Also, those pics are old and from the walk through... not my furniture/stuff/brass statue playing flute?!

Will you remind us which kitchen was in your old house? Did you do a reveal?

Is the giant bar staying?

here is my finished kitchen:

http://finishedkitchens.blogspot.com/2009/09/momof3kidspas-kitchen.html

The giant bar... undecided! Yes, I hate it. so crazy right there in the breakfast area!! i mean, i like to drink as much as the next gal, but not quite that much!! we have the keurig and nespresso machine there and have decorated it as a "coffee bar".

there is a top canopy that goes around the top that is coming off this weekend. then we are going to live with it for a bit and see if we like it any better. we have some time til the plans get approval but have to decide by the time it come to the demo/new hardwoods. but maybe without the top canopy and then the cabs painted, maybe it could work. it does have a second sink, a second dishwasher, an ice maker, and drinks fridge in it, it's kinda growing on me -- well again with all the changes stated above!!

Here is a link that might be useful: my sold kitchen

This post was edited by momof3kids_pa on Tue, Jun 10, 14 at 20:38

I don't know about the kitchen but my DH would buy that house solely for the bar and would excommunicate me if I even suggested changing it in anyway!!!

Thanks for the pic. I'll bet you cried to say goodbye to that beautiful kitchen :(

But! You get to do another one! Bar is kinda bordering on nifty, to my eye. Maybe a little busy but could be made to work.

Yeah, I think that bar is what is making everything seem so dark! It's totally not my thing at all, so I'd be getting rid of that! LOL

I think if that was gone, even just the top as you suggested, and with "lighter" furniture (ie not as heavy or dark) the kitchen would really brighten up. Especially with lighter coloured cabinets.

I actually like the bar area. If you entertain a lot (I know I do) you can use that area for drinks (not just alcoholic) and use the counters as a buffet type zone so guests stay out of the main working kitchen.

I actually have a similar set up, layout is totally different but the concept is there. I did it on purpose to have a dedicated coffee bar (are we related?!?) and a buffet zone plus an area for the guests who invariably congregate but they stay out of my working zone.

Those cabinets look quite nice as they are. Not sure I would paint over them but clearly you prefer white over stained. Wondering if changing up the counter and floors would be sufficient enough of a change for you...

If you feel you need more light in the kitchen, and your house is a 1 story, you should look into SolaTube. We also have an interior kitchen that needed extra light. Our tube is one of the things we are happiest about.

The cabinets are really nice in the photos. It would be tempting to leave the bottom cabinets stained and just paint the uppers. Looks to be nice wood, but I understand when you want something different as in white. Do you know what color of white you will use? I'm with you on the bar, it's gotta go. If it were a basement family room or entertaining space that would be different but right in the kitchen, no. They probably paid a lot of money for that monstrosity. I've never understood the "canopied" bar. I think with the top off it will make a huge difference, too. Good luck! Lots to work with there, nice home!!

Your old kitchen with the exposed brick... I'm shedding a tear for you, too.

But congrats on a new challenge. With regard to the bar, a few years ago, I would have ripped it out. But now that my kids are getting older and hanging out with friends, I'd be inclined to leave it and promote as a hang-out area for them, stocked with soda, snacks, cappucinnos, etc.

I'd go ahead and remove the top canopy, as you propose, and then use it as a coffee bar/alcohol bar as appropriate among adults for entertaining, and then (sans alcohol) let the kids think it's mainly "their" area with their friends... where I could still discreetly keep an eye on things.

texasgem/peony- we do entertain and it has really proven to be a useful space, just currently not a pleasing to the eye space, like a "what the heck is that doing there"? Gonna give it a shot to see if the toning down works... we really are enjoying it as our coffee area, actually think I'd miss it now!

texas penny- its not one floor. love the idea of solartubes, just dont think we could finagle one.

gr8day- which white?? AHH! suggestions? I've seen so many posts agonizing over which white and always thought me lucky that my old ones were pre-painted. now here i am! the upstairs and basement are currently being painted and we are using decorator white trim. however, i am tossing around the idea of having white uppers and a color on the bottoms, maybe like a grayishy blue?? i will most likely choose marble for new tops and thought that would go nicely.

I am excited! I guess I am a glutton for punishment but I love renovating! Although we will be hiring this time and not DIY like last time, yay!

Yikes, that's a tough call... the bar is nice but IMO the style doesn't fit well with anything in there at all.

I'll bet it was hard saying goodbye to your old kitchen. But now you get to transform this one!

The wood cabinets do look nice, but if light is at a premium, I'd go light, at least on the uppers.

Sorry, but the bar has to go. It's a conversation piece all right, but it doesn't belong there, whether you serve hard liquor, coffee, smoothies, or garlic fries. Sell it on CL. Somebody's dying to put something just like that in their man cave.

I think that the current cabinets are pretty, but a different floor will make a huge difference too! (as would a different counter, I am not a fan of the yellow tone). They will look good painted also if you move forward with that.

That bar is interesting. I rather like the way it divides the sitting area from the eating area, and I could see myself lounging on the sofa and only having to go that far to refill my coffee. I wonder if you can take out just half of it, and save the other half for the coffee station (and storage) painted to match whatever you do in the kitchen.