this is a better pic from before we moved in and while the grout was drying...everyone said the hood looked plain and no I regret putting the drawer front on it...

I think your kitchen looks great! It's traditional w/modern elements. I'm not a pro though so I'll let the others offer advice :) I do think changing hardware can make a big difference.

Honestly, it doesn't read that traditional to me, and I like and lean more towards modern. Couple of suggestions:

-if you were able to change the corbels on the island to a "sleeker" design that might help.
-maybe you could put some modern decorative accessories in the glass cabs over the frig and the ovens. I think the white dishes do read modern.
-I agree with you about the hood. I think it looked more modern without the door panel. Any chance it can be removed and the hood repaired?
-I like the faucet you have.
-I can't really see the pulls you have, but a sleek pull would probably be an easy change.
-I think both the ceiling fan and lighting fixture do read modern.

I think overall you have a nice balance in your kitchen. A couple of subtle changes and you might be just where you want to be. Good luck!

It's true the cabinets are not modern; a slab style would have looked more modern.

Two things that stand out that might be changed: The hood and the brackets on the island.

Changing that wooden hood for a stainless, and the decorative brackets for some invisible L ones (or something plain, I don't know what you need to support an overhang like that) could give you a mod/trad mix that would work. You were drawn to "girly" for a reason. You can still make it work for you.

Also, as you say, the table/chairs/rug could be switched out easily. Steel isn't the only thing that says modern. Look at conran usa's web site, swing by an ikea (take a look in their desk department, where you can pick tops and legs separately, it's fascinating even if you don't need a desk!) design within reach etc. for a range of options, if you haven't already.

And molding can be replaced. Give it a little time. If you still hate it, ask someone to come in and give you something plainer.

Love the clock! I can definitely see what you're trying to do, and it looks great.

I like it!!! Perhaps you could change the ceiling light/fan to something more sculptural/modern (I see it matches the one over your eating table but somehow it looks more traditional with the dark fan blades), and remember accessories can make a big difference. Also a clock over the cooktop that has more substance to it. Just some thoughts on first look.

I think your kitchen is beautiful. It is traditional but also very modern. I like your cabinets but if you really hate the doors you could just buy new doors.

I'm a lover of warm modern spaces also so I'll give you my feedback for what little it is worth. (I'm not known for my design skills, LOL)>

I think you have a great base to work with. Your moldings on the doors, hood, etc. definitely add a traditional feel but they aren't fussy. The element that seems the most traditional to me is the corbels and I'd think about changing them out.

I think by using some clean lined modern stools and perhaps different cabinet pulls you'll get a more modern feel.

I also think your table and chairs are very formal looking but they have nice lines and are really pretty. And the light over them is great!

Anita

I think your kitchen is stunning. IMHO get rid of the round knobs and replace them with the same sleek handles you have on your drawers. Those round knobs read traditional to me. I think that slight change will give you what you're looking for without having to spend much $$$. Good luck!
Barb

I'm with the others here. Change the corbels. Those offer the biggest, least modern flourish in the room, to my eye.

My only worry is that what you have now looks so nice. Not modern, but a pretty good balance. Your cabinets do read traditional--not just the doors but also the "feet" and crown molding. IMO, if you change everything else to modern, your cabinets might look incongruent.

Faucet, counters, appliances look perfect and a nice counterpoint to the traditional cabinets. Try switching the corbels and bring in a few more "modern" accessories, and it'll be dreamy.

you guys are just so awesome!

I thank you for all of the compliments and great advice...

Maybe the corbels do need to change...Maybe not to a stailess steel bracket, but something not so formal...Hmmm, although I wonder if that's possible sinc the slab overhangs on it...

I'm also afraid to touch the hood...hmmmm

As for for the doors, my husband would laugh out loud in my face if I suggested it .. LOL...I haven't worked since November (we moved from NY to NC where I was a lawyer and now where I am a worthless shut-in on garden web all day) ...

Maybe the new pulls...I found really nice ones....And now that you guys say so, my eyes do go right to the cobels...but I'll be really careful to not throw it off balance!

THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I agree w/ the concensus that removing the corbels, hood decoration, and switching the knobs for sleek pulls would go a long way. You could change your backsplash for a little more time & $. A little while ago there were a couple of GWers who after having backsplashes installed, hated them, then ripped them out. This is a much more drastic step, but it can be done successfully without ruining your countertops. A gorgeous glass tile ala catmom would really take those cabinets all the way to modern.

I think your kitchen is beautiful! It is traditonal but with a modern twist. I Love the cabinets and your countertop. I think you did a great job. lascema

I think you're already started in the right direction... I can see what you're going for and it's working, maybe just not as much as you want. Your cabinets have strong, clean lines, and the pulls, appliances, and bold, glass cabinets help. No need to change big things like doors, backsplash, or hood, in my opinion. I do think the corbels on the island have to go...Not disappear, but be a sleeker, plainer style.

The table and chairs sure don't work for me. If they were rustic or contemporary, I'd say leave them, but they're too fussy, I think. Stools will make a difference, but not sure steel would be right. I do like the hood better plain, but it depends on how the panel was installed if it'd be OK to remove...and it's probably not that big a deal to leave it on.

Funky knobs that go better with your already modern pulls would be fun, too. Can you change the blades in your fan? I think the lighting part looks modern, but not the med-dk wood.

This is a great kitchen. A couple tweaks and I hope you'll love it.

Eliminate the top molding completely. (There's no way around that one. It's the first think my eye saw and it screams traditional rather than modern.) Eliminate the hood in favor of something sleek and stainless. Eliminate the corbels or replace them with something stainless and simple. THose are your 3 big offenders dragging the kitchen into traditional rather than modern. Simple unfussy lines are what mark a modern look. Painted white cabinetry is difficult to create a transitional type kitchen with. It's very traditional rather than modern. Eliminating the frou frou from the kitchen will help a great deal with actally making painted white cabinets read to be transitional rather than traditional. The accessories are what will create "modern" out of the transitional bones. Like the sleeker hood and more streamlined corbels.

A fourth thing to rethink would be the backsplash. I like the shapes. IT's the material that is wrong. The same think with glass would be perfect. It would have the traditional element modded up to a today look.

Again, awesome input! Thanks! I've already emailed the kitchen people about the corbels...

The hood must stay since this was just renovated...no way I can change it...

I actually like the tile ..in person, it's a linen look that runs in all different directions and I couldn't change it if I would since husband would strangle me in my sleep....I see how they do look rustic in the pic...I was initially going to go with a mini glass subway too which is funny...

I think realistically, since I have an entire house to worry about at thi point is that...I'm going to work on
#1 knobs which I found and love
#2 ditch the corbels
#3 table and chairs which, of course, are new too LOL...My husband has a touch of OCD going on and "made" me basically buy everything before we even moved it. It was really hard. Poor me LOL....I looked around my house and I kind of am traditional I guess haha...

Maybe one day down the road I'll do the backsplash, but at this point, I just can't since everything is so new and we spent close to 6 figs doing demo all over the house and we're tapped out!!

THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You might investigate a local metalworking shop for a custom stainless "slipcover" to your hood that would just mount on top of your decorative hood. I did a budget kitchen redo for a client who had that doen as well as had them do the backsplash in sheet stainless. It turned out great!

oh, thought you guys would appreciate this...the before...the WHOLE house was like this...

And I guess to put it into perspective...the kitchen leads into this room...which is a big long room divided into two spaces...the first of which I can't figure out...still a work in progress...any tips would be awesome!!!..but that's for another day...Looking at it...

Looking at these objectively...I guess
OMG, I AM traditional..Who knew? LOL. THAT SUCKS!!! LOL

Everybody's already piped in with what I was thinking when looking at your photos. Your kitchen is beautiful and with a few relatively easy changes you can get more of a modern feel.

The thing which really jumped out at me was the hardware (knobs / pulls), and by going with something linear, like this:

{{!gwi}}
which is Sugatsune 16 Series

or this:

or this:

Haefele also makes this in shiny chrome -- I have two of their little ones and I love them!

or this:
{{!gwi}}

(the last three of which are part of Atlas Homewares' modern collection)

I think you'll make a remarkable change.

live_wire_oak also wrote what I was thinking re: your backsplash, but I know that's a bigger ticket item and definitely more work than changing the hardware! But wow would it pay off. You know, not long ago redroze was talking about stainless mini subway tiles -- I wonder if something like that would appeal to you ... it could look fabulous in your kitchen!

I love your coral.

Wow, look at what was there and just see what you've accomplished! WAAAY better!

I see a cool, eclectic combo. Contemporary elements mixed with richer, warmer, more traditional (even Old World) ones. A house of today, but definitely comfy and inviting. I think you called it just right in the kitchen to go with the rest. Trust yourself. You've got a nice look going. I think I will change my mind about the table and chairs now that I've seen the rest, and definitely like the backsplash. Thumbs up.

Thats very kind! Thank you! I guess I'm more modern in my mind...I was posting these pictures and I was like, waaiiitt a minute LOL...

Maybe it's a good thing since it's not too one way or the other for resale...(yeah, i've only been here a few months and already thinking LOL)...

It took me so long to write my above post I missed all the back-and-forths so I am clearly late to the game and off the mark. Oops!

I have the same Louis Ghost chairs in my dining room. It's funny, because I consider my taste bordering on traditional (I guess I prefer to think of myself as bohemian, not that my kitchen would reveal that!) but when it comes to lighting I go mad for modern, and you have modern lighting as well, so in addition to the chairs (and zebra -- love it) I am responding to that.

one of my beloved light fixtures

and another

I like your style, mixing traditional with modern, giving the traditional a goose and keeping it fresh.

Too kind :)

Well, now I have to see your kitchen e/t by the looks of things, it will put mine to shame :) I really like that second fixture and think the first one is SICK! (a good sick LOL)....

As for the ghost chairs, I can't tell you how many jokes I endured from hubby....I'm glad you appreciate them! I was going to do them all around my dining table, but the table is very heavy looking and it didn't look right..not to mention that they were a tad expensive for 6 or 8 chairs :)
Also not to mention that by big fat butt hangs out of the sides in the arm chair ROTFL!!!!

Who makes the first fixture? My husband will kill me...

So you may also be familiar with the Ether Chandelier? OMG. OMG. I don't have 15 grand to drop!

I need something for my guest bathroom right by the ac fan and next to the shower....so I was thinking

http://www.unionlightingandfurnishings.com/Detail.aspx?ID=22716

or

http://www.unionlightingandfurnishings.com/Detail.aspx?ID=22717

Your taste is decidedly transitional. I think you've done a beautiful job with your house. I'm in love with the artwork over your fireplace.

ok..thanks much....i feel better :) I'll stick with transitional!

As for the print, I actually decided not to put the tv there bc I love looking at it from the kitchen...I got it from Ballarddesigns.com and it's on sale for $229...not bad for such a big piece (since I'm really cheap and $229 for art is a big step for me)...

You have a great eclectic, warm look going...the little changes
mentioned above should do it...enjoy your lovely home!
vic

Are we related? I LOVE the Ether chandelier and it was my first choice for the entry (double-height) light -- I'd misread the price. Ha ha ha on me! And then I found the tumbleweed chandelier (Sunlight Chandelier by Trans Globe Lighting) and I realized once again that everything happens for a reason! (Meaning, I found a fixture I like a lot with a price which allows me to sleep at night, but that doesn't mean I don't still have thoughts about it. Although, I'm now dreaming of the Tord Boontje Blossom Chandelier -- yowza!

Wow, those fixtures you linked are terrific. You have some eye! I am definitely coming to you when I need help.

The big square fixture is by Knikerboker Lighting, from Archisesto, which is a firm run by our very own giacomo_it! It's the Qubo 55cm and I love it love it love it.

Here it is in our dining room:

We only have two of the Louis Ghost chairs as well, and you can't see them in this photo: they're flanking the mizuya (which we use as a buffet, on the far right). I got them from eBay for significantly less than DWR. Yippee!

We have four typical Louix XVI wood chairs from Ethan Allen and then two Varenne Opera Chairs from Casa-Midy at the heads. I love those chairs .... Our table is also big and heavy, so I totally know what you mean about the Ghost chairs not being weighty enough. The wall against which the mizuya and Ghost chairs are is mirrored, so I esp. love having the Ghost chairs there. My children (four and two) also like sitting in "The Glass Chairs," and their little female friends get a big kick out of them as well! (I think it's something princess-y, but since I have sons that's a topic which has totally passed me by!)

(This is my kitchen. See what I mean about traditional?)

Frankly, I wouldn't touch a thing. I think all of it is gorgeous! Your style is midcentury modern. I love it!

Everyone else has said it all (corbels, hardware, ceiling fan, dining table, etc, etc) -- it's a lovely kitchen that with some tweaks will be just what you want, I think.

I had to post, though, because you're the first person on GW that I've seen with the Kohler Essex faucet, which we just installed in our kitchen. I saw your faucet and thought oh that's a cool faucet and then I looked again and said -- wow, that's my faucet!! I've had second thoughts since I hadn't seen anyone else mention it here so I'm glad I'm not the only one who liked it.

Good luck.

For the dining area, maybe reupholster the seats/back with the zebra print or something similar? Certainly would put a modern/eclectic touch to the set.

Example in the link isn't your chair, of course, but it is a streamlined classic style that shows a zebra print and how it can jazz it up.

Here is a link that might be useful: Zebra chair

I have another suggestion. Consider adding glass to those two upper cabinets (not the ones by the cook top). That will give you a row of glass that looks sleek and matches the glass on the wall ovens.

It's easy and not too expensive to do. The center panel can be removed and glass put in.

Another daring idea: take that door panel off your hood (it might just have a couple finishing nails holding it on, or it might be glued). I would look around for a metal wall sculpture design, something that compliments your wall clock and put that on your hood. This might be way too wild or just tasteless, but it doesn't hurt to think about it.. do a google search for contemporary wall sculptures ..

I'm glad that you decided to stay transitional. Its a nice kitchen. Why fight it? Just give it some admiration.

Guys...thanks so much for the pep talk and tips...I found out that the corbels are on there with pin nails and silicone (hmm, how the hell does the countertop stay up? I won't ask since this is a well established so I assume they know what they're doing)...It actually makes things easier for me since I can't change it...I'll start making the other little changes...Thanks to all!

AS FOR YOU RMKITCHEN.....GASP! IT's YOOOOOUUU!!!!
LOL...to be honest, you're kitchen started this whole mess thank you very much. I was going to pick that style of cabinet and was all bitter looking at yours LOL...It's a great kitchen....love your style....Maybe we were sep'd at birth since I got my ghosts on ebay too! LOL...I was afraid that they were going to get held up in customs...I actually just found out that there is a DWR in Charlotte...I'm been jones-ing to go....Well, thanks for the info...and I hate you. :)

BW RM, I saw your island knobs and almost dropped dead...
Here is #1 of 2 little black loves of my life...#2 won't stand still long enough for a photo
Oh yeah, I guess my husband should be in there somewhere :)

He's just sleepy...taken years ago when buff #3 was still around (you can see his big belly to the right) But still a fav picture...

Get away from me worthless human...

At first I laughed aloud and then I thought "what a minute, huh?" How did my kitchen start this whole mess and make you bitter? I figured (based on above) my kitchen would be too traditional for you, but since we're twins I guess it's okay you hate me. (wink wink)

I love your cat photos! Thanks for sharing them, and I'm sorry about Buff #3. I love cat photos and stories, and it is crazy that we both have black cats. I cannot believe how much they look alike ....

That was funny about how your husband should be one of the two black loves of your life. If I ever said something like that my husband would know I'd been possessed and he'd ask: "alright, who are you and what did you do with my wife?" He knows he's like #10 and we only have two children and four pets. Ha ha ha ha ha!

That sounds meaner than I meant it, but it still makes me laugh so I'm not going to delete it.

I saw more pictures of your house over on the Decorating Forum, and I love your style. What are you doing here? You don't need our help! But I'm glad you're here because I'm an inveterate looky-loo ....

Glad you're convinced that you can and should change the corbels to a plain support. You might try your candlesticks from the LR just to see if you like a modern accessory on the counter but use a bright color candle, perhaps the melon from your cabinet.

Your table and chairs are absolutely fine. If you want to add pizazz simply add a fabric panel insert on the back. Don't think you need to reupholster the entire chair at all. Put something contemporary on the table, even a phaelenopsis orchid has stylized shape. I would consider a more substantial rug.

In the LR, would you be amenable to adding another row or two of prints over the sofa?

Your house is terrific, so refocus and enjoy!