Thank you! That comment really means a lot. <Sigh> I have to consider that WHITE--- Thats what I DONT WANT! I need to choose the right color of white--- as mentioned Alabaster was a color I thought may work- I saw it yesterday against swiss coffee- but I have time to find more variations. With elements of rustic near (beams on new koffer ceiling, a rustic alder island and juice bar, zinc counter top or hearty cement where range will be in the island---- what do you think then?

Thank you for your compliments too. Many people that come here do tell us that we have a lot of charm here so I am trying to move in the right direction. New for me does not mean better-- for the money of remodeling I'd rather leave it all if we dont plan it right and forget about the character.

We are raising 3 children here and we call our home the GRAY HOTEL. My son says (age 13) "Mom, no white cabinets", so I am hoping with the completed look of rustic involved we will all be filled with excitement, including the kids" :)

I will post more pics in morning so you have a visual of whats here.

...Sophie...is right. What is making you unhappy with what you've got? All we have is snippets so we can't tell what doesn't function. But what you have looks right.

Your son is right: no white cabinets. :)

An island cooktop isn't ideal but if you have to have one, that is totally how it should look. Maybe brighten it up with new more colorful Mexican tile. From Mexico. The good stuff!

Also, where is the grey? :)

You have a great opportunity to have fun with this kitchen and not have it look weird, you lucky dog! Post your floorplans, preferred materials, and all your needs and wants.

these are absolutely beautiful/ warm/ open/ happy and bright

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Question, can't I tone down the "white" or actually alabaster or tone of white with rustic elements?

"Gray" is our last name :)))

PS Mexico style is not my style.

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(have not chosen color yet)-- still have time

If you are getting rid of the current hood, what are you replacing it with? You'll need some sort of ventilation, especially with a range top.

Your cabinets are fine. Sophie's right: they fit the house. Now... to bring some light in-

1. declutter. No fake plants on top of the cupboards
2. replace the counters with a fairly plain, light coloured counter without the wooden edge.
3. paint or replace the wood edging on the hood with a white that matches the hood chimney
4. replace oak table with a pedestal table topped with white stone or quartz.
5. replace wicker chairs with something less visually noisy.
6. paint stool a light colour similar to hood chimney.

ALL great comments!

Your right Michelle. our idea was flush to ceiling mount stainless steal that would work with the range and height

I have 3 kids and we have out grown our eating area- kitchen table- someone is always left out. Let me send some photos--

Thank you all for your guidance and appreciation for what we have existing

I agree 100% with Sophie. White would be remuddling and wouldn't work at all with your stunning house.

Your right Michelle. our idea was flush to ceiling mount stainless steal that would work with the range we bought.

Those don't work unless your ceiling is 8' or lower. Any higher and they're useless. I know because I had looked into them.

The hood is in the way of conversation- low. We always duck to see each other. We have been dealing with it for 16 years. :/ You have great ideas to update it! Thank you.

Unfortunately as long as your cooktop is on the island, you will need a hood that you'll have to duck to see one another.

We went back and forth since Jan re: replacement of cabinets or PAINT what we have; some are coming off hinges. After being told to spend a little more you get so much more we decided to go new.

Why can't you fix the hinges?

But if you replace, white is NOT the color that works in your house. Not at all! And no to painting those cabinets too.

My husband is gonna freak when he realizes how you all are curving my thoughts. These are some heavy contemplations. I have 3 kids that will need college money- the ages are 13 (son who does not like white- ha) and twins age 11. That crosses my mind big time to where I stay up at night thinking if we are making a decision that will turn out the way we want!

Put the money towards the college unless the kitchen is a nightmare to work in. I lived in some kitchens that were a lot worse when my kids were growing up and it was only once they graduated college that I was finally able to have my dream kitchen.

"Idea" of Zinc Island

Or "Cement"... like this look

Here is my brick patio I love, and the sample of new floor next to it. Vinyl. We have a pool so this makes sense. LOVE THE LOOK.

Replace kitchen table w/ this-- "bar height' and face our back yard that we love/ new seating on island and dining area we open up

Our growing family sits here. Its hard for us all to fit here especially if we have family over eating dinner together.

Hence the reason to take down the black refrig wall and "combine kitchen/ dining room" with the natural wood-like Vinyl flooring throughout as shown above

With the new Island idea we have areas for some seating and main seating will be in pic below

Breaking down

Black wall-o-fridge should definitely go. And using the dining area for dining is a terrific idea. You'll need to post a floor plan with dimensions so we can talk about whether or not an island makes sense. Since it looks like your cabinets really need replacement, now is the time to think about the most efficient layout. Moving your stove against a wall will improve sightlines and make your kitchen feel more open.

Jennifer and friends--- here we go-------Birds eye view

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Agree, the existing cabinetry fits the house. I don't think a white kitchen will fit your home as well. Even an off white paint won't fit as well as you have now. If you want new cabinets, I would consider oak or alder inset or partial overlay cabinets. When you say European style cabinets...do you mean frameless? I think I would reconsider inset or partial.

I also like your cozy dining room and cute archway. I know all you hear on HGTV is 'open concept'.....but enclosed kitchens are starting to make a comeback.

Here is a doorsample I have at my showroom that I have ordered for a client with Tudor/Spanish style home. Something like this would look amazing in your home. The drawer style has three options: slab (plain flat wood), Matching 5 Pc Drawer (looks like the doorstyle) or Sculpted drawer (as shown in photo). Cabinets are Shiloh Inset, by the way.

As for the color? It's hard to tell what your wood trim is...dark brown w/ gray tones? You could maybe go a bit darker gray on the stain too. Or a dark brown w/ gray undertones. Or gray with brown undertones. :-) Good luck! Your home is amazing.

Here is my issue- we have a growing family and our thought is to combine dining and kitchen for better seating. We don't all fit around the kitchen table.

We have company a lot (fam) and we are always pulling up side chairs and crouching down to see each other b/c the hood is in the way.

Replacing flooring with a wood plank look (vinyl) to have continutity in kitchen, dining, family room.

I am looking into choosing cabinets as our our breaking, doors, hinges.

I'd love more advice on the direction we are going or how to make this work.

Our contractor is finishing another job- gives me time to get my ideas in order.

I think the tone of your cabinets is perfect for your home! If they aren't salvageable you could get the same tone with more updated elements. I love the run of the ceramic tiles above your countertop too.

Even if you want to stray from your current kitchen please rethink white or off-white cabinetry. While it can be classic I think it'd just come off as stark and out of place in your home. I'm having a hard time completely understanding your layout, but if I have it right you could definitely use some re-situating from a function standpoint. You're right, the hood location is certainly not ideal, but that means finding another place to drop in a range. I always wonder about recessed vents and if they work well or not...

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I like the zinc countertop you posted better than the cement one.

It looks like you can fit a much larger table than you have in your currently. Is that an option as opposed to opening up the kitchen wall?

Michelle, it would be really helpful to see a measured floor plan. You could do one on graph paper and upload a picture of it. Then we can start talking about how your kitchen currently works and how you'd like it to work. That's what needs to be determined before we talk about cabinet finishes and all the sexy stuff. ;)

Be careful when ordering rustic alder. Have a clear understanding what you are getting as a cabinet maker isn't going to make sure you don't have those couple pieces loaded with sap wood that will stick out like a sore thumb. Make sure what you consider rustic is what the builder considers rustic.

I build cabinets and wouldn't use rustic alder unless its a cabin. White oak with a distressed or even reclaimed fake or real look would suit your house better and last longer. There is a reason you see all these oak cabinets from the 90's its because oak is very durable.

Oak cabinets look bad because of their surroundings. Cabinet doors can be fixed easily. The right stain choice would change your view on golden oak.

We do have reclaimed wood planks on our family room wall as seen in pic above- not sure an island would tolerate the beatings of a chef in a kitchen (oil spills, etc) white oak is a great idea too it sounds.

I would hope I dont get cabinets filled with sap-

But I will be making decision on a rustic piece for the island

I will look into perimeter cabinetry- some color variation for shaker full overlay

I am thinking perhaps a designer will suit me due to my need for visual!

I wouldn’t lay that grayish vinyl tile over what looks like hardwood in the dining room. Extend the hardwood into the kitchen when you open the wall up andreiniahit all to blend it. The grayish tone of your flooring sample will clash with any warm tone cabinetry.

Man, I love that existing hood with the tile.

First of all, I don't think vinyl fits your home. You have beautiful, authentic flooring (tiles, brick, etc.) and faux-wood vinyl looks so cheap next to them.

Please don't do painted cabinets. Your home has such lovely, rich wood tones, and to veer away from that in the kitchen will be a real disconnect.

Leave the wall, with the arched opening, between the dining/kitchen. I don't see any benefit to removing it, because you're not expanding the kitchen into that area... all you're doing is removing some of the original charm and architecture of the home.

If you're set on removing a wall, why not lose the short one where you've planned the fridge/ovens? Don't remove the wall completely, but open the doorway a bit, maintaining the arch. That's you're family room, right? Makes much more sense. Eliminate the cabinetry on that wall completely.

Reconsider the bar against the outer wall. Instead, wrap your counters to make an L-shaped kitchen. With the cabinets removed on the back wall, you now have room for an island with seating. Move the cooktop to the perimeter, where you can vent outside. And recreate that fabulous hood there.

If you love the concrete look, consider going lighter on the color. Caesarstone Fresh Concrete has a beautiful color just have in mind that smooth concrete matte finish doesn’t disguise marks as easily. This means more regular cleaning may be required.

all get ready for MY DESIGN MAKEOVER... who DESIGNED? MOI

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Hum lets see if this posts for a sneak peek. Lol

following and hoping for pics

Love this

My serenity

LOVE THE JUICE BAR!

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I was told don’t put this white into the kitchen but I have to say I knew it would be the right shade to be OK

Looks nice...love the island and juice bar especially!!! I want a juice bar! Is that rustic alder?

It sure is I customized the color
I make sure if you’re trying to match that you color match with something you know is going to stay in your home that way it pulls from other rooms
My big concern when building a brand new kitchen -I did not want it to look “brand new” wanted to match the rest of my home ~so I pulled colors really carefully
Good luck

Loving my kitchen