need opinions on sprucing up kitchen (kitchen, suggestions)

[summers19]

Wow...you guys have great ideas. I knew this would be the right forum in which to post my kitchen question!
If we replace the stove, I would definitely go with the flat glass top. I need to paint the cabinets as well. I'm a sucker for home decorating magazines but when I try to mimic what I see, it falls flat. So my green cabinets look gaudy, not funky or eclectic.
I should take a photo of my kitchen and post it as someone had suggested, but I have to admit I'm a little embarrassed to do that! I'll declutter and take a photo tomorrow and post it tomorrow night to see what you guys think. No laughing out loud. This was our first house purchase five years ago so there were many things about the house that we didn't mind or pay attention to. The kitchen needs definite help at this point.
Thanks to all of you for providing me with much needed information. I really appreciate it.

[summers19]

Per golfgal's suggestion, here are a few photos of my kitchen. When we put our house on the market I will take down all the pictures and magnets on the fridge and I'll take down the wine rack and bottles on top of the cabinets. I was thinking of painting the cabinets white; getting rid of the green.
Any kind suggestions on how to update and spruce up my kitchen is appreciated.

[plaidmom]

summers19, I think your kitchen looks pretty darn good, but then I am a sucker for green!

Seriously, the cabinets look nice in the photos.

If I were you, I would spend my money on the countertops and the range. I'd add an under-mount-sink--IF it was in the budget. I'd buy myself a super-fab fridge, but list it as "does not convey".

Your floors look great and it appears that you have a lot of nice natural light.

[golfgal]

What type of market is your house in, first time home buyers or more of a step-up house? If you are in a first time homebuyers market I would replace the countertops and that is it. I wouldn't spend the money on new appliances. Your appliances are fine for that market. If you are in a step up market I would replace the appliances.

Your kitchen is adorable. When you go to sell, take everything off the countertops (put your coffee maker, etc. away for showings). It is probably ok to leave the microwave but other then that I think your kitchen is fine.

[MAtoNC!]

I like the green cabinets! I think white applicances would look great w/ that color. You could look on Craig's list for some cheap white appliances. And you can get a white panel for your dishwasher (http://frigidaire.stores.yahoo.net/insertpanel.html) (broken link). That would really brighten things up!

[momof2dfw]

Leave the green cabinets AND the wine rack on top of the cabinets. Put some wine bottles in it maybe. You CAN have decorations on top of the cabinets (this helps draw the eyes up and since your cabinets are not the tall 41" uppers this will help). I don't know where you live but places like Hobby Lobby have great things for decorations on the top of cabinets. Don't OVERDO it but you can add some fluff and filler there. Go into local model homes for ideas on how to do this. Look for the little boxes of different sizes w/ old food brands and have a small stack of 2-3 (place at angles). You can find a nice small chest or one of these boxes and take the lid off or open the chest and have some greenery coming out of it. A pretty urn that is tall w/ the colors of your kitchen would be nice. Tie in all the colors w/ the fluff.

Since you don't have a lot of counter space even check on how much the granite tiles would be. Check in the phone book for granite/rock/stone shops and call and ask if they have something left over that would be enough for your counters. We have a local Habitat For Humanity store here in Dallas that stocks all kinds of overruns on construction and home improvement items and they always have stuff like that. Never hurts to check on the price of it as it may be a few extra dollars that will bring you more dollars in a sales price and a quicker sale.

Appliances. Check the Sears warehouse/outlet and also local independent appliance stores. I have one close to me that I LOVE and their quality is much better than HD or L and the prices are WAY BETTER. Or spend the money on the counters and leave them as they are. They may look fine after you do something on the counters. I was also thinking about the appliance paint so you might try that on both.

With summer here and the color of your cabinets you can really play it up w/ some fun stuff that can be found at Target. I love all of their summer/outdoor entertaining stuff. They get the coolest dishes, glasses, pitchers, serving dishes in the summer. Have a pretty fresh floral arrangement on the kitchen table and maybe a small bud vase in the kitchen window w/ 3 gerber daises in it. Play off those colors and it will really enhance your cabinet color.

Good luck

[tiggywink]

I love your kitchen and I am very fussy. I love the green cupboards, those glass knobs, the floor, and the sunny windows. I wouldn't change anything. If I were buying your house I would say--fridge and stove can be replaced easily down the road but are fine for now. Counter top is fine for now. I like to choose my own stuff. I personally would not like granite tiles and would rip them off-- your money wasted.

What I would do for viewings if that were my kitchen would be--

--neaten up your mail basket or replace it with a decorative fruit bowl
--put the oven mitts in a drawer, and dish towel off the fridge
--decant the dishwashing liquid and soap into nice pump bottles--the ones in my kitchen are stainless steel --I got at Bed Bath Beyond
--put the sponges under the sink
--put some flowers on the windowsill over the sink--love the ideas of the gerbera daisies
--leave the plant above the stove, the winerack is okay but maybe a ceramic jug with some green in it would be better.
--clear a lot of the countertop of stuff--tray off microwave.
--neaten the stuff on the fridge, and maybe not so much. I don't think it's necessary to take it all down, but that's just me.

We are selling our house and I've done pretty much everything on this list--and everyone loves our kitchen too.

Good Luck!

[Cosmic]

I would ask it as a question? With what you intend to do will that change a potential buyer's No or Maybe to a Yes?

I sort of doubt any minor touchup in the kitchen is in that category. At the most I might change out the counter, maybe put a ceramic tile backsplash around the sink area. But I doubt it will influence a buyer that much. Would just clean and put away the junk stuff, maybe do a bit of that decorating. Pay attention to the lighting in the kitchen, see what looks best even in daylight, lights on or off.

Most buyers of something that appears like you have usually plan on some upgrades anyway if they own the house long enough. There is nothing short of a total makeover that is going to be all that dramatic. Plus most of those fancy makeovers tend to make the kitchen seem smaller. Best to go with what you got. Anyway you are probably targeting a particular type of buyer, where price is probably the most important feature. Doesn't look like a super fancy house.

[Stonecoldharbours]

Clean all windows, buy really nice curtains, keep the light coming in, keep it **** and span, decorate it some, cook something in the oven too.

[mrsengle]

Another poster suggested a white dish washer panel, so I thought I'd recommend an artsy dishwasher panel. Check out the link: http://www.dishwashercreations.com/

If you found something with green/blue/almond, you could have something really unique that would tie the kitchen together. It would add a splash of color, create a new focal point, and potential buyers will definitely remember your house, 'the one with the dishwasher art.'