Before & After: Gorgeous Gray Cabinets Instantly Revive This “Tired” ‘90s Galley Kitchen

Cullen Ormond
·2 min read
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Nuetral cabinetry in neutral kitchen.

Sometimes addressing one problem in a space is a great excuse to overhaul the entire room. At least that was the case in the kitchen in Casey Rogers’ and Juan Esteves’ modern, minimalist Seattle home.

“The kitchen had probably been redone in the ’90s with white appliances and what we would call a wide galley layout,” Esteves explains. “When we got the house, we found out that we would have to update the electrical, so we took the opportunity to improve some things that didn’t work for us.”

Boxes in neutral kitchen with wood floors.

There were three main issues they wanted to fix. First, the kitchen’s flow; its original layout was galley style, but the room was wide. The kitchen didn’t have enough storage space and the options they had were somewhat awkward. There also wasn’t a ton of counter space, and as avid cooks, the couple wanted to be able to sprawl out. Lastly, they wanted to leverage the connection to the yard and get more natural light.

Blue stools under marble counter ledge in white kitchen.

In their new space, they opted for only lower cabinets so they had a clear view from the front door to the kitchen windows, which they had expanded to let in more light. To maximize storage, especially in the corner cabinets, they used Rev-A-Shelf’s Blind Corner organizers to easily access things in hard-to-reach places.

White kitchen with light gray cabinetry and marble countertops.

But it wasn’t just the storage and layout that needed to be updated. They decided to make some aesthetic changes, too. “We wanted to balance out the warm wood tones from the adjacent slat wall and the floors with a cooler gray tone for the cabinets,” Esteves shares. “We ended up using Farrow & Ball’s ‘Pavillion Gray.’ We also wanted a marble top that was unique and packed a punch.”

Marble countertops above light gray cabinetry in white kitchen.

Before they knew it, the kitchen quickly became the focal point of the home. “No matter how curated of a home we have, we always end up spending the majority of our hosting time in the kitchen,” Esteves shares. “It truly is the heart of our home, and we love cooking and making drinks while friends hang out!”

Blue stools under marble island with stove in kitchen with wood paneled fridge.

If you loved their kitchen transformation, you’ll want to see the rest of their eclectic Seattle house. Visit the full home tour on Apartment Therapy to see more.