Before and After: 5 Beautiful Blue-and-White Kitchen Makeovers
See how this great color combination transformed these outdated spaces
You can’t really go wrong with blue and white in the kitchen. White keeps things light and refreshing while blue can be so many things depending on its tone — soothing, warm, cool, vibrant. Plus, blue complements wood beautifully, so it works great with wood floors, stools, accents and more. For further proof, check out the following blue-and-white kitchen transformations.
After: Swartz expanded the kitchen by extending it into the former dining area. This allowed her to create some breathing room between the appliances. She moved the fridge to the far right and positioned the new induction range on the back wall.
Base cabinet paint: Naval, Sherwin-Williams; wall and area above laundry paint: Lazy Gray, Sherwin-Williams
Read more about this two-tone transformation
Base cabinet paint: Naval, Sherwin-Williams; wall and area above laundry paint: Lazy Gray, Sherwin-Williams
Read more about this two-tone transformation
2. Powder Blue and Calming White
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Bill and Lisa Cleaver and their two kids, one in high school and one in college
Location: Glen Ellyn, Illinois
Size: 292 square feet (27 square meters)
Designer: Susan Klimala of The Kitchen Studio of Glen Ellyn
Before: This view of the existing kitchen from the family room shows how the brown-and-beige palette coupled with the raised peninsula storage feature and dropped ceiling created a dark and cramped-feeling space.
The peninsula was a major source of frustration for homeowner Lisa Cleaver. “It was very tall, and you couldn’t even tell if anyone was in the family room,” she says. “It just didn’t allow the rooms to flow together.”
Designer Susan Klimala and her team investigated and discovered that the dropped ceiling was mostly decorative. “With the exception of a little bit of work to some plumbing from an upstairs bathroom and rerouting of the ventilation system within the original floor joists, we were in the clear,” she says.
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Bill and Lisa Cleaver and their two kids, one in high school and one in college
Location: Glen Ellyn, Illinois
Size: 292 square feet (27 square meters)
Designer: Susan Klimala of The Kitchen Studio of Glen Ellyn
Before: This view of the existing kitchen from the family room shows how the brown-and-beige palette coupled with the raised peninsula storage feature and dropped ceiling created a dark and cramped-feeling space.
The peninsula was a major source of frustration for homeowner Lisa Cleaver. “It was very tall, and you couldn’t even tell if anyone was in the family room,” she says. “It just didn’t allow the rooms to flow together.”
Designer Susan Klimala and her team investigated and discovered that the dropped ceiling was mostly decorative. “With the exception of a little bit of work to some plumbing from an upstairs bathroom and rerouting of the ventilation system within the original floor joists, we were in the clear,” she says.
After: This photo, taken from about the same angle as the previous one, shows the updated kitchen with the dropped ceiling removed. “It makes such a huge difference in the feel of the space,” Klimala says.
She also removed the peninsula and added an island, which she rotated to create better flow and more openness with the family room.
Lisa and husband Bill delayed the start of the renovation for about four weeks while they decided on the color for the base of the island. They considered going with gray but are happy they decided on light blue (Providence Blue by Benjamin Moore), which contrasts nicely with the soothing gray walls (Metropolitan by Benjamin Moore) and the dark brown-and-ebony-stained red oak floors.
Read more about this powder blue makeover
She also removed the peninsula and added an island, which she rotated to create better flow and more openness with the family room.
Lisa and husband Bill delayed the start of the renovation for about four weeks while they decided on the color for the base of the island. They considered going with gray but are happy they decided on light blue (Providence Blue by Benjamin Moore), which contrasts nicely with the soothing gray walls (Metropolitan by Benjamin Moore) and the dark brown-and-ebony-stained red oak floors.
Read more about this powder blue makeover
3. Inky Blue and Creamy White
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Michael and Lindsay Garea and their two young daughters
Location: Shelter Island, New York
Size: 330 square feet (31 square meters)
Designers: Caitlin Flynn and Elyse Parkhurst of North Fork Design
Before: Prior to the renovation, the kitchen had a worn tile floor, dark wood cabinets, a mishmash of appliances and a large fluorescent ceiling light. The wall on the right closed the kitchen off completely to the living room. Not exactly the entertaining kitchen the homeowners were looking for. “The dark wood didn’t provide that light feeling you want in a beach house,” designer Elyse Parkhurst says.
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Michael and Lindsay Garea and their two young daughters
Location: Shelter Island, New York
Size: 330 square feet (31 square meters)
Designers: Caitlin Flynn and Elyse Parkhurst of North Fork Design
Before: Prior to the renovation, the kitchen had a worn tile floor, dark wood cabinets, a mishmash of appliances and a large fluorescent ceiling light. The wall on the right closed the kitchen off completely to the living room. Not exactly the entertaining kitchen the homeowners were looking for. “The dark wood didn’t provide that light feeling you want in a beach house,” designer Elyse Parkhurst says.
After: The designers removed the wall between the kitchen and living room and replaced it with a peninsula, creating more connection between the two spaces.
They removed the old peninsula to fit in a new island and extended the wall cabinets to expand the size of the kitchen by 45 square feet. Parkhurst took a sliding door down to a single door to gain the extra wall space for more cabinetry.
White painted semicustom maple cabinets join creamy off-white walls with a touch of yellow (Vanilla Milkshake by Benjamin Moore), white subway tile and marble-like quartz countertops for a light and bright look.
The base of the center island gives the kitchen a pop of blue (Inky Blue by Sherwin-Williams) and nods to the home’s vicinity to the beach.
Read more about this beachy makeover
They removed the old peninsula to fit in a new island and extended the wall cabinets to expand the size of the kitchen by 45 square feet. Parkhurst took a sliding door down to a single door to gain the extra wall space for more cabinetry.
White painted semicustom maple cabinets join creamy off-white walls with a touch of yellow (Vanilla Milkshake by Benjamin Moore), white subway tile and marble-like quartz countertops for a light and bright look.
The base of the center island gives the kitchen a pop of blue (Inky Blue by Sherwin-Williams) and nods to the home’s vicinity to the beach.
Read more about this beachy makeover
4. Dark Blue and Snowy White
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Jennifer and Kelly Gallagher — she’s a landscaper and baker, he’s a financial adviser — and their two whippet-Italian greyhound dogs.
Location: Corvallis, Oregon
Size: 450 square feet (42 square meters)
Designer: Tinsa Schweitzer of Schweitzer Design & Build
Before: Jennifer and Kelly Gallagher have always liked cooking together but felt their existing kitchen wasn’t set up to support that. They also wanted more space for guests to hang out. “Any good party ends up in the kitchen,” Jennifer says. “No matter how much food you put out in the living room, people always just bring it back into the kitchen.” The white linoleum floors, Harvest Gold laminate countertops and honey-colored cabinets also weren’t cutting it for the couple.
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Jennifer and Kelly Gallagher — she’s a landscaper and baker, he’s a financial adviser — and their two whippet-Italian greyhound dogs.
Location: Corvallis, Oregon
Size: 450 square feet (42 square meters)
Designer: Tinsa Schweitzer of Schweitzer Design & Build
Before: Jennifer and Kelly Gallagher have always liked cooking together but felt their existing kitchen wasn’t set up to support that. They also wanted more space for guests to hang out. “Any good party ends up in the kitchen,” Jennifer says. “No matter how much food you put out in the living room, people always just bring it back into the kitchen.” The white linoleum floors, Harvest Gold laminate countertops and honey-colored cabinets also weren’t cutting it for the couple.
After: This photo is taken from generally the same angle as the previous one. (The new refrigerator occupies the spot where the wall ovens were.) The couple took down the wall where the existing fridge was and bumped out the room 12 feet in the direction of the pizza oven (previously the sink wall) to create a bigger kitchen.
After spending so much time in the home, the Gallaghers pretty much knew what they wanted and had many of the pieces already stored away, but they worked with Schweitzer Design & Build, using Houzz ideabooks, to see their vision through to completion. “They knew what they wanted,” designer Tinsa Schweitzer says. “They even had all their appliances picked out. For us it was merely a matter of logistics and helping them finalize a few decisions.”
Cabinet paint: Inkwell, Sherwin-Williams; wall paint: Snowbound, Sherwin-Williams
Watch now: See this pizza kitchen in action in the latest episode of Houzz TV
After spending so much time in the home, the Gallaghers pretty much knew what they wanted and had many of the pieces already stored away, but they worked with Schweitzer Design & Build, using Houzz ideabooks, to see their vision through to completion. “They knew what they wanted,” designer Tinsa Schweitzer says. “They even had all their appliances picked out. For us it was merely a matter of logistics and helping them finalize a few decisions.”
Cabinet paint: Inkwell, Sherwin-Williams; wall paint: Snowbound, Sherwin-Williams
Watch now: See this pizza kitchen in action in the latest episode of Houzz TV
5. Light Blue and Cloud White
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Daniel and Lesli Creedon; their son, Jack; their daughter, Catherine; and their dog, Winston
Location: Alexandria, Virginia
Size: 350 square feet (33 square meters)
Designers: Jennifer Hall (kitchen designer) and Stan Khramov (architectural designer) of Winn Design
Before: In addition to the load-bearing partition, seen to the right of the range in this photo, the kitchen had several other elements that homeowners Daniel and Lesli Creedon disliked. The dark stained oak cabinets, dark granite countertops and green walls were all features they felt could go. “The green walls looked like a pretty apple green or a horrible neon green, depending on the time of the day,” says Lesli, who used inspiration images in a Houzz ideabook to help communicate what she wanted to her designers.
The design team removed the load-bearing wall and the roof, added a 6-foot bump-out that increased the size of the kitchen by 100 square feet, and added a massive steel beam across the ceiling to support the new roof in place of the load-bearing wall.
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Daniel and Lesli Creedon; their son, Jack; their daughter, Catherine; and their dog, Winston
Location: Alexandria, Virginia
Size: 350 square feet (33 square meters)
Designers: Jennifer Hall (kitchen designer) and Stan Khramov (architectural designer) of Winn Design
Before: In addition to the load-bearing partition, seen to the right of the range in this photo, the kitchen had several other elements that homeowners Daniel and Lesli Creedon disliked. The dark stained oak cabinets, dark granite countertops and green walls were all features they felt could go. “The green walls looked like a pretty apple green or a horrible neon green, depending on the time of the day,” says Lesli, who used inspiration images in a Houzz ideabook to help communicate what she wanted to her designers.
The design team removed the load-bearing wall and the roof, added a 6-foot bump-out that increased the size of the kitchen by 100 square feet, and added a massive steel beam across the ceiling to support the new roof in place of the load-bearing wall.
After: This photo was taken from basically the same viewpoint as the previous one. The family’s dog, Winston, relaxes in the bumped-out part of the kitchen, which acts as a breakfast area. The bump-out also allowed for a set of French doors on the left that open to a new deck, plus three walls of windows that flood the new kitchen with natural light and provide leafy views.
“We can all sit around a table without sitting in each other’s laps,” Lesli says. “I tend to work there when I’m home, and the kids like to sit there too. It’s a really comfortable, welcoming space.”
“We can all sit around a table without sitting in each other’s laps,” Lesli says. “I tend to work there when I’m home, and the kids like to sit there too. It’s a really comfortable, welcoming space.”
With the wall removed and the bump-out added, the designers reconfigured the floor plan to create a spacious, airy design that includes a large light blue island (Blue Heather by Benjamin Moore) with a beverage fridge at one end. “The kitchen has much better flow and functionality and allows for better placement of appliances and the new large island,” says Stan Khramov, the architectural designer on the project.
White-painted custom cabinets (Cloud White by Benjamin Moore), off-white walls (Swiss Coffee by Benjamin Moore), white quartz countertops and white Thassos marble backsplash tile with interlocking ribbons help create a bright atmosphere.
Clear glass globe pendants, brushed nickel cabinet handles and a custom brushed stainless steel range hood with mirrored stainless steel banding bring a bit of shimmer and elegance. “My vision was [for the space to be] open and airy with touches of bling,” Lesli says.
Foot-like details over the toe kicks give the cabinets a furniture-style look. “This kitchen has just enough detail that keeps it in that middle area between traditional and modern,” says Jennifer Hall, the kitchen’s designer.
Cabinets: Hudson inset door, Rutt HandCrafted Cabinetry; cabinet pulls: Transitional in brushed nickel, Richelieu Hardware; apron-front sink: Lancaster, Rohl; faucet: Amberley, Mirabelle
Read more about this light-blue renovation
More on Houzz
Before and After: 6 Kitchen Makeovers in 200 Square Feet or Less
New to Houzz? Here’s how to create and use ideabooks
Find a pro
Shop for products
White-painted custom cabinets (Cloud White by Benjamin Moore), off-white walls (Swiss Coffee by Benjamin Moore), white quartz countertops and white Thassos marble backsplash tile with interlocking ribbons help create a bright atmosphere.
Clear glass globe pendants, brushed nickel cabinet handles and a custom brushed stainless steel range hood with mirrored stainless steel banding bring a bit of shimmer and elegance. “My vision was [for the space to be] open and airy with touches of bling,” Lesli says.
Foot-like details over the toe kicks give the cabinets a furniture-style look. “This kitchen has just enough detail that keeps it in that middle area between traditional and modern,” says Jennifer Hall, the kitchen’s designer.
Cabinets: Hudson inset door, Rutt HandCrafted Cabinetry; cabinet pulls: Transitional in brushed nickel, Richelieu Hardware; apron-front sink: Lancaster, Rohl; faucet: Amberley, Mirabelle
Read more about this light-blue renovation
More on Houzz
Before and After: 6 Kitchen Makeovers in 200 Square Feet or Less
New to Houzz? Here’s how to create and use ideabooks
Find a pro
Shop for products
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Young newlyweds who work in tech; she’s in marketing, he’s in sales
Location: Boston
Size: 159 square feet (15 square meters); 16 feet, 2 inches by 9 feet, 10 inches
Designer: Jodi Swartz of KitchenVisions
Before: The existing kitchen was poorly and hastily constructed, unnecessarily divided the room and didn’t take advantage of the 11-foot ceilings. All the appliances were crammed together on the shorter wall. “There was very little storage,” designer Jodi Swartz says. “They had decent upper cabinets. There were no drawers in this kitchen.”
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