Ask the 2020 designer to change their colors overall to creamy white, not gloomy blue gray, and add some lighting in 3500K LED bulbs, not just the "sunlight in the windows" and "unearthly fluorescent glow over the stove". Then show you the result. You can finalize the paint color once you see sample cabinets in the available "white" paint colors.

Will the base cabinets be all drawers?

What do the Hoosier and cabinet look like? We started our kitchen with a large hutch. We didn’t match the color, but we did use the same wood -maple.

Yeah, the salesman said he's really bad with the lighting on that 2020 software! My hoosier is dark stained with white enamel top.

I don't think you can go wrong with simple. Beadboard is certainly fine but I might go plain shaker, as it is both more in style AND simpler. No grooves to clean. I would personally love to see a sunny yellow or cream rather than white-feels more old-school and a little different.

AlSo I love these period appropriate latches

I would love to see the antique counter as well as the cabinets

Thanks for the tips! This is the wall cabinet that I don't want to lose, but can't find room for it. It is 29 1/2 wide by 42 tall and only 10 inches deep. It's not the greatest storage piece, it has shelves but they're less than ten inches, so large items don't fit. I'm hesitant to just swap out one of the white wall cabinets for fear it will just look oddly out of place (unless I chose a cabinet color closer to this? IDK?)

The white beadboard cabinets that I chose aren't white-white, but Ivory. I picked white-ish because my kitchen is very dark right now and I'd like to keep my white appliances so that they "disappear" into the white cabinetry... but obviously I'm open to suggestions!

The style of the kitchen cpartist is more farmhouse. The house is a bit of a mix of formal and farmhouse. It's actually a mill house rather than a true farmhouse. The house, barn and tennent house were built in 1881 when the mill was sold to a new owner (the mill was torn down in the 1940's) The house has two front doors, a formal and an informal side to the house. Every room has different trim and woodwork, no two rooms are the same! We've been blending touches of formal and informal, but we keep one side of the house (kitchen and dining room) a little more toward the farmhouse style and the family room and parlor side of the house more formal. Ceilings are 8' 6", windows are at least 60" tall with deep sills. So it's a very unique situation!

TIA!

The only way I can incorporate this cabinet at this point is to lose one of the new cabinets or leave it where it is and lose my Hoosier (which I don't want to do). The remainder of the kitchen not shown in the first image contains, the fireplace, two doors and a corner cupboard, and the spot designated for my Hoosier. I'm all out of room. :( I agree remodelling1840 with your concept of incorporating pieces as if they were purchased at different times throughout the life of the house, and it sounds lovely!. I wanted to do that too, but it was getting tricky and I got discouraged. The cabinet salesman isn't much help when it comes to incorporating old pieces, as he wants to sell new ones!

Oooooh wait a minute! I think I may have found a compromise! I could lose the top to my Hoosier and use it underneath this wall cabinet, right where it hangs! The hoosier base is the perfect height. I think it's my only option. My "Hoosier" isn't a real Hoosier anyway, but a no-name off brand and it's missing the roll front doors on the top anyway. I did't pay much for it either, so I don't mind taking the top off and storing it in the attic for now. The painted cabinet is much more of a show-piece and I'd prefer to keep it where it is. I'll try this for size today and post a pic!

Pretty! It would make a great spot for canned goods or spices. Or toiletri in a bathroom?

Thank you greenfish1234. It is pretty. I could put it back in the bathroom. That's where it was located when we moved here. The only problem is that no one sees it but us!

Oh no, I just realized that if I ditch the top half of my Hoosier, then I won't have a spot to display my antique dough tray? Oh my this is complicated...

The Hoosier seems better for the kitchen. How abount an entry or hall?

Photo of Hoosier and painted cabinet together?

I agree greenfish1234 I think I'm going to keep the Hoosier in one piece, I need it to display other items. I wish I could figure out a way to incorporate this painted piece with my white cabinets and not have it look out of place? Or it could just go back up to the bathroom...

Could it go in your family room, dining room or parlor? Maybe use it as a book cabinet?

You simply must have DRAWERS for your bottom cabinets. They are the best thing since sliced bread!!! I cannot tell you how much I love mine. It's so easy to find things in them - no getting down on ones hands and knees to dig the angel food cake pan out of the far, back corner when it's only used 3 times yearly (which is why it was in the back). Now, open drawer, pull out cake pan!!! They also don't get dirty inside. I have two dogs who are confined in the kitchen if I go out. With lower cabinets with doors, I constantly had to wipe out dog hair - it was disgusting. In nearly 3 years, I have yet to have to wipe out my new drawers!

That cabinet is TDF!!! Is it the same size as one of your upper cabinets? If it is, use it in place of a new one! People do this all the time in the UK - lots of mix and match and the kitchens look so much warmer and more "personal".

Do consider getting a counter-depth refrigerator. I like KA as they use the same hinges on their counter-depth as their built-in models, so it can truly be back in a cabinet, with even 1/2 the depth of the poor covered. SO much nicer...

Dianne, in my opinion, it’s not in keeping with the age and era of your home to install can lights in the ceiling. That’s just a thing with me. We inherited my parents‘ 1909 Craftsman and remodeled the entire house before we moved in. We designed the new kitchen and it actually won first prize in a home contractors‘ competition. We added a window on the east side of the room and went with all white appliances and cabinets and now It’s bright as can be.

Will the painted cabinet fit between the fridge and window? Then switch the DW to the left of the sink, as cpartist suggested. You can have a trash pull-out to the right of the sink, then keep dishes in drawers beside the pull-out. With the dishes in drawers it won't matter that your dinner plates won't fit in the 10" deep antique.

My house isn't as old as yours, but I arranged my whole kitchen around a wall of 10" deep, vintage shaker cabinets. :)

Thanks Joyce, your kitchen looks wonderful! The can lights were plugged in by the sales rep, I would never put can lights in my old house. We haven't even begun discussing lighting yet and since we're not hiring an electrician, whatever lighting we do will be pretty limited. My kitchen is so bad right now that anything is an improvement so lighting is the least of my concerns. I'm fine with an over the sink light and the ceiling fan. I'm not too fussy.

Mama goose, No the painted cabinet will not fit between the fridge and the window, it's about ten inches too wide. The dishwasher will also not fit on that side of the sink either. I only have about 21 inches max on that side and we're thinking that 18 inch cabinets would be even better, so I think my trash can will have to go on that side.

The only place the painted cabinet would fit would be to the right of the window or over the stove, so I guess the painted cabinet is going to have to move to a new room. :(

Here are some great white kitchens with lots of character! You'll note that they all have something out of the ordinary from the generic new white kitchens.

This one has yellow and black tile:

Sierra Street · More Info

This one uses red laminate counter tops and a checked marmoleum floor:

Retro Kitchen · More Info

The character in this beauty comes from the antique stove:

Historical Colonial in Pasadena · More Info

Pendant lighting, wood counter tops, marmoleum flooring, and a large antique sink and faucet give this kitchen a period-flair:

1920's Historic Kitchen · More Info

A few companies make retro appliances that give an older look to a kitchen. This one is by SMEG, but check out Big Chill and Northstar/Elmira as well.

My home · More Info

I love this small kitchen with the antique stove, glass door cabinets and exposed hinges.

A Cottage Kitchen · More Info

The key to making a new kitchen compatible with an old home is not only the color of the cabinets, but all the details. In your case, you wouldn't want a real kitchen from the 1800s, but an early 20th century look would work just fine!

I love the ideas Diana!!

Thanks, greenfish!

Another thought I have for Dianne S. is not to have the kitchen too big or open to the living/dining rooms. Historic homes are NOT "open concept." That is a totally modern conceit.

Thank you Diana! I love the ideas you posted. We still have to tear up our floors and see what the hardwood looks like underneath. Hopefully they can be salvaged and then my whole first floor will have the original flooring. My kitchen is definitely NOT open concept. I'd never do that to an old house. If anything my kitchen feels too closed in, but that's the way it was meant to be. I'm losing the kitchen table in favor of my Hoosier cabinet, the table makes the space feel very congested and we can't access the fireplace easily with the table in place. My big old general store counter will be in the center when I get finished restoring it and adding a butcher block top.

I would LOVE to have the antique replica appliances, but they are SO expensive, they're just not in the budget. That's the main reason I'm doing white on white, so that my white appliances disappear and the focus is on my antiques and collectibles. At least that's the plan for now.

I don't know what to do about wall and trim color? I have a lot of woodwork in the kitchen it's all painted. White for all the woodwork? A color or a neutral for the walls??? Still contemplating an interesting backsplash for above the stove? I'd love to find antique metal tiles, but I'd have to get the real deal, not those plastic reproductions.

I love the marmoleum counters and floors as well as the old fashioned lights.

Do do you have a place for another of my old-fashioned kitchen favorites? A swinging door?

https://www.houseofantiquehardware.com/double-action-floor-hinge-plated-covers?utm_source=froog&utm_medium=cse&utm_campaign=gdf&partner=froog&CAWELAID=120035490000009726&CATARGETID=120035490000030467&cadevice=m&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6_Gd7rqs4QIVClYMCh32KQseEAQYAiABEgKZi_D_BwE

I hear ya about the cost of appliances, Dianne! Which white appliances are you considering? If you want them to disappear, you need to match the cabinet paint color to the appliances, which probably means a fairly white-white. Or you could do your cabinets in a color--green or yellow would look beautiful, as would a toned down blue.

HI Dianne. Here are pics of the before kitchen.

Diana I'm planning to keep my white refrigerator and dishwasher for now as they are practically brand new. The "white" cabinets I picked are technically ivory, but still pretty white and they blend well with the appliances.

The stove and hood are going to be stainless and I was considering doing a stainless apron front sink to tie it all together, but now my husband says he hates the stainless sink so it's back to fireclay! The wall with the stove is the "focal point" of the kitchen, and I want to do an interesting backsplash on that wall.

Greenfish, I DO have a spot for a swinging door! The doorway to the dining room had a door on it at one time and the trim is still notched out for hinges! I think I'll do a french door with glass though, my kitchen is at the back of the house and doesn't get a lot of sunlight.

Joyce, that's awesome! You did a fantastic job with that kitchen. My kitchen has been evolving over the years (basically deteriorating!) It looked great when it was in Country Home Magazine in 1984. But years have taken their toll and the layout in '84 was not practical. I've been making minor changes over the last ten years to try and just "live with it" a little longer, but it's finally time to do a total re-hab, and I just want to be sure to do it right.

Thanks everyone for the tips!

Glad you are not getting can lights. Have you hired a general contractor already, or are you working with a kitchen designer first?

Dianne, I want to seriously suggest that you re-think being fine with 2 light fixtures. Adding lighting is really not difficult nor that expensive (at least it wasn't in my remodel) and you would be amazed at how much more pleasant and also easier working in the kitchen will be with improved lighting. It doesn't have to be cans (although a few well placed cans really wouldn't destroy the vintage ambience -- after all, you do have electric lights) -- you could add those vintage style arm sconces to the crown in a few places too. Some ideas, just to try to illustrate what I mean -- I'm not suggesting any of these for you in particular!

sconce sconce3 sconce4

sconce2

Also, in the picture with the swinging door -- notice how there is color on the ceiling? I love that! I would stick with white on the trims, but don't be afraid of color on the walls or ceiling or both (as in the picture). Martha Stewart might be a fading influence, but if you have access to old issues of the magazine (library?) or the website, she has many beautiful inspiration photos of colors in kitchens and she does do vintage well IMO.

I am not a fan of the beadboard because it IS hard to clean. I would go with plain shaker.

Your kitchen plan looks awesome. Keep us updated!