10.17
2014

Darker Gray Cabinets and Our Marble Review
The reasoning for re-painting all the trim in this room (our eat-in-kitchen and family room) white and the doors black probably made sense to most people seeing how it now matches the rest of the house as well as lightening up the room. However, my many reasons for painting the cabinets just a few shades darker than I first painted them a year ago make lots of sense in my own head but I think I can safely say will mostly seem crazy to everyone else, so I won’t bore you with all of that. I will say though, that I even though it was a pain to do I am so happy I did it. I also changed out the hardware to go with our faucet and I like the sparkle it adds. So at this point all we really have left to do in here is have an electrician come and add some recessed lighting and once that happens we will get rid of the flush mount lights, and then I will probably swap out the rustic looking pendants for some nickel ones.
So, while I won’t bore you with my somewhat irrational reasoning behind painting the cabinets again, I will fill you in on our marble now that it’s been several months since it was installed. We get lots of e-mails asking how we like our marble, if we would do it again and if we would recommend it.

What kind of marble is it? Honed Carrara Marble
Did we use a stain blocker? YES, we had InvisaBLOCK applied professionally by the company that installed the marble and it’s supposed to last at least ten years
Do I still love the marble? YES
Would I do it again? YES (In fact, I really can’t imagine doing anything else – I love it that much!)
Would I recommend it? Definitely not for people who want a completely “perfect” looking counter, but anyone who is okay with some water stains and imperfection that comes with it yes!
Okay, so that probably sounds pretty confusing saying I would use again in a heartbeat but wouldn’t recommend them for a lot of people, but let me explain. I can honestly say I love the marble and am so incredibly happy I ended up going with it (I was really torn between quartz and marble). I read a million different reviews and opinions and ultimately decided to just go with what I had been dreaming of for the last several years. I found this post by Joan from For the Love of a House to be far and away the most helpful. And re-reading it now I would say is EXTREMELY accurate and there is no way I could possibly write or explain it any better so I won’t even try. If you are considering marble I would highly recommend going over to her blog and reading her very in depth review. Plus I have been lucky enough to have been able to visit her in her home and I have to say it is the probably the single most beautiful home I have ever been in so take some time to check out her entire blog. Every single room is stunning and so timeless. 
I have to say that even though I am pretty easy going about stains and all the wear and tear that goes with young children I was a little stressed about the marble the first couple of weeks. We had a major “marker leaking through a picture one of the girls was coloring” incident just a couple of hours after the marble was installed – haha! Fortunately it all came up and didn’t leave any stains at all and after the first week or two I haven’t even thought twice about being “protective” of the marble. In fact five months in we have had zero issues with staining. And we heavily use our counters. Although I am certainly not a very good cook, we do quite a lot of cooking in here as we regularly have groups of people over and therefore along with our daily cooking, baking, eating, coloring, crafting etc. on the counters we use the peninsula area as sort of a sideboard/serving area and it’s taken quite a bit of abuse and I’ve been so happy with how it’s held up. We do have plenty of water stains but you really only see those when you are crouched down at eye level and the light is hitting them a certain way. That being said, those water stains are probably what would drive a lot of people crazy. 
I do think going with honed marble and having the people that installed it use a stain blocker has been very helpful. We used a polished marble for Jason’s island and even though I think it is stunning (I like how it looks even better than our marble) I think Jason would probably say he is not a fan of it at all because of how easily the polished marble scratches and the etching is more noticeable on the polished marble. So with that said, I think it’s hard to really recommend it to people because I think there are plenty of people that would hate the etching. For me though it’s just part of the beauty of it and I can’t begin to describe how much I love it and I honestly can’t imagine ever using anything but marble again if I was given the choice when doing over a kitchen. 
Now for some before and after shots of our kitchen: 

 
I think I have probably switched this table (which was on the porch) and the oval one we had in here about three or four times in the last two weeks. And probably about 10 times this last year.  Neither one is quite the right fit. I love that this one is so narrow, but it’s about a foot too long. And the oval one is a foot shorter which is nice but is a little too wide. I’ve pondered building a shorter farmhouse table or hunting the local consignment shops for a circular one but haven’t decided which route I want to go yet.
 

And couple of weeks ago we showed you the family room side of this space:

And you can see more pictures of this side of kitchen and pantry in this post from last year here.

Source List:

Cabinet Color- Winter’s Gate in Semi-Gloss by Benjamin Moore
Wall Color- Horizon in Eggshell by Benjamin Moore
Trim Color – Simply White in Semi-Gloss by Benjamin Moore
Door Color – Mopboard Black in Semi-Gloss by Benjamin Moore
All appliances are Whirlpool and were purchased at Lowe’s during their Memorial Day Sale
Hood – Custom Built
Farmhouse Sink – Signature Hardware
Faucet – Wayfair
Backsplash – purchased from McKenzie Restoration (but just basic white subway tile that can be purchased pretty much anywhere)
Counters – Honed Carrara Marble
Hardware – Home Depot (think they were by Martha Stewart)
Runner – Gift from my mom (from Home Decorator’s Collection)
Counter Height Stools – Target
Mug Holder – World Market
Little Bird Tea Cups – Heritage Lace
Menu Chalkboard – Dear Lillie (for sale in our shop coming very soon!)
Flush Mount – Lowe’s
Pendants – These were a hand-me-down from my mom and they worked perfectly in here (originally from Bellacor)
Circular Mirror – gift from my sister, Dana (from Antique Farmhouse)
Metal Baskets – Joss and Main
Bowl on Peninsula – Wedding Gift
Dishes – Emma Collection from Pottery Barn (wedding gifts)
Dishes – Mikasa
Canisters – wedding gift – Williams-Sonoma
Vase on Stove -HomeGoods
Three-Tiered Display Piece with buckets – gift from my mom (from Mothology)
Vase next to wire basket – gift from my mother-in-law from Spring Mill in Indiana
Marble Rolling Pin and Board – gift from my mother-in-law (from Sur La Table)
Table – Pier 1 years ago and has since been painted in French Linen from Lady Butterbug
X Back Dining Chairs – IKEA
Slipcovered Dining Chairs – IKEA
Oversized Chalkboard – made by me, you can read more about it here
X Sideboard – made by me, you can read more about it here

Cereal Containers – World Market
Glass Jars – Some from HomeGoods and some from World Market
Wooden Box – HomeGoods
Bottle Caddy – HomeGoods
Bottles – Mineral Water from Fresh Market 
Wreath – Birch Lane
Marble Board – gift
Oversized Mason Jar – World Market
Crackle Bucket/Planter – Birch Lane
Antlers – World Market 
Pumpkin – purchased at Michael’s and then painted
Frame – IKEA
Organization Items in Pantry – Target, HomeGoods, World Market

Sectional – IKEA
Rug – HomeGoods
Lamp – Joss and Main
Pillows – Birch Lane, Joss and Main
Plaid Throw – HomeGoods
Slipcovered Wingback Chairs – Savvy Home and Garden
Script Chairs – TJMaxx
Painted French Cabinet – makeover here
TV Console – Antique shop in Camden, SC
Frames above chairs – tutorial here
Striped Roman Shade in Window above Sink – made by me, you can read more about it here.
Drapery Panels – IKEA Ritva Panels
Drapery Rods – Lowe’s
Sconces – RH Baby and Child
Mirror – gift from my mom (Restoration Hardware)
Rocking Horse – gift from my mom (from RH Baby and Child)
Urns on Fireplace – Seasons in Williamsburg (years ago on clearance)

I hope you all have a fabulous Wednesday!

In Everything Give Thanks
My Parent's Guest Room (New Rug!)
View Related Posts

Share

Project Source List

73 thoughts on “Darker Gray Cabinets and Our Marble Review”

  1. Beautiful kitchen and home! I am drooling over those dark gray cabinets, marble and wood tones! You are so awesome at what you do!!!

  5. I'm intrigued that you used cup pulls and handles. Most of the time I see knobs used with cup pulls. I have been pondering the right combination for my laundry room (the cup pulls are already ordered), and I think you just expanded my options.

  6. Oh Jennifer – I was secretly hoping that you would go with the darker grey – it looks absolutely beautiful!!! It complements the countertops and backsplash perfectly – great job!
    Good luck with the kitchen table hunt…I like your idea of maybe trying something round!
    Have a great weekend!
    Leah: )

  7. Gorgeous as always! So you actually inspired me to paint my cabinets back in February. I love them (I chose white) and I'm so glad I did! I have a question about your hinges- I know you had painted over them the first time…did you do that again this time? The hinges are my only issue cause on some the paint is peeling. Have you had this problem? Any advice? Thank you! I love your style and everything about your home:)

    1. Thank you, Megan! We actually haven't had any issues with peeling yet, but I have to admit I am a little surprised. I figured at some point I would have to worry about it, but so far it hasn't been a problem.

  8. its beautiful! we have pretty much the same layout and im curious how high your ceilings are? i have 8 ft and we are going to add beams…im just torn between painting them white or having them stained..any thoughts/opinions would be appreciated 🙂 love your style

    1. Thanks! We have 8' as well. I wish they were a foot higher so that the beams were higher, but unfortunately there's not much we can do about that 🙂

  10. ABSOLUTELY STUNNING!!! That's all I can say… well done:0) !!!! Loving your choices! I'm going to consider painting our cabinets like this when we move into our new home. Thank you for sharing!
    Smiles!
    Terry

  11. Beautiful! I have a round/oval table and I wish I didn't. It was great before we had kids, but it doesn't really work well when both kids are doing homework or crafts. Oh, but, it's fine for eating! lol

  12. It's extraordinary! I LOVE the gray and of course, NEED to know why you went darker. Mainly because I'm about to paint ours in our small galley kitchen. Light gray on top and deeper on bottom. LOVE all the true befores and afters!!!! THank you for sharing this with us!!

  14. I'm so in love with your kitchen! I would like to do something similar to ours for sure!
    Thank you for sharing!!

  15. It is so beautiful. I would love to know why you painted them darker. We are really wanting to paint our cabinets and trying to find the right color so I would love to know your reasoning for repainting them!

    1. I think the higher gray often got mistaken for white, and I wanted it to be more obvious that they were gray. I also thought this color look better with our marble. I thought the old color looked a little "blah" once the marble was installed.

  16. Beautiful!! I absolutely love your entire home! I'm wanting to install a farmhouse sink. For ghe cabinet doors underneath, did you have to purchase new doors or did you retrofit the ones that were there? My husband isn't so convinced about this style of sink yet because of the door situation

  17. It does look so beautiful and a place that one would enjoy working in. I have always loved round table, but for some reason I really like the rectangular look now. I love this table and how it looks especially when you show the full view of everything. Your home is just that, a home!! Enjoy!!!

  18. Your home is so beautiful, in such a short time you've done soooo much! I have a gray painted walls kitchen due to the type of tile that is used in my counters eventually would like to take that out and put in honed carrera marble of butcher block, maybe I'll go more of the farmhouse look might fit my budget better. I have a faucet in my bathroom from Signature hardware and would like to possibly get a farmhouse sink from them, what do you think about yours? I'm not at all happy with my Lowes bathroom cabinet I put in bathroom, it's beautiful but we only put it in a year ago and the drawers are getting stuck and it's cracking due to moisture. Not at all happy. I value your opinion. I'm a big fan of Joan too!! Would love to visit both of you if I ever make it to the EAST Coast!

  19. Jen- I have looking for the PERFECT gray to paint our cabinets and I think that this is pretty darn close…it looks amazing! Did you paint them yourselves?

  21. How absolutely gorgeous! I love the gray you chose, everything looks beautiful, and I love the suspended lights above the counter. Beautiful!

  22. Jennifer, I love following your updates! You inspired me to build a cubby built in in my back hallway and my husband is loving our new look with all things gray! We have just finished painting our 2 story family room today! I have a question about your painted brick in FR…..is the paint watered down or did you add white to the color? I painted our basement fireplace in an opaque color but really like your look for my upstairs

    1. Thanks! I just poured some water in a little cereal bowl and then added paint (Simply White by Benjamin Moore). I would say it was about 50/50 if I had to guess. I went over it twice–the first time there wasn't enough coverage.

  24. Gorgeous! One question… did I miss it or do you plan a post on your diy stove hood? I've been looking for a good one for over a year!

  27. Hi I was wondering if you could tell me what size your farmhouse sink is & and if you are happy with the size…Im ready to order and not sure if I should go with the 30inch or 33 inch…what brand did you get from signature hardware ? so many to choose from 🙂 thanks so much
    Shannon

  30. Can you please tell me where your kitchen roman shade curtain is from? I must have missed it in the listing of project items. Thank you! Beautiful….beautiful!

  32. How do you paint your cabinets? With a roller, sprayer, paint brush? Also do you use a sealer/wax after using the semi gloss paint?

  34. Thank you! I typed another comment first but I guess it didn't come through. The other thing I was wondering is when you used brushes and foam brushes did you have problems with streaks? I was thinking of spraying ours, did you ever consider spraying?
    I LOVE your house! You're so talented!

  36. Hi Jennifer. I really adore your style of decor. The kitchen looks beautiful and you are inspiring me to start on our very large kitchen by myself. I noticed you replaced your cabinet hardware again. The whole mixing of metals is probably my biggest decision. Why did you change from the wrought iron to the nickel hardware? What are your thoughts on mixing metals?

    1. Thank you! When we first painted the kitchen we had no idea what we were going to use for the sink faucet so we went with the darker pulls. Once we chose that later down the road we liked the idea of a little more "sparkle" on the cabinets to coordinate with the new faucet (plus we felt like they would show up better on the darker cabinetry). We actually don't mind mixing metals too much though!

  40. This is incredible! Your kitchen is my inspiration. We are starting our kitchen renovation and I am so overwhelmed! I love what you did with yours!!

  41. Ive never followed a blog or even looked at one for that matter. I LOVE your dining room! We just bought our first house and I literally have it designed down to a T so close to your color schemes and everything. Ive been on this page several times never realizing it was the same house! I love it and I'm so glad I can get a picture of how my house will look once we start the painting process next week before move in!

  42. Job well done…in all rooms. Absolutely beautiful! Can you tell me where you purchased the stripped window treatment over the kitchen window? I'm struggling as to whether I need to leave windows plain or just a little something.

  44. I have a question about your facuet, I have been looking at purchasing it and was wondering if it swivels so you could use it on both sides of a double sink. On the website one review says it does but another comment says it does not. Thanks!! Rhiannon

    1. Hi, Debbie! That was an item we made in our shop a few years back, but unfortunately at the moment we don't have any plans to bring it back any time soon–sorry!

      -Jason

  47. I would love to know your process of painting the cabinets. I have a stained wood color on mine currently and wondered if you guys sanded them down before painting?

  50. Hi! We have 60s cabinets with exposed hinges. Did they hold up well after you painted them? This will be the second kitchen we have painted (first we took all the cabinet doors down) and we would LOVE to avoid that again! This is also not a long term house!

Comments are closed.