Can’t replace the cabinets? Paint everything around them. A single bold wall colour can change a white kitchen overnight.
White kitchens are everywhere because they’re safe. But you don’t need new cabinets to get a kitchen you love; you need a colour. This weekend project starts gentle with sage green and shows you how to go as loud as you dare.
Pick a kitchen-proof paint
- Choose a wipeable, scrubbable finish: eggshell or a dedicated kitchen and bathroom paint.
- Test three swatches on the wall and check them morning and evening. Kitchen light changes a lot.
- Starter colours: sage, pistachio, terracotta. Brave colours: tomato red, cobalt, hot pink.
Step by step
- Day 1 morning: clear the worktops, degrease the walls with sugar soap, rinse and dry.
- Day 1 afternoon: tape the cabinet edges, splashback and window frame. Fill small holes.
- Day 1 evening: cut in with a brush around everything, then roll the first coat.
- Day 2: second coat, peel tape while just wet, and put the kitchen back together.
Turn it up afterwards
Once the walls are done, add colour in small doses: a rattan pendant, open shelves of mismatched mugs, coloured cabinet knobs, a striped runner. Each one costs little and swaps out easily, which keeps landlords happy.
Cost
Paint and supplies: about €70 for a galley kitchen. Time: one weekend. Mood boost: every single morning.
