A Sophisticated Kitchen Update, No Reno Required
A designer takes her space from 2001 to 2021. HGTV Magazine shows you around.
![](http://hgtvhome.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/hgtv/fullset/2014/10/27/0/Pink_logo.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.91.91.85.suffix/1414425873027.jpeg)
![](http://hgtvhome.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/hgtv/fullset/2021/9/8/0/RX_HGMAG094_Luckett-05.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.581.726.85.suffix/1631135873432.jpeg)
Katie Charlotte
Cheryl Luckett’s kitchen desperately needed help — it had dated vinyl flooring, bland white laminate counters, and zero color in sight. Yet unlike many past-their-prime kitchens, the cabinets didn’t need redoing, just reimagining. “They’re original from when the house was built in 2001, and they were in good shape,” says Cheryl, a designer who lives in Huntersville, North Carolina. “I decided to work around them.” Sure enough, changing everything else totally updated the cabinets. A high-impact backsplash boosted their energy, while punches of orange and yellow jazzed up their honey-oak hue. That and some power-pattern mixing instilled a contemporary vibe. See? You can teach old wood new tricks!
The Details
![](http://hgtvhome.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/hgtv/fullset/2021/9/8/0/RX_HGMAG094_Luckett-04.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.616.493.85.suffix/1631135873229.jpeg)
Katie Charlotte
Cabinets
Black and brass pulls by Schaub & Company add sleekness. Cheryl replaced one cabinet with white oak open shelves. “As soon as I did that, everything felt more now,” she says.
Backsplash
The deep blue of the Annie Selke tile enriches the wood’s tone, while a diamond pattern modernizes it. Floor tile (also by Annie Selke) in a subdued hue doesn’t compete. “To me it looks like seersucker, which makes my Southern heart skip a beat,” says Cheryl.
Island
It used to match the cabinets; beadboard painted taupe grounds the kitchen’s new colors. Quartz countertops with gold veining bring brightness, and yellow counter stools from Designmaster Furniture pick up the yellow flecks in the curtains.
![](http://hgtvhome.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/hgtv/fullset/2021/9/8/0/RX_HGMAG094_Luckett-06.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.616.770.85.suffix/1631135873739.jpeg)
Katie Charlotte
Lighting
Cheryl swapped the existing fixtures for white lantern pendants and a black and bronze chandelier, from Hudson Valley Lighting. They’re trendy takes on old-school styles, which ties them to the traditional cabinets.