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Homeowners Michelle Samuels and EJ renovated their kitchen, keeping the original upper cabinets and having them painted Benjamin Moore’s Palace White. New cranberry-finish lower cabinets, a relocated refrigerator, checkerboard flooring and personalized tile artwork changed the room’s look and function.
Homeowners Michelle Samuels and EJ renovated their kitchen by keeping its original upper cabinets and painting them Benjamin Moore’s Palace White, while replacing most of the lower cabinets and revising the room’s layout. Apartment Therapy’s before-and-after report describes a project that paired the pale upper cabinets with cranberry-finish plywood cabinetry, checkerboard tile and personal decorative details.
The kitchen had a mix of old and newer elements before the work began. Michelle told Apartment Therapy that the upper cabinets dated to the home’s circa-1940s kitchen and remained in halfway decent shape. Most lower cabinets, by contrast, were IKEA boxes she said had “seen better days.” The couple also had mottled gray laminate counters, linoleum flooring and a refrigerator positioned in a corner beside a doorway.
The homeowners first took on smaller projects, including removing a ceiling panel light and updating backsplash tiles. For the larger renovation, they worked with contractor Dan Baker through Boxco. A heating company moved a large steam radiator, allowing the refrigerator to move to a different spot. Baker removed the old counters and lower cabinets, took up the flooring and installed new cabinets and appliances, with plumbing and electrical work by Harvey Rivard and Harry Kuenzel.
Professional painter Mark Barry painted the original upper cabinets Palace White. Michelle and EJ painted the rest of the kitchen and adjoining entryway and bathroom themselves. The new lower cabinets are exposed-edge plywood in Boxco’s Cranberry finish; new Fireclay floor tiles form a checkerboard pattern. EJ also painted designs on tiles behind the stove, including references to the year they bought the house, their pets, the zodiac and nearby landmarks.
A More Usable Kitchen, Not Just a New Look
The renovation shows how retaining sound existing cabinetry can be part of a larger redesign rather than a reason to leave a room unchanged. In this case, the homeowners preserved the original upper cabinets but replaced much of the lower storage, counters, flooring and appliances. The reported changes address both the kitchen’s appearance and practical problems, including the refrigerator’s awkward position.
Michelle said the new cabinetry made a “huge difference” to how functional the kitchen is. She singled out a spice rack, LeMans shelves for a blind corner and soft-close drawers. A built-in bench in the former refrigerator corner adds seating and storage: its lift-up seat holds food for the couple’s dog and cat. The couple say they use the space as a place to spend time while cooking, making the renovation’s impact about daily use as well as color.
The report does not provide a project budget, measurements or an independent evaluation of the work. Its value for readers is the specific account of choices the homeowners made—not evidence that the same approach will suit every kitchen or budget.
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From Small Fixes to a Full Renovation
Michelle and EJ were first-time homeowners and had previously rented, according to the Apartment Therapy report. They began with smaller kitchen projects before moving to a larger renovation that involved a contractor and specialists. The report describes a kitchen from a home built around the 1940s, with a layout and some fittings that had been changed over time; it identifies the former lower cabinets as IKEA boxes and the old kitchen models as mid-1990s-era.
The finished color scheme was tied to William Morris fruit wallpaper, which Michelle said inspired the reds, yellows and whites used across the kitchen and adjoining rooms. The couple replaced fixtures and hardware and added the wallpaper themselves. Their painted stove-area tiles incorporate personal references, including a rooster tile modeled on one from Michelle’s childhood home. The article presents these details as part of this particular household’s design, not as a general renovation formula.
“The upper cabinets were original to the circa 1940s kitchen and in halfway decent shape, but most of the lower cabinets were IKEA boxes that had seen better days.”
— Michelle Samuels, describing the old kitchen to Apartment Therapy
Budget and Project Dates Not Reported
Apartment Therapy’s report does not specify when the renovation took place, how long it lasted or what it cost. Its project information lists the cost as “N/A,” so readers cannot use the article to estimate a total or compare expenses. The report also does not provide cabinet dimensions, product pricing or a detailed account of permits and scheduling.
Michelle and EJ described the kitchen positively, but the article is a homeowner before-and-after account rather than an independent assessment of durability, resale value or renovation performance. Michelle did mention one unresolved design compromise: with the refrigerator moved, the ceiling lights are no longer perfectly centered. The couple said they were learning to live with that alignment.
Floating Shelves Are the Next Project
The next project on EJ’s list is to add floating shelves for Michelle’s cookbooks, according to the report. No completion date was given. The article describes the kitchen renovation as finished, with the shelves still planned rather than installed.
For now, the homeowners say they are enjoying the renovated room and its adjoining spaces. Any further changes, including the shelves, remain future work; the report does not announce another renovation phase or provide a timeline.
Key Questions
Did the homeowners replace the original kitchen cabinets?
They kept the original upper cabinets and had them painted Palace White. Most of the lower cabinets, which Michelle described as older IKEA boxes, were replaced with new Boxco cabinetry.
What color are the new lower cabinets?
The new exposed-edge plywood lower cabinets have Boxco’s Cranberry finish. The upper cabinets are painted Benjamin Moore’s Palace White.
What changed about the kitchen layout?
A heating company moved a large steam radiator so the couple could move the refrigerator away from its former corner by a doorway. The renovation also replaced counters, lower cabinets, flooring and appliances.
What personal details did the homeowners add?
EJ painted decorative tiles behind the stove with references to the couple’s pets, the year they bought the house, the zodiac and nearby landmarks. The couple also installed William Morris fruit wallpaper and built a bench with storage.
How much did the renovation cost?
The report does not give a project total; its cost field says “N/A.” Specific costs for the cabinets, tile, labor and other work were not reported.
Source: apartmenttherapy.com
