Updated Painted Cherry Kitchen via eDesign; Before & After

This post is about an eDesign consultation! I was so thrilled to receive ‘after ‘ photos of this project because this house is so pretty!

Here’s what my client shared in her questionnaire:

We just moved in and are planning to be here for 20+ years. We love that the only other owners designed and built this house in 1959 and had an obvious love for this house.

We love that much of the mid century deign is still here, the fretwork, pendant lights, and completely original bathroom with original tiles and fixtures.

I don’t love my kitchen because it looks like it does not belong in a mid century modern home. I’m replacing the black appliances with stainless, looking to change the sink and faucet. Don’t like the tile floor but it will have to stay for awhile. Also most of the trim is painted various shades of orange.

Here is her lovely entrance with the original pendants lights and fretwork:

Here are some before pics

You can really see how pinky/orange the fretwork is in this before photo (above).

Living room with original wood panelling that’s staying, freshened up with white drapes. You can see the cherry kitchen from this open plan (above).

Here’s the pink/orange/green grey undertone stone fireplace:

Original fireplace which is staying. Another view of the open plan interior:

I chose a navy blue (BM Newburyport Blue) from her living room decor and suggested she paint her chairs the same colour to create flow in the kitchen.

Here’s the cherry kitchen:

You can see that the cabinets have a nice classic raised panel style and are nicely designed to go all the way to the ceiling without an awkward gap between the uppers and the cabinets a common issue I talked about here.

Here’s an example of what my eDesign Slides look like

In order to make her kitchen look more current and relate better to her house, all she needed was a new colour for her cabinets, the little bit of drywall in the kitchen and her decorative fretwork and these are the two options I gave her:

How to Test Paint Colours

These are the test photos (below) she sent with both colours looking good with the existing tile floor.

Notice that the  paint colour test boards are shown with white paper behind so that the colours are isolated (so we don’t make the mistake of comparing them to the old colours). Had these test boards been propped up directly against the cherry cabinets (that will be painted), it would have been harder to accurately see how they were relating to the floor (that stays). The deep reddish tones of the cherry cabinets would have inaccurately influenced the look of the colours being tested.

The paint colours are also in the same position in relation to the floor that they would be once kitchen is painted. Laying the paint colours flat on the floor DOES NOT give you an accurate read.

You can see that both these neutrals work well with her existing tile floor (above).

She also sent these photos, correctly testing the potential cabinet colours with the countertop. This helped us determine that Accessible Beige was the right choice because it provided more contrast with her cream countertops.

Here’s what her kitchen looked like before:

Before

Here’s the lovely after:

SW Accessible Beige

After | I am including these surface mounts as a suggestion for new lighting.

Bellacor

Other side of the kitchen before (above)

She also repeated the navy in the throw rug, accessories and roman shade (above). | After

After | Notice the vignette in the right corner of her kitchen. Something you’d see from across the room!

Here is another view of her pinky/orange fretwork in the staircase (below). You can also see how green her radiators are in comparison:

And here’s the new paint colour and some lovely styling by my client:

After

Learn how to do eDesign consultations

If you’re facing a home renovation or new build project, know that every finish, paint colour and piece of furniture you choose for your space is a colour decision first. 

So the wisest thing is to learn how to choose colour effectively. Since most expensive mistakes are colour mistakes.

In my new Create Your Dream Home edition of my colour training, you’ll learn how to use my system to make all your selections. And I’ve tailored the content to show you what you need to consider to create a clear vision and direction for your project that makes sense for you and your specific house for a timeless look you’ll never need to renovate!

Get my advice for your specific project with an eDesign consultation

For help with any decorating project that has you going in circles, you can find our eDesign consultations here.

ps. I’ve had my fabulous wordsmith Irene Hill and my artist/Senior Colour Designer Tricia Firmaniuk here at the house in Palm Desert all week! We are finalizing the details of my colour wheel and working on updates to my first ebook! Very productive!

Irene Hill, Maria Killam, Tricia Firmaniuk

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