Hello! This week is getting away from me already, and I don’t like it! We had homecoming and my daughter’s 11th birthday over the weekend, and a college visit that consumed my entire day on Monday, so I feel like my week is just starting today. I’ll get it together, bear with me.  I have two updated oak kitchens that I’ve finished and thought I’d share, especially since one of them falls outside of the traditional white kitchens that I do, which is always a lot of fun. First off, here is the one that I wrapped up last week that is extra fun, since they also replaced the floors (and will be adding new granite and a backsplash).  Below are some of the before photos – before the new hardwood floors, before painting, before everything.  Lots of orangey oak going on in here. Then the homeowners added new hardwood floors before I started painting: The floors are gorgeous, but like in this maple kitchen makeover, they really make the cabinets look orangey.  But never fear, the power of paint is here!   You can see that they trimmed out the island too, which really gave it a custom look.   The new […]

The post Two Updated Oak Kitchens appeared first on Evolution of Style.

Hello! Like I mentioned in this summer kitchen round-up, many of my clients have been doing kitchen refreshes vs. a complete kitchen remodel.  They’re redoing floors, adding a backsplash, painting cabinets, but keeping the fundamental footprint in tact.  This kitchen falls into that bucket.  When I first saw this kitchen, the cabinets and the floors were essentially all the same maple-y color.  And so began the Maple Kitchen Facelift Project. By the time I got in to paint, you can see the floors had been refinished, which is great.  But in the words of the homeowner, “now the cabinets look really orange!” I’m an idiot – I thought I had more “before” photos, and stopped midway during my kitchen takedown process to snap a couple more. Since this kitchen had some detailed rope work in the crown molding, I opted to spray the frames, which meant lots of prep.  I had planned on shooting video for this portion, but lo and behold, my Go Pro wasn’t charged when I went to use it.  Grrrr. But, rest assured, I have more kitchens that I’m spraying so I’ll make sure it’s charged and ready next time. So it’s basically, six hours of prep, one […]

The post The Maple Kitchen Facelift Project appeared first on Evolution of Style.

Hello! I wrapped my work on another client kitchen and am excited to share the changes with all of you.  My clients purchased this house, but haven’t yet moved in (and are still working on more changes), but the changes so far are pretty impressive. Here is a before shot of the whole kitchen.  Great high ceilings and gorgeous hardwood floors.  The cabinets are oak, but in good shape, and it’s definitely cheaper to paint them vs. replacing them altogether.  On the downside, the walls are a wee bit on the bright side, the countertops need to be replaced, and the island configuration was odd.   You can see the tiered island here.  It made for an awkward layout, and the island itself felt cramped – too close to the other kitchen cabinets. But the kitchen itself had great bones, and with a bit of updating, it’s going to look brand new. There is still more work to be done here, but there is already a dramatic difference with the changes that have been made.  Here’s what has been done so far: Crown molding added to tops of cabinets Bead board added to end cabinets and island Island received a […]

The post A Beautiful Oak Kitchen Makeover appeared first on Evolution of Style.

Hello! We’re getting back into the swing of school around here, and while my 2nd grader greets each school day with enthusiasm, my boys – 7th grade and (gulp) freshman, aren’t quite as thrilled in the early hours of the morning.  I really can’t believe I have a son in high school.  It seems like I just sent him off to school as an ambivalent kindergartener.  What saddens me is that I know time is going to move at warp speed as we navigate the next four years.  I don’t remember reading about this in the Motherhood Handbook… Any words of wisdom from veteran mothers out there?  I’m all ears. Let’s move on to some kitchen goodness, shall we?  Nearly a year ago, I got an email from Kelly, asking some questions about painting kitchen cabinets, along with some photos of her kitchen.  Well, I was thrilled that Kelly thought to circle back with me to share her kitchen transformation, and she was kind enough to let me share them with you.  I know you’ll love it as much as I do. Let’s start with the before – definitely great bones in this kitchen!  Already spacious, warm and welcoming, right? Oh, […]

The post Reader Feature: Spectacular Kitchen Redo appeared first on Evolution of Style.

Hello! I hope you are enjoying the holidays and getting some rest before the new year kicks into gear.  I have been sleeping in, but also taking advantage of some down time and getting a head start on some new projects! In the meantime, I wanted to do a recap of some of my favorite projects of 2011.  It’s nice to see that I have documented proof that I did actually accomplish some things this year! My biggest accomplishment, by far, is the painting of the kitchen cabinets.  It has truly transformed my kitchen into a brighter, happier space, and I absolutely love it.   You can see the full evolution here, and see it as a work in progress here and here.  (I know I owe you a tutorial, and I promise, it will come). Prior to tackling the kitchen cabinets, I got my feet wet by painting the kitchen island. Another low budget, high impact project from this year is my all-faux-no-sew roman shades I made from a Target tablecloth.  Love these.  Love the price, love the look.  Love that I can change them out without guilt too. My mom cave continues to be a work in progress, but I […]

The post Best of 2011 appeared first on Evolution of Style.

Happy Monday! I am thrilled to report that my biggest DIY project to date is now complete.  After three weekends and nearly every weeknight in between, my kitchen cabinets are finally painted, and I am over-the-moon-giddy with the final result!  They look light, bright and beautiful – like a brand new kitchen! Best yet, I’m so proud that I did it all myself.  Every now and then during this process, I would catch my husband saying, “We’re repainting the kitchen cabinets.”  Um, no honey.  I’m repainting the kitchen cabinets.  😉 I was hoping to have the walls painted too, but ran out of time and didn’t want to delay sharing the end result with all of you.  (So, don’t mind the overspray – it will be fixed soon) So, let’s get started with the photo overload, shall we? And what reveal would be complete without some before and after photos?  I’m particularly happy with how the white cabinets completely change the look of the granite.  Before, I was happy to have granite, but I didn’t love it.   Now, I am really loving the granite – it doesn’t look so muddy anymore. Here is a picture from when we first bought […]

The post Kitchen Reveal! appeared first on Evolution of Style.