They Installed These Kitchen Cabinets in Bare Wood, Then Painted Every One Deep Blue
Bare wood covered the cabinet boxes, raised-panel doors, island, tall storage, and range hood as this kitchen came together. Instead of arriving with their final finish, the custom cabinets were installed while the wood was still exposed.
Instagram creator @modern_ozarks documented the Blaine Lake House kitchen from cabinet installation through paint. Benjamin Moore Van Deusen Blue was chosen for the cabinetry, including the island and oversized hood.
White counters, stainless steel appliances, warm wood flooring, and dark ceiling beams entered the room after the blue finish. Side-by-side views show how far the kitchen moved from its unfinished wood stage once those pieces came together.
Custom Cabinets Went In With Bare Wood Exposed
Cabinet boxes filled the perimeter while matching sections formed the island at the center. Raised-panel fronts, tall storage, and the large hood structure were visible without paint hiding the wood.
Installing the cabinetry at this stage also reveals how much of the finished kitchen depends on one continuous color. Separate wood boxes would soon read as one connected blue installation.
Raised Panels and Glass Doors Broke Up the Cabinet Wall
Tall cabinets frame one side of the range wall, while glass-front doors introduce open display space among the solid fronts. Raised panels repeat across the lower cabinets and upper doors.
Wood beams remained exposed above the cabinetry, setting up a dark contrast that would stay after the cabinets changed color.
Island Cabinetry Filled the Center of the Room
Viewed through the wide arch, the unfinished island sits between cabinet runs on both sides of the kitchen. Its paneled exterior repeats the same door profile used around the perimeter.
Paint would connect those separate cabinet sections without changing their placement or profiles.
Primer Covered the Wood Before Blue Paint
White primer covered cabinet frames, base units, tall storage, and the custom range hood before the finish color went on. Doors had been removed, leaving open cabinet boxes around the room.
Masking covered the floor and nearby surfaces while the cabinetry was prepared for paint.
Van Deusen Blue Started Across the Cabinet Boxes
Benjamin Moore Van Deusen Blue began replacing the white primer across the perimeter cabinets and island. One section of the island remained white in this stage, showing the change between primer and finish coat in the same frame.
Deep blue also moved onto the cabinet interiors, tying open sections to the painted frames.
Cabinet Doors Were Painted Off the Boxes
Rows of doors and drawer fronts were laid out away from the installed cabinets for paint. Raised edges, recessed centers, glass-door frames, and narrow fronts all received the same blue.
Painting the fronts apart from the boxes kept the separate pieces accessible before they returned to the kitchen.
Blue Covered the Range Hood Too
Van Deusen Blue continued beyond the cabinet doors and onto the oversized range hood. Cabinets on both sides use the same finish, turning the cooking wall into one dark blue composition.
Exposed ceiling beams remained brown above it, preserving a wood element after the bare cabinet surfaces disappeared.
White Counters Created the Strongest Contrast
White counters capped the blue island and perimeter cabinets, replacing the unfinished tops seen during installation. Stainless steel appliances filled the openings that had remained empty through the painting stages.
Warm wood flooring was left visible between the blue cabinetry, white surfaces, and dark ceiling beams.
Finished Range Wall Shows the Full Color
Blue now runs from the base cabinets to the upper storage, glass-front cabinet, and range hood. Slim metal pulls break across the painted fronts, while the stainless steel range sits at the center.
White counters and backsplash surround the range, giving the deep cabinet color a light background rather than extending blue across every surface.
Before and After Shows What Paint Added
Van Deusen Blue now runs across the island, perimeter cabinets, tall storage, and range hood. White counters, stainless appliances, and warm wood flooring break up the deep color without competing with it.
Which part catches your eye first: the blue range hood, matching island, or full wall of cabinetry?
Image credits to @modern_ozarks