Once the cabinets were installed, it was time to decide how we wanted to finish them. We knew we wanted the cabinets painted from our initial meeting with the carpenter. Painted cabinets are less expensive than stained but not much. It was a style choice rather than a budget one just like the trim.
The painting workflow was to stain everything in the house first. Paint the cabinets and doors then cover them in plastic. Then paint the walls and trim before moving outside.
We had to pick a stain for the shelving. Here were some options we were entertaining. The samples are on pine while our shelves are maple, but we got the idea. I was thinking about going very light for the shelves since I figured the floors would be a medium stain.
We went with the natural stain. It’s basically just a sealer since it doesn’t add much other than sheen making the raw wood look more finished. The Golden Oak pulled out the grain of the wood in a very odd way, so I wasn’t a fan. At the time the shelves were surrounded by a bunch of raw wood between the cabinets and the floor. I just had to remind myself that it would look better as things were finished out.
The goal was to paint the cabinets Sherwin Williams Pure White with a pop color on the island – a safe pop color like dark blue. I mean we weren’t going to paint our island pink or anything (although that might have been awesome). We did some research on finding the right shade of dark blue. We came up with these 4. We included a brighter option with the Oceanside and a darker option with the Hale Navy along with 2 basic navies – Drawing Room Blue and Old Navy. We had all of them color matched at Sherwin Williams since that’s what our painter uses.
They painted them on the shelves. (Oh Cody…smh.) It actually worked better for blog purposes, so there’s that. Luckily they hadn’t put the natural stain on just yet, so it was no big deal. Oceanside and Drawing Room Blue were a little too bright. Old Navy was pretty spot on for a classic navy. Hale Navy was very dark. Beautiful but dark.
We went with Old Navy. Hale Navy was just too dark especially with the black doors. We love the color. It really was the exact blue we envisioned for that room.
Here’s a little peak at the white cabinet behind the island. The paint made the kitchen feel like it was coming together. It was then that the natural stain on the shelving didn’t seem so bland.
The cabinets and shelves were immediately covered, so I couldn’t get a picture of that stage. The shelves were covered. The island was painted then covered. Then the cabinets were painted and covered. Plus the windows were covered, so our house was dark. You will just have to use your imagination to see the white cabinets, Old Navy island, and natural shelving.
Countertops and tile to come…
I can totally see it! I really love the island color choice!
It’s going to look even better once we get the countertops on. They still aren’t on the island, so I’m getting antsy!
LOVE the navy!!! So excited to see what it looks like finished!
Thanks Renee! The countertop situation is a little crazy right now, but I’m so pleased with how it’s shaping up so far!
Love the paint color choices you made. We are planning on re-doing our kitchen eventually, and I think we’re going to go with white painted cabinets as well. I like the lightness and classic style (that never goes out of style!) that white paint brings to a room. And the blue island looks great!
Dark stained cabinets are huge around here. They look great, but I’m with you I like how a kitchen feels with some good ole white painted cabinets.
I LOVE that you picked Old Navy. After looking at the swatches it was my favorite too. Your kitchen is going to be smashingly wonderful. I love the lighter stain. So pretty!
Thanks Kenz! I hope it looks as good in real life as it has in my head for the last 8 months!
we used general finishes coastal blue which is a perfect navy, too- i love my cabinets!
LOVE the look you are going for. i can’t wait! then soon it will be ready for me to move in. you. i mean you.
I love the navy in your kitchen! That’s a great color. Moving in can’t happen soon enough! You are welcome to move in as well. The only extra space is all that unfinished upstairs. Hope you’re good with that! 😉
Gorgeous! I love the navy you chose and can’t wait to see how it looks with the dark floors! When do you move in?! I need some after photos! 😉
I have no idea when we will be able to move in. We were shooting to close mid December, but I don’t think the house will be finished by then. We are waiting for the electricity to be turned on, so the floors can acclimate and then be stained. There’s still a lot of things that aren’t done – plumbing, some of the countertops, flooring…I feel like I’m listing the whole house!
Old navy blue Trailblazers. Love it. Stained cabinets are huge in our neighborhood too but I think white looks fresh and clean and just lovely all the way around. Can’t wait to see the countertop reveal. It’s gonna be brilliant I’m sure.
Ugh if we can figure the countertop situation out. It’s still up in the air. It’s a bit of a grind on me!
P.S. what color white…BM simply white, BM white dove, BM decorators white…..?
Sherwin Williams Pure White
Love the colors.
And I love the tiles that I spotted on IG for your bath. AMAZING!
Thank you! That tile is so amazing. I am really ready to see those bad boys in the bath. Is it weird if I tear up at the sight of tile in a bathroom?
I’m dying. It’s just perfection
Haha thank you! It looks awesome for sure. Now if we can actually live with it, that will be a real win!
Great choice with the navy! So beautiful, grounding and classic!
Thank you! I did find a green I loved, but I ruled it out almost immediately. I think going with the navy was definitely the best choice. The space is so open it needed a more classic color.
LOVE that island color! I feel like you guys are sailing through this so fast and it all looks so beautiful so far!
Thanks! It feels like things have been so slow, but that’s because we go up there daily. Painting was over a 2 week process. It was exciting but once we saw the color up in 1 room we were ready for the next thing!
Wow! This is gorgeous! Looking so good!
Thanks Kim! We are so excited with how it’s turning out!