Before & After: A Bland Brown Kitchen Gets a Quirky Redo — And a Surprising New Cabinet Color

Sure, natural wood cabinets are a classic, and white is timeless, too. But sometimes, it’s fun to think outside the box when it comes to the color of your kitchen cabinets. Might we suggest … purple?

If you’re skeptical, this project from artist and interior designer Andrea Granger (Hunt and Scavenge) will make you a convert.

The kitchen, owned by an Indiana couple, was in desperate need of a facelift. Between the cabinets, the island, and the trim around the window, the entire space was dark, brown, and wood all over. The homeowners and their five children wanted a new, fresh space that worked for their big family.

“Keeping the ‘good parts’ was very important,” Andrea says. So as she assessed the kitchen, she decided not to get rid of the existing countertops, and instead work around them.

All of the kitchen cabinets were a dark wood that made the kitchen feel bland and unoriginal. To completely change the vibe, Andrea selected a bold shade of purple for the lower cabinets (Sherwin-Williams’s Plum Dandy).“The purple was such a daring choice, but I pitched it to the homeowners and they were surprisingly very excited,” Andrea says. The uppers were swapped for open shelves made from locally sourced lumber, which puts all eyes on the new purple paint color.

The original gray subway tile backsplash was replaced with a funky black-and-white tile in a modified hex shape.

The beige floor tiles had a dark, dirty-looking grout that didn’t suit the kitchen’s new vibe, so they had to go. Andrea replaced them with cherry wood flooring that felt warmer and more modern. Finally, Andrea accessorized the kitchen with stylish items like a large woven chandelier from Williams Sonoma and bar stools with woven seats from Burke Decor.

“Honestly, it’s one of my favorite spaces I’ve created to date,” Andrea says of the kitchen. “I tried to channel a bit of the family’s energy into every decision, even down to the kids’ homemade pottery chilling on the shelves. It’s the little details that give it soul.” 

Inspired? Submit your own project here.

This post originally appeared on Apartment Therapy. See it there: Before and After: A Bland Brown Kitchen Gets a Quirky Redo—and a Surprising New Cabinet Color