Help with kitchen ideas without redoing everthing
Sarah Cooley
6 years ago
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biondanonima (Zone 7a Hudson Valley)
6 years agoSarah Cooley
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Looking for help for a 'mini-redo' of my kitchen (lots of pics)
Comments (33)so as not to be influenced by the others, I am not reading all the above posts first. But, honestly your cabinets are very worn, especially around the sink. I would NOT leave them alone and just embrace the oak. I had dark oak cabinets. I now have a white kitchen. It is a painful process to get them to look good. If you are determined to make them look good, you will be able to do it. I had such a fear that they would look and feel like crap that we took a very long time to do ours, and do it right. I have been in some kitchens that were painted by a professional, they feel icky, and I'm seeing chipping! Yikes. You don't want that. I won't go into all the details, but in a nutshell, there is the taking the doors off step, removing hardware, washing with a tsp solution, rinsing, sanding. (maybe reverse that order....) Then I used Pore-o-pac brushable wood filler. Spread it on, squeegee it off, dry, sand, and repeat until you believe the grain is filled. Then, move on to the primer. Then the finish coats. I used oil based paint. So, add in the drying time between each coat. (including the steps between pore-o-pac coats) and each door's side had to be done at different times. Spraying while hanging really didn't work for us. Also, remember that oil based whites will yellow down. Not badly. Just plan accordingly. I love how creamy my turned out. I would add chunky crown molding to build it up before painting. I think you can get rid of that higher counter if you want. And I would certainly add some hardware to jazz it up a bit. As far as the guts of the cabinets. We added really heavy duty wire roll outs from Lowe's. They really offer so much extra storage in those base cabinets. They can be pricey, but they are really worth it. I think ours were around $80 or so for a set of 2. I keep all my heavy bowls, some appliances, and other stuff on them. And that ceiling fixutre really is something! You will be amazed at how much more updated the room will feel if you rip that down and add a light or a fan. bee...See MoreHow to best update this kitchen without a complete redo?
Comments (22)Here is my oak kitchen with the wooden valence piece above the sink removed and a roman shade - it is actually a "faux" roman shade. I have a cottage / vintage style so it is in a floral fabric: https://www.houzz.com/photos/my-pics-work-in-progress-phvw-vp~110720042 I have a glass door as suggested. I also retrofitted a plate rail into a cabinet. The best thing I did was not cosmetic - but I added under cabinet lighting between my sink and range - it is so helpful, and it makes my kitchen brighter: https://www.houzz.com/photos/my-pics-work-in-progress-phvw-vp~109854029 I also really like my cream subway tile backsplash. While my countertop is light, I have seen cream subway tile with black counters too: Now I have a question. I realize I cannot see the whole kitchen, but your stools at the island appear to be on the working side of the kitchen and infringe on the needed 42" of walkway space between counter and island. Is that so people can see the TV? I would turn that island around so there is room to work or move it farther away from the counter. If you can afford to lose the storage, take out the cabinet to the right of the sink and put up a couple of shelves and put your decor items there - help get them off the counter. I hang some of my favorite decorative plates on my walls. There may be another wall for shelves or a wall hutch to display them too. Wall hutch:...See MoreKitchen without a microwave; looking for placement ideas.
Comments (24)Have to agree with Shannon...two months looking is nothing. Took us 8 months to find our first home, and a year before we found the house we’re in now...same school district, though not in the same neighborhood. The OP, sooz, did not originally say that they don’t use the microwave much, until now. If that’s the case, then the pantry is the way to go. Though, she did say it‘s used for reheating. If that means several times a day, then I still say the pantry is inconvenient. I don‘t use mine for prep, either. OK, maybe I melt butter in there, once in a while. It’s strictly for reheating food/soups, boiling water for tea, or making hot chocolate. A little off topic...When we planned out our present kitchen, on the advice of this forum, we put in a Miele CSO (and reg convection oven below). It was said that the CSO would take the place of the microwave for reheating food. We found that not to be the case. The microwave is much quicker, and easier to clean. DH is reluctant to use the CSO. The microwave, however, is his friend. :-)...See MoreHelp with Tight Squeeze Kitchen Redo
Comments (18)I love the floated sink in the link @apple_pie_order posted, if you want to find a way to incorporate the low windows in the current dining room. However, in the plan I posted you wouldn't need to worry about the low windows, because the entire kitchen would be on the other side of the room. According to your measured plan, your kitchen (and presumably your dining room) are 146" deep. That gives you room for an island (with seating) if you have appliances/cabinets on one side only. Because of the flue, it would have to be the flue side rather than the window side (otherwise the flue eats 23" of your depth). Can the doorway from the current dining room into that small central area (a hallway?) be moved? If you can shift it down to the end of the wall, you'd have a nice long (approximately 17' I'm guessing?) solid wall along which you could place your range and fridge, interrupted only by the flue. Having the sink in the island in this orientation would allow you to look out the windows while you work. Obviously conventional wisdom would have the bulk of the kitchen placed on the exterior wall but given the limitations of your space I would think this could work very well for you....See MoreSarah Cooley
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6 years agolast modified: 6 years agobiondanonima (Zone 7a Hudson Valley)
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6 years agoSarah Cooley thanked biondanonima (Zone 7a Hudson Valley)Sarah Cooley
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6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoSarah Cooley
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6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoBeth H. :
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoSarah Cooley
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6 years agoSarah Cooley
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6 years agoDenita
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