Five things that date a kitchen or make it look builder basic:
Comments (150)
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agoThis is kitchen message board for The Kitchen Obsessed. OP wants a current, expensive looking kitchen (or wants to talk about what makes a kitchen look current or expensive). What would be a inoffensive way to explore what would help achieve that look?
I know that I am walking the fine line between avoiding expensive-looking while not being dated. I am doing a remodel in a high-end neighborhood and I don't want it to look impressive or expensive but because I have so much exposure and interest in design I am sensitive to what is "dated" not because I care what others think but because I am so "over it." Also, I adore what I perceive as timeless design. Palimpset's first pic of the white kitchen is both what I consider timeless and the sort of kitchen I find pleasing. It would fit right in on my Pinterest kitchen board. I have some training and eye for design and I know some of my loves are "dated" but I still love them and consider them good design. Even if I don't want it or like it I like to think that I can still pick out what is "right now" and what is "dated."
I wish there was a way to acknowledge what is on-trend and expensive-looking without offending people who choose and love (or feel stuck with) things that are possibly dated and less expensive looking. Maybe there just isn't a way to do that...
I think it would be fun to start a conversation in the positive (I do not know how to set that thought in a grammatically correct way) and ask:
What elements make a kitchen look expensive and "right-now"?
I think that would be FUN! It is still subjective, of course, I don't agree with some of the things stated on this thread :)I just came back to this board because I am remodeling again, but maybe this has been done already?
Some of the things I (maybe incorrectly) think make a kitchen look expensive and current are:
-large kitchens that generally don't need or try to be efficient or ergonomic (this hasn't changed much in the last 30 years, it seems...)
-muted and/or somber colors like dove gray, soft eggplant, taupe, chocolate etc.
-cabinetry with glass uppers, open shelves
-both clean lines and detail in cabinetry
-clean, simple lighting fixtures with shades in both muted light and dark colors.
-both squared and drum-shaped shades
-shiny and sparkly light fixtures; the sparkly ones are less ornate than those you find in a French Country kitchen, the shiny a departure from the heavy, matte, dark lighting fixtures in Old-World or Tuscan kitchens.
-industrial lighting fixtures
-lots of detail but less "stuff" than the French Country or Old-World kitchens
-velvet and linen with subtle or no print, leather
-quiet counters
-hand-made tiles that are less "rough" and "rustic" than the hand-made tiles of a few years ago
-more glamour and less "cozy hearth" but retaining some rustic elements
-more of a Belgian, Scandinavian influence than the southern European influence of a few years ago
-more of a city feel than a country feel...more Paris than Provence...That is my perspective on what looks expensive and current.
These pics aren't perfect, but they do show some of the elements I described.
They are not my ideal kitchens nor do they reflect my aesthetic necessarily.I specifically picked the second pic to show what I mean by detail on the cabinets and range hood. It is more austere but not plain. It still looks custom and expensive while being somewhat restrained.
Apparently I see the current kitchen trends as a reaction to the French Country, Old World and farmhouse kitchens, many of which I love...maybe some of the simplicity of farmhouse but with more glamour, some of the detail and a touch of the rustic from Old-World and French Country but more restrained. Where the Old-World kitchens imply simple, home-cooked food (regardless of reality) these new kitchens seem to imply caterers much more :) I don't think the layouts have changed much at all. I, personally, think farmhouse kitchens are still current but I may be biased because I adore the style.
*I put sleek, modern kitchens in a different category. I think they can always be expensive-looking, current choices, though I think they may more popular right now because they are so different from the...yes, Old-World and French Country kitchens.
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[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/our-projects-kitchens-traditional-kitchen-phvw-vp~699574)
[Traditional Kitchen design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Charleston Interior Designer Linda McDougald Design : Postcard from Paris Home
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[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/historic-st-paul-kitchen-and-mudroom-addition-renovation-traditional-kitchen-minneapolis-phvw-vp~347387)
[Traditional Kitchen design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Minneapolis General Contractor John Kraemer & Sons
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
RECIPE: looking for: date dinner - make him love me!
Comments (27)I know you've already had your special date, but wanted to share this recipe for Bolognese Sauce, published in O Magazine, February 2007 - "Learn to make this sauce, and find a man worth cooking it for, in that order. Make a meal that will leave him hungry, not for sex, but for you! This sauce will smell better than anything youÂve ever smelled before. Make it only once a year, and keep him hungry! Great for special occasions and wonderful in the fall when itÂs cool. This sauce takes a lot of time  it should simmer for four to five hours  but it does not require much skill or effort. Once the vegetables are chopped, all thatÂs left to do is add ingredients and stir. This gives you plenty of time to shower, tidy up your home, and do whatever else you need to do to prepare for your dinner guest. Ingredients: 1 medium onion 1 large or 2 small carrots 2  3 stalks celery 1 ounce pancetta, very finely chopped 1 lb ground beef (not lean) 1 tsp salt ¼ tsp freshly ground pepper Pinch allspice 1 cup whole milk 1 cup dry white wine 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes w/ juice 1 lb pasta, such as rigatoni Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for grating Finely chop onion, carrot, and celery. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven over low heat, cook pancetta until all fat is rendered and pancetta is just beginning to brown. Add chopped vegetables; raise heat to medium, and cook, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent and soft. Add ground beef, breaking it up with a spoon, ¼ tsp (to start) salt, plus pepper and allspice. Cook until meat is brown. Add milk. When it begins to simmer, reduce heat to low and cook at a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally until milk has mostly boiled away, about 30 minutes. Add white wine and cook as with milk, until it has mostly boiled away. Add tomatoes and juice; bring to a simmer. Cover pot, reduce heat to low, and allow sauce to cook very gently at barest simmer, 2.5 to 3 hours. Season to taste with remaining salt. Just before sauce is done, bring a pot of water to boil, salt it generously and boil pasta according to package directions. Drain, mix with a third of sauce, the serve with remaining sauce on top with lots of grated Parmigiano cheese. Makes 4 cups sauce."...See MoreThings we still love even though they are "dated"
Comments (109)so many things listed here that I love - and still live with! I love inefficient light bulbs! I don't have many 100watts. probably should have stocked up on t hem - but couldn't think of any room where I used them! I have bunches of 60 W bulbs and will buy a bunch more. including the ylw bug bulbs. and some 3 way bulbs - I have OLD brass floor lamps that use those. I love the Vinyl kitchen floors - mine is in planks now rather than sheet. If there's a dw leak, I can rip up a few planks and replace them. Same will go in the baths and laundry. Actually, the whole house will have them - with area rugs. Including an old oriental or 2 (from my MIL). I would probably have carpet if not for allergies, desert dust, the dog and ease of cleaning! I still use a landline. I'm the only one I know who doesn't use a cell phone. I have one in a drawer - haven't used it in yrs. I shld put time on it and use when I drive tho. "I despise the idea of cell and smart phones which can interrupt anything else you're doing" - I agree. I hate seeing / hearing people walking around in stores with a phone at their ear. or talking to someone on a cell ph in their car. I don't want to talk to someone driving. old fashioned bedspreads - I still have the chenille one my mom bought for me (and my sister) when we were in HS. It's a twin size, but I keep it. ceiling fans - many people don't like or use them. Here in AZ we love 'em. I have them in all living spaces/rooms. I had a newer one put in my bedroom last spring and will replace the one in the LR in a few months. The ones in the other rooms are just cheap white ones (you can buy for 50.00 or less in HD). I'd rather have old brass or glass doorknobs BUT my hands can't turn them these days, so I'm switching out to the levers. Most of what I have and love was from my MIL's house. She died at about 74 in '78. Nothing in her house was new - it came from her mother's or MIL's house or was bought when she was newly married. Heavy old furniture - beautiful. Even most (if not all) of my lamps came from her house. I had several rewired yrs back and have a good number of them that still need rewired before I can use them. I have lots of books - and several bookcases for them to live in. My windows will have shades, not louvered blinds... I can put the shades up during the day and see out. But then, I live in the country on acreage so no one's close enough to see in anyway. Most of my windows don't have anything at them yet. louvers are a pain to clean on windows or doors! and I love my bisque appliances. don't like SS I even like my old laminate counters! I love my OLD stuff....See MoreBasic Builder's Kitchen-Ideas Welcomed!
Comments (15)I think you should make a plan for your kitchen, before you dig in. In how many years, realistically, might you change the countertops or do a full gut-remodel? If you honestly think either one of those could be in the next 5 years, that would change my answer. My gut feeling is, you just bought this house and you have a lot of things to furnish and complete. If so, then I'm guessing you're 7-10 years out before a full-scale kitchen remodel? And in that case, I'd gently suggest you do the following: 1. Assuming your cabinets don't have peeling veneer, or details we can't see, then I would leave them dark as mayflower advised. 2. Get cabinet hardware as andrea advised. 3. Tile the backsplash. You could add instant bling by buying the cute mini-tiles, already on webbing at Home Depot. Some have a bit of metallic or jewel tones. With labor you could be at a $1,000 for this item alone, but I really think it would perk things up. Also, aesthetically, your top cabinets seem to be floating in a sea of wall right now. The backsplash will connect the bottom cabs to the top ones. Also, please continue the backsplash down behind the current stove 6 inches.(see point 4). 4. Replacing appliances: Mayflowers is correct that this would also update your room. I would replace the stove. But, since you MIGHT want to open up that wall, you could be looking at a stove on an island someday. So leave your options open: Buy a slide-in range that could be used against a wall or on an island. A backsplash will be even more useful then, because your stove won't stick up above counter-height. See the sample photo of a slide-in range that I've attached. If you were to replace any other appliances, my second choice would be a white fridge. Fridges have gotten so much more efficient, you will actually save some money on their operation. Somehow the D/W is less bothersome to me. Also, most busy families wear out a dishwasher every several years so I'd milk it to the end before replacing. 5. I am not sure you need to repaint unless you have worn spots from the previous owners. You have a nice neutral color on your walls. See what you find for your other accessories before deciding. Here is a link that might be useful: Sample of a slide-in range...See MoreDoes my garbage disposal make my kitchen look dated?
Comments (50)I've grown up having a GD in my life, so it's something I consider ubiquitous. However, I've been thinking of giving it up when we reno the kitchen. Primarily because our drain is a mess-it goes out to our back yard where years ago there was a septic tank. Later, when the house was hooked in to City sewer, instead of turning the drain pipe around so it drained out to the street, they put a U joint and had it go out back then out to the front. We learned this because every single year, usually around Thanksgiving, I'd have to have the rooter company come out and rooter our drain. Eventually they ran a camera down and found out that was the main cause of our backing up issue. So I rarely use the GD now, except, as some have noted, small bits that rinse off the dishes after being scraped. I also run citrus peels through on occasion, but never anything bigger than a peanut size. I'll never forget on my 9th birthday I had a sleepover. 14 little girls all camped out in the front room. Typical ghost stories and games had been played before we all fell asleep. Sometime during the night two girls got up to get a glass of water and one accidently turned on the DW switch thinking it was a light switch. A spoon had gotten down into the drain and the noise-the horrible grinding/clanking caused 14 pre-teen girls to shriek bloody murder. I remember my dad running into the front room in his underwear to see what was going on and my mom rushing to the kitchen to turn off the disposal. After that I wasn't allowed to have sleep overs....See MoreRelated Professionals
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