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This is the kitchen of the home I have purchased (hopefully, I've attached it correctly). Like the rest of the house, it is well maintained but dated. Eventually, I would like to have part of the wall removed and open it up to the dining room. However, that expenditure is a few years down the road. We own a larger four year old white fridge so we'll use that.
I plan to apply a product (suggestions?) to restore the luster in the cabinets and replace the hardware. Want to do something about the floors, wall, and countertops but am stumped as to what to do.
I like the warmer colors in some of the Tuscan styles I've seen. I also like sage, cream, and brown. However, I am open to any and all suggestions. Thanks in advance for all of your help.
Location: Nothing could be finer... I'm in S. Carolina!!
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okay i'll take a shot at this. i know you said you want to leave the cabinets, but i think giving them a fresh coat of paint would be really nice. i would say a nice creamy white but since your fridge is white, maybe a light tan color. i know it kind of sounds weird, so here's a picture: http://images-cdn01.associatedconten.../300_73106.jpg
that photo is just for the color of the cabinets, not the whole kitchen. then for the hardware, the oil rubbed bronze cup pulls would be cute. for the floor, you could do an inexpensive tile and be sure they're still available when you do the rest of your reno later on. so it will all match.
i would replace the hood for sure. for the countertops, find a nice dark brown or black laminate that you like if you want to stay really inexpensive or go with dark granite tiles. also, tile the backsplash (this is inexpensive) area with small, tan to light brown tuscanish tiles (pictures below). be sure they go great w/ the tile on the floor. you can also do an oil rubbed faucet and light fixtures. not sure what to do for the sink. maybe just a new stainless or if yours if fine, go with it.
then paint the walls a light green or a slightly darker beige/ tan color than your cabinets and your fridge will look nice and crisp and if you want to get stainless or black later, it will still look great. some undercabinet lighting (just a row of lights or a stick up) and you're good to go! it will be beautiful!
if you do it yourself, i bet it wouldn't be more than $2k depending on the countertops and the hood and quality of fixtures and hardware.
whatever you do though, don't go too cream with anything but the floor or backsplash b/c i think (think, key word) if you do, it will make your fridge look out of place. if i were you, when i replaced the appliances, i would get black or stainless and when your fridge goes, get a matching one.
hope that meshes in your head like it kind of did in mine!
Whenever I redo my houses, I always make changes with future re-sale in mind and stick to products that are moderate to high quality and somewhat neutral in color and style. It's so much easier to change a paint color, faucet, light fixture, towel bar or drawer pulls than it is to change cabinets, flooring and countertops.
With that said, there are people who could give your cabinets a beautiful paint or glaze treatment for a whole new look. Consider higher quality counter tops, like granite with an undermount stainless steel sink and new faucet. Matching silver drawer pulls and light fixtures would tie the look together.
Consider a neutral ceramic tile floor or travertine tile. Travertine has a very classic, timeless look and goes well with most styles if done well.
Before making all these changes though, think long and hard about what you want. Cut pictures out of magazines for inspiration. Find a "signature" piece for the room, such as a vase, bowl or painting that has the "look" of the style you want and pull a color palette from it.
For example, I found a beautiful painting of the Venice waterways years ago. When I bought my next house, I knew I wanted to hang it in the breakfast room. That painting set the "theme" for the kitchen/breakfast area. The walls were already a soft, buttery yellow and it made the painting pop against the wall since it had the same color in it. From there, I slowly acquired other items to pull the room together.
I'm guessing you are right down the road. Now, what I am getting from the way you worded your post is that you plan to be in this home for at least 3-4 years, and if you will then do a more extensive remodel (tearing down that wall), right now you are looking for something that will look better but on the cheap. If that is the case, I'll recommend the following...
A quick look on Craigs List for Hampton Roads showed some good deals on appliances (White Appliances, Stove, Dishwasher, MIcrowave (http://norfolk.craigslist.org/hsh/993137416.html - broken link)). I would look to see if you can replace that hood with a microhood to give you more counterspace. Then if the current flooring is sheet vinyl, I would just put the peel and stick tiles over it. They have come a long way with those products. Put some fresh paint on the walls and backsplash, and then if your are really feeling motivated, paint/glaze the cabinets.
And then a couple of little extras depending on the budget... new hardware for the cabinets (again, check Craig's List or the Habitat for Humanity store), new faucet and light fixture.
I would leave the countertops alone. They appear to be in good shape, and if you are looking at a major remodel in 3-4 years, I don't think it's worth the cost.
Good luck and post an "after" picture when you're done!
that's a tight kitchen. The one thing that bugs me is the sharp corner on the end of the counter...
If it were my kitchen, I would change the flooring to a color that better compliments the rest of the kitchen..and maybe an above the stove microwave..because your counters have limited space.
I would paint them for now, especially since you plan on remodeling in a few years. There is no sense in spending money on cabinets, countertops, or flooring if you can make the kitchen look nice with paint... the least expensive way to redecorate. Save up until you can afford to do the kitchen the way you want, including taking down walls.
If you are against painting, I found this product called liquid gold. It cleans and shines up wood real nice. then of course the basic old english to touch up. They also have a lot of new easy staining products out there if you wanted to change the stain slightly.
What I understood from the post is that you dont want to spend a lot of money because you plan to do a major reno later. If you can do most of the work yourself you could really do it on the cheap and have a really nice kitchen. I really like the ideas of the stick tile, smooth top range, and micro hood. also, I have never used it, but I have seen a new "fake tile" backsplash at a couple of the HI stores. I think it was around $10 for a pretty big sheet. If you are pretty sure you would stick with it even after you knock out the wall I would reccomend using real tile though.
I would look to see if you can replace that hood with a microhood to give you more counterspace.
That won't work- Generally, the cabinet above the range/when using a vent hood is 14"hgt. And would need to be a 12"hgt cabinet for the conversion.
If you were to install a micro with the current cabinet- the bottom of the micro would be too close to the cooking surface. Most have a minimum of 18"
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