Kitchen Cabinet & Lighting Transformation

Before

After

Before Transformation

The kitchen had good bones — a generous layout, handsome green tile backsplash, and solid black countertops — but the honey maple cabinetry dated the entire room. The wood tone dominated every surface, from the upper and lower cabinets to the island and even the pantry door, creating a monochromatic warmth that flattened the space. The clear glass pendant lights and industrial range hood added function but no visual poetry. The kitchen worked, but it didn't feel considered.

Before

The Approach

We replaced the upper cabinets with deep charcoal shaker-profile doors that pull forward against the green tile, giving the backsplash room to breathe as an architectural feature rather than background. The lower cabinets and island were refinished in clean white, creating a grounding contrast that lifts the room. Three new pendant lights — a mix of matte white ceramic and warm copper — introduce varied materiality overhead and draw the eye upward. The cylindrical stainless hood was swapped for a minimal vent integrated into the cabinetry line, clearing the visual field. Even the pantry door was repainted to recede.

After

After Transformation

The kitchen now reads as three layers: the dark upper band that anchors and defines, the white lower volume that opens and reflects, and the green tile wall that connects both with texture and color. It's the same footprint, the same countertops, the same appliances — but the room feels entirely new. The family gathers here differently now. The island has become a place to linger, not just prep. Light moves through the space more freely, and every material has room to be noticed on its own terms.