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A Spring Refresh for a Lighter, Brighter Look

Apr 11, 2016

Hi blog friends!! With spring in the air, many of us are redoing and reorganizing our homes to lighten, brighten and make our spaces more functional! I wanted to share a sweet client’s home that I’ve been working on over the years and show what she has done to refresh her spaces.

But, first, it’s time to reveal the winner of last week’s giveaway!!!

Segreto Secrets - Kristy Harvey second book giveaway - Lies and Other Acts of Love

Congratulations, Natalie S. – you’ve won a free copy of Kristy Woodson Harvey’s new book, Lies and Other Acts of Love! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!!

Now, back to the incredible transformation of Amy’s home….

A Spring Refresh for a Lighter, Brighter Look - Segreto Secrets Blog!

When Amy purchased her home, all of the cabinetry was dark, stained wood, and there were so many different colors, textures and surfaces in each space. To avoid a complicated construction project and stay budget-friendly, we decided to tackle most of the changes with paint.

A Spring Refresh for a Lighter, Brighter Look - Segreto Secrets Blog!

The first revision was to paint and glaze the cabinetry and to lighten the range hood. A huge difference!

A Spring Refresh for a Lighter, Brighter Look - Segreto Secrets Blog!

Still wanting a fresher feel, Amy later changed out the counter on the center island to a light Taj Mahal quartzite. She was hoping that, by just changing the island top, she wouldn’t feel it necessary to go to the expense of changing all the counters in the space. After reading the blog about my senior designer’s kitchen makeover, she called me for a consult and asked if painting the slick ceramic tile in her kitchen would work.

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We agreed that painting the tile would help detract from the green counters and further simplify the space. As a side note, I wanted to show how she had a leftover piece of quartzite from her island cut to cover the grill section she never used range. It’s the perfect place to store oils and cutting boards!

A Spring Refresh for a Lighter, Brighter Look - Segreto Secrets Blog!

Priming the tile first with a XIM primer, the tiles were ready to paint! We added white to Benjamin Moore Manchester Tan (HC-81), which was her cabinet base color, to create subtle shades of the same tone.

A Spring Refresh for a Lighter, Brighter Look - Segreto Secrets Blog!

Look how beautiful the finished product is! What a change!! Notice the new island counter as well.

Segreto Finishes - Lighter Brighter Pantry - Before

While I was there, Amy also showed me her closet and pantry redo!! Inspired by the organization challenge blog we ran last spring, she decided to tackle her own spaces. Here is her pantry before! Although the room’s a nice size, all the little cubicles were just not functional, and with the door frequently open, it was an eyesore from the kitchen.

A Spring Refresh for a Lighter, Brighter Look - Segreto Secrets Blog!

Here is the after! What a difference and so much more functional!!! I loved it so much I advised her to take off the door and keep it open to the kitchen! Who wouldn’t want to show this space off!!

A Spring Refresh for a Lighter, Brighter Look - Segreto Secrets Blog!

She purchased this wall hanging storage system from Ikea, painted it and hung it on wall opposite the counters, giving her extra storage.

A Spring Refresh for a Lighter, Brighter Look - Segreto Secrets Blog!

Inside, the cabinets are just as orderly. With lazy Susans, labels and baskets from The Container Store, she has everything at her fingertips.

A Spring Refresh for a Lighter, Brighter Look - Segreto Secrets Blog!

These risers not only gained her more space but made it easy to see all of her items.

A Spring Refresh for a Lighter, Brighter Look - Segreto Secrets Blog!

I have always felt Amy was so talented at arranging her shelves, and I adore what she did here!

A Spring Refresh for a Lighter, Brighter Look - Segreto Secrets Blog!

Love all her silver mixed with white!

Segreto Secrets blog!

Moving to her bathroom, we painted and glazed all the dark-stained wood cabinets. Loving the fresher feel, she wanted to make the same change to her closet.

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This was it before! For a lighter look, she painted the cabinetry light and took out the center island.

A Spring Refresh for a Lighter, Brighter Look - Segreto Secrets Blog!

What a difference this made! With the new chandelier, cowhide rug and the bench she scored from Marshalls HomeGoods for $250, Amy’s closet now has that bit of Hollywood glam she had always wanted. Pup Charlie loves it too!

A Spring Refresh for a Lighter, Brighter Look - Segreto Secrets Blog!

On the opposite side, she had a three-way mirror already built in.

A Spring Refresh for a Lighter, Brighter Look - Segreto Secrets Blog!

Amy decided to create a jewelry armoire hidden behind the mirror, so she bought the slat wall panels, acrylic trays and chrome hooks for necklaces from Store Supply.  Everything is so reasonably priced and they ship same day!

A Spring Refresh for a Lighter, Brighter Look - Segreto Secrets Blog!

She designed the other side to hang belts and scarves.

A Spring Refresh for a Lighter, Brighter Look - Segreto Secrets Blog!

With space under her hanging clothes, she added acrylic drawers from The Container Store to store all her sandals!

A Spring Refresh for a Lighter, Brighter Look - Segreto Secrets Blog!

One last before picture to show you! Here was her living room on our initial meeting!!

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And here’s a sneak peek of the after!!! Amy’s a firm believer in the power of paint! She did such a fabulous refresh that I featured other areas of her home in Segreto Style, pages 248-253.

Join me at DASH (Design • Art • Style • Home) on April 22nd!!!

DASH Spring Market is coming up - Segreto

The Spring DASH is coming up, April 22nd through 24th!!! I’ll be there Friday evening the 22nd at the First DASH Preview Party signing books and giving some tips about design, re-finishing, decorating and more! Find out more and get your tickets here! See you then!

Hope you all have a great week and a chance to do some spring cleaning! Till next week!

xo, Leslie


20 Comments
  • Amy C.
    Posted at 07:39h, 11 April Reply

    Leslie thank you so much for including our home on your blog! You have been such an inspiration to me and it’s been so fun to see our home transformed by your talented artists! I look forward to seeing you soon for the next project!!

  • Kris in Seattle
    Posted at 10:05h, 11 April Reply

    I am keeping this post for painting out tile and cabinets! The lighter colors especially in closets are so much better
    Not so dark and closed in! Great job

    • Leslie Sinclair
      Posted at 05:41h, 13 April Reply

      Thanks Chris! Lightening and brightening makes so much of a difference. thanks so much for following and hope this is helpful in your own home!!! Have a great week!

  • Denise
    Posted at 12:44h, 11 April Reply

    I have very good dark kitchen cabinets that we put in 15 years ago. This post inspires me to want to make a change and paint them lighter. I’m in Tampa, Florida and have no idea how and where to start. Obviously, it takes someone who really knows what they are doing to make the cabinets look natural and flawless. Do you suggest spraying or hand painting? What kind of primer and glaze. Any suggestions or potential references for tackling such a job would be appreciated.

    • Leslie Sinclair
      Posted at 05:40h, 13 April Reply

      Hi Denise! You are so lucky to live near such a wonderful body of water!!If you have stained cabinets you will need to sand, prime and layer with two coats of paint. They can be sprayed or hand painted. a good painter should be able to master this. Find a finisher in your area and really make sure you like their samples–Cleaner looks that do not appear messy really last the test of time the longest. Inspiration photos are the best way to explain to them what you would like. I don’t know if you own the Segreto books but they are packed full of glazed cabinet samples. Let me know how your project is going! Hope this helps!

      • Denise
        Posted at 20:20h, 16 April Reply

        Thank you for the hints, gives me a place to start. Where can I find one of your books? Also, do you need to take the cabinets down to bare wood?
        Must be a very dusty process!! Y’all are so talented!

  • Cathy
    Posted at 16:37h, 11 April Reply

    Hello Leslie,
    The painted cabinets look fantastic! We need to do the same with ours.
    Love them,
    Cathy Z.

    • Leslie Sinclair
      Posted at 05:36h, 13 April Reply

      Thank you! I loved the change! t doesn’t look like the same home!! Have a great week!

  • Teresa Andersen
    Posted at 00:29h, 12 April Reply

    Beautiful home.
    I have one question…not really related to this post…but was wondering if you have ever faux finished a kitchen hood to look like copper….would love a link to that post…or perhaps a few little guidelines to help me create the effect on my range hood. Thanks so much.

    • Leslie Sinclair
      Posted at 05:35h, 13 April Reply

      Hi Teresa! We do a lot to look like metal but mostly zinc! We will have some examples of that in Segreto vignettes and do have one in Segreto style page 266. We typically start with a black or silver base coat depending on how light or dark you would like the finish. Then we layer with a series of transparent metallic paints we mix with glaze. the metallic we use are from Modern Masters. Hope this helps!!!

  • Natalie S.
    Posted at 15:00h, 12 April Reply

    Sooo excited about winning the book! Thank you Leslie! And now I want to go home and reorganize my pantry as well….

    • Leslie Sinclair
      Posted at 05:32h, 13 April Reply

      Congratulations!! You will love it!!! Send me pics of that pantry!

  • Karena
    Posted at 16:59h, 12 April Reply

    So impressive Leslie! A gorgeous home and transformation for Spring!

    xoxo
    Karena
    The Arts by Karena

    • Leslie Sinclair
      Posted at 05:31h, 13 April Reply

      She is such a talented homeowner and so fun to work with!! Loved your blog this week! xo Leslie

  • pam
    Posted at 16:52h, 13 April Reply

    Beautiful! Can you tell me where to get the light fixture above the island? Love it!

    • Leslie Sinclair
      Posted at 06:23h, 14 April Reply

      Hi Pam! I believe it’s by Gabby Home. Amy bought hers at Laurie’s in Tomball but I just saw it at Lam Bespoke.

      • Pam
        Posted at 09:01h, 14 April Reply

        Thank you!

  • michele@hellolovely
    Posted at 20:55h, 13 April Reply

    such a testament to what a talented team with paint can do to transform a space! i love the freshness of the new look, and it does not feel at all cold. the bathroom is also gorgeous and refreshed. bravo, segreto!

    • Leslie Sinclair
      Posted at 06:23h, 14 April Reply

      Hi Lovely Michelle! It was so fun seeing the transformation on this one! super cool! xo

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