Working with plain front oak cabinets from the 80s
We need to keep these oak cabinets and I kinda like the plain, rounded fronts and think with the right advice, it could actually look cool and contemporary (either some stained darker and/or some painted). We would love any advice on how to handle a cosmetic "lift" makeover -- if we keep the cabinets we can afford to put in a new sink and countertop -- thanks in advance! Best, Kendra
It is a geodesic dome home, so we want a cool modern feel.
Our thoughts so far: new stainless counter depth fridge, lose the overhead lighting, glass shelves where the wine rack is -- thanks for your help!
Thanks for all the help. What do you think?
Comments (20)
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Almost finished minor reno - we kept our 80s oak cabinets!
Comments (31)biochem101 and brody_miasmom and mamalynn, we painted all the trim in the house bright white right after we moved in. A few weeks before moving day, I showed the online pics to a friend who works for an interior design firm. She saw all the stained trim and started singing, "Ring a-round the wind-ow, ring a-round the roo-oom." I didn't think it looked that bad, but I love painted trim and it wasn't like I was painting over vintage old-growth, twelve-inch hardwood baseboards, so DH painted all the trim glossy white and all the hollow core interior doors flat black. Thanks for your remarks on the backsplash,lisa_a. It does read a soft blue-grey that somehow goes with the green walls. It's a mosaic of 5/8" glass-and-steel tiles grouted with grey grout. As you can see, it was hard for an amateur like me to install it straight when each tile had a different thickness. Yikes, this section is really crooked! It was marketed as an accent listello in mesh-mounted strips 3 tiles wide by 18 tiles long, so installation took awhile....See MoreHardware change for 80's oak cabinets
Comments (19)I actually think the cabinets, floor, countertop and ORB hardware go very nicely together. Your backsplash looks pretty new and is lovely, so you can ignore this suggestion, but I think that it is the one element that could be tweaked a little to tie everything together better. Check out this gorgeous kitchen from Pepper Design Blog -- her cabinets and countertops are very similar to yours, and she also has dark hardware. Adding a green/grey glass backsplash and re-grouting your floors with a dark gray grout might look really nice. One of the many great things about the PDB kitchen is that the green tones in the backsplash give the orange cabinets a modern and Spanish-style look. Someone wise once said "there are no bad colors, just bad color combinations!"...See MoreGoodbye 80s oak, hello to what?
Comments (11)Ah, I don't see the disharmony between the floor and the furniture you have shown us, on my monitor. The light oak floor is very neutral IMO. The way people get into trouble with mixing woods seems to be when they try to bring in the driftwood, the grays, the artificial white, or the very red. Those shades are pickier about playing nicely with natural wood tones. I have an oak floor that was left natural when refinished, but has darkened to more golden (some would call it orangish) tones over the past 20 years. Still, it is living happily with my 1930s era mahogany dining pieces, my very very old, very dark wood secretary, my 1990s ash wood table, dark cherry end tables, and so forth. However, that is just my opinion - and my house -- if you feel that the wood elements are disharmonious, or the floor color is ugly to you, of course you can restain. But, to preserve the prairie feel of your house, I wouldn't make any drastic color change (like going very dark) -- just tweak the tone to one that works better for you....See MoreWhat to do with 80s oak built-in bookcases
Comments (29)Wow, thank you all for the great suggestions! Replacing furniture is not an option - if we end up moving it will be a downsize, so not looking for new furniture Definitely like the idea of a new rug. Is it necessary that the chairs are entirely on the rug? That would require an 8x10. Won't be too big for the space? Already planned on replacing the fireplace doors with black. The brass is also from 80s Fan is also an 80s throwback. It does help with airflow in the room, but is not attractive. Shelves are adjustable expect for the top triangle. There are can lights on either side of the fireplace which are not visible in the orig photo. I typically use these only at night because I don't like ceiling fan lights. Here are more photos of the area. The kitchen and breakfast room are to the left and used to have the same oak cabinets, trim and crown. Breakfast room also had stained windows, trim, and chair rail (i.e. all 3 rooms were stained to match). A few years ago we remodeled this in white but did not touch the adjoining family room. My initial thought was to make the bookcases match the kitchen cabinets. But maybe just changing décor as suggested will suffice....See More
palimpsest
5 years agoThe lighting was based on the indirect lighting used by Frank Lloyd Wright:
The country club where I grew up was designed by a pupil of Wright's and had a vaguely Taliesin appearance and the lighting in your kitchen was arranged in large squares in the bar area, supplemented by cove lighting.ktanacea thanked palimpsestolivejuice1190
5 years ago
sheloveslayouts
5 years agoI like your cabinets. As stated above, if they're in good condition keep them.
I recently looked at new home listings in the >$900,000 range in my area (I think the average home price in the greater metro area is around $400,000) and it looks like we're officially transitioning out of white or grayed-wood kitchen cabinets. Medium-ish stained slab fronts are as common as white it seems. Folks who paint their cabinets due to trend influences will probably be trying to strip and stain them back in 2-5 years.
Quick example below. Yes. the number of barstools at this island is bananas.
mainenell
5 years ago
acm
5 years agoI think white counters can make a modern feel with oak or cherry cabinets.
Rio Del Mar Kitchen With Natural Lighting and Wood Cabinetry · More Info
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Glen Park Residence · More InfoI think you could get some cool aluminum-framed glass cabinets for the wine rack space, easily -- the change in material would disguise any slight mismatch in scale. I'd keep the cabinets wood, but second choice would be to paint just the uppers for a lighter feel.
ktanacea thanked acmktanacea
5 years agocatherine3346
5 years agoA white counter topped back splash will brighten and modernize your kitchen but here are a few other suggestions.
~replace wine rack with wood shelves that match the cabinets.
~Add a faux wall next to the refrigerator. It will create a hallway. Instead of feeling as though you are immediately stepping into the kitchen the hallway will guide you slowly.
~As far as the cabinets, I would refinish them first and then decide if you even want hardware. No hardware will keep your kitchen clean and simple. If you do decide to add hardware don't get cheap. I understand you are on a budget but hardware can make or break your improvements. Think it like this--putting cheap buttons on a nice coat only make your coat look cheap.
~Keeping the natural color of the oak is nice but think about going with a cherry stain instead might give it a richer look.
~Replace all overhead lights including the one above your sink. If recessed lighting is not an option there are some good fixtures to choose from that won't break the bank. Consider white globe lighting. It will keep with the rounded cabinet door theme.
Hope that helps.
palimpsest
5 months ago
tackykat