A Quick Kitchen Storage Makeover

Lucianna Samu

Being organized in the kitchen may be about time and discipline, but it always feels like it's about having one more cabinet.  Determined to transform an open display pantry into a place to stash the red Tupperware and Macaroni and Cheese box I prefer to keep out of sight, I've cooked up a paint solution.  What's more, my husband will never again be in trouble for forgetting where to put the soup cans, labels facing forwards please . . .

I haven't consulted the NKBA on this, but I think it's safe to estimate that the average American kitchen has twenty running feet of cabinets and counter surface.  Compared to, oh, say, Julia Child's kitchen, that's a whole lot of space.  So, for the sake of keeping the conversation organized, let's assume we're storing our kitchen gadgets and food in 300 square feet of space.  Seems like that should do. . . . unless, of course, all the storage is open.  I've been loath to complain about my kitchen, but my open shelf design requires an awful lot of neatness.  So it's instant hidden storage, and enduring peace and harmony in a sort of messy pantry cabinet, thanks to a new take on an enduring paint technique called verre eglomise.

The Italians have been painting on the back of glass since the 13th century.  I figure polyurethane products have come a long way since the time when all roads led to Rome, so I thought I'd have a go at painting the front side of glass.  Ordinarily, I would prepare glass for paint using a chemical specifically formulated for glass.  I did not set out to "key," or etch, glass willingly with polyurethane.  But the cabinet guys sprayed the entire cabinet door with poly, glass and all, and I've tried everything I know, short of paint stripper to remove it.  A polyurethane etching . . . hhmm.  Well, it's been subjected to every cleaner and abrasive for a few years now and no amount of washing, with orange, blue, green, or powdered detergent, has compromised the adhesion of the poly to the glass.  A good enough result for me to move ahead and stop worrying about the paint staying put over the glass!

Andy got the straight painting of the door out of the way with two coats of Soft Chamois OC-13, a match to the existing painted kitchen cabinets.

Now, for verre eglomise, the back of the glass would be painted--often a complicated, layered design done in reverse.  But here's Esmond going right over the front of the etched glass using matte Aura Stonecutter 2135-20.

Stencils make me dizzy so I had the stencil custom made by Victoria Larsen Stencils to fit between the door muntins, and put my time to better use, fine tuning the color options.

Over two coats of the nearly black Stonecutter, we added a coat of Benjamin Moore's Studio Finish in Bronze.  This would form the grid pattern in the stencil, which the stencil is covering in this picture.  Getting dizzy just explaining this . . .

Playing with some colors on paint can tops--ahh, the instant sample making tricks we use to get things figured out!

Here's something else I never do either--make a sample right on the wall or the thing I'm going to paint.  Glad I have Esmond my artist friend and true fan of the wild side of paint techniques around for moral support!  The white is sort of interesting and then we tried Blueberry 2063-30 over the Bronze.

While we all love the blue, which has an added highlight, it's a little glam, too much for my all-white kitchen concept.  Esmond suggested black and got right to it.  We stood debating all three colors for a good long while, and added the designer's trick of consulting our fabric selection for reference.  Surprise, surprise, the black and bronze won out.  Which would you have picked?

Two coats of low luster Stays Clear Polyurethane, brushed over the stencil work, will ensure the paint will endure the constant assault of cleaning.  As I'm writing this, I've decided I will actually do a Verre Eglomise in a very 'now' way.  Watch for that!

Next time, I'll show you my absolutely favorite grey, which you'll want to add to your list of go-to colors for the kitchen.

Stay colorful!
Lu

Comments

[Lucianna Samu]

Kathie, I thought the blue seemed especially chic French. I'm just so glad I can't see the mess anymore!

[Lucianna Samu]

Thanks for reading. I hope you'll continue to check in with us. We're all about cool and neat here and there are plenty more ideas to come. Spread the word.

[Lucianna Samu]

Thanks Marcia. I've got a great idea for the inside of the door now too. So be sure to check back. I wish neatness didn't count quite so much. But I couldn't be happier with my results.

[Lucianna Samu]

AND I don't have to worry about cleaning all that glass anymore.

[Lucianna Samu]

Thanks for following Claudia! Happy to have you here with us and always anxious to have your comments and feedback.

[Kathie]

Love it...in any of the three variations. I think the black and bronze looks best in the kitchen, however. The blue seems a tad more, I don't know, decorative? It might be pretty in a bath or bedroom...perhaps in the right living room.

[plumbing]

The transformation looks pretty cool. It looks very neat. I am very glad that I have visited your post. It is very interesting.

[marcia greene]

I like it - makes me think - paid extra for glass doors on one big cabinet - looks very nice, but wasted space - as you said everything must be neat and showy - Good job Lu - And yes the directions do make one dizzy

[foolery]

Great idea, and much cleaner than an open cupboard. Very elegant!

[Claudia]

Stunning! Thanks for sharing!