It's the Little Things

16/30

It all started about a year ago . . . when I needed to replace my refrigerator.  

It quickly became clear . . . that my kitchen was terribly out of date (although pretty wonderful -- after all, I had a few up-to-date features like granite countertops and recessed lighting).  But out of date all the same because . . . 

Oak cabinets.

Brass fixtures and cabinet pulls.

Black appliances.

Just. Not. Cool.

I ended up switching out my refrigerator with one in a new "color" -- slate.  (Not stainless -- because it really doesn't go with oak at all; not white -- which just seemed way too stark in my kitchen.)  (Of course, black appliances are SO 1990s.)  (And not even available anymore.) Ultimately I replaced ALL the appliances with slate.  (So at least everything matched.)

But the brass?  Really dated.  (Especially with the new slate appliances.)

I would've loved to re-do the kitchen.

But.

Already doing the master bathroom/bedroom.

And so silly, really . . . because everything is in fine shape.  
(Also.  Despite their being SO . . . outré . . . I actually LIKE my oak cabinets.)  (Just sayin.)

And money doesn't grow on trees.

For a while, I thought about painting my cabinets.  But there are just too many. 

So I decided to settle for a few minor tweaks.  Little things that would make a big difference.  Like. . . switching out the brass fixtures with new ones in oh-so-much-more-current oil rubbed bronze.

New cabinet pulls.

New fan.

New recessed light covers.

And . . . "conversion kits" to create pendulum lighting over my kitchen island!

Yes.  I still have my oak cabinets.  (My kitchen is VERY 1990 when it comes to woodwork.)

But.

I have an updated look, and  I'm really happy.  (And it didn't cost a fortune, either.)

Next?

I'm thinking window treatments. . . 

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And my special thanks to Tom.  Because he did the actual work to switch everything out.  (There were 40 cabinet pulls in the kitchen alone.)  (And I did sort of extend the switching-out into the bathroom off the kitchen.)  (I know that towel rod was a real bitch.)  Thanks, honey!

 

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I found a great online source for cabinet pulls and fixures.  Great selection.  Really good prices.  Excellent customer service.  And . . . quick delivery!  And I got the light covers and conversion kits here.

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Mary]

it looks great! changing cabinets is a huge pain (and a huge expense) - I think you got what you needed without all that both (or expense).

[Bonny]

Whenever I watch Househunters, I'm sure that we won't be able to sell the house when the time comes - no granite countertops, no recessed lighting, no island, just a kitchen in an old house. Maybe if I copy some of your ideas my kitchen will look as great as yours!

[margene]

That is a whole lot of cabinet pulls to replace, not to mention the fixtures and the towel bar. Go Tom! Go Kym, for finding a look you like and you should totally go for new window treatments as they'll really update your whole room!

[Patty]

Nice work! You must smile each time you walk in there right now. And go for it...you'll be so happy with new fabric!

[Jo]

Your updates look terrific! I have mixed feelings about "dated". Good craftsmanship and good materials should be timeless. So there, entitled HGTV house hunters!

[Donna]

All those little things make a difference. It looks real nice! I like Oak Cabinets. Mine are white and they are never clean (not my choice but the previous owner's).

[Cheryl S.]

I have TWO kitchens with 1990's oak cabinets. The kitchenette in the MIL apartment upstairs (which we use as a Master Suite) has the same style of cabinets as yours. The ones in the main kitchen don't have the curved inset, just rectangular. I hated them. HATED them. But I wasn't going to spend the money to replace perfectly good cabinets. They had no drawer pulls at all. When we put in new countertops, we added black pulls, and it made all the difference! I don't mind them at all now. It was amazing.

The house had almond appliances when Larry bought it. As we replaced them, I wanted white and Larry wanted stainless, so we ended up compromising on black - a second choice for each of us. I agree that white is kind of stark with oak, and stainless really doesn't go colorwise. Black goes better with the oak (especially with the black pulls), but is meh. I wasn't excited about any of the options. I thought that at least white was the most timeless and showed fingerprints the least, but I can live with the black.

I also had considered painting the cabinets, but yeah, way too much work for a big kitchen. Wasn't going to happen.

[Carole]

I have those conversion kits for the lights over my kitchen table -aren't they great? I still love my oak cabinets, too, although I'd love to stain them something darker. And I still love my white appliances although I do need to get a new fridge. Your updates are awesome!

[Vicki]

LOVE those pulls! What a difference they make!!
Hm...

[kmkat]

Great choice on the pulls (no surprise) and fan!