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Quick Home Staging Tip For Those 80s Kitchen Cabinets!

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Home Stager with Nestings: Connecticut Home Staging and Model Homes

Quick Home Staging Tip For Those 80s Kitchen Cabinets!

Imagine this:

You look up the word "ubiquitous" in the dictionary www.merriam-webster.com

There's the definition:

"existing or being everywhere at the same time, constantly encountered, widespread"

There's the illustration:

Kitchen B4

OMG - It's YOUR kitchen!  Those 1980s stock kitchen cabinets are ubiquitous!  AND your house is on the market!

Here's a quick, inexpensive way to make those cabinets less ordinary:  paint the oak "pulls" that border the bottoms of the upper doors and the tops of the drawers and bottom doors. 

Remove one drawer or door and have your paint store color-match it with a durable oil-base enamel paint in a satin/eggshell finish.  Sand the "pulls" lightly, prime, then paint with your new paint to match the rest of the doors and drawers.  They will appear seamless in online photos, and more contemporary in person.

Kitchen After

These savvy sellers followed my directions in their Staging Consultation, and I think they did a great job!

Painting the walls will make a big difference, too!

Quick Home Staging Tip For Those 80s Kitchen Cabinets!

Erv Fleishman
Realty Associates - Boca Raton, FL
Luxury Prop Specialist Realty Associates

Hard to believe if you don't paint the whole thing that it is apparent that there is a small section painted.

Sep 03, 2011 12:07 PM
Joan Pearsall
Best View Imaging - Worcester, MA
Photographer

Good tip.  I will share this with my clients.

Sep 03, 2011 12:12 PM
Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Home Stager/Redesign

Julia- we have those here and would love to say "good bye" to them.  One of our "ubiquitous" design features here.... pink Formica everywhere!  Good job of showing an inexpensive way ot streamline the kitchen. 

Sep 03, 2011 12:22 PM
Cindy Jones
Integrity Real Estate Group - Woodbridge, VA
Pentagon, Fort Belvoir & Quantico Real Estate News

I think I'd go all the way and paint all of the wood finish to match and add handles. 

Sep 03, 2011 01:13 PM
Julia Maher
Nestings: Connecticut Home Staging and Model Homes - Fairfield, CT
Connecticut Home Stager

Erv & Cindy - If you're faced with a tiny Staging budget, this is a good way to go!

Thanks, Joan!

Kathy;  Well , the pink might have to go!  Althoug it does look great w/ chocolate brown...

Sep 03, 2011 02:40 PM
Kathy Burke
Sensational Home Staging~~Danville, CA - Danville, CA
S.F. East Bay Home Staging

Julia.....I'm so there and agree that you can update this style of cabinets.  I had one similar last summer:

Updated Kitchen Cabinets

 

We had the budget to paint the "oak" trims which had the faux butcher block looking better...not great just better!

Sep 03, 2011 02:53 PM
Janet Jones
Just Your Style Interiors, LLC - Kihei, HI
Home Staging, Interior Redesign Kihei, Maui, Hawaii

Hi Julia--gosh how I detest those cabinets and you can bet that condos on Maui are full of them.  We also have the "higher end" version with teak pulls.  I've had them painted out and it does help.  This is a great tip for homeowners. 

Sep 03, 2011 05:06 PM
Julia Maher
Nestings: Connecticut Home Staging and Model Homes - Fairfield, CT
Connecticut Home Stager

Hi Kathy - the butcher block does look better!

Janet:  We see them EVERYWHERE!

Sep 04, 2011 03:29 AM
Julia Maher
Nestings: Connecticut Home Staging and Model Homes - Fairfield, CT
Connecticut Home Stager

Good for you, Valerie.  Re-facing the cabinets is the best option, but these clients just didn't have the budget.

Sep 05, 2011 01:59 AM
Beverly Carlson
Carlson Properties 325-721-2429 - Abilene, TX
Abilene's Staging Realtor

Oh, the magic of paint.  I had some  gold cabinet hardware from a rental and spray painted them silver and wallah,  a contemporary look. 

Sep 05, 2011 03:00 AM
Julia Maher
Nestings: Connecticut Home Staging and Model Homes - Fairfield, CT
Connecticut Home Stager

It's so easy to give old things a new look, Beverly...that's why I call my makeup "paint" - LOL

Sep 05, 2011 03:58 AM
Michele Hess
Simply Staged Inc. - Rockford, IL
Home Stager Rockford - Simply Staged Inc

Great way to update the cabinets on a budget Julia!  What a wonderful improvement. 

Sep 08, 2011 12:29 AM
Julia Maher
Nestings: Connecticut Home Staging and Model Homes - Fairfield, CT
Connecticut Home Stager

Good to see you, Michele - it's all about the BUDGET here - and  getting folks in the door!

Sep 09, 2011 01:58 AM