Aubrey Nelson
When we built our home in 2005, Tuscan-styled kitchens were the big trend with cherry cabinets, dark granite counters, and rich gold-colored walls. I loved the look of cherry cabinets but chose a light-colored stain and less elaborate carvings and details.
About 8 years ago I decided it was time to brighten things up, so we painted the walls of our downstairs Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore.
A few years later, I made the massive mistake of installing a glass mosaic tile backsplash. I searched a lot and read nearly every article I could find about paint colors with cherry cabinets! My entire downstairs is painted Revere Pewter (except my husband’s office that’s Hokie orange…)
I knew it looked good with my cherry cabinets and the other finishes in my home. At one point, I really considered picking a fun shade of green, but I don’t love painting and didn’t want to have to repaint the island if I got tired of it!
Even colors that are supposed to look good with cherry cabinets and Revere Pewter. Mom tip: Be sure to use the same brand of paint you plan to buy when mixing your sample!
That room is one of the darkest in my house, so mixing the color with more white added to the base made a huge difference, so I decided to do the same thing for the island. Based on the paint chips and all my research, I was pretty sure I was going to choose Gray Mirage.
So before you spend time (and money) painting, check to see how you actually like the color in your home. Top: November Rain | Middle: Revere Pewter | Bottom: Gray Mirage
Left: November Rain | Middle: Gray Mirage | Right: Revere Pewter After painting the samples, I pulled up most of the drop cloths so I could see how the colors looked with the floors.
I snapped pictures of all three sides because sometimes I feel like the camera “sees” color more accurately than my eyes. Left: November Rain | Middle: Gray Mirage | Right: Revere Pewter
One of my primary objectives with this makeover was to make my kitchen look brighter, even with the cherry cabinets and darker wood flooring. The Revere Pewter is a great greige color and it looks like a creamy parchment when mixed 75% lighter. Painting the island really brightened the space and also helped to break up all the wood. Adding the trim and table legs, plus painting the island gives it the look of a piece of furniture instead of more cabinetry.
And since everyone loves a good before and after, here’s how the island started and how it looks after adding the custom trim and paint. There are a few more projects left to finish, so be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out on the final reveal!
