Young House Love

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A Soft Blue-Gray Paint Color For The Kitchen

Another Monday, another leap forward for our kitchen. Here’s where we were last week, after priming and painting the trim, doors, crown molding, and paneling white.

WhiteTrim After Main Angle

And here we are today, with the walls freshly coated with a little Nelson Blue (the light blue color that we’ve planned on from the start).

Nelson After Main

Shall we all let out a communal sigh of relief that the walls aren’t covered in wallpaper anymore and there are no more spackle holes and raw drywall from under those cabinets that we removed? Together now. Ahhhhh.

Nelson After From Garage

Update: There have been a few questions about the intercom and why we didn’t remove it yet, but we’re not sure if we’re going to retofit that with another system (maybe that plays an ipod in each room or something) so for now we’re planning to cover that whole wall with a nice framed out pinboard or something – so it’ll be hidden but the wiring will still be there for a future conversion. Getting to this was a bit more involved than just getting our paint on, though. For instance, you may have noticed that our big over-the-range microwave is now missing from the scene.

Nelson After Stove Area

It’s the only appliance we’ve planned to replace as part of our Phase 1 kitchen makeover, since it was so front & center in the room, it crowded our stove, and we always seem to prefer range hoods over microwaves with vents when it comes to performance. So we’ve replaced it with a stainless countertop version that we’ll eventually get “installed” into our pantry (which just calls for an outlet to be added in there so we can plug it in). It was just $78 at Home Depot (marked down from $139!) and that pantry solution isn’t just for phase 1, so we’re planning on using it for the long haul, even after Phase 2, which is nice.

Nelson After Mircowave Area

Removing the old one wasn’t 100% straightforward, but we managed. We had to unscrew it from above through the upper cabinet, but the screw was recessed a few inches below the cabinet, so our drill barely reached. Since it was so dark down there, we ended up breaking out the oh-so-thin battery-powered fairy lights from Clara’s Halloween costume to provide some much-needed illumination. #MacGyvering

Nelson Stove Sherry Unscrewing

I supported the cabinet from below the whole time so when it eventually came lose from the screws that Sherry was removing from above, I could guide it down safely. That puppy was not light. Probably all the dried food splatters inside wiring and stuff.

Nelson Stove John Lifting

Once we unscrewed the mounting bracket from behind the microwave, we also had this old vinyl backsplash to scrape off the wall. We knew we’d prefer a seamless painted wall back there for this phase of the kitchen’s transformation since we actually had a painted wall behind our first house’s fully renovated kitchen, and it held up well thanks to the paint being nice and wipeable – even with spaghetti splatters a plenty.

Nelson Stove Removing Backsplash

The pliable sheet of vinyl came off really easily (Sherry just used a spackle knife to pry it off) but it left the wall pretty pock-marked behind it. Thankfully it wasn’t anything a little spackle couldn’t handle.

Nelson Stove Putty

We already had the spackle out because there were plenty of holes around the room to be filled (and sanded once dry). This is a terrible iPhone pic, but you can kind of see the extent to which some of the walls were nail-holed. We’re talking 20 in a three foot radius.

Nelson Putty Holes

We finished all of our patching right before heading off on a whirlwind road trip to New Jersey for Thanksgiving, so it wasn’t until we got back on Friday afternoon that we could bust out the primer for our first coat (which is what many of you saw in our Instagram feed that evening).

Nelson Primer Instagram

Even though we were painting a light color over an already light wall, we chose to do a primer coat first for two reasons:
  1. The areas behind the cabinets that we took down had never been primed or painted, and it’s always good to prime drywall before painting it.
  2. Walls that haven’t been painted for several years may soak up more paint (as we experienced when painting Clara’s room) and we’d rather it soak up extra primer instead, since it’s cheaper than paint (one coat of primer + two coats of paint is almost always cheaper than three coats of paint because you usually need to buy more than one gallon of paint for more than two coats).

Nelson Primer Both Painting1

We knocked out our primer coat during Clara’s nap that afternoon using our usual Sherry-cuts-in / John-rolls system, which took the room from this…

Nelson Primer Before

…to this. Don’t mind the piles of stuff that we shifted to the center of the room, away from the walls. But much better, right?

Nelson Primer After

That photo was taken Saturday morning, right before we broke out the Nelson Blue paint.

Nelson Paint Hands

One thing we did to make our job (well, Sherry’s job) a bit easier was that we strategically taped off a few tight spots. Since it’s hard to squeeze into the gap between two doors, for example, we put tape along the edge of the door frame to protect the face of the molding from getting paint on it. It meant that Sherry could focus on making sure she got full coverage on the wall without worrying about messing up the crisp white molding next to it. And in less tight spaces, she’s great at just freehanding things (seven years of being the cutter-inner in the relationship can do that to ya).

Nelson Tape

We also decided to paint a couple of the eyesores in the room – like the yellowed doorbell box and an old phone jack next to the intercom box, which you can see two pictures down.

Nelson Paint Sherry Doorbell

We originally worried the Nelson Blue was a bit too faint, but it definitely showed up a bit more distinctly once it began to dry.

Nelson Paint John Rolling

We love the color. In fact, it almost feels like a nod back to our first kitchen’s wall color – although this one is a bit lighter and has more green to it, and the horizontal paneling around the bottom half of the room adds a little something extra. I’ll admit it’s a bit hard to fully appreciate the new color while the room is held back by things like the countertops, the cabinets, and the floor (we’re definitely in that “middle” stage, so it should start making more sense as we tackle other things on our list).

Nelson After Main

And we can definitely celebrate the fact that we’re a nice looooong way from where we started.

WhiteTrim Before Main Angle

When you look at it from certain angles, you can almost trick yourself into thinking the room is a lot closer to done. For instance, the view from the front door is much improved.

Nelson After From Foyer

And the little breakfast area is shaping up to be a nice combination of white trim + horizontal planking + blue walls + rustic wood. Just ignore the big intercom on the wall and the fake brick floor, mmkay?

Nelson After Beachy Kinda

So here’s what our kitchen to-do list is looking like now. We’ve officially crossed 9 things off and have 9 more to go… some of which are a lot easier than the nine we’ve already done (switching out lights and hanging shelves are a welcome relief after all this priming and painting – although that 15th bullet is going to be a multi-step multi-day extravaganza).
  • Remove wallpaper
  • Move fridge cabinet forward
  • Remove upper cabinets on window wall to prep for open shelves
  • Reinstall crown molding (you can read about how we did those first four things here)
  • Prime & paint the pantry and the door to the garage
  • Prime & paint the trim, crown molding, & baseboards
  • Prime & paint the paneling (you can read about how we did those last three things here)
  • Prime and paint the walls
  • Remove the existing microwave (craigslist it?) and get a countertop one we can eventually install in the pantry
  • Install a cheap range hood (we’ve seen some like this for $20 on craigslist) to lighten up that wall
  • Patch and paint the ceiling
  • Replace the florescent light in the cooking area and the pendant over the sink
  • Replace and center the light over the dining table
  • Hang floating shelves on the window wall
  • Paint the cabinets (you can see the colors we’re leaning towards here)
  • Update the old cabinet hinges and knobs
  • Get a rug for eat-in area? Possibly install peel and stick tiles everywhere?
  • Curtains for windows?
*To read why we’ve chosen these steps for Phase 1 (for example, why we’re painting the cabinets, why we’re not going to attempt to paint the linoleum, and what’s on the agenda for Phase 2) there’s lots of background info in this post for ya.

Our Favorite Paint Colors

If you’re having trouble picking the right color to paint your room, check out these detailed deep-dive posts about our favorite paints:
  • Sherwin-Williams Extra White

    • Comments

    1. Laura @ Rather Square says

      Great transformation – with the upper cabinets removed and that long wall painted all one color, it really looks bigger and brighter. I love the color too! Just enough of a contrast with the white paneling below.

      Speaking of paneling, we were inspired by your current and past painting-wood-paneling projects, and we tackled an entire wood-paneled room in our own house recently. It really helped referring to all the info you posted about your own experiences, so thank you!
      http://www.rathersquare.com/2013/12/painting-wood-paneling-knotty-or-nice/

      Reply

    5. Gem says

      Wow, this looks great! I can really picture it now. I’m glad you’ve decided to go for coloured cabinets as opposed to white ones in this kitchen (for phase 1, anyway), it’s so much lighter than your other kitchen so I think it works. And that floor looks so much better with the new wall colour. I’m a fan!

      Reply

    9. Allyn says

      Very nice! But I’m surprised that you left the intercom and (what appears to be a) phone jack on the back wall. Does the intercom work/do you intend to keep it? And do you plan to use the phone jack in the future?

      Reply

    14. Jess says

      I really love how nicely the new wall color goes w/ the tiles in your foyer :) I know ya’ll haven’t made a final decision about those tiles yet, but it must be nice that in the meantime, they look a lot more cohesive!

      Reply

    15. Jessaca says

      Will the range hood be in phase 2? If so, I’d go for something pricier and read reviews to get something of quality. Cheap is cheap sometimes…I’m learning the hard way.

      Reply

      • YoungHouseLove says

        Oh yes, we’re planning no other major appliance purchases until Phase 2 when we can research and invest in long-term things. For now we’ve found a $25 range hood on craigslist that we can use for the time being and craigslist for $25 down the line when we replace it for Phase 2. More details when we pick it up and install it!

        xo
        s

    18. Lisa says

      The view into the kitchen from the foyer shows how nicely the new kitchen wall color plays off the foyer tile. Great job!

      Reply

    19. Karen L. says

      Love the new paint color. I still think I need to repaint our dark dining room a light color like yours! One question (and maybe I missed it already): why don’t you take down the old intercom fixture if you’re not going to use it? Maybe it’s too difficult to do or something. Since you usually say to “ignore it”, I was just wondering.

      Reply

      • YoungHouseLove says

        We’re not sure if we’re going to retofit that with another system (maybe that plays an ipod in each room or something) so for now we’re planning to cover that whole wall with a nice framed out pinboard or something – so it’ll be hidden but the wiring will still be there for a future conversion.

        xo
        s

    20. Lisa @ Double Door Ranch says

      What a breath of fresh air! Looks so much better!

      Over the long weekend, I kept moving on my craft room. I have one coat of Edgecomb Gray on the walls so far and it is reading so. gray. Its amazing how even a big swatch can have such beige undertones but on every surface read straight-up gray. I’m gonna go with it and keep layering things in. Hopefully it works out!

      Reply

    22. Robin @ Happily Home After says

      Super big ahhhhh. I definitely see a modern Scandinavian feel developing in your kitchen which is what I love and am working towards in mine as well. The bowl of succulents really pops now on the table, funny how small details can become big elements when the background color changes. I like a fresh aire blue in the kitchen, I’ve used BM Spring Mint which is also pale / “just there” … funny, I recall hearing on “Design Star” once that blue is an unappetizing color and therefore not one that works in a kitchen. Just proves that there’s no “rule” that works all the time!

      Reply

    24. aNJFLer says

      It looks great. The light blue paint makes the room look like it’s about 100 ft long! Taking out the cabinet to the right of the window was exactly the right choice too. WOWZA

      Reply

    26. Katie says

      I know you’d mentioned the slate in the foyer is in rough shape, but now with the blue in the kitchen, it really compliments it! Maybe you can replace it with something in a similar grey-blue?

      Reply

      • YoungHouseLove says

        Thanks Katie! I think we’ve been leaning towards big dark tiles (heated, wahoo!) so we’ll have to bring home some samples when it comes that that phase and see what we like! We want to run them into the kitchen too, so it’ll probably be in a year or two but I can’t wait!

        xo
        s

    28. Lija says

      Looks great! A huge improvement. But are you sure you want to paint the cabinets still? I actually like the grain of the wood now that the walls and trim have been painted. If it were me (and I know you’re not asking) I would replace the flooring and countertops before painting the cabinets, I think. But I’m sure they will be gorgeous whatever you do, as always!

      Reply

    29. Kara says

      Question about cutting in – I have the short handled brush as well and have attempted to cut in without taping off. But I find that there are some bristles that stick out and just inadvertently paints the trim or whatever edge that it’s next to. What do you do about those, cut them off?

      Reply

      • YoungHouseLove says

        Oh yes, I’d just trim those off if you see them. Usually I try to keep them happy (yes, I try to keep my brushes happy) by washing them well and letting them dry flat on the counter so the bristles hopefully stay in alignment for the most part.

        xo
        s

      • Sapphira says

        Sherry, maybe sometime you could do a post on how you guys wash your brushes and keep your painting tools in good shape? I never seem to get the job done right and end up having to buy new brushes all the time! I bet a lot of us could benefit from that (and could also be a great stockpile post for when the Bun comes along and you’re super busy). The kitchen looks great btw! That breakfast nook shot makes me want to have a cup of coffee and gaze out the window pretending I actually have a breakfast nook.

      • YoungHouseLove says

        Thanks Sapphira! I just use water for anything latex (even this primer) and wait until the water runs clear. Probably takes 5 mins per brush (if you only take 1-2 mins it’s not really clean and get crunchy and firm when it dries). For oil-based I use mineral spirits, but that’s pretty rare these days, so usually it’s just water and time. Rinsing it over and over again. I should make a quick video for you if I remember!

        xo
        s

    30. Sara w says

      Wow! It looks gorgeous! That blue is so bright and airy. I think you’ve already said before, but where did you get your table? I love the chunky pedestal, and the top is so pretty!

      Reply

    33. Pamela T says

      Looks awesome! the window/trim/paneling paint job you guys did totally helped motivate me and my manfriend to “get on that already” with our front picture window. it has 20 panes, and is basically floor to ceiing. After 3.5 years I finally have the confidence in my painting skills to tackle such a daunting process. I am one coat of primer, and one coat of paint down. probably two more coats of paints- takes about two hours for one coat- and i kept thinking of your comment about how much ITS WORTH IT!
      while i was tackling that project in the living room, the dude was installing shoe molding in the family room and kitchen. #makinggains #crossingthingsofflistsfeelssogood
      sherry- you dont use the plastic liners in your little red handy painter pail?

      Reply

      • YoungHouseLove says

        I do use those when I have them around. So helpful! Otherwise I just let it dry out in the garage and then peel out the paint (so satisfying, it’s like peeling Elmer’s Glue off your hand as a child… or was I the only one to do that?).

        xo
        s

    34. Kristen T. says

      Ooooh, I love that color! Especially with the horizontal white paneling…looking very beachy chic to me. :) Just lovely.

      Reply

    35. Erin says

      Wow, I could look at the before-and-after pictures all day long. And the pic from the front hallway just makes me sigh with how mellow and beautiful it is. I chose a very similar color for my kitchen and living room 2 years ago, Behr’s Limelight. It’s a blue shade but definitely has green in it like you mentioned. It’s such a great shade for subtle contrast with white and greige. Enjoy! It’s beautiful.

      Reply

    36. hannah says

      love the blue! and it does make the wood cabinets look great. and because im feeling punchy this morning i just keep chanting, “hanging boob light!!” i forgot those existed :) looking forward to a new light over the table? :)

      Reply

      • YoungHouseLove says

        YESSSS! Those can’t be gone fast enough. The funny thing is we think the hanging boob was purchased for resale (the other lights everywhere in this house look very old, but that one looks new-ish so we think the old light over the eating area was perhaps sentimental and they left this dangling boob light in it’s place ;)

        xo
        s

    38. Krissy says

      Glad to see your cacti are still going strong! The color is really pretty!

      We skipped house stuff and spent the weekend in the woods. Only one week left til season’s over.

      Reply

    39. Jami says

      Guys, I really love the dark cabinets. Would you consider rethinking and leaving them? I think they look awesome with the light walls. 80s ranch retro…definitely the next big thing! ;) Seriously, I love them. An unexpected and bold choice…just think about it!

      Reply

      • YoungHouseLove says

        Aw thanks Jami! If you check out this post you’ll see why we can’t just leave them (in the detail photos at the end). Up close they’re in pretty bad shape. We love the idea of leaving them dark on the bottom though, so we won’t lose that contrast and depth of the dark tone.

        xo
        s

    40. Theresa M. says

      The kitchen is so bright, I gotta wear shades!! (an 80’s song reference in case you’re too young to have heard it.)
      Two questions though… You just primed and painted the doorbell? No special DIY magic? And thirdly, why are there fairy lights with your cookbooks?
      Sorry, totally lied. Three questions.

      Reply

      • YoungHouseLove says

        As a child of the 80s, I’m fully in on that eighties reference. High fives! As for the fairy lights, we mentioned those in the post (they’re battery powered, and they helped me see that screw that was recessed – without them I was going in blind). As for the doorbell, yup, just primer + paint. Hope it helps!

        xo
        s

      • Theresa M. says

        I believe I could’ve been your babysitter in the 80’s! And yes, whenever you answer a question, it fer sure helps!

      • YoungHouseLove says

        Haha! Did you have big hair and wear a scrunchie? That was the babysitter wardrobe back then. I loved it and totally wanted to be like them when I grew up.

        xo
        s

    41. Jess says

      It looks so much bigger in there! It’s amazing what paint can do to a room’s perceived ‘size’ without having to move any walls.

      Question: is there a specific reason you painted the walls before the ceiling (it’s uncrossed on your to-do list)? I’d always learned to do ceilings first to avoid any accidental sprinkles/splatters on the walls and baseboard that can come with rolling overhead.

      Reply

      • YoungHouseLove says

        We just were done living with those walls with the unpainted square and those spackle marks. Technically it’s nice to do trim, ceilings, and them walls (so nothing from the ceiling drips on the walls) but we’re pretty neat painters and have done ceilings afterwards a bunch of times, so it was just about getting some color up and losing those crazy blotches of spackle and unprimed drywall that plagued us.

        xo
        s

      • Jessica says

        I’m a pretty neat painter, too, and I can never seem to stop the roller from inadvertently spraying onto the walls when I am painting a ceiling. How do you prevent that?

      • YoungHouseLove says

        That sounds like it could be a pressure thing. If you’re pushing too firmly on the roller it can spray (or if you have too much paint, but it doesn’t sound like that’s your issue) so I’d try just not pressing as firmly or going as fast, to hopefully cut down on that.

        xo
        s

    42. Kate says

      Amazing! Such a difference! I am always so impressed with how much progress you two make. It would take me a year to get that before and after photo.

      Reply

    43. Lindsay says

      LOVE! Can’t wait until you work on the cabinets. That will really transform the entire room even more! Good work guys!

      Reply

    44. Yvonne @ Dress This Nest says

      I can’t believe how amazing it looks already and you haven’t even painted the cabinets!!! It looks SO much bigger and more airy. What a relief for you! I can’t believe you are doing this in between Thanksgiving and Christmas. You guys are crazy but are such an inspiration. I want to paint my kitchen now.

      Reply

    45. Sarah says

      Hey guys!

      Oh my goodness, the kitchen looks GREAT! I love the color.

      So I have been super busy, but I still wanted to mail a letter for your bulletin board in the hospital. Are you still accepting them?

      I hope that you had a wonderful and relaxing Thanksgiving, it sure looked like you did on your Instagram, and I can’t wait to find out the gender of the little bun soon! I know that I’ve said this, but I have a feeling that it’s going to be a boy. :)

      All my best,

      Sarah

      Reply

    46. Brittany says

      Is it just me or are the wood cabinets looking nice and rich against all that light? Kinda dig ’em… Might be worth just leaving them/replacing hardware for phase 1!

      Reply

    47. Kathryn says

      Aw. I miss the warmth of the original wood panelling. But kudos to you both for knocking this stuff out so efficiently!

      Reply

    48. Isabel says

      Great progress guys! Feels so good to get such major things accomplished :) I can’t wait to see the cabinets done. We want to do some major changes to the kitchen too and want to start with the walls and cabinets but just can’t figure out colors. I change my mind every day *sigh*. We were at a wedding in DC this weekend and as we were driving down, I started to see the Richmond signs and told my husband: that’s where my Internet friends are from (he’s terrible with names so saying John and Sherry or YHL usually results in blank stares). He got all excited and said: oh, we should go visit them! To which I replied: aside from the fact that Richmond is like 2 hours further south, how would you react if two complete strangers showed up at our door gawking like idiots? He was like, good point, guess you’ll just have to continue reading the blog. :-)

      Reply

    50. keisha says

      *sigh* I don’t know how y’all do it. I’ve been slapping paint samples on my kitchen walls for months. I am so scared of colors. Just when I think I’ve found a color, I notice it looks different in different light, and it’s back to the drawing board. Your kitchen looks fantastic so far – looking forward to seeing more progress.

      Reply

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