 – 2 weeks depending on amount of cabinets to be painted.

The finished cabinets looks factory made, it’s that perfect. But it’s definitely messy and super chaotic during this whole time.

Let’s recap what’s happened so far:

• Design of new kitchen
• Sourced and purchased materials including quartz, sinks, faucets, hardware
• Selected paint colors
• Confirmed and coordinated with all contractors to optimize remodeling schedule (I will share my project plan with you at the end)
• Demo demo demo
• Built and installed base cabinets and drawers
• Prepped electrical for new LED lighting
• Added plumbing for new prep sink/faucet
• Install new European oak floors and baseboards
• Install new countertops, backsplash
• Install new butcher block countertop and cabinets
• Install new sinks/faucets
• Paint cabinets white Swiss Coffee and black Onyx

What’s next:

• Create new kitchen hood
• Install new walnut shelving
• Install new LED lighting
• Install new hardware
• Paint remaining cabinets black Onyx
• Install appliances
• Final cleaning

Can we get all of the remaining items completed in one week? Subscribe below to find out! Final reveal is happening soon!

Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | The Reveal