Today I’m just showing my kitchen from the magazine shoot and I”ll show the pictures of the rest of my house next.
Here’s my dining room on the cover of the April Colour issue, hooray!
I thought I’d include the before pictures just for fun:
Photography by Tracey Ayton Kitchen design by Jan Romanuk
Before
Cabinets are painted Artisan White by Cloverdale Paint. Wall colour is Rice Paper by Cloverdale Paint. Bar stools are from IKEA, Countertops are 6600 Nougat from Caesarstone. Fabrication and installation of my countertops were by Spectrum Stone. Island lights are from The Lighting Warehouse.
Faucet, water filtration system and sink from Franke.
What you can’t see is the pantry wall with the fridge and wall over (below right), which I did not post because I didn’t have a really great photo of it. When I get one, I’ll post it when I do a post talking about appliances and their merits.
Before
I chose a 3″ shaker which I love so much, I never specify the 2″ anymore when I’m asked which way to go. Quality Cabinet in Vancouver built all the cabinets and did a beautiful job!
Before
The bentwood chairs are from EQ3, the table from Chocolate Mousse and the banquette was custom made by Vance Upholstery.
I’m so excited that I can finally share the best photos of my kitchen with you!
By the way, my sister Anita asked me when I was going to start talking about the meaning of colour like I mentioned in this post in January. Eeeek, I forgot, so hey, better late than never.
So my white kitchen with green and yellow accents, here’s what the combination means:
A new possibility that comes out of an immense challenge.
I would say this totally applies to me given I’ve worked so hard since I started writing this blog 5 years ago. Owning my own home is a huge accomplishment.
Here’s the most important association for the colour green: Space. Search for Truth. Panoramic view (ability to see all aspects of a situation).
Symbolic Meaning: Nature, Growth, Spring, Creativity, Overabundance. Green is the symbolic colour for money. The green light on the traffic light means free access, forward.
Okay, so I’m going to include more of these as I go along, sorry I forgot!
Style at Home also interviewed me for their 20 Questions with Maria Killam article, check it out here.
Happy Monday everyone!
Related posts:
The Hottest Colour Trend for Countertops
Quality Cabinet: Maria’s New White Kitchen
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Download my eBook, How to Choose Paint Colours – It’s All in the Undertones to get my complete step-by-step system on how to get colour to do what you want and to make sure the undertones in your home are right, get some large samples!
If you would like to learn how to choose colour with confidence, become a True Colour Expert.
Beautiful! A great before and after!
Absolutely stunning Maria. Kudos to you for being brave and decorating with colour. What a truly gorgeous home you have created, I see the attention to detail in each photo – love it all!
Wondering about the fridge and oven. We don’t see the wall opposit the sink. Might those items be there?
Yes good question they are on the pantry wall, I didn’t have a great photo of that wall so I didn’t post it.
Thanks. Beautiful redo. Wonderful to take a kitchen layout that is found in 75% of the houses and show the doable possibilities.
Nothing to say but absolutely gorgeous! Really beautiful!
Beautiful, beautiful and beautiful!! Really!!! congratulations too 🙂
So beautiful! Congratulations! I absolutely LOVE the quick punches of colour. You rock!
Congrats! So beautiful!!
Wonderful MarIa! Inspiring!
Love, it. Stylish and yet looks like a kitchen that can be used and not just looked at and admired. I know someone who does not use her glossy white kitchen for fear of messing it up….true. Would love to do Shaker but cost prohibitive here, anything other than standard is. I am taking inspiration from all the white vases/dishes on the island as so pretty. What a lovely home you have Maria.
What colour did you choose for your walls and ceiling!?
Rice Paper by Cloverdale Paint for the walls. Artisan White for the ceilings.
Congratulations Maria! You Colour Yourself Happy!, and everybody else.
Fabulous Maria!
Absolutely gorgeous! We are completely remodeling our kitchen and I constantly refer to your blog for inspiration and info, we don’t have a lot of money but my husband is talented and he and my father-in-law are building our cabinets little by little… You have helped many times with various decisions! 🙂 thanks so much!
Quite an amazing transformation — love your kitchen! Thanks for sharing it with your readers.
It is stunning! I love the green. It is so fresh and refreshing and peaceful. I love white so much and you made this one sing!
Wow! Maria, your kitchen is gorgeous. I am currently painting those exact same old cabinets for a customer. That white looks so clean. Love it.
Breathtaking!
Love it, love it!
Can you tell us about your floors? They look very natural and organic, with almost no sheen. What kind of finish do they have?
Yes all the info is in this post: https://mariakillam.com/pravada-floors-how-to-choose-the-right-colour-wood-flooring/
Love the kitchen and the floors in particular. The link you gave for the flooring information isn’t working. Is there a new link? We’re choosing the floors for our reno this week, so it would be great to see it. Your floor colour is exactly what we’re looking for! Thanks
Thanks Maria! Your before picture is almost exactly like mine! My after picture will definitely resemble yours also 🙂
Swooning here. Your kitchen is beautiful!
Love white kitchens! I was just sitting at my computer searching for pendant lights when this popped up! Would love to find those!
Love before and after pictures. Maria, your kitchen remodel should make home buyers fearless that a stale, 1970’s kitchen can be reborn and beautiful.
WOW!!! your kitchen is breathtaking (and I LOVE when a Before is included because it shows the vision that was needed –and makes the After even more amazing)
Congratulations on the cover and a great inside piece–you have worked so hard and freely given your knowledge to all of us –and I couldn’t be happier to see your success!!
Maria, as always, exquisite!
Please tell me about your window treatments as that is next on my agenda for the new house.
Love that green:)
The fabric is from Robert Allen, Pattern: Zahara Colour: Leaf.
Thanks Angela 🙂 Maria
Maria, we are getting ready to have the kitchen in our new home painted. I would like to use Benjamin Moore. Is there a comparable color to what you used in Benjamin Moore? What finish did you use – eggshell, gloss?
Your kitchen is stunning!
SW Snowbound is the closest, my cabinets were sprayed by the manufacturer they appear to be an eggshell finish. Maria
I felt like I was missing out because I couldn’t get your magazine. Thank you for posting your pictures. I feel better now.
What beautiful kitchen! You are fortunate to have all your windows. My kitchen feels like a cave.
Do you find yourself coming into your kitchen just to admire it? I certainly would. And I would let out a very long sigh. Ahhhh.
What a beautiful transformation in your kitchen.
Love the kitchen! Simply beautiful.
KUDOS on the kitchen! Luv the banquette! franki
I loved the post and pictures. I would really like to hear more of your take about the “meanings of colour”. Please write on this–it’s fascinating to me, and something that I feel might help me develop my eye further, and communicate better with my clients.
What a beautiful fresh space to work in! Love the pops of colour! You did an amazing job, Maria.
xo
WOW, Maria! Absolutely beautiful, tremendously inspirational and full of lessons to be learned. My current kitchen is a cousin of your before and, though it won’t be undergoing a major renovation, paint cans will be the major player, it will be a white kitchen and it will be a happy one, and the color green will play a significant role. Thanks for focusing on the meaning of that color first. I love the yellow greens and they are worked into every room of my house except one.
Not able to see your spread in the mag yet but Haven’t seen your pictures yet but StyleAtHome assures me that though my subscription won’t start with this issue, I’ll be able to order the back issue. Decided to get the digital version because the mag seems to focus on achievable great rooms. I like Better Home & Gardens here for that same reason, and I think one of your gifts, Maria, is that you seem to have that same focus in your work – “If you would like your home to fill you with happiness every time you walk in the door …” So many design or style mags leave us common folk in the “forever dreaming” category with no real hope of actuality. Thanks so much for the inspiration to have a vision to move toward reality.
Home Run!
Big congratulations! Your kitchen really does say fresh and happy! I’m looking forward to buying the magazine!
Notably not a huge kitchen which made it even more beautiful. Your articles in Style at Home were great. Loved your answers to the 20 questions. Looking forward to seeing the rest of your lovely home in the coming weeks.
Well, you know I’m gonna LOVE IT!!! Magazine-worthy, Maria. Totally fresh and INSPIRING! Love everything about it. Can’t wait for my next project, in fact! Wow, would I love to live in that kitchen. You ladies deserve it!!! xoxo
The vast majority of houses for sale in my area have kitchens that look like your ‘before’ photo. I’d never have imagined an ‘after’ kitchen like yours could come from that beginning! It’s wonderful – a very happy place.
I love the classic white tile and cabinets, but if it were my home I’d want a bit more color. If this were my new kitchen, and I asked for a little more color, what suggestions would you give me while keeping it timeless Maria-style? (Walls? Wood-toned floating shelves?)
Thanks so much for sharing your beautiful new space!
So refreshing Maria! This kitchen says ‘spring is in the air’ to me…very dreamy.
To add to the ‘meaning of colour’ you touched upon, I have a little book which lists the symbolic meaning of plants. So if I may add to your ‘kitchen story’ by the plants you display- here goes:
Lamb’s Ears: Support
Kalanchoe: Lasting Affection
Lemons: Piquancy (“agreeably stimulating, interesting”)
Buttercups: Childhood
Juniper: Protection..(unless it is a fern which means Sincerity).
So there you have it- I would say you have chosen well indeed!
Such a happy space! And an amazing transformation. Congratulations on making the cover of Style at Home!
Hi Maria,
I love your beautifully finished home! The white and all the hits of colour are so truly refreshing and inspiring for spring! So happy for you! I’ve borrowed your idea for the kitchen banquette and my home will be featured in Style at Home soon. I also took your colour confidence course in February and learned so much. Thank you and all the very best to you and Irene!
Beautiful changes.
For a more casual look could you use Bead Board back splash/to the ceiling?
Keep up the Beautiful work.
Thank you
GORGEOUS TRANSFORMATION, so clean and pretty, I love it!
Open, bright, lovely. Makes you want to spend time there…you make it all so beautiful Maria!
I love banquettes and white kitchens and yours is the epitome of clean, bright and ‘lively.’ Congratulations on the cover and featured story. I’ve just gone through the issue and had to write. Give us more!
Very generic.
so fresh and beautiful. I adore the banquette/table/chairs combo. I’m now wondering about the room off the kitchen with the flowers. I don’t think you’ve ever showcased it before. I always try to imagine the flow and floorplan , but can’t place where your DR and LR is in relation to the kitchen. Your whole house is of a piece.
Love! Love! Love! The banquette that you designed is my favorite. Love it all, but that is just the pièce de résistance! Always trying to figure out a way to have one similar in my breakfast area or dining room.
I can ogle at this kitchen for ever.
My white kitchen tops suffers from the stains from turmeric ! and the hard water !
Hi Maria, place is amazing. love seeing the before and after. so inspiring. I am curious as to the size of your lsland. Is it 3 x 6 or larger? I am trying to figure out size I need for ours but hoping to fit 4 chairs, perhaps one at the end. Haven’t worked it all out yet. oh, and love the yellow island however, since such a fixed piece, I think the white was the best choice. Also love your yellow couch.
Maria, I could sit in your kitchen all day! It is bright, refreshing and relaxing all at the same time. I love the shades of white you used, (and I DO believe there are hundreds of shades of white, some wonderful; some awful). The pops of accent colors are just right and in just the right place. BEAUTIFUL!
I have always wanted a white kitchen, but I have a mid-century modern home which my husband and I have tried and mostly succeeded to keep with that era. I’ve always felt like I couldn’t make a white mind-century modern kitchen work.
Stunning kitchen ! So beautiful ! I adore the white with fresh accents of green and yellow. I’d want to spend time in that kitchen and the beautiful banquette with that cute black table/chairs makes a lovely nook. Fabulous job, really inspires me on my upcoming kitchen remodel. The shaker cabinets you chose are particularly gorgeous too.
WOW that’s a stunning makeover!! It gives me hope
of what could be done to my kitchen as its almost the
same style as what yours was before you started. Really
makes me realize how outdated mine looks!
I’m wondering about where you store everything like
your dishes, glasses, bake-ware etc as there is shelving
above the counters, and I know you have some cabinet
space but just wondering how that works out in your
arrangement?
Thank-you for all your pictures of your house before
and after. They are all a true inspiration!
Where did you get the sconces above the banquette? Love them! (And everything else!)
They were from Circa Lighting.
Your kitchen is beautiful, Maria. But where in the world do you keep your plates and glasses with no upper cabinets? I don’t think i could ever keep a kitchen so perfect and clutter-free with open shelving! But then we are a family of 6, so that would not be practical for us. Love looking at your beautiful pictures though!
We have an entire pantry wall which includes the fridge and wall oven which I did not post because I didn’t have a great photo, you can see the pantry wall on the before photo in the above post.
Maria, it is stunning. Also, you practice what you teach! Love the wood floors with your white cabinets and the classic subway tile. The green roman shades are fun. Thanks for sharing. I am looking forward to seeing more of your dining room too.
Just gorgeous maria. Thanks so much for sharing and I’m looking forward to seeing the rest of your home.
This has to be my favourite kitchen! I wish it were mine
Stunning tranformation, congratulation Maria
Maria, Wow! So fresh, this is among my all time favorite kitchens of all time. When are you going to post on Pinterest? And when are we going to see the hot pink drapes?
Love seeing the additional pictures. So crisp clean, fresh and beautiful! Still no picture of the range and fridge walls though. Please can you indulge us and post some of that side so we can see the entire room??? Thanks for sharing!
Beautiful! What a great example of how the right colors can completely transform a space. Congratulations Maria!
Beautiful Maria!!
Thank you for sharing your beautiful home with us. Everything is so fresh, beautiful and interesting to look at.
It’s already been said, but I agree, it is beautiful! The green is so fresh! The bright light makes the white rooms sparkle! “Nougat” coloured countertops sound so yummy!
What a difference an interior designer can make……it’s beautiful Maria!
Stunning kitchen…so fresh and crisp. A perfect example of how less can be more! I especially like the stand-alone range hood, unflanked by cabinets or shelves. It lends a sculptural element to the wall. Your makeover demonstrates a keen eye, light hand, and masterful restraint! Thank you for sharing your talent.
I have learned so much from your site, thank you! I plan to use SW for my repaint which I see is the US equivalent to Cloverdale.
Can you tell me what finish you used on your walls? I see the cabinets are eggshell, are the walls as well? Matte? And did you keep it consistent though the whole house?
Yes the walls are eggshell throughout.
thank you so much for your reply! I will follow your lead and go with eggshell throughout.
Beautiful. I’m curious how far apart your LED lights are on the ceiling? We just did our ceiling and I think ours are too close together…yours look better….so just wondering how many inches apart they are?
Well done! I can’t find info on the subway tile and grout color/type that you used. Do you mind sharing? There are so many subway tile sources! Thank you xo
A complete transformation – congratuations!
Love the open revised floor plan minus the bulky peninsula and opening the doorway. Its true that one doesnt really need so many upper cabinets and open shelves are a nice touch. I too would’ve added a bit more spring green…like green piping on the banquette, 3 stem green counter stools. A smal area rug in the nook which combines all the accent colors and GROUNDS the space which appears to be floating. This would also give the
room some rhythm. Just my humble opinion
LOVE white kitchens. LOVE them! I am so happy to see clean lines and good light, it makes me smile ! (Love the green with it as well, seeing green is my favorite color!)
Maria, this is an absolutely stunning makeover ! So refreshing and so realistic. Thank you for being generous with your idea’s and product info. What a pleasure it is to follow you.
When you have time, can you let me know about the backs splash tile & grout ? (Is is a beveled pure white or gray white?)
It’s an off-white backsplash from Olympia tile with coordinating grout, I don’t remember what the grout colour was, it was just a match to the tile.
What type of blinds are these? Brand? Love the kitchen!
The green roman shades? They were custom.
WOW!!! Absolutely gorgeous! Creative and such a fun touch with the upholstered headboard! Question: do your adjoining rooms also have white walls? I love white on white with pops of clear colors and we’ve just painted our kitchen white (with white cabs) but the adjoining room has little natural light and would look gray with white walls. Can I pull an accent color (yellow) in the kitchen onto the adjoining rooms’ walls?
Sure you can, my hallways are yellow for example, I’ll be posting the adjoining rooms this weekend. Maria
Have just recently found your blog and all your photos/info rev up my excitement about building our new home. Thankful to see some decisions on design I’ve made on my own so far are confirmed right by your wonderful instructions!!! I LOVE your home and you’ve inspired me to be braver with bringing out my own personality through colour!! So, from North Carolina USA thanks my new friend!!
Love white kitchens. White tile, counter tops and white cabinets to me is a little too white. Kind of blinding, like being in the snow without sunglasses.
Debbie
Your home is beautiful! You did an amazin job. I love the fresh white, but with three boys, I am hesitant to use white but on trim, tile and cabinetry. Did you get all new cabinets or just replace the doors on your existing cabinets?
Paint the ceiling blue !
Love your design style and so refreshing with all bright colours. I’m in love with your flooring, in reading your article on Style @ Home I understand that they are laminate. What brand and colour are your laminate flooring ? They look stunning and very real. Congrats again !
Thanks Helena, here is the link to my post about my flooring: https://mariakillam.com/pravada-floors-how-to-choose-the-right-colour-wood-flooring/
Maria.
My goodness, I don’t talk to your far too long! I always come here and I read, read and never leave a comment. I apologize for that.
I saw your kitchen and the rest of your house and felt so happy for you. You’ve created a bright, peaceful and happy “oasis”! How perfect for Vancouver!
I hope everything is great with you, my friend.
Have a Blessed Day!
Luciane at HomeBunch.com
I had to pop over and say congratulations on the new kitchen! I saw your photos on another blog and was blown away by the transformation. I LOVE the white look, especially with the addition to the subway tile. So classic, yet so powerful. Outstanding job. 🙂
I found your blog today through Julia, and I’m so happy. I love this kitchen, and I’m excited to go back through your older entries! When you say 3″ shaker vs. 2″ shaker, I assume your are referring to shaker-style cabinets, but what does the 3″ mean? Is that referring the width of the border? I love your cabinets, so I’m curious! Thanks!
Yes the width of the rail around the door.
Beautiful transformation and space. Bright and happy, a place I’d want to cook in and sit to enjoy coffee with a friend! Just 2 questions…are the roman shades functional? Do you know the rough dimensions of your kitchen space? I could never dream a space that looked so cramped before could look so spacious after. The rough dimensions would prove to all of us that what you did could be done in our spaces too!
Hi Maria, Your kitchen is beautiful! I’m just about to make a decision between a solid wood raised cabinet door with M/T joints or a solid pillow edge door. I’ve chosen Cambria Torquay countertops and matched them with BM OC-22 – Calm for the paint colour. (I hope you think this will be the best colour choice for matching paint to the countertop?). I’ve seen painted cabinets with the joints cracked and are very noticeable on the painted doors compared to stained doors. Thus the reason for considering the solid door style for painting. My question is…How have your new cabinets held up and your opinion on a solid pillow edge door style for the kitchen.
Hi Maria
I like the shelves you put around the windows and was thinking they might work in our cottage bathroom. Were they custom made and if not where did you buy them?
And “yes” your kitchen makeover looks amazing ! Thanks for sharing your home transformations.
Yes they were built by the cabinet maker. Thanks for your comment! Maria
Love the color of the cabinets,it seems to be the perfect white. We are doing a renovation of our kitchen and would love that color. Do you know the BM or SW color match, as I am in the US. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful kitchen.
Hi Maria,
Love, love, love your beautiful white kitchen!! My husband and son are installing Ikea Lindingo white cabinets in our 25 year old kitchen (finally got rid of that oak, yeah). I am using Ikea for Ceasarstone countertops. Unfortunately not all colors are available to Ikea so I am confused about which white to choose or I probably would use Misty Carrera. What do you think about Ocean Foam (family vetoed Nougat)?? Need to decide in next few days so I can call to schedule the templating and change my original purchase of Atlantic Salt that I decided was way to busy. I’m also dealing with fireplace surround that is gray granite in family room that adjoins kitchen. Appreciate any suggestions. Thanks!
Just plunk it down on their cabinet and if the whites relate, then that’s the one. That’s the only way to know for sure. Maybe repeat the same quartz around your fireplace surround. Maria
Is your pantry where you store all your glassware, dishes, serving bowls, etc. located near the dishwasher? I’m afraid if I changed my upper cabinets over to shelving, I’d hate my life. That’s a long walk from the dishwasher over to the other side of the kitchen (I have a 10′ island separating both sides of the room). I think having to walk over to the other side to get a glass, plate, etc. is not always very practical. You can store some things on shelves but then you have the issue of dusting. Closed cabinets keep dust out of the way. Nice look though. Maybe more do-able if you have a very small kitchen. I have a huge one.
All my plates and bowls are in the drawers in the island directly beside the dishwasher. My glassware is on the other side of the island but that doesn’t bother me. The mugs I use to make coffee are on the shelf as well as water glasses so it works out fine. Maybe just do a few intend of an entire wall of shelves. Maria
Thanks for sharing your kitchen Maria, it looks amazing! The green is perfectly fresh, bright, and inspiring.
Although your refrigerator isn’t shown, it looks like you went with white appliances so I was wondering if you prefer white appliances with white cabinets? I am about to replace our worn appliances with all new stainless appliances. Our kitchen has white cabinets and after seeing your white kitchen and appliance choice, I am now wondering if I should chose white appliances again or is stainless still the preferred way to go. I am hesitant to make the switch to stainless due to fingerprints and cleaning and it’s because of these reasons I have always owned white appliances in my white kitchen. However, our house will be put on the market in the very near future and we desperately need appliances now, so I thought stainless would be the way to go. For additional help, I tried reading over your articles addressing appliance color and I believe your opinion in them was stainless looks best. Please correct me if I am wrong before I invest in the wrong color appliances. Thanks so much!
My appliances are stainless, heres the link to that post. Maria
Thank you for taking the time to reply and my apologies to you… your dishwasher appeared white on my computer screen.
I am very interested in the link you refer to however, it doesn’t seem to be included in your post.
Hi Maria! Your kitchen remodel is amazing! I was wondering if you could do white kitchen cabinets with wood trim in an open concept kitchen living dining area? What are your thoughts?
No. They should be the same.
I love this kitchen. Very well done. I love the built-in bench. Personally, I would balance the size of the bench with a larger table. It seems to overpower the little cafe table.
beautiful kitchen, maria, thank you for sharing! do you happen to know which sherwin williams or benjamin moore paints color match closest to the cloverdale artisan white? i cannot seem to find any information on the internet for those of us in the US who do not have Cloverdale available to us. thank you in advance for sharing this beautiful kitchen with us!
SW Snowbound.
Gorgeous kitchen! Hubby & I just this week decided we like the Ceasarstone Nougat quartz sample the best for the new off white kitchen we are planning….and now I see you have the same! Only recently discovered your blog and the information has proven immensely helpful as we make our choices.
There are so many follow up questions – maybe you should have done a webinar on your beautiful kitchen! Would you provide a link to Chocolate Mousse? I can’t find anything about it (other than recipes!). I love the bistro table and have been looking for one just like it. Thanks and congratulations!
Love, love, love. Would the Quartz color you choose also work with cream cabinets? If not, is there one you would recommend with a chic brown floor and cream?
Beautiful! Just curious as to what color your appliances are? I see your hood is stainless. Are the rest of your appliances stainless as well?
Yes they are all stainless! It would have been seriously over renovating to get integrated appliances although of course that is the ultimate. Maria
Hi Maria! Your kitchen is stunning! I’m wondering what type of fabric you used for the banquette. I can’t quite tell from the picture. Thanks!
Maria, I was wondering what thoughts you had regarding your sink, and what is that one that you used in the end. We are just about to re-do our counters in likely marble, although I like yours too and will be looking at that. I had been thinking porcelain farmhouse style but I would lose my under storage if I do. I want a big single sink though.
Sorry! now I see the link to your Franke sink. Do you like it? and had you considered an Farmhouse sink?