After purchasing her 1960s split-level house, Jessica wanted to dial up the retro in the relatively plain kitchen. Owner of J. Paris Designs, a furniture refinishing and repurposing business, she used her refinishing skills and design know-how, the resources on Retro Renovation, and some help from her husband Dan and dog Harlow to enliven the space.
Jessica writes:
Our home is an average 1960s split level. It had been stripped down and painted white when we bought it at the beginning of this past summer, with very little original character left.
The kitchen was worn and grimy and none of the (original) appliances worked.
We replaced everything except the cabinets, which I painted with a mixture of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and water with a spray gun. I finished them with Polycrylic. The finish has held up wonderfully!
We built and laminated the countertops ourselves with the Formica Charcoal Boomerang laminate purchased from Home Depot. I had ordered a few samples of the Wilsonart styles you have advertised, but none of the colors were right. The charcoal is just enough retro without being overpowering.
The cabinet knobs, hinges, and porcelain on steel sink (complete with Hudee ring) all came from HD Supply (thanks, Kate, for the affordable knob recommendation!) As you know, finding a white sink with a hudee ring is kind of difficult. I couldn’t accept the high cost of the Kohler ones you had written about, but the HD Supply one was very affordable! I will say, it is much shallower than most sinks, which is why we went with the high goose neck industrial style faucet.
The countertop trim molding (both front piece and cove base in back) came from Eagle Mouldings. They were very helpful answering any of my questions. I did realize after I purchased the trim that I had bought aluminum, not stainless like Pam’s kitchen. Aluminum can’t be bent at a 90 degree angle around corners like stainless can. We ended up having to cut and miter the edges ourselves, which was incredibly challenging. The new stove ended up being six full inches wider than the original built-in one (something you don’t always think about) so we had to adjust that area accordingly.
I reused the existing NuTone range hood by taping off the chrome and painting it with a can of Rust-Oleum Appliance Paint from Home Depot. It looks spectacular and brand new!
I researched different flooring patterns for the VCT and ended up using the basketweave pattern with three different colors. The brand is Vinylasa, and the colors are Ebony (VT569), Steel Works (VT522), and Shooting Star (VT557). I purchased the flooring from a local independent flooring store because they had more color options than Home Depot or the like. I was worried it would be too busy, but once it was done, I was in love!
The funky Sputnik style light was purchased at Menard’s for around $170 – which I thought was an awesome price! The teardrop shaped pendant was the only cool part of the original kitchen, and I was happy to keep it.
I made the pendant over the sink using an inexpensive pendant kit and a collander from Home Goods. The backsplash is just simple white subway tile with grey grout.
Jessica, your kitchen looks fantastic! It’s interesting to see someone use Annie Sloan Chalk Pain to finish cabinets. This paint can sand down to such a smooth finish, we can see why it could be great for cabinetry, assuming the adhesion holds. Can you give us your opinion on how you think it will hold up long term, given that you that you work with this paint professionally?
Thanks so much for sharing your project with us — way to go, DIY squad!
I think Harlow likes it too!
Lorie ~ Ferndale Lane says
I LOVE this! I am totally pinning this kitchen for future reference. I have painted my kitchen cabinets in the past and they look great, but I would love to do a slight remodel and open up my kitchen more. This is just beautiful!
Dany says
Fantastic job! Did you paint the interior of the cabinets or leave them original? I’m going to do mine and wondering what would be best.
Jessica@JParisDesigns says
Thanks, Dany! I did not paint the interior of the cabinets. Mainly because it was so much work just doing the exterior AND…I’m the only one that sees the inside. 🙂 I cleaned them really well and lined all the shelves with contact paper.
Steve H says
I love the color of the cabinets. It reminds me of the cabinets in Julia Child’s kitchen.
Ali says
I love your kitchen now! I think you have provided the perfect example of what can be accomplished with a strong design plan and elbow grease. The cabinet color is especially lovely.
Robin, NV says
Good job! Everything looks so lovely and perfect. I’d be scared to death to try a basketweave floor on my own. And golly, that range hood looks fantastic!! Hooda thunk a 1970s brown hood could look so retro and amazing.
Jessica@JParisDesigns says
Thank you, Pam and Kate, and everyone else for the kind comments!! Pam, in answer to your question about durability of the paint: while I paint furniture for a living, I’m usually a latex fan all the way. But that does require sanding and priming before painting for maximum adhesion. With this being my biggest project to date, and with the cabinets absolutely having a lead based finish, I decided to forego the sanding and used the chalk paint. Many of my colleagues and fellow furniture painters swear by it and there are sooo many tutorials online. I changed it up by using Polycrylic as a top coat…you typically use a wax finish. The Polycrylic seemed a better choice for a (sometimes messy) kitchen! It’s been 5 months and there are zero chips or scratches. The fact that we have the backplate on the door hardware really helps.
Tracy says
Your kitchen is lovely. I especially like the flooring pattern. Great job!
Tisha says
Looks great! Good job working with what was there. The transformation is amazing.
Dawn says
I love this color scheme and the fact that you highlighted painted cabinets again. I have been on the fence for a year whether to paint mine white or go all in and do a retro blue…I am totally digging this kitchen.
Jessica@JParisDesigns says
Thanks, Dawn! I say go bold (obviously!) because it’s just paint. Granted, several layers of paint and many many hours of labor, but….worth it 🙂
Maile Lakely says
Well done! Love the colors and the floor is just stunning! I can absolutely feel the retro! Congrats on your new kitchen!