Nate Berkus & Jeremiah Brent Ditched Dark Black Cabinets For A Refreshing Alternative

Just because you chose one specific aesthetic for your home originally, that doesn't mean you need to keep it that way for good. Homeowners are always allowed to make tweaks and changes to improve upon their space, and HGTV stars Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent are proof of that. The "Nate & Jeremiah by Design" co-stars moved back to New York City after a long stint in California and set down roots in their stunning NYC townhouse, which they had already lived in and renovated, and that they were magically able to re-buy when it came time to move back east. One big decision the couple made when returning to the Fifth Avenue home was to repaint their black cabinets white — and you can follow suit, too. 

The core of the decision came down to their desire to have a more airy and light environment. "Our freshly updated NYC kitchen is a stark contrast from the formerly black cabinetry that we originally installed," Berkus wrote on Instagram, sharing a photo. "We wanted the most used space in our home to feel bright, airy and chalky and it turned out exactly like we wanted." Their kitchen has giant windows that start only a few inches above the countertop and curve all the way up, so there's plenty of sunlight that can come in and accentuate these bright choices. Plus, the couple paired the cabinetry with a chic, dimensional marble option — Calacatta Turquoise Antico from ABC Stone, according to Berkus. 

If you want to take some painting tips from Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent's HGTV-approved book, you can get your own bright, light kitchen by opting for white or other light colors for your cabinets. The best part of this upgrade is that painting is cheap, quick, and easy to change if you don't like the color you've chosen. So long as you properly prime and prepare your kitchen cabinets — which requires removing hardware, cleaning the surfaces, sanding, and priming — you can apply any color you'd like and see how it shifts the entire feel of your kitchen area. 

To find the perfect cabinet paint shade for a kitchen refresh, you should consider the features that are already there, or the characteristics you're choosing to change alongside this shift. Berkus and Brent knew that they wanted to replace their butcher block counters with some chic marble, and the Calacatta Turquoise Antic is a great color match with white cabinetry. Consider taking a sample of marble with you to the paint section, or vice versa, so you can ensure that your counters and cabinets are cohesive. The same is true for flooring and furniture; you'll want to avoid colors that don't look great together, and avoid overwhelming a space with too much of one color — if your chairs, tables, and counters are all white, you might want to get a light yellow or green paint for cabinets to have some contrast.