What's the saying? If you can't beat them, join them.
When I first saw our rental's kitchen my eyes were drawn to the auburn brown cabinets. I didn't hate them but I immediately knew the warmth of the wood clashed heavily with the cool of the white marbled backsplash. The taupe walls didn't help but I had a vision. I was like whatever, I can paint the walls and cover the cabinets with contact paper in a fabulous hue and it'll be the kitchen of my dreams. It had good bones and I was up to the challenge.
I painted the kitchen in a lovely lilac and embarked on my journey.
I ordered a beautiful plum peel and stick wallpaper that I knew was going to look fantastic - my dream purple kitchen was falling into place. I started the process of taking the cabinet doors off to cover them and that's when I immediately ran into problems. The faux grasscloth paper was too thick for my project and frayed wherever I trimmed it, even with the sharpest of tools.
I was crushed.
I was like ok, let's pivot. So I ordered contact paper immediately in hopes I could still make my vision come to life. But, ultimately I decided that it would take SEVERAL rolls and it would end up being wayyyy more plastic/vinyl in the space than I wanted. Also let's be real, it was going to be a ton of work and I already felt a little bit defeated by the previous process.
So I was like ok let's pivot again and wallpaper the ceiling with colors in the kitchen. Surely that will fix it, right? Honestly, it helped A LOT. The colors were perfect and I loved the floral pattern. Especially on the ceiling.
However I still wasn't totally satisfied. I finally decided to ditch the purple kitchen dreams and lean into the red brown cabinets. Yep, I opted to color drench the kitchen in the same color as the cabinets.
After a few swatches I decided Behr Chipotle Red was the color for the job and dove head first into the project. Whew I was nervous, I'd never painted anything brown before (though this is a little more rust/auburn/terra-cotta) but I had to trust the process.
After the first couple of glides with the roller I knew I was finally on the right track. It looked SO much better especially with the wallpaper! After we finished painting I was like well, I guess we better finish things up here and I opted to swap out the light fixture for more drama. I wanted to go earthy, natural textures but with a fun shape. After scouring the internet I found this $150 fixture from Target - it was perfect!
Now, DIY cafe curtains. I bought a silver rod and rub and buffed it to brass, got some rings and made a cafe curtain with old curtains I already had. I just cut them to size, made a few pleats and clipped them with the rings. I don't hate it but definitely want to go MORE color later on. I added a couple of more hanging planters to the window and a hanging basket for storage (the disco ball on top is essential).
Next, breaking up some of the white space on the backsplash with art and command art hanging velcro strips. It added more color to the backsplash which was absolutely necessary. I also added some layers to the counter in the form of cook books, flowers, and little light. Finally, I swapped out the cabinet hardware for the second time with something a little more fun and colorful. I love these pink knobs - I also bought them in orange just in case I get the itch to go monochromatic.
Overall I think it a great start and I can't wait to see how things evolve from here. It's becoming quite the kitschy kitchen and I don't dread spending time in there as much now.
What do you think?
Shop The Kitchen Details
Behr Red Chipotle Paint // Eurydice Floral Wallpaper ( also here / similar) // Rattan Light Fixture (similar) // Pink Stoneware Knobs // Wood Table Light // Brass Hanging Planters // Step Stool // Curtain Rod // Curtain Hooks // Curtain // Chili Pepper Hot Pads // Matisse Prints // White Frames // Amber French Press // Glass Jars // KitchenAid // Alphabet Magnets // Butterfly Magnets // Hanging Plate Plant // Hanging Plate Horse
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