Paid Collaboration with Valspar Paint UK
Kitchen revamp on a budget. Kitchen cabinets painted, worktops stained and new handles.
The kitchen revamp reveal is here! When Valspar Paint got in touch to see if I’d be interested in a collaboration I jumped at the chance. I have used Valspar in lots of rooms (Bottlenose Dolphin anyone?) and have always loved their vast amount of colour choice.
Full disclosure : I was paid for this collaboration and the money earned paid for a decorator but all words and thoughts are my own.
Before
Kitchen before - complete with cat food and litter tray.
We were lucky that the kitchen was pretty much brand new when we moved in 4 years ago and has suited us just fine whilst we got the rest of the house in order. I have always had it in the plans to update the kitchen though and painting the cupboards seemed like the most budget friendly option. Although there is absolutely nothing wrong with the colours as they were, they were never our style and I have been telling all my clients that 2020 is the year to inject some colour into our homes. so practise what you preach eh?!
Inspiration
Pinterest and Instagram are still my go to for searching for inspiration. I start with one idea - this time it was blue kitchen cabinets. I explored all different shades of blue and tried to find images that kind of represented what we already had. Ceramic sinks, wooden worktops, white metro tiles. The Naked Door image on the bottom right is the one which caught my eye the most and confirmed it was a good idea to go with a bolder blue.
After
Finding the right blue for the kitchen cabinets was a bit tricky as it’s not just me I need to please - other people live in the house too! First up I thought In The Deep Sea was the perfect shade but when we got the tester pot, it was quite bright. Ben wanted slightly darker which led us to stumble on Lone Splendor. This has slightly more grey in it which suits us both just fine.
Kitchen After - completely transformed.
The walls are painted in Smooth Pebble which is a lovely warm stone colour. Warm neutrals are definitely on the rise and it’s amazing how much this has transformed the room. I found the walls left over by the previous owners a bit too green sometimes so this wall colour was like one big hug enveloping the room.
The third colour I chose was Evening Coat for the skirting boards. I can’t tell you how many times I designed rooms with painted woodwork but haven’t ever attempted it in my home. Dark skirting boards are fab because they ground the space and also hide a multitude of sins. Evening coat is classed as a black on Valspar’s website which can be scary but this is the perfect companion to Lone Splendor and Smooth Pebble in my eyes. Its a warm black with grey tones and believe me it looks so classy!
The Details
Remember that Naked Door image that started me on this path? Well one of the things I adored was the handles. After a bit of research I discovered Dowsing & Reynolds sold the perfect ones and was so happy when they agreed to send me some. I went for the Magni small leather handle in light tan & brass for the cupboards and the Thor handle for the drawers. They look so pretty against the blue and we have already had so many compliments.
Dowsing & Reynolds handles with Colron Danish Oil.
The final piece to the puzzle was the worktop. We totally neglected the worktop in the past and if I’d known it was as easy as a quick oil I would have done this SO much sooner. We bought some Colron Danish Oil from our local B&Q and chose the Jacobean shade to go much darker than before and tie in the blue and the leather.
Styling
The best bit of a kitchen revamp - restyling!
And finally the best bit in my eyes - putting it all back together again. Having a revamp in any room means chaos in the whole house but it’s also a good idea to strip a room and then reassess how it all goes back together. It’s not just the cabinets and walls that have had a revamp, it was the perfect opportunity to change things up. I have a new workspace near the sink area, new prints up and a new gallery wall in the dining room. I didn’t buy anything new, I just rejigged items I already have and got a whole new feeling to a space.
Costs excluding the decorator add up to around £300 which is way cheaper than buying new doors or getting a whole new kitchen. And of course you can make it even cheaper by just painting the cupboards and keeping walls, skirting and handles the same.
I hope you like it! Leave a comment or message me on Instagram for any queries or questions!
