Kitchen Redo #1: Black Cupboards & Some Extras

This was the very first project I started when we bought our new house. If you missed it, we bought a 1970s house that needs some major remodeling. After getting a few estimates for a remodel, we found out it would be cheaper to bulldoze the place and build a custom home. Our plan is to pay off the mortgage on this home and then save up for a new house. Until then, my husband gave me permission to paint. Just to make this home a little more livable.

I love to cook and the kitchen in this place was so drab. Here are some of the pictures before:

The cupboards were a light beige with shiny brass fixtures.
We have cheap, white laminate flooring and old appliances. (At least they work I guess.)
I decided to paint the cupboards, paint the fixtures, and add in a few extras. This post is part one of the project. To start the project, I removed all the cupboard doors and the hardware. (Take note of the shiny brass light fixtures.)
I couldn't decide what color to paint the cupboards, I was thinking of a fresh green color or black. I know, totally two ends of the spectrum, but I have always loved green cupboards. They looks just so cute!
However, black looks so sophisticated and adds depth.
After painting a few samples I realized green added to the already 70s look of the house, which I did not want to encourage. I decided to paint them black.

Once the cupboard doors were off and the hardware was removed. I wiped down all of the doors and cupboard framework with a deglosser. You also have the option of lightly sanding the cupboards if you don't want to spend the money on a deglosser. I didn't want to deal with the dust and I honestly hate sanding. I thought the deglosser was the easy way to go. You apply it with a rag and let it sit for about 20 seconds. Then you wipe it clean with another rag. It leaves a somewhat tacky surface, which helps your new paint stick to the wood.
We live in a small town, so I had to buy paint at the local TrueValue and this is the brand they recommended. It's their store brand and has a built in primer, which allowed me to skip a step in the process. For the cupboards I chose the color Brimson Tide. The color is not all the way black, more of a chalkboard black. I also bought a light beige paint for the walls, called Encompass, that matched the swirls in the countertops. Overall, the brand of paint worked pretty good, but I still prefer Valspar paint as my painter's choice.

My little extras included a under mount wine glass rack ($30 at Amazon.com), which my wonderful husband cut down to fit my cupboard,

BUY IT HERE

a shelf to go above the sink,
and these awesome hanging wine holders from Pottery Barn.

Just found out you can find a cheaper version of this here. 

So that is my teaser to the kitchen. I will have the results up next week and all I can say it that it is AMAZING what a little paint can do for a room. I absolutely love the results of my kitchen!

~Beth