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Should you add a Glaze to your Painted Cabinets? Yay or Nay?

By 05/14/2011July 8th, 202122 Comments
 

This is Fran’s beautiful home (a continuation of yesterday’s post).  Fran asked if I would like a light lunch as we had scheduled the consultation for 1:00 pm.  I took her up on her generous offer because set-up day (for my workshop) is always crazy.  It was too hot to dine outside but I had to capture this picture perfect setting!

Here is the lovely place setting (inside) that was ready for my arrival.  Her husband joined us for a quick bite before he went back up to his office.

 
Fran’s house was a great example of creating flow.  She had this hit of orange red in the arrangement on the kitchen dining table and it was repeated throughout the house.
 
I was here because Fran wanted some advice on selecting a new ‘main neutral’ for the house, currently she has a green undertone and she wanted to move to a yellow undertone. Also her kitchen tile and backsplash as a slight pink undertone and she wanted my advice on what to do to replace it.
 
 
This is her kitchen.  They moved in 10 years ago when this house was actually varying shades of purple! Fran and her husband made serious changes to the decor. These are her glazed kitchen cabinets.  They are very close to BM OC-36 Niveous.
 
 
Love the barstools.  There is something sexy about this pair with their swooping wrought iron legs.
 
 
The orange red in her dining room, repeated in accents in her kitchen, living and family room was Sherwin Williams Spicy Hue.  I loved it!
 
 
 
Her brand new millwork in the family room (below) was accented with the same hue. And they were glazed as well.  One thing you need to consider with a glaze is that it creates an undertone that is NOT as neutral anymore as a plain white or cream colour.  In some cases you end up with cabinets that are quite ‘beige’ which dictates the paint colour even more to the point where you might need to go darker to create enough contrast.
 
 
 
In Fran’s home, her glaze created a yellow/green undertone which meant that yellow beiges or greeny grays worked equally well.
 

Look at this wonderful artwork on the wall in the kitchen with the focal point in the middle of the rabbit sitting on a bracket and the green plate.  So creative!

 
This is the living room below, where the sofa repeats the accent colour.  Fran is about to recover it in the exact shade of red from her dining room.
 
 
 
 
And a final glimpse of the exterior. Every lawn in this gated community was as perfectly manicured as this one!
 
What is your opinion on glazed cabinets? 
 
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22 Comments

  • Kristie at The Decorologist.com says:

    When they look like those do, I say yay! If they look DIY, then nay! I love the orange in the back of the bookcases, too – really fabulous. I know you are having a great workshop! Miss you 🙂

  • Anonymous says:

    Yay if they are professionally done. And if you helped pick the color lol!

  • I love love glazed cabinets. I find the depth of the finish to be warming. Frans home is just lovely and her accent color is gorgeous. Thanks for sharing it. Hope your workshop is a blast (jealous!)

  • Nan Parker says:

    Thank you Maria for sharing this home with us. I love, love, love glazed cabinetry and I agree, the glazing adds depth and warmth. I'm drooling over the beautiful wall of custom cabinetry ~ I had something very similar in my home back in Shelburne, VT (missing that house, since moving to central TX). This is a lovely home and she's done a beautiful job decorating. Gotta go search for a bunny for a wall sconce (with an old watch around his neck ! clever!), , , XO

  • Roryvan says:

    I have never been crazy about glazing and so chose to have the plain cream on my own cabinets, but this doesn't appear too heavily glazed. Really beautiful! She asked you for a consult? It looks as if she already has it decorated. 🙂

  • Naturally Carol says:

    I really like the whimsical vignette displaying the hare and the cabbage plate..especially with the watch around his neck..a little of Alice in Wonderland?

  • Jen of MadeByGirl says:

    See you at Blogfest Maria :))))

  • Maria Killam says:

    Hi Roryvan,
    Oops I got so busy talking about her wonderful house I didn't mention why I was there? She wanted to tweak the colour in her family room (the greeny beige wasn't quite right although it did not look wrong) and her tumbled marble backsplash had a pink undertone as did the floor tile in the kitchen so she wanted my advice on what to do there. We actually tweaked the kitchen colour to Monroe Bisque (Sandy Brown worked too) which actually picked up the more yellow veins in the floor in the interim before she gets it re-done) and that ended up being the new 'neutral' in her main areas as well.
    Fran certainly did not need my help in the decorating department, she was one of the participants in my course as well, colour is always the trickiest part if you want to get it right!
    Maria

  • My Passport to Style says:

    Hi there, I'm new here and loving your stylish blog, definitely coming back to see what other stylish goodies you have to share. If you get a moment I think you might enjoy my interview with British craftswoman Lucy Curtis who makes stunning mannequins using vintage and bespoke fabrics designs over on http://www.mypassporttostyle.blogspot.com today. Sharon x

  • pve design says:

    My neighbor's kitchen cabinets were glazed and they are a gorgeous green. If you are near NY, you must come and see….I think they work in spaces that have what I call a "decorator" or "designer" look.
    pve

  • Anonymous says:

    where oh where did Fran find that adorable rabbit?

  • Carla@DesignintheWoods says:

    I'm a little tired of anything glazed. Her glazing is so minimal that it appears as a solid color, which is just fine anyway. I think glazing is a trend that is waning….2000-2008 maybe? Anytime I see glazing I think…not current. Beautiful kitchen though, how about her pretty "Spicy Hue" accent color on the island? That would make a color statement amongst all the light beige.

  • mrsben says:

    As they say Maria; 'different strokes for different folks' or 'to each their own' as much is to do with personal preference.
    However, in this particular case though I feel the glazing works beautifully with the style of cabinetry. Lovely home!
    -Brenda-

  • Windlost says:

    Hi Maria,

    Lovely post! I referenced you in my current blog post! I know you won't mind as I mentioned dirty colours with clean ones, one of your favorite topics!

    xo Terri

  • The French Tangerine says:

    I love glazed cabinets and have them in several places in my home… a post idea! I do love them and think they make a house looked more lived in… and they wear well! We are in desperate need of touch up in our kitchen, but it's not noticeable to a visitor.
    Love you blog… i'm now following!

  • Donna says:

    Hi Maria, I really love that rabbit too! How sweet..and intriguing! I could see the undertone on the glaze once you pointed it out.

    Such a beautiful home!

    xo
    Donna

  • Mary Adams says:

    I need a BM white paint that would look good on cabinets. I prefer a brighter white….but with just a touch of creamy.

  • Cashon & Co says:

    Great conversation piece! It was forwarded to me by a client who is going through the dilemma right now about whether or not to glaze her kitchen cabinets that she just had painted. She was worried because a neighbor told her that ‘glazing’ was OUT. I told her that in my opinion HEAVY glazing is not that au courant right now but I think that a light glaze is CLASSIC and timeless and most often looks better than just paint. It is defintely a case by case basis, depending on the style of the house and the surrounding colours and fixtures but the pictures you show of your friends cabinets are just perfection!!

  • Susan says:

    I need some advise:
    – is dark cabinet out of trend?
    – if I have caledonia granite, what color of cabinet and back splash, wood floor should I use?
    – if I have santa cecilia granite, what color of cabiet and back splash, wood floor should I use.
    Thank in advance for your help

    • Maria Killam says:

      HI Susan, to give you the right advice I would need to see your space. Espresso cabinets are dated yes but not everything dark. If you need help please email me at [email protected] for my rates. Maria

  • Tamara says:

    Hi Maria, how do you feel about painting glazed kitchen cabinets white again? Our house has glazed cabinets and trim in the kitchen but white molding and trim everywhere else. The glaze is much more obvious than in these photos. The cabinets end up looking kind of brownish. I really don’t like the glaze, but worry that they might not be worth having repainted. What do you think?

    • Maria Killam says:

      Hi Tamara, I would definitely paint them if that would work best for your decor. You’re right, a glazed cabinet in the end is a beige cabinet, not white or cream anymore. Maria

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