He Spray-Painted the Oak Cabinets Neptune Lily and Made the Original Kitchen Look New
Warm oak covered almost every cabinet in this kitchen, from the long run beneath the windows to the tall appliance units and island. Instead of removing cabinetry that already fit the room, the existing doors, drawer fronts, frames, end panels, wine storage, and decorative details were kept for a color change.
Instagram creator @renewingdecorating spray-painted the cabinetry in Neptune Lily, replacing the orange-toned oak finish with a pale neutral shade. Granite countertops, exposed brick, dark ceiling beams, wood flooring, and the kitchen layout remained, making the cabinet color the change that separates the before and after.
The finished kitchen still has the same raised-panel doors, tall storage, glass-front wall cabinet, island shelving, and built-in appliances seen in the original room. Against the new cabinet finish, the brick and old timber beams become stronger features instead of competing with another warm wood tone.
Oak Covered the Cabinets From the Island to the Back Wall
Before the repaint, oak ran across the base cabinets, wall cabinet, tall units, and island, giving several parts of the kitchen the same warm brown tone. The island brought even more wood into the center of the room, with vertical paneling on its sides and open storage facing the living area.
Its front was built around two narrow sets of cubbies with a larger opening in the middle. Those details become useful reference points in the after photos because the same arrangement remains after the color change.
Oak Cabinets Continued Against the Exposed Brick Wall
Another cabinet run sits against an exposed red brick wall, with a gas cooktop set into the dark granite counter. Oak doors and drawers filled the area below while the brick itself served as the backsplash.
Painting this section would create a much sharper break between the cabinetry and masonry. Rather than having brown wood meet red and brown brick, the new finish separates the two materials while leaving the original wall exposed.
Tall Oak Cabinets Framed the Built-In Ovens
Cabinetry beside the sink extended from floor to ceiling around the built-in ovens, creating one of the largest blocks of oak in the room. Matching base cabinets continued beneath the window and around the corner toward the utility area.
Dark granite counters, stainless hardware, appliances, and the sink were already in place, so changing the cabinetry did not require a new layout to alter the room’s appearance.
Original Island Had Wine Storage and Open Shelves
Viewed from the opposite side, the island shows how much of its original construction survived the makeover. Wine cubbies flank the center opening, narrow dividers break up the shelves, and a shaped wood detail sits beneath the countertop.
Rather than replacing those features, the repaint treats them as part of the new design. Their shapes remain visible after the oak grain disappears beneath the Neptune Lily finish.
Cabinet Doors Were Spray-Painted Off the Frames
Cabinet doors were removed and taken into a spray booth, where they were suspended before receiving the Neptune Lily finish. Spraying the doors away from the cabinet boxes allowed the paint to cover the recessed panels, narrow edges, and outer frames without the hardware or surrounding kitchen getting in the way.
The smooth finish seen here also explains why the completed cabinets can look like new units at first glance. Once the doors returned to the kitchen, the oak grain disappeared beneath an even coat while the original door profiles remained.
Neptune Lily Changed the Cabinets Without Changing Their Design
After spray painting, the same island, wall cabinet, base units, and tall oven cabinetry appear in Neptune Lily. Raised-panel doors and the island’s open storage remain easy to identify, but the pale finish removes the continuous oak tone that once ran through the room.
Dark granite was left in place, creating a narrow contrasting line across the pale cabinets. Existing wood flooring also remains, so natural wood is still present without covering the vertical surfaces around the kitchen.
Pale Cabinets Separate the Kitchen From the Brick Wall
The change is clear at the cooktop, where Neptune Lily now sits beneath the original granite counter and exposed brick. Drawer sizes, door profiles, plinth, and cabinet positions match the before photo, while new traditional-style handles replace the straight metal pulls.
Against the pale cabinetry, individual colors in the brick are easier to distinguish, from deep red and brown bricks to lighter mortar joints. The glass panel behind the cooktop remains, preserving the exposed masonry around it.
Tall Cabinetry Now Contrasts With the Timber Beams
Neptune Lily continues across the long cabinet run and up the tall units surrounding the ovens. Large cabinet doors that once displayed prominent oak grain now read through their recessed panels, proportions, and hardware instead.
The pale finish also changes the relationship between the cabinets and ceiling. Dark timber beams remain overhead, but they no longer repeat the brown tones of the cabinetry below, creating a clearer distinction between the old structural wood and painted kitchen units.
Same Island Shows How Much Paint Changed
From this angle, the island provides one of the clearest comparisons with the original kitchen. Wine storage still occupies both sides of the center opening, the decorative cutout remains beneath the granite, and vertical grooves still wrap the end panel.
Neptune Lily connects those separate details through one pale finish while the granite top and oak floor provide darker and warmer surfaces around it. What first appears to be a different island is the same structure seen in the before photos.
Original Cabinet Profiles Remain in the Finished Kitchen
The side-by-side view makes the extent of the change easier to see because the layout barely moves between the two images. Tall cabinetry still surrounds the ovens, the sink remains beneath the window, and the same dark granite runs across the base cabinets, yet replacing the warm oak finish with Neptune Lily changes which parts of the kitchen command attention.
Oak once connected the cabinets with the wood floor and ceiling beams, filling much of the view with similar brown tones. After the repaint, the floor and old beams remain as the main wood elements, while the pale cabinetry creates a stronger contrast with the granite, black ovens, and green walls.
Does Neptune Lily work better with the dark granite than the original oak did?
Image credits go to Instagram creator @renewingdecorating.