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February 10, 2016

Shutterbean Kitchen

See how Tracy of Shutterbean transforms her taupe kitchen cabinets to BLACK. Around the House: The Kitchen After photos are on Shutterbean.com!

Let’s look at where we started from:

kitchen BEFORE photos

More before photos here!

And this is where we are now. What a difference, right?!

It definitely feels like a Shutterbean Kitchen.

See how Tracy of Shutterbean transforms her taupe kitchen cabinets to BLACK. Around the House: The Kitchen After photos are on Shutterbean.com!

Let’s look at the process.  Doors were taken off.  Insides were painted white because I wanted a clean slate. I may paint them a color or put a fun pattern in there one day but for now, WHITE!

Took about 3 coats to make the plywood interior totally white.

See how Tracy of Shutterbean transforms her taupe kitchen cabinets to BLACK. Around the House: The Kitchen After photos are on Shutterbean.com!

We lived like this for a week.

See how Tracy of Shutterbean transforms her taupe kitchen cabinets to BLACK. Around the House: The Kitchen After photos are on Shutterbean.com!

Frames painted black. Doors were taken off-site and painted in our painter’s garage.

They were sprayed and the hinges were painted too.

We opted out of replacing all the hinges because it was going to be such a pain to match all the holes up and line everything up perfectly.

Seeing it at this stage really excited me.

See how Tracy of Shutterbean transforms her taupe kitchen cabinets to BLACK. Around the House: The Kitchen After photos are on Shutterbean.com!

In case you didn’t notice, I have a sign on my fridge that says:

I’m dented. Please Help. God Bless.

When our fridge was delivered, it arrived dented (a couple of years ago) and the delivery company refused to make good and we were on the phone for a million years and SIGH. Totally awesome, right?  So, now I have that sign up and maybe one day I’ll motivate to research how the heck to get a new face for my freezer. Until then, we must live with my humor. I could have photoshopped it out but I’m lazy.

See how Tracy of Shutterbean transforms her taupe kitchen cabinets to BLACK. Around the House: The Kitchen After photos are on Shutterbean.com!

Doors go on!! This happened on a Saturday. The project started on a Monday. I was so excited.  I spent the whole week staring at the insides of the cabinets…imagining what would go where.

I’ll do another post on the organization of the inside of my cabinets because I really worked hard on it and I’m proud of how they ended up. Makes me love working in my kitchen now that there’s a proper place for everything.

See how Tracy of Shutterbean transforms her taupe kitchen cabinets to BLACK. Around the House: The Kitchen After photos are on Shutterbean.com!

Besides taking off the old hardware, we decided to put drawer pulls on the drawers instead of knobs. It was kind of a pain, but Casey powered through and put them in like a champ.  I love how it looks. I rearranged some things in the drawers so I’m always crazy happy to open them now. That’s such a weird thing to say.

See how Tracy of Shutterbean transforms her taupe kitchen cabinets to BLACK. Around the House: The Kitchen After photos are on Shutterbean.com!

And here we are…..AHHHH.

This is where I work!

See how Tracy of Shutterbean transforms her taupe kitchen cabinets to BLACK. Around the House: The Kitchen After photos are on Shutterbean.com!

We used Fine Paints of Europe like we did in our last kitchen. My mother-in-law highly recommended we use their paint for the quality, pigment concentration & durability.  We’ve used their on our garage door, front door, Cooper’s bedroom and several rooms in our last house.  In our last house, we had our island painted a shiny black which I loved BUT you could see every single fingerprint and speck of dust from certain angles. We changed the finish to a silky smooth satin finish and I love how the cabinets subtly reflect the light.

See how Tracy of Shutterbean transforms her taupe kitchen cabinets to BLACK. Around the House: The Kitchen After photos are on Shutterbean.com!

Now that the cabinets are black, I want to add a little wallpaper to the wall in between the  Corian backsplash and cabinets. I’m on the hunt for something good. I’ve been stalking this Etsy shop for some removable wallpaper options. Might take the plunge soon. We’ll see.

See how Tracy of Shutterbean transforms her taupe kitchen cabinets to BLACK. Around the House: The Kitchen After photos are on Shutterbean.com!

I was hoping that the black would make the white counters POP and it happened!

The counters reflect more light now and they’re way more noticeable than before.

See how Tracy of Shutterbean transforms her taupe kitchen cabinets to BLACK. Around the House: The Kitchen After photos are on Shutterbean.com!

That’s my little chopping area with some of my favorite cookbooks.

See how Tracy of Shutterbean transforms her taupe kitchen cabinets to BLACK. Around the House: The Kitchen After photos are on Shutterbean.com!

Before we had the cabinets painted, I spray painted the old light fixtures black, took out the lamp shades and replaced them with big old bulbs I bought at Rejuvenation. The look works really well now that the cabinets are black.

See how Tracy of Shutterbean transforms her taupe kitchen cabinets to BLACK. Around the House: The Kitchen After photos are on Shutterbean.com!

The doors of the pantry also black! I had no idea that there were some dents in there until they got painted. Oh well.  We have brass hardware on order that will match the knobs & drawer pulls.

See how Tracy of Shutterbean transforms her taupe kitchen cabinets to BLACK. Around the House: The Kitchen After photos are on Shutterbean.com!

Here’s the angle from the pantry area.  You can see that the kitchen is apart of one big family room. We have a fireplace, couch, tv and our dinner table in that room.

See how Tracy of Shutterbean transforms her taupe kitchen cabinets to BLACK. Around the House: The Kitchen After photos are on Shutterbean.com!

View from the sink. I think Cooper is watching the Power Rangers?

I sit and work on my laptop over in that bookshelf area at our table.

See how Tracy of Shutterbean transforms her taupe kitchen cabinets to BLACK. Around the House: The Kitchen After photos are on Shutterbean.com!

There used to be florescent  lighting above the kitchen island, so we replaced that with some non-offensive looking track lighting. I think we’ll most likely add a few pendants over the island in the next phase. I just have to search for the right ones!

See how Tracy of Shutterbean transforms her taupe kitchen cabinets to BLACK. Around the House: The Kitchen After photos are on Shutterbean.com!

Hardware from the side.

See how Tracy of Shutterbean transforms her taupe kitchen cabinets to BLACK. Around the House: The Kitchen After photos are on Shutterbean.com!

Drawer pull action!

See how Tracy of Shutterbean transforms her taupe kitchen cabinets to BLACK. Around the House: The Kitchen After photos are on Shutterbean.com!

Just a little reminder of what the cabinets/knobs looked like before.

Around the House - Shutterbean BEFORE kitchen photos

One more shot….Can’t wait to show you my cereal cabinet & my broom closet!

See how Tracy of Shutterbean transforms her taupe kitchen cabinets to BLACK. Around the House: The Kitchen After photos are on Shutterbean.com!

The view to the left…

See how Tracy of Shutterbean transforms her taupe kitchen cabinets to BLACK. Around the House: The Kitchen After photos are on Shutterbean.com!

Fridge in the corner next to our espresso machine.

See how Tracy of Shutterbean transforms her taupe kitchen cabinets to BLACK. Around the House: The Kitchen After photos are on Shutterbean.com!

Flour, sugar, plant, kombucha on top of the fridge.

See how Tracy of Shutterbean transforms her taupe kitchen cabinets to BLACK. Around the House: The Kitchen After photos are on Shutterbean.com!

The color of the cabinets in the morning light. You can see that they look gray in the bright sunlight.

See how Tracy of Shutterbean transforms her taupe kitchen cabinets to BLACK. Around the House: The Kitchen After photos are on Shutterbean.com!

The sun floods in and the contrast is exceptional. The white countertops GLOW.

See how Tracy of Shutterbean transforms her taupe kitchen cabinets to BLACK. Around the House: The Kitchen After photos are on Shutterbean.com!

There we have it!  My new favorite room of the house.

See how Tracy of Shutterbean transforms her taupe kitchen cabinets to BLACK. Around the House: The Kitchen After photos are on Shutterbean.com!

I absolutely LOVE my new kitchen space because finally feels like MY kitchen. I mean… look at my website. You can see how into black & white I am 😉

Paint used: Fine Paints of Europe Hollandlac Satin, (British Standard Colors – Night – BSC-642 )

Hardware:  Knobs/ Drawer Pulls

  • Katrina

    It’s absolutely BEAUTIFUL!

  • Heather

    Wow! It is STUNNING and it really does look like YOUR kitchen now! I love that you only made a few cosmetic changes and it totally transforms the look. Thanks for showing us that it’s possible to do without completely gutting and rebuilding from scratch!

  • Jane M

    SO WONDERFUL!!!!!!!! I heart your new kitchen!!!!!!!!! Thanks for sharing – and yes I can’t wait to see how you organized the inside of the cabinets for sure! Plus all the wonderful meals you’ll be preparing! YAY for remodels! So so fun indeedy!

  • Jenn

    It’s amazing! And I’m looking forward to your cabinet organization!! I would enjoy seeing the floor plan of your house one day.

    Your poor fridge! I’ve done the hours and hours on the phone thing-that’s way worse than the dent.

    • Tracy

      Totally. I’ll live with a dent if it means I don’t have to be on the phone for an hour. Does that make me lazy? Probably. But it’s such a waste of time!!!

  • mary

    I join the throngs — WOW!!! I absolutely love that you live in the house you grew up in. And in the Bay, no less.

    Your blog is one of the few I still check in on daily, Tracy. Thanks for keeping things interesting, beautiful, and fun! Your photo talent inspires me (and intimidates me, too!).

    Can’t wait to see the cabinet organization, too!

    • Tracy

      Thanks so much! You should look through my archives and see what my photos looked like 7 years ago. WHOA. It’s just proof practice makes better.

  • Lynn

    Looks amazing!! Random question: where did you get the fruit basket that’s on your kitchen table? Love it.

  • Marisa

    Gorgeous! You have a beautiful home

  • Grace

    As someone whose life was changed via your purse organization system, as well as a new homeowner, I CAN’T wait to see your cabinet organization! And your broom closet! My god, I never thought I would say that I was excited to see a broom closet.

    • Tracy

      Haha! OK! Also- that reminds me….I need to clean out my purse right now. It’s a mess!

  • *sarah

    so wonderful! LOVE the re-do! totally inspiring and soYOU! (not that i know you…!)
    i’ll say this too- i rarely check blogs anymore, but yours is the exception. your recipes are always excellent and are used EVERY week in our house. thanks so much for keeping on! this mom of a picky 5 year old especially thanks you for the broccoli rolls and spinach tortellini soup! (dinner tonight in fact!)
    enjoy your new kitchen!

  • Celeste

    Gorgeous! I don’t think even Joanna (from Fixer-Upper) could’ve done a better job.

  • Jenna

    The kitchen looks amazing! I love your home. It seems like such a cozy, well-loved place.

  • Becky

    Looks amazing!! I’m so excited for you. We are in the process of uodatinn our home as well. It makes such a difference in my mood to be in the rooms that are EXACTLY the way I want them. 🙂

  • Talia

    Absolutely stunning! I’d never leave! 🙂

  • Frankie

    Looks amazing….Q: did you sand down the doors first or just start painting?! I’m painting my bottom counters a very dark almost black blue….wondering if I need to sand (I assume yes, but thought I’d ask….).
    Again – gorgeous!

  • Frankie

    *cabinets. not counters. oops.

  • Kristen

    It looks gorgeous!! LOVE how the black cabinets contrast with your white counters and with your (AMAZING) wood beams! Well done 🙂

  • Amanda Barkey

    I LOVE it Tracy its so YOU- and stop apologizing about the dents! You live in that house and the dents prove it!

  • Sara

    Wow, stunning transformation! Loooooove it! x

  • Julie

    It looks beautiful! Thanks so much for sharing. I cannot wait to see your new cabinet organization!!

  • Laura (A Beautiful Plate)

    Oh my gosh!!! So, so gorgeous. I have to say, I’ve always been a white cabinet person, but you make me LOVE the dark look!!! The light in your kitchen is fantastic. Love the hardware too!

  • Debbie from MountainMama

    I’M IN LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! what a difference a little paint makes – holy smokes, that paint totally brought the whole kitchen into a new place!!!

  • Jenny

    Absolutely gorgeous! I can definitely see why it is your favorite room…so inspiring! And you even inspired me to rearrange my counters to move my chopping zone to the left of our stove! Thanks!!

  • christina

    I am so in love with your new kitchen! I can’t wait for your post about how you organized your cabinets!

  • Jen

    We are remodeling our entire house and our refrigerator got dented in the process. A friend has told us these dents can be repaired-that contractors have it done all the time. Suggest you try an appliance repair shop and ask about this. My husband said he’s heard even Home Depot has kits you can use to repair yourself. We aren’t through, but will be checking this out soon. Your kitchen is great!

  • Ammy Belle

    OMG – kitchen of my dreams! Gorgeous! Congrats and happy cooking! 😀

  • Stacy

    That’s so odd that the delivery company wouldn’t take care of a dented fridge. We ordered a new fridge from Sears for our tenants this past summer. It had to be special ordered due to being a smaller than what most people buy these days. So when it finally came, the Sears delivery man called ahead and warned us that it had arrived scratched. They took care of re-ordering and in the meantime delivered the scratched fridge. It was a lot of phone calls, but none that I had to initiate, thank God. And I hear you on the avoidance of customer service, but man, that would just bum me out. Your kitchen cabinets are beautiful, however. What a lovely space.

  • Amanda

    Your kitchen looks amazing!

    On an unrelated note: You’re one of my favourite snapchatters! You’re so fun, make being a mother look awesome, and you seem to get so much done each day!

  • Beverlily

    Tracy, do you believe that the house will celebrate its 40th birthday on Memorial Day weekend. It has certainly withstood the test of time.

  • Erica

    YEAH!! This post makes me so happy. Your kitchen is amazing now!

  • India

    I love it! Congrats on the renovation – I know so much work goes into it. I also love how much light you get. Enjoy your weekend cooking away.

  • bonnie

    I couldn’t be happier for you, Tracy. Being happy and at home in your space is the best feeling ever. Your new kitchen really looks like a new kitchen and the pantry door looks amazing! I’m looking forward to seeing how you organized everything inside the cupboards. Great post! Thank you!!

  • Lori

    Looks beautiful Tracy! Happy for you!

  • Samantha

    Looks great!! 🙂

  • Mo

    Beautiful. You really have me re-thinking black cabinets now (mine are very, very dark brown). Check out the cute removable paper at chasgingpaper.com . A pop of color like Greenleaf or New Moons would be cute. But they also have lots of black/white/gray options.

  • Jenny

    I absolutely love how the new color makes your beams stand out in such an awesome way!

  • Courtney

    It looks amazing! And can I also say that I want a sign for my fridge, too? The only difference is mine has been dented slowly, and multiple times, over the last few years by my two boys running trucks into it. Over and over and over again. It needs a sign. And the blessing.

  • kylie @ immaEATthat

    Absolutely gorgeous kitchen table!! AND entire kitchen!

  • Aeshna

    GORGEOUS. Stellar job as always, Tracy!

  • Gaby Dalkin

    Ah, I’ve been waiting to see this! It looks SO great Tracy! Congrats on your new kitchen

  • Jenna

    Wow, it looks incredible! I always admire your house shots when they’re in your everyday life photo series. I am curious what your mom thinks about it though!? I remember you saying that your tastes are quite different 🙂

    • Tracy

      What is Planners??!!

    • Tracy

      Well they obviously liked the color so much before because they painted it that color….so it’s safe to say that they’re not into it. 😉

      • Tracy

        my Dad was like “I guess that’s the style now…”

        • Jenna

          Haha. I guess I was hoping for a story like “they weren’t so keen on the idea when I first told them about it – but now that they’ve seen how amazing it is finished, they love it!”. My mom & I have very different tastes too – I can actually imagine her saying something like your dad did!

  • Mary B

    I’m not always a fan of black cabinets, but this is gorgeous! It really sets off the wood beams on the ceiling – I didn’t notice them at all in the “before” but I love the contrast of the warm wood with the black and white in the “after”. You’ve done a beautiful job making your home yours.

  • DJessup

    What an amazing kitchen and workspace! The colors, the counter space, appliances, and the functional and the decorative hardware are just fabulous! Might I inquire as to where you got your cookbook holder???

  • Melissa

    Tracy, I love it! And that hardware is so good!

  • Amy

    Exactly the confirmation I was looking for in our kitchen update! Everyone I know has an opinion on what we should do with our 14 year old kitchen, but I’ve wanted to do what you’ve done-paint, paint/replace pulls, handles, and lighting, and reorganize. Thank you!

  • Monique Llamas

    Gorgeous! How do I choose just one image for Pinterest?

  • Amy

    Wow! Totally jealous of your kitchen. It looks seriously amazing 🙂

  • Kara

    I love the kitchen makeover! We are mid-kitchen gut-rehab and bought black cabinets, and now are waiting for our countertops and flooring to be installed. Your photos make me even more excited! I love the b/w combo too. And your ceiling beams — all the heart eyes.

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    I’d love an update on how the paint is holding up after a few years, Tracy! I’m thinking about painting ours but not sure about the long term quality.

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  • Mia Dumont

    Bravo! Wonderful job! Really inspiring! You are so talented! Why not consider writing or drawing something instead of wallpaper for your counter? Even consider doing something big to be framed in black? You could change the inside as often as you please without un-gluing and scrapping anything! Just saying…

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  • CMR

    Great content and the kitchen is really awesome and elegant.

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