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Courtney Barch and her husband refreshed their Colorado kitchen by painting its cabinets white and gray and updating the lighting and island details. They kept the existing countertops, which looked less visually busy alongside the new cabinet colors. Paint, supplies, cabinet pulls and lights cost about $500; a later refrigerator purchase brought the total to $2,100.
Courtney Barch and her husband refreshed their Colorado kitchen by painting its oak cabinets white and gray, replacing the lighting and adding wood details, while keeping the existing countertops. The update addressed the dated look without replacing the cabinets or counters, and the reported cost for paint, supplies, cabinet pulls and lights was about $500.
Barch, who writes about the project through The Homebody Life, told Apartment Therapy that she and her husband wanted to tone down the kitchen’s orange and brown colors. Before the work, the room had oak cabinets, ivy wallpaper and light fixtures the report described as typical of the 1990s. The couple had already installed new flooring throughout the main floor after moving in.
The cabinets and island were in good condition, so Barch chose paint rather than replacement. She used Valspar Ultra White on the upper cabinets and a soft gray on the lower cabinets. She also removed the island’s curved corbels. Her husband replaced black builder-grade fixtures with brass globe pendants, which were paired with new brass cabinet pulls.
To add detail, Barch installed slatted wood around the island and at the ends of the lower cabinets. Apartment Therapy reported that the changed cabinet colors made the existing countertops look less busy, allowing the couple to leave them in place. The reported $500 covered paint, supplies, pulls and lights. Barch later bought a counter-depth refrigerator for $1,600, bringing the stated kitchen total to $2,100.
How Paint Changed the Countertops
The project shows how changing the colors around a surface can affect how that surface reads in a room. In this kitchen, the owners kept the counters but found they looked less visually busy beside the white and gray cabinets, according to Apartment Therapy’s account. That choice avoided the cost and work of replacing them as part of this update.
The reported price also gives readers a specific example of a limited kitchen refresh: about $500 for paint, supplies, pulls and lights, with the later refrigerator purchase accounted for separately. It is not a universal renovation estimate; the couple already had suitable cabinets and island, and had completed new flooring before the cabinet work.
A Kitchen Updated in Stages
The couple had bought, renovated and sold three homes before this one, according to Apartment Therapy, and had experience with do-it-yourself projects. After moving to Colorado, they first installed new flooring across the main floor to create a more cohesive feel. That expense was completed before this kitchen update and is not included in the reported $500 figure.
The original kitchen combined oak cabinetry, ivy wallpaper and older light fixtures. Rather than undertake a full renovation, the couple focused on elements they could change while retaining the cabinetry and countertops. The report describes the updates and costs but does not provide a full project timeline or a breakdown of individual material prices.
““We wanted an updated look to tone down all of the orange and brown.””
— Courtney Barch, as quoted by Apartment Therapy
Project Costs and Details Not Listed
Apartment Therapy gives an approximate combined cost for paint, supplies, cabinet pulls and lighting, but does not list each item’s price or explain whether labor was included. The report also does not specify the countertops’ material, their age or condition, or how long the work took. It describes the couple’s experience, so the reported budget should not be treated as a quote for other kitchens.
The couple hopes to make this house their forever home, according to the report. It does not say whether they plan further kitchen work or when any additional changes might happen.
The Couple’s Longer-Term Plans
Barch and her husband say they hope to stay in the home long term and are making updates with that in mind. No next kitchen project or schedule was reported. The refrigerator purchase is the only later addition specified in the article; further plans remain unknown.
Key Questions
Did the couple replace the countertops?
No. They kept the existing countertops. Apartment Therapy reported that the new white and gray cabinet colors made the counters look less busy.
What did the cabinet makeover cost?
The reported cost for paint, supplies, cabinet pulls and lights was about $500. The report does not itemize those expenses.
What was included in the $2,100 total?
The total includes the reported $500 for paint, supplies, pulls and lights, plus a $1,600 counter-depth refrigerator Barch bought later. New flooring had already been installed and is not listed in that total.
What changes did they make to the kitchen?
Barch painted the upper cabinets Valspar Ultra White and the lower cabinets soft gray, removed the island’s curved corbels and added slatted wood details. Her husband installed brass globe pendants, paired with new brass cabinet pulls.
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