Transforming and salvaging

This kitchen was 20 years old, in great shape, but a bit obsolete with its bleached oak finish. The owner didn't want to remodel, both because of costs and because she hated the idea of the mess she would have to endure while it was being installed. She asked me to help her transform it so it would fit better with her traditional decor, since it's an open kitchen. I glazed the cabinets with artist's oil paints in order to tie them to the rest of the kitchen and living room furniture, following precisely the color scheme that was most pleasing to my customer's eye. After this step was dry I applied 4 coats of satin and matte varnish to protect the cabinets and give them a soft glow, almost like wax. You can see "before" on the left and "after" on the right.