My kitchen project.....

This is the after. 

Where have I been you ask?  I have been painting my kitchen.  Those of you who have done this project need no further explanation as to my recent disappearance.  Those of you who have not attempted it probably don't understand the scope to which this can overtake your life.  :) 
This kitchen has bothered me since the moment we looked at the house.  I loved everything about this house except for the kitchen and have spent many hours contemplating it, pouring over it, and finally decided to change it.  Here's the process. 
P.S.  I didn't take a proper before picture because I forgot.  I am still getting used to the whole "document what I am doing"  idea.  I promise to try harder.  :)

This is what the kitchen looked like when we first looked at the house almost three years ago. 
I have since painted the house a beautiful shade of beige called "Gobi Desert" which I loved but reduced this kitchen to a mind numbing beige wonderland.  The thing is, this is a nice kitchen, granite counter tops, under mount sink, real wood cabinets, all good things.  I fought changing it but when it really came down to it, I didn't like it. 

 First I cleaned the cabinet faces and bases with an oil-removing soap.  Take your time with this step.  Then let everything dry.  (Yes, I know I need to reorganize what is in my cupboards.)

 This is the primer I used.  It covers even the shiniest of surfaces.  I really didn't want to sand my cabinet doors and this did the trick beautifully.  You can even prime over tile with this stuff - amazing!  I did two coats on everything.  I used rollers that are specifically made for cabinets.

Primed.  I can't stand it when I have a messy kitchen so this literally gave me nightmares for several nights.

Two coats of paint on the front and the back of each cabinet.  I used a brush for the crevices first and then went over with the special roller to remove brush strokes.  I think it worked very well.  Allow plenty of dry time between coats.  This took a lot of patience for me. 

We decided to add oil rubbed bronze hardware to the cabinets.  I love how they look.  Our granite has flecks of bronze and black so it goes nicely. 

We added a pendant light fixture above the sink and I am in love with it!  It is oil rubbed bronze with a blown glass shade in a rope pattern.

I love how light and airy it feels now. 

I found this little runner at Ross and love  the pop of color it adds to an otherwise monochromatic space.  I have a thing for turquoise and red together - my favorite combination.  :)

If you ever decide to tackle a kitchen redo just remember to be patient, it takes a while.  :)