Before & After: A “Clinical” White Kitchen Gets the Most Striking Teal Makeover (for Only $700!)

For some, modernizing their homes means gravitating toward sleek, clean lines with minimal texture. Initially, interior designer Claire Champion and her partner, John, wanted that aesthetic in her colorful and contemporary U.K. home, too — however, the novelty quickly faded.

“We opted for a high-gloss handleless [cabinet] option in a pale blue,” Claire explains. “We soon realized that it wasn’t to our taste and felt too cold and clinical. Not only did we not like the aesthetic, but the glossy doors meant that every fingerprint and mark showed, which meant we were cleaning the doors daily.” 

Because the Champions realized soon after installing the new kitchen cabinets that they weren’t their vibe, the pair faced an interesting challenge: To replace the existing kitchen for a look they wanted while being environmentally and financially responsible. (It was a bonus that the kitchen was already super functional.) 

The biggest issues were cosmetic and primarily related to the cabinets’ color, finish, and lack of handles. “I knew that Shaker was a classic kitchen style and was unlikely to date quickly, and I felt a darker color would be more practical for us,” Claire shares. 

So, she set out to learn how to transform their cabinets, which became a “process of trial and error.” Here’s how she got started: U.K.-based custom cutting company Cut My cut four pieces of medium-density fiberboard (MDF) wood per cabinet or drawer, and Claire sanded the glossy finish and stuck the MDF onto the existing cabinets using wood glue. They found some slim batons of wood in their local hardware store, which perfectly fit the gap where the previous j-panel — a flat panel style cabinet with the handle built into the door — used to be, and glued them in place.

The longest part of the process was changing the cabinet color. Essentially, every part of the cabinets needed to be sanded and primed (using this Bulls Eye primer), then sanded and primed again before painting (which Claire admits was extremely dusty.) When it was finally time to paint, they applied three thin layers of Lick’s “Green 03” (which is actually an eggshell paint that’s held up since it was applied in 2022!). The last step was drilling holes for the new gold handles from Plank Hardware. 

The couple did the entire kitchen renovation themselves and learned a lot along the way. If you’re interested in recreating the look similarly, she recommends labeling each part of the door and taking preparation seriously. All in all, they spent just over £560 (or about $700) to reimagine their kitchen. 

“We have a kitchen that we now love and suits our needs for a few hundred pounds,” Claire says. “One day, we will invest in a brand new kitchen again, but this has given our existing kitchen a new lease on life, and we couldn’t be happier with the results.”

If you love how the Champions reimagined their kitchen, you’ll want to see the rest of the charming home. Visit the full home tour on Apartment Therapy.