Cab doors are in and I'm considering switching. Help me decide!
Our kitchen doors went in this week and I am disappointed with how they look.
We
went with a custom routed door on the recommendation of a designer. However, the stain turned out different than the sample we gave our cab maker, and
the color is off. We met with our cabinet maker yesterday to discuss
painting the doors, re-staining, or replacement. He has been very
accommodating and agrees that the stain does not look right.
While I think these doors are interesting in theory, my
gut instinct is telling me to replace these doors with a walnut slab
door, and not to try to re-stain or paint. We have used walnut slab cabinets and doors throughout the rest of the house. We wanted
to do something different in the kitchen, but I think this was a
mistake.
Walnut doors are more consistent with the style of the home
(MCM) than these cabinets, which feel contemporary. Also, I fear these routed doors will look dated in a
few years.
Because the stain did not come out right and the doors
were not all constructed and installed yet, it is a relatively small amount in the grand scheme
of this remodel to replace these doors with walnut. GW, what would you do? Keep these doors, or replace with walnut doors? Would walnut feel too dark?
Here are the doors currently installed:
the floor is a large format white tile -- has some gray in it. To me, the floors don't work at all with the stain. The cabinets seem to have a yellowish hue next to the floors, which was not the look we were going for.
Here is the walnut we have elsewhere in the home propped up in the kitchen:
walnut closet in our hallway:
Comments (126)
Pipdog
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoWe are doing several samples this week of painted cabs -- we have a couple blues (Oval Room Blue is one), but one of the leading contenders is a warm gray. Here it is next to the cabs and back splash:
the one on top:
I think it's saturated enough to contrast with the floors. Will post a photo of the sample board once we have it.
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Help me decide if I'm overreacting on contractor!
Comments (16)Thanks, Bill, for more detail about the sprays. I feel much better hearing it straight from you that it's not that big of a concern. I appreciate you taking the time to respond, and will try your tips to address the situation. Lukkiirish, I find your comments a bit stinging, but I came here asking the question so I better be prepared for the response. I actually got more upset as I read the early responses in thinking this was unusual. I was quite upset when I wrote my second post. I do take responsibility for a lot of this - even for just not supervising the contractor better. I know this is not his house, and have enough experience with contractors (we did a full exterior remodel last year) to know that they can't read your mind and you have to be extremely specific and pay attention. That was difficult for me to do with the kids around yesterday. Since then, I have calmed down considerably. I actually did call poison control and they assured me that there aren't likely to be any lingering health effects, and knowing that I calmed down. I then called my contractor and told him I just wanted to keep him informed about how we felt, and that we weren't sure what we wanted him to do yet. I explained how I wasn't happy about everything being sticky (and still don't love that they got the sealer all over my new and expensive Kohler faucet). I also talked about the blotchiness. He was apologetic and responsive and offered to do whatever we wanted to ensure we were happy with his work. At this point, I've got about half the residue cleaned up, so I can't imagine what there is, other than to have him back to even out the sealer. In the end, I've learned a ton and also gone from thinking this guy was a total idiot to being pretty darn impressed with his customer service. We had a great conversation, and while I would have preferred the work be 100% the first time, I am still pleasantly surprised that he's so willing to stand behind it. Thanks, everyone, for taking the time to respond and sharing your feelings so honestly. It really did help me work through my feelings on this (sorry - with my stay-at-home life I don't have many other options to talk through this stuff, and feeling alone and not quite sure how to react didn't help matters. I think I knew I was overreacting and needed validation). In the end, I feel confident we will get a good resolution. Godspeed....See MoreI'm new..help with layout..will it drive me crazy?
Comments (8)The problem with the current range location is not just that there is no landing/workspace to the left of it...it's also that it's right in the main passage through the house. I strongly encourage you to at least change the range location--and vent it externally :-) What are your countertops? If they're laminate, I think you can redo them fairly inexpensively (at least compared to stone or solid surface!) Besides, you have to put in a new countertop on the peninsula and to the left of the refrigerator (unless those are tall cabinets, but you seem to have upper cabinets there, so I'm not sure what you're doing there). Moving the island: How big is your FR? From the looks of it, I don't think you can afford to lose the space in the FR that you will need to move the island into it. Have you considered making the FR's left exterior wall flush w/the MBR & MBA walls? That would give you more FR space and still give you that staggered look, if that's what you're looking for (don't move the Office wall). OTOH, if you don't care about the staggered look, perhaps you should just make that left exterior wall flush the entire length...I would think it would be less expensive or at least the same cost since you don't have to build in the "stagger"...but I'm not a home builder, so I could be wrong. I've seen, however, that whenever you deviate from simple straight lines it costs more! Think about placing the Office door...from which room will you be going to/from the Office the most? That will determine where best to put the door. I suspect it will be the FR, but I don't know that. If you have 2 doors, you're taking precious wall space for your computer, bookshelves, etc. Where is the front door? Your layout doesn't show that. Is there an alternate entrance that family uses (e.g., Garage door)? BTW...if you're going to be buying new cabinets for the island and pantry, I'm not sure it's cost effective to do the kitchen in phases like this. Unless you plan to reuse your cabinetry in phase 2, which is probably doubtful if you plan to redesign the kitchen altogether, then I think you might be better off saving your money now b/c cabinetry is not cheap...it's usually the most expensive part of a remodel (~50% of a remodel cost). I would consider taking down the FR wall to the counter level of your current wall of cabinets and leaving the base cabinets as-is (obviously you will have to take down the upper cabinets when the wall comes down). OR, if phase 2 is soon, perhaps leave the kitchen intact for now and take the wall down with phase 2...that way you don't lose storage now. For pantry room, consider putting in shelving to get you by for now. If you do take down the wall, then you could get inexpensive laminate countertops for now and even put in a small overhang. Then you could also switch the range w/at least one of your existing cabinets and put in the same countertops on that wall that you are putting in the island. Is your range currently vented to the outside? If it is, then moving it now may be problematical...OTOH, moving it now while new exterior walls & ceilings are going up may be more cost effective...of course that means you have to finalize your kitchen's design now rather than later so you know where to place the duct work for the vent....tough decision here! If you just put in shelving to the left of the refrigerator for now you will not need new countertops there. Laminate is usually inexpensive enough that you could probably replace the countertop to the right of the refrigerator to match the new counters on the "island". I think there is a lot to think about...sorry if I'm making this more difficult, but I thought you would want a frank assessment.......See MoreHelp Me Decide - Narrow Kitchen Island
Comments (27)Hi Amanda The Cabinets on the sink wall are all 24" deep. I used Inset (vs Overlay) cabinets to be able to reduce the counter overhang to 3/4". The cabinets on the opposite wall are 13" deep with only a 1/4" overhang since there is no food prep in that space and it was intended to look like one piece of furniture. The Island is 261/4" wide which allowed 24" deep cabinets, 3/4" for wainscot on back side and 3/4" overhangs on each side. These were some of the small measurements that I thought through. Counter overhang space was total of 2 1/2" versus 6" if I used overlay cabs with the standard 1 1/2" overhang on island and counters. Distance from foyer entry to the island is 51". I also worried about the island being at the entry when I was used to a totally open space. I was also concerned about a zig zag route to my sink when I formerly had a bee-line from the foyer. It doesn't bother me in the least and that 51" does not feel like the island is crowded near the foyer entry. All my stools fit easily under the island and are always tucked away. You could test the feel by moving your table to mock the island location. The Island is 90". I wanted it to line up with where the opposite counter ended and maximize distance from the table. Again alot of careful planning! I don't use the island for prepping but I do set my cookbook at that end. The cabinet end includes an 18" Trash cab, 27" microwave cab plus 3/4" wainscot on each end for 46 1/2" Total Cabinets. Seating side apron plus leg is 42" total. With the 3/4" overhang on each end, total counter length is 90". I searched forever for stools before I committed to my island size and the opening for the eating space. My concern was designing the island and not being able to find stools to fit completely under it out of the way. I intended to use 3 stools and the size was limited by the space between the island legs on the short end. I set the legs as far apart as possible to maximize space for the stool. Since 5 fit easily I keep them there. Back edge of island to table is about 42" which I think was about the same distance I had from the peninsula to table. However the table used to be directly behind the peninsula rather than being offset as it is now. I know you said you love having that door but it looks like it prevents you from using that whole end of the kitchen since the space is reserved for the door swing. Could that door be moved down even further? Wonder if there is such a thing as an exterior pocket door. Or perhaps the large window could be moved and replaced with a slider and give you the access you need. Perhaps that would allow you to add a sink window on the other end of the kitchen. Just some ideas that may be totally undoable!...See MorePartial remodel - please help me decide on removing upper cabs
Comments (26)I like your pendant choice! I think the area around the window wouldn't feel so empty if you had similar breathing room to the left of the range. What about removing the center tall cabinet and putting one of the cabinets you took down from next to the window in its place (looks like they are the same size as the two smaller ones next to the fridge anyway)? Shift them all to the left and line up the top with the top of the fridge. Are you opposed to having backsplash below the range only? Perhaps under the window frame too if the sink area is a concern. If the tile you're thinking of is the wall color, I think that would look nice....See More
cookncarpenter
6 years agoPipdog
6 years agothanks, cookncarpenter and raphaellathespanishwaterdog!
pal, haven't decided on pulls yet. We had considered a tab pull but I'm not sure they are substantial enough. I also found some brushed chrome ones from Sugastune that were kind of nice -- if we used these we would run them vertically (on both the doors and drawers).
tab pulls (these are polished, I like the brushed):
a little more substantial - maybe not substantial enough, but they fit perfectly within the grooves:
cpartist, I'm not completely sold on the gray doors yet either. I have to see the sample boards and should have those this week. would you keep the current color of the cabs or would you go another more saturated color other than gray?
cpartist
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoI would not keep the cabs the color they are. Right now they seem to compete with your other cooler elements. I would as suggested pick a blue/gray, but one with more blue than gray. Or go bold. Here are some suggestions. I didn't put the ribs in because then it dilutes the color in the picture.
Bold. A periwinkle color which means it will change with the light a lot more.
On this one, I took the color that Old Bat pulled from the Westbourne Garden photo and made it darker and just a touch grayer.
Here I pulled a more grayed sky color/water color.
Here is your gray choice. (I'm not a fan at all.)
And lastly here is from the same color card but the color second from the bottom. At least this adds a bit of drama if no color.
Pipdog thanked cpartist
raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
6 years agoI am so glad that you are keeping the routed doors. I quite like the stain that they are currently but it definitely does not work with the marble and floor selections.
I wouldn't go with a very dark walnut either, it just doesn't seem to fit the particular space. Neither would I choose a dark gray even though it matches the marble -- I think it would suck the life out of the routing.
I would favor another attempt at a grey-brown stain as originally intended; or the Oval Room Blue as mocked up by OBTB looks fab too.
For those that doubted that the texture was an authentic MCM look, here is a close up of my dresser set from the 1950's. As I recall the set was originally a grey stain.
Pipdog thanked raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
barncatz
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoI was thinking something more like the first gray you posted, or a blue green gray like Farrow and Ball Dimpse (as it looks on door) and in can, where it looks totally different.
Pipdog
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoThanks everyone for weighing in. We got our first sample board today. This is a custom color our cab maker created after I showed him a couple photos (one of which was the first gray that I posted above):
in certain angles it looks quite dark and moody:
but in direct light it looks way lighter:
While it appears to be a better match with the counters and floor, I'm not sure that I love it. I'm concerned that this color might be too moody for our
space with the setting/fog. And gray is trendy now, but I think it might date our kitchen. Also, while it provides more contrast than the current stain, it feels a bit too matchy with the back splash/counters.And, at certain angles, I'm seeing purple:
Interested to hear what you all think. Right now, I am leaning on keeping the current stain, and possibly setting off the cabinets from the floors, either by installing a toe kick in a different material to separate them from the floors. Maybe stainless, or brass. And if we want to paint the cabinets down the road, we can. But I think they kind of lose something with the paint.barncatz, that is an absolutely lovely color! It looks so different on the door than it does in the can.
cpartist, I really like the charcoal/saturated color -- that's my favorite out of all the ones you posted.
eam44,
I think that is wise advice. A good friend who has remodeled many
homes and has impeccable taste gave me the same advice to wait until all elements were in. Her words were
"stay the course, keep the vision."pal, the tab pull option has been nixed
and I agree with you they won't work. They would be nail-breakers. We will likely use the tab pulls
in one of the bathrooms where the drawers are much smaller. I think we
need a heavier pull that makes a bit of a statement in the kitchen.
tamizami
6 years agoPipdog
6 years ago
House Vixen
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoHi Pipdog --
I love the ribbed cabinets in your space and am glad you've decided to keep them.
The current stain is so close; when you first posted I saw the color conflict, but in other (different light) photos they're much closer to driftwood, which I think would be perfect. Unfortunately sometimes what's in our mind is hard to translate to materials...but as you explore there do see how you feel as the light shifts.
Of course you could go in so many new directions given your other materials.
However, color-wise I'd stay as close as possible to your original vision, which seems to be "light, muted, neutral-warm, natural."
I'm also sensitive to grey light (and get a lot more months with it than you all down south, sigh). I would definitely make sure you have some warmth in any color you pick. Warm grey, yellow-green, warm green-grey, blue-green-grey...you get the idea.
I actually see a pale yellow-green being amazing there -- drawing from the vegetation out your window walls, working with the walnut, acting as a counterpoint to the marble and floor.
Here are a few images to help you see the general tones. [You'll also see Pal's suggestion of blush in some of them -- which I too love but would probably not be brave enough to do!]
2nd color down (Heath Ceramics exhibit)
Evolution of oval tile display board · More InfoLight green highlights on the water as well as the green in the feathers:
Nature's stunning mix ofbrowns (taupe, raw and burnt umber) and greyed blues (pa · More InfoMore vintage Heath Ceramics shades (exhibit) -- Row 7, tile 5 "Olive 3"
but some lovely blue-greens here as well
Heath Ceramics brochure for custom glazed architectural tiles · More InfoPipdog thanked House VixenPipdog
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