Help me give my kitchen a facelift
Katie
5 years ago
My goal is to update the look of my kitchen while improving its function. We will probably move in about five years, so I'm looking to make improvements that we can enjoy for the next few years but also will hold up under the abuse of our family of eight, so it will still look nice when it comes time to sell. This is a facelift budget ($10,000), so I unfortunately am keeping the cabinets, but I hope to get new lighting, new countertops, new sink and faucet, new flooring, new paint, and perhaps a tile backsplash.
1) Any recommendations on what to replace the florescent light with? I'm thinking maybe really long track lighting that can point both down on the peninsula and down on the counter along the back wall, both of which are very dark now. And I have no idea what would be best for the light in the breakfast nook.
2) My top contenders for countertops are glacier white corian and yellow ornamental granite. Not many countertops go with these cabinets! I plan on getting a 12" overhang at the end of the peninsula where the island cart is now, which will increase functionality of this small kitchen.
3) I'm replacing the flooring of the whole main floor, and am considering LVT because of its durability with six kids. The only requirement is that it's gotta go with these cabinets.
4) For backsplash, I'm thinking white subway tile. I have a very simple home in a modest (entry-level) subdivision, so I'm thinking simple and modest is the way to go.
Here are some pictures of my current kitchen. Thank you!
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Comments (11)
Katie
5 years agoRelated Discussions
I need your help! Please give me feedback on my kitchen plans.
Comments (13)Hi, Nicely done. Couple of questions/suggestions. The sink/stove wall: Are you right or left handed? Typically, if you are right handed, the DW would be right of the sink. That would free up the doorway and make it easier to (un)load. I'm not sure you will like having the shelf over the sink, at least not the lowest one. I'm guessing that the reason the sink is not under the window is to preserve the counter length left of the stove, which is smart but I wonder if you switch the narrow base cabinet to the R of stove (so now there are 2), it would move the stove over L, giving you room to mimic the shelving R of the hood for oils n such. MIght be more functional. Ref wall: Love that expanse of counter but what is it for? Too far away for prep, so is it for buffet service? If so, then I would furr the base cabinets out 2 or 3" and that would get you a deeper countertop which might be more useful for small appliance, etc. plus service (you have the footage). I'm torn with the Ref placement. Part of me gets why it's there - closer to the cooking action. But if you pushed it all the way over to the L, you'd get to use that counter for more food prep and guests in the adjacent room could help themselves to beverages w/out getting in the way. Either way, I think you will get more function from the layout if you remove the bookcase and keep that space free (it's a little tight). You have room to place two bookshelves either on the inside of the entry (flanking passage way) or the short wall R of windows and on the opposite as well. Look forward to seeing your next revision....See MoreCould you give me some ideas on hiding my kitchen?
Comments (23)I can understand your discomfort with the too-open kitchen but I think you may be panicking and thinking you need to do too much. I note that your kitchen has a one-story ceiling while the dining area and living area have taller ceilings. I would simply cut off the countertop that faces toward the living area and extend the pony wall beneath it upward to the ceiling. You would no longer need the decorative post. I would NOT try to extend that wall beyond the point where the dining room's 2 story ceiling starts because, if you do, you'll have to try and make the ceilings look right. Instead, I would just have the remaining countertop curved off and brought in to meet the newly raised-up wall. (Not sure I'm explaining this well so I'll attach a sketch. BTW, I see a couple of wall lights and a door (closet?) on the wall beside your entry that don't show up on your plan so I've added those.) I do like your idea of making opening into the kitchen that is beside the staircase into an arched doorway. And I know this will sound weird since you're trying to close up the kitchen some... but I would put a small arched opening (pass-thru) into the middle of newly raised up wall. A small pass-thru opening would allow a person working at the prep sink to see the front door. But a person entering the front door would NOT really be able to see into the kitchen thru the arched pass thru. All the countertops would still be hidden. They would just get a view of the window that is over the kitchen sink. Also, two arches complement each other and look planned while a single arched opening may just look like it was an after-thought. I would then strategically place a tall green plant near the bottom of the stairs so it partially obscures the straight-on view into the kitchen from the front door and gives visitor's eyes a stopping point. Maybe a ficus or dracena or philodendron. It'll be a rather low light location tho so you might want to invest in a very good artificial plant rather than trying to keep a real plant alive. I do think that these relatively simple changes would get rid of the overly "exposed" feeling you have now and would cost a WHOLE lot less than adding a bunch of walls and moving a fireplace, etc. Here's the sketch:...See MoreHelp me give my kitchen a face lift!
Comments (23)To me, everything about your kitchen says "quality" and traditional -- all of it -- the cabinets, countertop, floors, and cabinet hardware. It's really quite charming. For me, the major problem is poor quality lighting. Invest in a skylight if the home is a single story. Install under cabinet led lights. Thank goodness there is no expensive backsplash so you would only have sheet rock repair to take care of after running the electrical. Add recessed cans in the ceiling. I agree about increasing the size of the crown molding and also add a light rail. These don't have to match. They could be a darker stain than the cabinets or black. The floor needs several beautiful bright traditional runners. I would spend the $$$ on a new backsplash since it will be awhile before you'll remodel and would make a huge difference in updating that space. To save your back, invest in some pull out trays. Quikdrawers.com and Barker cabinets are both good companies that can take care of that. Are your drawers full extension? If not, you'll be much happier in that kitchen having full extension drawer slides again. That hulking black fridge is probably dominating the space. A CD fridge in stainless would make a huge difference. Look for one on CL. That is where I found mine for my remodel after about a month of daily scanning. And congrats on your lovely new home....See MoreCan I pull off a facelift in my kitchen?
Comments (22)Your kitchen cabinets are the same color as mine. I'm looking to update my kitchen as well so I've looked at way too many quartz patterns to count. I'm looking for a more transitional look myself and one of the colors on my short list is Hanstone Aspen. It's got a bit of veining but not as much as some of the quartzes that are made to look like marble. It's not a stark white, but more of a taupe/off white. I don't think a bright white counter would work with your warm floors. If you want modern, I would go with slab doors like your inspiration picture. When I was pricing out new doors, I found that slab were less expensive than ones with decorative trim. My kitchen faces west also and we have patio doors. The previous owners had a film put on them that filters a lot of the light and sun but we're still able to see out of them. It helps a ton. If you don't need the privacy I would get rid of the window treatments all together. Do you need the cabinets above the peninsula? From your photo, it looks like decorative items in there, so if they're not needed, I would take them down. It would really open up the space....See MoreKatie
5 years agoKatie
5 years agoKatie
5 years ago
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