Color Coordination in a Tiny Kitchen - Advice Needed!

15 years ago

First off, I'm absolutely a newbie in kitchen remodeling so some of my questions may sound a little silly. We have a 40 yr old SFH and the kitchen is no bigger than many people's guest bathrooms, with ten cabinets and about 28 sq. ft. countertop. We have a budget of $5,000. The good news is that all the appliances have been replaced in the past 3 yrs and the bad news is they are all in bisque color which is harder to coordinate than SS. We are planning to trade up in 1-2 yrs if the market permits, but would also like to enjoy the kitchen while we are here, which may be longer than I hope. Oh, and I forgot to mention there is a 1 yr old little monster in the house, as well as a dog that likes fumbling through kitchen garbage.

The kitchen floor is light oak laminate and it's not going away. The current wall color is yellowish and I can repaint it. The lighting fixture is http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100078206&N=10000003+90401+502059+904. We installed it 3 yrs ago and I still kinda like it. I'm not sure if we can have under cabinet light within our budget.

I'm working with a kitchen remodeler on selecting granite countertop and cabinets. There aren't many choices and I'm trying to decide a few things. Would love to get your opinion since sometimes I have a hard time imagining things:

1. Cabinets: Maple or Antique White Glaze (shown in the pictures). Does the maple in the picture look like ok quality? I'm a little concerned about the color variations in the wood. Is it normal with maple? Personally I like the antique white a lot but pretty much everybody else including DH is rejecting it saying it doesn't fit in our kitchen style. Also we currently have a bulkhead type of thing covering the microwave hood vent. DH wants to replace it with very short cabinets even though it's going to cost more. Does it make sense having cabinets hanging on top of an open doorway?

2. Granite: Uba Tuba or Santa Secilia? I love the color of Secilia but worry about maintenance. I'm a Chinese cook at home and it gets greasy and messy pretty quickly, esp. with baby food. Does Uba Tuba go well with the maple color? Would that combination make my tiny kitchen look even more dingy?

3. Backsplash: Does tile backsplash make a small kitchen look more croweded? All the model kitchen pictures I've been looking at are spacious and well lighted. I have a hard time imagining how it would look in my tight quarter.

Any recommendation for a paint color?

I'll have to figure out uploading the pictures tomorrow morning I guess. My brain can't process the technology after 10pm.

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Comments (12)

snowang
Original Author
15 years ago
Maple Cabinets
Antique White Cabinets

One corner of my tiny kitchen (with the bulkhead on top)

Another view of the bulkhead
sjerin
15 years ago
I'm no good at giving advice, but I'd like to bump this back for you.
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laxsupermom
15 years ago
I like the antique white better. I think maybe if you did the maple, that it would be too close in color to the light colored oak laminate and look like you tried to match, but missed. The uba tuba would be fine. I've seen many dark counters in small kitchens look great.

As for the bulkhead, I would definitely get rid of it and put cabinets to the ceiling. Soffits are just wasted space. I've seen doorway walls completely built out with cabinets and/or open shelving. It's a great way to eke out a bit more storage in a small space, but I'm unsure of how it would look with the range right there since most of the one's I've seen all of the cabinetry or shelving has been all one depth. You should flip through The Not So Big House and a few other design books at Barnes & Noble to get a few more ideas. Could you post a layout? I'm sure there'd be more ideas with a layout. HTH.
nalcar
15 years ago
I think either cabinet color could work depending upon how they look against the floor. I'd pick the one with the greater contrast so as not to have a "near miss" in color. I have a small kithchen and have chosen a darker counter for contrast as well. It also should lead the eye horizontally which could help expand the space visually. You might consider a darker sink such as a silgranite, which would help continue the counter- linewith less breakup than something like stainless steel.

Make sure that you check your soffit area for any wiring etc that may reside in there; my 40 yr old house had tons of wiring in the bulkhead area. You may have to adjust somewhat because of that, if it is a problem.
snowang
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks Sjerin for bumping! I was wondering why nobody jumped in to reply.

laxsupermom, thanks for supporting the Antique White idea (the actual color is almond). I just don't want to go with the safest choice. And I almost think it goes better with the biscuit appliances. But I do have to sell the house in a couple years and don't want to turn people away with unpopular colors.

So say if we go with Antique White and UbaTuba, which is the same price as the maple, any recommendations for tiles on the wall and paint color? My guess is I won't need any granite backsplash if I get tiles? Given how little wall is exposed between the microwave and stove, are tiles going to look weird? And should the tiles be laid only around microwave and stove or also behind them to form a straight line? (Don't know if I've explained myself clearly)

I'm pretty sure the soffit area has a vent pipe in it, maybe some wiring. If we replace it with a cabinet, the cabinet is going to be a few inches too narrow. The contractor said they can put a piece of wood of the same color to patch it up. For maple I think that's ok, don't know if the overall look of the Antique cabinets will be ruined by it.

I'll definitely upload some more pics tonight.
bluekitobsessed
15 years ago
Snow, before selecting the antique white it would be a good idea to take a door/sample home and display it against your appliances. It's probably fine, but sometimes beigish cabs will look too yellow (or gray, dingy, or something else bad) against bisque appliances.

Ubatuba would look fine with either color.

A tile backsplash would be fine (I like those better than full granite backsplashes in most cases). I would probably stay away from odd sizes and fancy patterns, and instead go for clean, uncluttered, and classic. The backsplash can wait until the cabs & granite are in, and the paint color can certainly wait a while.

Put some crown molding (not too overwhelming) at the top of your cabs and run it along the top of the bulkhead (or cabinet-that-will-replace-the-bulkhead) as well to tie it in to the cabs. Don't worry about having a cab above a door, as you have a small kitchen; you can't waste any space. However, it might be expensive to move the pipes/wiring in the bulkhead -- mine cost $4800 for a similar situation!

If you don't already have plans for the space to the left of the door, consider shelves, utensil rail, or wall rack for pots & pans.
snowang
Original Author
15 years ago
More pics of the current kitchen. Excuse me for the mess. The current kitchen doesn't give me any incentives to clean up.

Doorway leading to family room

Left side cabs

Pantry & Fridge

Right side cabs

Door to deck
snowang
Original Author
15 years ago
Bluekitobssessed, I like your idea of bringing samples in first. I've just come back from HD with some feel of the tile backsplashes. I like the tumbled stone but am afraid of hard cleanup. Would a 4"X4" golden color work or too dark?

Do you have any other tile to recommend?

The contractor said I can't put crowne moulding in because the soffit is in the way. He feels pretty sure the soffit on the left side contains some pipes or wiring. Is it something we'll get to know after taking out the old cabs? Or do we have to remove part of the drywall to see the inside? Would they have to put up some drywall after they take out the soffit? I certainly can't spend $4800 just on removing soffits. There goes my entire budget.

We have a designer friend who suggested painting the soffit above the doorway the same color as the wall. This way we save money for the extra cab (we won't be able to use it much because of the vent anyway).
mustbnuts zone 9 sunset 9
15 years ago
One of the posters here has Yellow River granite in her small kitchen with white cabs and subway tile. It is really pretty. I love the look. I think the look would go well with your appliances. There are enough color variations in the granite to match. I think it is Glad's kitchen. I will try to find it and post.
mustbnuts zone 9 sunset 9
15 years ago
Here is Glad's kitchen. I think the same thing would be very pretty in yours.
snowang
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks mustbnuts for your tile advice. I was actually considering sth similar in Barbie08075's finished kitchen. I guess they both qualify as simple, clean and classic. Now that I'm thinking more, tumbled stone is probably more suitable for a bigger and grande kitchen.

Glad's kitchen reminds me of my own. I guess the only major difference will be my dark granite.

Oh, and does anybody know what's the brand and model of the faucet in the pic?
snowang
Original Author
15 years ago
This is my plan so far, both for my own reference and for others to critique:

Cabinets: Replace with Antique Almond Glaze, reuse current knobs and pulls.

Countertop: Ubatuba Granite

Backsplash: White subway tiles from HD Daltile, will add a black line several inches above the counter if I can find it.

Sink: Galaxy Tool Ticor S405 Sink

Faucet: Pegasus 1 Handle Brushed Nickel Traditional Kitchen Faucet with Spray

Pantry door: To be replaced (can't find the correct dimension at HD or Lowes, 18"X80")

Door: To be replaced (any good suggestions for sth that leads in the maximum amount of light but also gives some privacy? We do have a mesh storm door on the outside)