Updates to sell

When living in your own home it easy to become accepting of your homes flaws, but put the home on the market and the market will not be shy about pointing out those flaws. Years go by of living life happily in the home and all of the sudden golden oak cabinetry is out of style. When did bone colored appliance go away? In what year did hanging pot racks become unpopular and why is everyone getting black stainless steel appliances now? Sometimes it feels like you woke up and everything in kitchen design changed overnight and it is too difficult to keep up! In the world of design once you wade through all the trends and fads that come down the pike you will still find classic updates that will make a kitchen look updated and move the sale of the home. Let’s take a peek into a Gardenia kitchen to see what updates were made to create visual bang for the buck.

• What updates to chose Kitchen-of-the-Gardenia-model-after-the-re-face
When I first went to the home, the homeowners had some ideas about what updates they wanted. However, when I found out they were updating for a future sale, the updates changed. The homeowner wanted to add crown molding to the main part of the house, paint the walls and add granite to the kitchen. These were all good things but not things that will truly update and provide visual bang for the buck.

• Start with the kitchen
The kitchen did need new countertops and granite is great but the real issue was the golden oak cabinetry. Golden oak cabinetry was “the deal” in the 80’s and into the first few years of the 90’s which is why in 2019 we still see so much of it in homes. However, it will thoroughly date the home if left unattended. We did not want to break the bank on a kitchen facelift so we refaced the kitchen cabinets. Unless you are changing the footprint of a kitchen there is no reason to replace all the cabinets. In a re-face we can use the exiting cabinets and create new cabinets where needed.

• What is a re-face
The oak doors are removed and the existing cabinet boxes stay in the space. The boxes can be separated and staggered for different levels or new cabinets can be mixed in with the old. In this reface a new cabinet was added above the microwave. This allows for a staggered look which makes the kitchen feel up to date. The oak boxes are then painted with a paint that will fill the grain of the oak. The boxes are then sanded and painted again. New doors are purchased to replace the old doors. The new doors are larger than the old doors so that they meet in the middle. When there are no gaps between the doors it creates a seamless look and therefore a bigger more impressive kitchen. It will look as if you replaced all the old cabinets with new cabinets.

• Why white for a re-face
White is the most classic color for a kitchen and will never ever go out of style. White is perceived as the cleanest color for a kitchen and it is the most cost efficient color when re-facing. Finally, to add fake wood grain doors back into the space would be counterproductive when I am removing oak. When the kitchen is refaced in white it will be bright and everyone is looking for more lightness in the home.

• Wainscot
We wrapped the wall below the bar in a three dimensional wainscot. The wainscot is then painted entirely white. This application of wainscot now creates visual cohesion between the bar and the white cabinets. When looking into the kitchen, the white below the bar looks well-coordinated with the kitchen and everything looks bright.

• Granite
We did replace the countertops with granite. We chose a warm but light color of granite to tie into the existing backsplash. This granite is a basic but beautiful granite that will please many people who might want to buy the house one day. Also, this granite is a level one in granite so the price was very affordable. We chose level one granite, because the higher the level of granite the higher the price. Also, level one granite is still less money than quartz. We sealed the granite with a fifteen year seal that not only protects the granite but feels great too!

• Paint walls
We painted the main body of the home which includes the kitchen in the color Patience 7555. This color is a warm tan with a hint of gold that makes it look like the perfect crème. Patience complemented the homeowner’s décor and finished the space nicely.

• Cabinet décor
We added décor back to the top of the cabinets but we kept the look simple and understated. We did not have to purchase any new decorative items for the top of the cabinets we just used what she had but less. Next week we will look at the living room updates.

P.S. –Attention, club presidents! We give free decorating seminars. Call and schedule your club today. Also, we are on-line check out our web-site at www.ruthdyer.com and you can always e-mail us at ruth@finishingtouchfl.com. Call Ruth your full service decorator at 352-804-2056.

Before and After Pics Below