He Spray Painted the Dark Cherry Cabinets Blue and Swapped the Silver Hardware for Brass
Dark cherry cabinets covered the kitchen from the range wall to the sink, with more of the same finish across the island and a tall cabinet wall outside the main work zone. Raised-panel doors, glass inserts, a plate rack, and a paneled range hood gave the cabinetry several details beneath the dark red-brown stain.
Speckled granite covered the counters and island, while a gray mosaic backsplash ran between the upper and lower cabinets. White floor tile and stainless steel appliances added lighter surfaces, but the cherry cabinetry remained the dominant finish across the room.
Instagram creator @calipro.painting refinished the existing cabinets instead of replacing them. Blue paint covered the cherry finish, and straight brass pulls replaced the curved silver hardware. The cabinet layout, granite, backsplash, glass panels, plate rack, and range hood remained.
Dark Cherry Cabinets Surrounded the Original Kitchen
Cherry cabinetry wrapped around the range and continued beneath the sink. Matching uppers reached toward the ceiling, while the open plate rack beside the window used the same dark finish.
The granite counters and narrow mosaic backsplash sat between large sections of red-brown wood. Even with the white floor and stainless steel range, the cabinetry set the room’s darkest tone.
Paneled Range Hood Had Visible Wear
The range hood matched the cabinets, with a tapered center panel, layered trim, and a decorative appliqué across its lower section. Its size made it one of the most prominent cherry surfaces on the cooking wall.
Damage across the center exposed pale wood beneath the finish. Scratches and worn spots also appeared across the surrounding panel, giving the refinishing project more to cover than the cabinet color.
Existing Drawer Fronts Had Curved Silver Pulls
Four drawers beside the range show the original finish and hardware at close range. Rectangular molding frames each drawer front, while curved silver pulls sit across the center.
Scratches and worn marks interrupt the cherry finish, but the molded fronts remain intact. Those profiles were kept during the transformation rather than replaced with new drawer faces.
Cherry Finish Continued Onto the Tall Cabinet Wall
A recessed storage wall outside the main kitchen carried the same cabinet finish. Four textured-glass doors occupy the upper section, with tall paneled doors extending almost to the floor.
Silver handles matched the hardware inside the kitchen. Carrying the cherry onto this wall made the cabinetry visible beyond the main cooking and sink areas.
Island Put Dark Cherry in the Center of the Room
The center island added another broad section of cherry beneath its granite top. From this view, dark wood appears on the island, range wall, sink wall, hood, and plate rack.
Its granite slab remained lighter than the base, while three pendant lights marked the island from above. A dark lattice wine rack occupied one end, though it blended with the surrounding cherry finish.
Cabinet Boxes Stayed While the Finish Changed
Doors and hardware came off before spraying, while cabinet boxes and fixed components remained in place. Paper, plastic, and tape covered the openings, appliances, counters, backsplash, and nearby surfaces.
The setup allowed the frames, hood, and other installed sections to receive the new finish without removing the cabinet boxes. The existing layout stayed intact through the refinishing work.
Blue Paint Covered the Existing Cabinet Profiles
Blue now runs across the upper and lower cabinets, range hood, plate rack surround, and island base. Raised panels and trim remain visible beneath the new finish, including the tapered shape of the hood.
Granite and mosaic tile stayed in place. Removing the dark cherry tone creates more separation between those surfaces and the cabinetry without changing their materials.
Dark Cherry Wine Rack Was Left Inside the Blue Island
The lattice wine rack at the end of the island kept its dark wood finish. Blue surrounds its outer frame and covers the rest of the island cabinetry.
That contrast gives the rack more presence than it had before. Surrounded by cherry, the lattice blended into the island; surrounded by blue, it reads as a separate wood feature.
Brass Hardware Replaced the Silver Pulls
Straight brass pulls now run across the blue doors and drawers. Their shape differs from the curved silver handles used on the original cabinetry.
Stainless steel remains on the refrigerator and range, while brass creates a separate accent against the blue cabinet fronts. The small square floor tiles were also replaced with larger white marble-look tiles, removing the dark grout grid that once competed with the cabinetry.
The larger tiles give the floor a more continuous surface and add another lighter element beneath the blue cabinets.
Original Drawer Fronts Look Different With Blue and Brass
The same molded drawer fronts shown before refinishing now carry blue paint and slim brass pulls. Their rectangular trim remains intact, making it clear that new doors were not needed to change their appearance.
Blue also reduces the variation that was visible across the worn cherry finish. Brass sits against the solid color rather than competing with red-brown wood grain.
Tall Storage Wall Now Matches the Kitchen
Blue continues onto the floor-to-ceiling cabinets outside the main work zone. Textured glass remains in the four upper doors, while brass handles replace the former silver hardware.
Using the same finish here connects the built-in with the kitchen visible through the opening. The cabinet construction did not change, but the cherry surface no longer separates this storage wall from the refinished kitchen.
Blue Changed the Dominant Finish Without Replacing the Cabinets
The comparison shows the scale of the color change. Dark cherry once covered the perimeter, hood, plate rack, and island; blue now occupies those same surfaces.
Granite counters, mosaic backsplash, window shutters, pendant lights, appliances, cabinet profiles, and the island footprint remain recognizable. The wine rack provides one small reference to the former cherry finish.
At Homedit, we have reviewed many kitchen transformations built around cabinet paint, and this one shows how much the surrounding materials can change when the dominant wood tone disappears. The granite and backsplash were not replaced, yet both have a different relationship with blue than they had with dark cherry.
The detail I would keep is the cherry wine rack. Once the rest of the island turned blue, a feature that once blended into the cabinetry became the one place where the original finish still has a role. Would you keep that contrast, or carry the blue across the wine rack too?
Image credits go to Instagram creator: @calipro.painting.