WELCOME to CAROLINA PANACHE! I believe our homes should be a haven, a place of beauty and peace that reflect who we are and what's important to us. I'm on a journey to add personality and panache to every corner of my house. For me, good design evolves, grows and changes with the needs of one's lifestyle. I want my home to be creative, to be stylish, to be entertaining, to be real. I hope you will join me on my journey. It's always more fun to travel together.
This blog is all about bringing style and elegance to the home. The art of dressing your home goes beyond hanging a few items on the wall and arranging furniture. Much like a fabulous set of earrings or a new stylish handbag may take your little black dress from fine to fabulous, home accesories and key furnishings can take your rooms from ho-hum to singing the Halleluiah Chorus! Join with me as we discover new ways to add panache to every room of the house.

Kitchen Island Makeover - Part 1

For the most part I am okay with my kitchen. It's not my dream kitchen but it's functional and spacious. I have a lot of cabinet and pantry storage and that's a huge benefit. When I moved into this house a couple of years ago, it was such a wonderful change from the tiny little kitchen I had in my Florida home that I was just thrilled. After living in the house for a while there are some things that I would like to "makeover". When we moved in (sorry, I can't find the disc with the pictures) the counters were an ugly pinky-beige laminate. We replaced those with smooth Italian tile. I also wanted (at the time) the counters to blend with the color of the natural Maple cabinets. Looking back, I wish I would have gone with a little more contrast. That brings me to my next project - a kitchen island makeover. This is the island presently. What I want to do is add beadboard to the sides and back (where the bar stools set) and paint the entire island black. I want to add features that elevate the island to a piece of furniture rather than a rectangular box of cabinets in the middle of the floor.

I plan to keep the tiled counter. Each tile has little flecks of dark espresso colored variations. By painting the island black, I believe the dark tones in the tile will really pop.

We replaced all the cabinet hardware when we moved in. The previous knobs were brass and weren't my style. I opted for two styles both in brushed nickle. The drawers feature cup pulls and the doors have an egg-shaped knob. I will reuse these once the island make over is complete.

I really like the wood-tone of the hardwood floors. By painting the island black, I am hoping to add a richness to the kitchen and punch up the contrast. While the cabinets are solid maple, the sides and back of the island are a maple laminate which I've never liked. By replacing the laminate with a solid wood beadboard and then unifying the whole island with a nice coat of black paint I hope it will add a touch of drama and elegance.

Off-white appliances and a cream colored porcelain sink was the name of the game when we moved in. The appliances had not been cared for and the sink was chipped. Mr. Panache is very handy so he replaced the sink with a deep, double-sided sink from Thermocast in black and all of the appliances were replaced with stainless steel units trimmed with black accents. We painted the walls a light golden yellow - Laura Ashley Gold 2 - from Lowes. At first I liked the light and bright feel but now I want a more saturated color to add the desired contrast between the walls and the cabinets. There is one wall in the kitchen (not pictured) that is painted a Anjou pear green. I am considering that color for all the walls in the kitchen but I am going to wait until after we've finished with the island to decide.
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When taking on a project like this, it is always a good idea to get plenty of inspiration and research your products. My first inspiration came from Pat at Back Porch Musings. She had her kitchen island painted black and it turned out lovely.
Then, Debra K at the Bunnies Bungalow also featured a sassy island makeover in red. I love the furniture details she added. Those details really add panache to the overall kitchen. I later found that Rhoda at Southern Hospitality featured a cabinet makeover for her bathroom vanity. She actually painted a white laminate vanity black! It turned out beautiful!!!
The Nester featured an island makeover completed by her sister and I noticed that while her island was painted white, the cabinets in the background were painted black. So I e-mailed the Nester to see if I could get any insider tips. She was so helpful and provided some great ideas, tips and techniques. She also gave me a link to the site of a professional painter. It was full of important things to consider when you undertake a painting project such as cabinets.
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This week I will spend time researching the project and making a list of supplies needed. Next week Mr. Panache and I hope to get started. I am not sure how long this little project will take but I don't want to rush it. The most important thing when painting cabinets is to prep the surface fully and wait one day between each coat of paint. Since a new island isn't in the budget this month, I want to take my time and get a great finish. Hope you will stay tuned for updates and pictures of our progress.
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Tomorrow is Outdoor Wednesday and I plan to feature some outdoor living inspiration. My deck is in need of some TLC and I'm on the search for a new outdoor dining table. I'm looking for a good second-hand piece that will seat at least six. We've made it through the cold wintery months, now it's time to get outside again and enjoy the crisp morning air while having a cup of coffee or the evening breezes while dining al fresco. I hope you will stop by. Until then,
Happy Decorating!
~Alisa







39 comments:

"Blossom" said...

I have the same delima that you have. So many of us who want to do the same thing could you post your research and prep tools and paint used. I would appreciate it and so would others gals out here who want to do the same thing to their kitchen island. Thank you
blossom

Sue said...

Oh how exciting. Our little blog world is so helpful for giving us all great ideas. Good luck with your project and I can't wait to see the progress.
Hugs,
Sue

Marty@A Stroll Thru Life said...

Painting the island black will look absolutely fabulous. When we redid the counter on ours one thing we did that really gave the island a little character is to add some great corbels under the overhang breakfast part of the counter. Since you're hoping for a more furniture looking piece, you might consider that. I did a really early post on my kitchen, you can take a look if you're interested. Can't wait to see the finished job. Hugs, Marty

Sandra said...

oooh! I am looking forward to seeing your finished job! I bet it's going to look wonderful! I just repainted a chest and twin beds to black with the distressed look and they all look great. I love it!
Have a great day!
Sandra

momof3girls said...

can't wait to see it! good luck!

Kym said...

I too saw the kitchen island makeovers on Pat and Rhodas blogs and love the results. I am thinking of doing the same to my kitchen island. I will be keeping an eye on your progress to get some inspiration and tips from you.
Good Luck!

redsoxmom said...

Can't wait to see how it turns out and how the process goes. I would love to do this in my b/w kitchen to my island, but I'm not sure if hubby will go for it. Now that I know that the laminate can be painted if you use the right products, I may be able to convince him. If I could just get the countertops replaced we'd be set! Anyway, I'm looking forward to hearing all about it! I hope it turns out exactly how you planned (or better!).
Blessings,
Linda

Scribbler said...

You are most definitely on the right track!

The black island will be stunning -- beadboard is great for adding texture.

I can't wait to see your results.

Scribbler

Scribbler said...

P. S. I forgot to add -- paint your barstools! A contrasting color would be good, I think.



Scribbler

Terrie's Lil' Piece of Serenity said...

It sounds like you have some great ideas. I can't wait to see the final results. I hope you post as you go along with your project. It would be fun to watch.

Kathleen Ellis said...

Wow...this is a great project that should make a big impact for not a lot of $$$...a bit of time, yes...but that's ok!
Can't wait to see it completed!
;-D

Unknown said...

This looks wonderful! I believe you are headed in the right direction. I always enjoy your blog. Thank you so much for sharing with all of us.

Rhoda @ Southern Hospitality said...

Hi, Alisa, you've been busy! I can't wait to see your island makeover. Thanks for the link to my cabinet. Your plans sound great for it, perfect.

And how fun that you were on that neato TV show. I wish I had found out before the 20th & I would have tuned in to see you both. Congrats!

Ashley ~ said...

Just saying hello and as always, loving what you're sharing in the blog*! _Ashley*

Blondie's Journal said...

I agree that the island (and a lot of islands) looks like a box in the middle of the room rather than a piece of furniture. I like your ideas. Sounds like black is the new white!!

Keep us posted!

xoxo
Jane

Unknown said...

I can't wait to see it all done! I love when you get that first inspirational idea..no telling where you will go after that!

Pat@Back Porch Musings said...

Alisa I am looking forward to your island project! Thanks so much for linking to my island post.

I wish I had room for corbels on my island; I would have definitely added them when we did the little makeover.

The Stylish House said...

Alisa,
This is going to look fabulous, a big two thumbs up from me! I can't wait to see how it turns out.
~Cathy~

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