Help my kitchen!

7 years ago

We just moved into our new house last week. I'm having a hard time with the kitchen - I love the look of a white cabinet, subway tile, hardwood floor kitchen. This is the opposite. It's just so dull. Any thoughts? I looked into hardwood but it was $6K. I definitely want to put pendant lights above the island. Any other thoughts? We could paint cabinets not sure what color....help! Would a different wall color help? The one now is a yellowy-tan.

(Please excuse the mess - still putting stuff away)!

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Coates Design Architecture + Interiors

7 years ago

I like the pendant idea. The tiles aren't so bad, I think the cabinets are what need to go the most. With that dark of a color, no hardwood floor can make this kitchen look modern. I think your money is best spent on repainting the cabinets.

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Comments (6)

Shawna R
7 years ago
You could always look into laminate. I have found it's nice in the kitchen due to the durability from water. A new backsplash would help update the space as well. If you were to paint the cabinets you may have to replace the counter tops. The wall color doesn't help with anything either I would paint that first, replace backsplash and replace the floors. If you want any suggests for any of those you could post a close up of the counter top and cabinets.
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Shawna R
7 years ago
Here are a couple examples of dark cabinets that look very nice with hardwood (you could find laminate too) I love the idea of the white island I think it brightens the space a lot.
Amy M thanked Shawna R
PRO
Rochelle Interiors
7 years ago
The floor is the first thing that hits me as dated and needs to be replaced. I agree with Shawna that laminate floors are the way to go. There are so many choices now. They can look so much like wood floors. I have put them in many homes now for the entire living area. From what I can see yellow is the complimentary tone for this kitchen to the cabinets (that includes the counters & back splash). Budget friendly- if you need to keep the counters and back splash and you want to paint the cabinets it needs to be an off white that works with yellows. I would get rid of the chair rail on the walls. Paint the walls light to medium taupe color to pull it all together.
Amy M thanked Rochelle Interiors
PRO
Metropolis Design Group
7 years ago
Painting the cabinets is a great idea and one that is fairly easy to accomplish in the midst of the chaos of moving. Make sure if you do this yourself you really invest time in prepping things properly...you may be surprised how long you will keep it this way if done well. I might choose a richer white like Ben Moore Mountain Peak White or even one a little warmer. It would be brighter than the back splash to keep things crisp yet sophisticated. I might also consider changing the doors on the cabinets on the left to glass front doors. It would further lighten/open things up-another affordable simple change. (Most big box home improvement stores have programs to order these on your own-easy.) The glass cabinet interiors could then be painted a fun color or you could add a great wall covering to the back to make this area a feature/great display. Definitely add pendents over island. Lastly I might consider adding a wood top or contrasting (but still simple) stone on the island, turning it into a central strong feature-think end-of-the-day-destination! I've used local craftsman to freshen a few islands this year with hand planed wood tops-they are fabulous. Depending upon the species you choose it could be dark or light. With painted cabinets you could go a little darker/richer. Island base could be painted a trendier color (grays, gray blue, orange-who knows?!) for a very "current" pop. That's easy to repaint down the line as trends evolve. Good luck! (Believe me, I've seen worse!)
Amy M thanked Metropolis Design Group
PRO
Design Details
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
I'd saw Shawna R has the right idea. The cabinets aren't beautiful but neither are they terrible. It's amazing what the correct lighting can do for a space, especially when it comes to dark stained cabinetry. a single point light source will not do it. You need highlights and shadows. A good lighting plan and hardwood (or hardwood look) floor along with some new countertops should get you by for quite a while. If you decide to redo the whole kitchen get some nice cabinets and take them to the ceiling. Lose the soffits and get a pullout trash and counter depth fridge.

Help my kitchen!

Coates Design Architecture + Interiors

Comments (6)

Shawna R

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