Kitchen of the Week: Subtle Refresh Brings More Texture and Style
A designer helps a Texas couple update their white kitchen with small changes that make a big difference
Rob and Elizabeth Shands loved a lot about their modern farmhouse kitchen in Austin, Texas. Its openness to the dining room and living room, for one. And they were happy with the reclaimed-wood ceiling beams, vertical shiplap walls, engineered wood flooring, top-level appliances and Shaker-style cabinets. But the cabinet paint was chipping and peeling, the matte black countertops made the design feel heavy, the island pendants looked tiny in the large space and the white subway tile backsplash felt flat and boring.
The couple looked at inspiration photos on Houzz and elsewhere, and hired designer Cameron Getter to help refresh the kitchen with texture and personality. The cabinets got a fresh coat of soft warm white paint and new hardware, while luminous zellige-style tiles add character and dimension to the backsplash. Durable marble-look quartz countertops and island pendants in hand-rubbed antique brass add more subtle but impactful style.
The couple looked at inspiration photos on Houzz and elsewhere, and hired designer Cameron Getter to help refresh the kitchen with texture and personality. The cabinets got a fresh coat of soft warm white paint and new hardware, while luminous zellige-style tiles add character and dimension to the backsplash. Durable marble-look quartz countertops and island pendants in hand-rubbed antique brass add more subtle but impactful style.
After: Getter kept the cabinets, appliances, beams, sink and flooring but removed the cabinet hardware, countertops, backsplash and island pendants.
She had the perimeter cabinets, walls, ceiling and trim painted a fresh white (Chantilly Lace by Benjamin Moore) in various finishes (see source info below). “The reason you want to change the finish is that to have the trim stand out, the paint should have a bit more sheen to it,” Getter says.
The island base is now a neutral warm gray (Dorian Gray by Sherwin-Williams) in a semigloss finish. “We just wanted to add a little depth to the space and make the island the focal point,” Getter says.
Honey-bronze pulls spiff up the cabinets. Five-inch pulls on some drawer fronts better fit the scale. “You have to think about the width of the drawer,” Getter says. “Those drawers called for a larger pull.”
A 3-inch version of the same pulls adorns the small drawers to the right of the microwave and wall oven, as well as the upper cabinets. “We picked the hardware on the upper cabinets that has the solid bars so we didn’t have to go back and fill holes,” Elizabeth Shands says.
Cabinet hardware: Glacier pull in Honey Bronze, 3 and 5 inches, Top Knobs; paint: Chantilly Lace in semigloss (cabinets), eggshell (walls), flat (ceiling) and satin (trim), Benjamin Moore
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She had the perimeter cabinets, walls, ceiling and trim painted a fresh white (Chantilly Lace by Benjamin Moore) in various finishes (see source info below). “The reason you want to change the finish is that to have the trim stand out, the paint should have a bit more sheen to it,” Getter says.
The island base is now a neutral warm gray (Dorian Gray by Sherwin-Williams) in a semigloss finish. “We just wanted to add a little depth to the space and make the island the focal point,” Getter says.
Honey-bronze pulls spiff up the cabinets. Five-inch pulls on some drawer fronts better fit the scale. “You have to think about the width of the drawer,” Getter says. “Those drawers called for a larger pull.”
A 3-inch version of the same pulls adorns the small drawers to the right of the microwave and wall oven, as well as the upper cabinets. “We picked the hardware on the upper cabinets that has the solid bars so we didn’t have to go back and fill holes,” Elizabeth Shands says.
Cabinet hardware: Glacier pull in Honey Bronze, 3 and 5 inches, Top Knobs; paint: Chantilly Lace in semigloss (cabinets), eggshell (walls), flat (ceiling) and satin (trim), Benjamin Moore
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Marble-look quartz countertops help brighten the room and pull together the whites and grays.
Modern counter stools with transparent acrylic seats and black powder-coated-steel legs provide seating at the island. “She requested a stool with a back for the kids,” Getter says. “I suggested these ones with the clear back and more modern look so you can see the pretty backsplash. We also didn’t want something that would compete with the leather chairs we chose for the dining room.”
Two large pendants with cone-like shades in hand-rubbed antique brass better fit the scale of the room and coordinate with the bronze hardware. “I wanted something that was a focal point and statement, but didn’t distract from the rest of the kitchen and great room,” Shands says.
Newly painted vertical shiplap walls add texture and character.
Pendants: Goodman in hand-rubbed antique brass, Visual Comfort
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Modern counter stools with transparent acrylic seats and black powder-coated-steel legs provide seating at the island. “She requested a stool with a back for the kids,” Getter says. “I suggested these ones with the clear back and more modern look so you can see the pretty backsplash. We also didn’t want something that would compete with the leather chairs we chose for the dining room.”
Two large pendants with cone-like shades in hand-rubbed antique brass better fit the scale of the room and coordinate with the bronze hardware. “I wanted something that was a focal point and statement, but didn’t distract from the rest of the kitchen and great room,” Shands says.
Newly painted vertical shiplap walls add texture and character.
Pendants: Goodman in hand-rubbed antique brass, Visual Comfort
Shop for kitchen island lighting
The luminous backsplash features 4-by-4-inch white handmade zellige tiles with a warm gray grout. “It’s something simple yet has character and dimension,” Shands says. “Every tile is different, and there’s a slight variation. Especially in a white kitchen, you need some interest.”
Accessories hide the electrical outlets on the backsplash.
Accessories hide the electrical outlets on the backsplash.
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The interior side of the island includes the former white farmhouse-style cast iron sink with a new black stainless steel single-handle pull-down faucet. “It reads more like a darker stainless steel,” Getter says. “We thought it would match the darker gray veining in the counters.”
This side of the island also includes a stainless steel dishwasher, a pullout trash and recycling center, and drawers for dish towels, foil and other kitchen essentials.
The white pocket door to the left of the wall oven and microwave opens to a bar with navy walls and cabinets, marble countertops, glass-front cabinets, an ice maker, a wine refrigerator and a sink.
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This side of the island also includes a stainless steel dishwasher, a pullout trash and recycling center, and drawers for dish towels, foil and other kitchen essentials.
The white pocket door to the left of the wall oven and microwave opens to a bar with navy walls and cabinets, marble countertops, glass-front cabinets, an ice maker, a wine refrigerator and a sink.
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New white brushed-cotton Roman shades add privacy to two operable windows that overlook the backyard. French doors (seen partially on the left in this photo) open to a backyard porch. “All the exterior doors were brown, and we painted them black,” Shands says.
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This wide view from the living room shows the kitchen and adjoining dining area.
The darker dining table offers contrast to the lighter countertops in the kitchen. “You don’t want to do both of them dark,” Getter says. “We have a lot of brass accents in the living room, so that’s why I felt it was important to have brass in the light fixtures for the kitchen and dining room, to marry the spaces together.”
The darker dining table offers contrast to the lighter countertops in the kitchen. “You don’t want to do both of them dark,” Getter says. “We have a lot of brass accents in the living room, so that’s why I felt it was important to have brass in the light fixtures for the kitchen and dining room, to marry the spaces together.”
The rectangular dining table is black oak with wide plank-style legs that have a brass ombre detail. The dining chairs are sloped navy leather with a curved seat and back and antique brass legs. The large modern chandelier features glass globes on bars of hand-rubbed antique brass that coordinate with the bronze and brass details in the kitchen.
“We had a great footprint but needed to update the surfaces,” Shands says. “Cameron helped us pull it all together to make a kitchen that is light, bright and has dimension.”
Chandelier: Turenne in hand-rubbed antique brass, Visual Comfort
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“We had a great footprint but needed to update the surfaces,” Shands says. “Cameron helped us pull it all together to make a kitchen that is light, bright and has dimension.”
Chandelier: Turenne in hand-rubbed antique brass, Visual Comfort
More on Houzz
Read more kitchen stories
Browse kitchen photos
Hire a kitchen remodeler
Shop for kitchen products
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Rob and Elizabeth Shands and their two children, ages 3½ and 1
Location: Austin, Texas
Size: 330 square feet (31 square meters)
Designer: Cameron Getter Design
Before: The former kitchen functioned well for the family, but the cabinets, with their chipping and peeling white paint, needed a refresh. The couple also felt that the matte black solid-surface countertops and basic white ceramic subway tile backsplash brought down the energy in the room.
Meanwhile, too-small cabinet hardware and island pendants didn’t fit the scale of the space. “You want the scale to match, and the scale there was not right,” Getter says.