Ways To Update Oak Cabinets – My mom has a kitchen that was built in the early 2000’s and it’s great, but now it’s about 20 years old and starting to look dated. I had some phone left over from my bathroom renovation and asked her if she would like me to redecorate her bathroom. She loved the idea! That idea froze a bit, and I asked her if she wanted a complete kitchen renovation. He agreed but on one condition – no paint! So I came up with a few ideas on how to update a kitchen without painting!
This post may contain affiliate links. That means if you make a purchase from these links I earn a small commission, at no cost to you! This helps support my blog, so thank you!
Ways To Update Oak Cabinets
Don’t get me wrong, when I first discussed this renovation with my mom, the first thing out of my mouth was “How about a new coat of paint”? However, he did not want the wooden cabinets painted. I suggested painting the surface, just painting the island, different colors, and whatever I’m thinking of breaking some wood. (And I still feel that painting at least some of the old kitchen cabinets would look great.)
Tips For Painting Cherry Cabinets White
My mom’s old kitchen was stained black maple, built in the early 00’s and in great condition.
The existing wooden cabinets were in good condition and had a nice wooden feel. Unlike some wooden cabinets that can have an orange tone, these were a nice deep brown. She said she was concerned about the longevity of the painted cabinets.
(Although you know I would do it right, and she knows it too, after I painted the laundry room cabinets!)
I respected her opinion and told her that we can give the kitchen a new look without painting, just something new and fresh without a big project. This is what we did!
How To Work With Your Honey Oak Cabinets And Trim
The first thing that dated to my mother’s kitchen was a backlog. It was travertine and glass panels and included several different styles. In general, do not complement black tables or deep wooden cabinets. We decided to knock it out and replace it with clean, modern white columns to add something different and brighten things up.
My mom’s front yard consisted of several different styles of beige tiles that didn’t complement any of the cabinets or countertops.
If you have dark wood cabinets, I think the best way to compliment them is to compare them with more white or light colors. A simple white tile like a subway tile is always a common choice. My mother’s weight did not go well with the beige splash!
I wrote all about backend conversion in this post. If you want to update your kitchen, remodeling can be done on the cheap and is a great place to start with a new look. I can’t believe the end result, the difference the back brace has made is amazing!
Updating A 90s Kitchen
My mom’s pendant lights aren’t bad but as I mentioned in Step #1, adding lots of white was the name of the game so I asked if we could replace the pendants with white fixtures. It seems that she was tired of trying to clean the clear glass in her old device and she immediately agreed to this!
The new games were also very cheap to find on Amazon. They have had a great impact on the overall appearance of the kitchen design and are connected to the white background.
Kitchen appliances change the look and feel of a kitchen! We found these pullers on Amazon and installed these knobs at Battle Creek Hardware. Replacing the hardware wasn’t a lot of work and really gave the old cabinets a new lease of life.
If you’re looking to update your kitchen cabinets, try new appliances first! I can’t believe the difference between the new cabinet and the knots they made. We tried a few different hardware samples and ended up pulling them from Amazon and Knobs (super talented!) at Battle Creek Hardware!
Easy Ways To Update Kitchen Cabinets
I love warm metals like brass, gold and bronze with wood cabinets. Cold wave metals like stainless steel and chrome also don’t complement wood, in my opinion.
If you’re not painting, you’ll want to pay attention to the spacing of your existing cabinet holes and make sure you order hardware that works with the existing holes.
This is an update that you can’t see but you can definitely feel. My mom’s closet doors had regular hinges that closed, and we bought this super simple tool that turns an old closet door into a soft door. This went a long way in giving my mom’s kitchen a classic and classy feel.
Never underestimate the power of new settings and some new tools! That’s the easiest way to update any space and give it a fresh, clean look.
How To Paint Laminate Cabinets
I didn’t want to take the work out of her kitchen, so I made sure to use functional design pieces and things she already had. She had several different areas in her kitchen, such as a coffee bar and a toaster and an area next to the stove, so I thought about functional arrangements for each of those areas.
I took a loaf of bread to the right of the stove, placed it on a tray, and added a piece of pot with some butter knives and butter preservers.
Formatting hack – if you have a map, editing it on the disk is always a good idea. It makes things look deliberate and collected instead of messy! Keeping items on the tray (butter, butter knives, and breadcrumbs) feels intentional.
In the coffee shop, we removed the excess equipment, left only one coffee maker, and brought in cans to store coffee and tea. My sister made them, but these and these are the same.
How To Paint Oak Cabinets For Your Kitchen Or Laundry Room
To the left of the stove, I added a raised wooden floor with decorative pieces that she already had like oil and vinegar, as well as a small tree.
We hung a small piece of art on the wall using complimentary stripes, added a large mixing bowl for fruit, and a raised tray for oil and vinegar next to the stove.
We also brought in a small craft hanging on a command line, and a large fruit bowl that used to be grandma’s!
I would encourage you to shop around your house before buying anything new – my mom already has almost all of these things in her closet. Shopping your home and moving house is an inexpensive way to get a new look in any room you’re working on.
How To Update Your Kitchen Without Painting Cabinets!
The biggest problem with my mother’s kitchen was that there were too many shades of wood and brown. The floor, cabinets, dining room door, and backsplash were all brown. Although she didn’t want the cabinets painted, she did allow a fresh coat of paint on the dining room door to break up all the wood a bit. I just painted the wall color which is Benjamin Moore’s Olympic Mountains.
My mom has had the same stool since I was in high school. I won’t tell you how long that was…. but let’s say it was in the past. I bought a cheap repurposed stool and wrote about adding new fabric to these stools.
Changing the barstools gave the back of the island a new look and helped connect the space to the adjacent living room, which has a blue rug. If you have space in your kitchen to sit on, check out this stool upgrade!
These are the results of my mom’s little kitchen makeover! I think the small changes we made went a long way. The best part of this modification was how cheap it was. Let’s break it down:
A Crazy Easy Way To Update Oak Trim
The sources for the items we purchased are listed above, and here are a few links to similar items she has in the past:
When I designed the kitchen cabinets, I dreamed of installing the beautiful furniture style of the cabinet toe kicks, but we did not know how to do it ourselves. it would be unpleasant to stand on it. There was also the issue of our building…
Sometimes we do a full house renovation that involves a lot of demolition or construction and we say…. money. However, we have also done many home improvement projects that were low cost but high impact! Here are 14 affordable home renovations that make a big impact without breaking the bank! If you are dealing with one…
We recently completed our home office with a built in desk and I am looking for the perfect rug