How can I modernize my knotty pine-paneled kitchen?

13 years ago

My partner and I have what might be called a granny or maid quarters on one side of our house. It includes a good-sized bedroom, a large living space with a tiny kitchen area, and a newly renovated modern-style bathroom. The cabinets in the kitchenette are very old and grimy, and we want to renovate this space to make it nicer and more functional.

When I say large living space, I mean it: it's a little over 28 feet long and 18 feet wide, with cathedral ceilings. It's also completely done in knotty pine paneling with darker-paneled ceilings and a floor-to-ceiling rocky fireplace in the middle. This room looks like the inside of a log cabin, nothing like the rest of the house. (When we walked through the house for the first time last year, there was a cow skull looming over the room.)

Thus, my [design] dilemma. How do I insert a small but contemporary kitchen into this retro space that looks chic but not wholly out of place? What kind of cabinets? What color back splash or fixtures?

Right now the kitchen (on the north wall) is a hodge podge of materials: new-ish maple-looking upper cabinets; grimy pine-looking lower cabinets; dark blue laminate counter tops with white swirlies; and mismatched appliances. The floor is currently a light-colored laminate, and I'm open to changing that it the kitchen space.

Any thoughts you could provide would be useful, or inspirational pictures! :)

(Painting the paneling is not an option. The room is too large and my partner actually loves it.)

Featured Answer

Stacey Collins

13 years ago

Oh, maaaaaan, that live-edge table with the Wegner wishbone chairs is soooooooo beautiful!!!!! Look how the table slab is just sitting on sawhorses! With gazillion dollar chairs. Love it!

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Comments (12)

oceanna
13 years ago
Are you willing to paint the pine? Painted paneling gives such a great texture to a wall, which I think must be why so many furniture companies have it in their ads.

Do you enjoy looking at inspiration pictures? Here's a link to the Kitchens thread in our Gallery. Loads of pretty kitchens there that can help you pin down the look you want.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchen eye candy
Stacey Collins
13 years ago
OOoh, fun design challenge!!!

Can you show us some photos? I'm sure there's a way to do this, but it would be good to see what you're working with.....

From what you're describing, I would do a sort of Scandinavian juxtaposition of sleek modern cabinetry on the rustic wood. Something like Ikea's glossy white cabinets might be gorgeous. Think Scandinavian summerhouse in the forest.... rustic wood with sleek light fixtures and simple cabinetry. Perhaps carry the rustic through the kitchen via a wooden counter. Any way you look at it, you're going to need SOME white space, I think. Even if just one wall is covered with drywall and painted, it'll add the calmness you want to make it a modern space (see images below with a lot of wood but SOME blank plain wall space...) For flooring, maybe natural slate or a slate-lookalike ceramic tile?

{{!gwi}}

Even something a little less hard edged, like the Scandinavian "country" kitchen below might work...
Here are some other images that might help. Google "modern rustic" for more in the same vein...

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

Here's something way more rustic....
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DLM2000-GW
13 years ago
stacy what fabulous inspiration pictures! I so admire people who can get that mental picture from a written description. I was struggling to picture what the OP was saying.

shazlaur do try to post pictures - it's so helpful to really see what you have.
chicagoans
13 years ago
stacy - great pics! In the 4th pic from the top, I love the contrast between the simple white cabs and rich wood walls. Yum.

A couple more resources shazlaur: check out the finished kitchens blog for great inspiration pics. Use the slideshow link on the upper right and play the slideshow; when you love one, click on the picture and you'll get the details (cabinets, fixtures, etc.) You can also use the "Categories" link and do a search on contemporary styled kitchens.

Definitely post some pics and a layout, with all measurements, on the kitchens forums. The layout wizards over there will help you make the most of the space, which sounds very cool BTW!

Here is a link that might be useful: finished kitchens blog
avesmor
13 years ago
Chic & contemporary with pine walls screams IKEA. :) I second the recs to look through the FKB - although it's not search query friendly. You might also want to search the Kitchens forum for phrases similar to what you're describing - modern rustic, contemporary cabin, etc.

Here are some of my inspiration pictures. They don't exactly match up with your description, but you'll see the same elements -- maybe just used in different ways.
shazlaur
Original Author
13 years ago
Wow! Thanks for all the advice and photos, everyone! I'd already found a few of the pictures posted, but these ideas are fantastic. :)

Stacey, I REALLY like the Scandinavian 'country' kitchen. I think mid-tone grey cabinets with lots of glass and a light-colored counter top might really open up the space a lot. We put white subway tile in the bathroom, so I could see bringing that in as a backsplash to tie the two spaces together.

I don't have a picture of the kitchen directly (currently it's stuffed with unpacked boxes so it's not worth it anyway, hah). The image below is a picture of the large room, which the realtor took pre-sale. You can see the cow skull! You may be able to tell this room gets quite dark in the evenings. We replaced the ceiling fans with Hampton Bay Altura 56 in. ceiling fans in brushed nickel (with light kits added) from Home Depot.

The kitchen is directly behind the camera; it goes about the length of the wall.

Here's an in-progress shot of the attached bathroom, which is now done and shows a rather divergent decor choice from the log cabin (haha):
Stacey Collins
13 years ago
Well, that's a lovely space, and I think you can certainly tie it all together with a kitchen like the grey cabinet one I posted. Between that and some more modern furniture and lighting in the main room, it will make the bathroom (which looks fabulous, BTW) feel totally cohesive with the rest.

What will you be doing in the LR space? I'm thinking maybe cowhode rug, sleeker furniture, some chrome for bling...

This is a great project; please show us pictures as you progress :)
mjsee
13 years ago
Oh my gosh--do NOT paint that paneling. It is lovely. Once one paints paneling one must paint it forever. I agree...if you've got an IKEA near you, that is the way to go. I'd do simple laminate counter-tops. Unless you WANT to go price-y,then I'd do ceasar stone or quartz or corian or soapstone...something without a lot of pattern or movement. I think most granites would be too busy.
nicole__
13 years ago
A living room that "had" pine walls
shazlaur
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks, mjsee! Unfortunately the nearest Ikea is over a hundred miles away from us so I'm not exactly sure we'll go that route cabinet-wise. As for the walls, I tend to agree even if my first reaction when I saw this room was "Oh, eff my life, we need to paint this ASAP." It's grown on me and I definitely don't like the idea that once I paint it we can't really go back. I could see one day taking it down and drywalling it (the insulation is non-existent as we're in a warm part of California so I'd put some in at that point), but we're not there yet.

Nicole--I love that look, I just don't think it'll work in my space. :\

Stacey--thanks! WRT the living space, it's set up fairly similarly to the scene shown: two green microfiber couches instead of a sectional, a black/glass coffee table, and
from Overstock. We have a black/dark brown TV table, a desk hidden behind the TV, and generally dark-colored wood or pine bookshelves dotted around the room. Oh, and a massive cat tree. :) I took the shelves down from the windows. The fans we brought in are amazing--dark wood blades with these Steampunk-like brushed nickel bodies.

The rug:
Stacey Collins
13 years ago
Ikea's only 100 miles away?? Lucky you! Mine's about 180 miles .... I still make the trip 2-3x a year :) Once you start pricing cabinets and looking at styles and quality, I think you'd be doing yourself a really BIG favor to make a trip over there one day..... not to mention that Ikea cabs have very low VOCs compared to all but the most expensive other cabinet lines. Who wants to be breathing formaldehyde for the next 10 years while their new kitchen off-gasses? Yuck.