Help us update our galley kitchen on a budget
Alex Pierce
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Hi there, I am asking for some design insight and ideas to pull our kitchen out of the 80s! The general idea has been to keep the floors and to design with them in mind. The home is a saltbox passive solar design in the woods. We lean towards contemporary and minimalist. Many of the references we like online show white cabinets and black/other counter tops. Also interested in pinching pennies when possible!
We just closed on he the house and the photos are from our listing so we will be starting with a plank slate! :)
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Comments (22)
herbflavor
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoRelated Discussions
Making over a small galley on a budget - new layout
Comments (23)It seems to me you ideally should get - Refrigerator close to the breakfast room (less pushing through the galley to get milk). Consider storing breakfast things (cereal, bowls, etc) in the breakfast room. You also have the option of beverage refrigerator (milk, juice) in the breakfast room. - Sink and cooktop on one side of the kitchen, with as much counter as possible on that side. You're not one to spin around and use the counter behind you, so you need as much counter as possible on the main ''working side'' of the kitchen. Having sink and cooktop on the same counter is convenient. - Refrigerator not directly across the galley aisle from the sink or the cooktop or the counter between those two. The aisle around the refrigerator is going to be about 33'' if you use 24'' deep cabinets on both sides with minimal countertop overhangs. (You can get a wider aisle in most of the kitchen, but let's focus on the refrigerator here.) A counterdepth refrigerator will be around 27'' deep, so it will reduce that aisle width further. If you can recess it into the wall you can reclaim 3'' or so (feasible even with a load-bearing wall, it is basically like building a doorway). Even with a recessed counterdepth refrigerator, the door swing will interfere with someone standing in the aisle. So you want to avoid locating prep, washing, and cooking in that door swing. - Cooktop and wall oven. Ranges are around 28'' deep and often need some additional clearance behind them. Rangetops are also usually about 28'' deep. Since aisle width is tight, a cooktop which is typically 22-23'' deep seems the best choice, to fit in 24'' deep cabinets. This forces you to use a wall oven, and I'd put it on the non-working side of the kitchen. - Prep zone close to the fridge and the pantry. To minimize squeezing back and forth in the narrow aisle every time you need to fetch a lemon, some cream, an onion, etc. All this suggests, I think, a layout like: - on the interior wall, which becomes the ''storage side'' of the kitchen, put the refrigerator nearest the breakfast room, then pantry, with wall oven(s) at the other end. - on the exterior wall, which becomes the ''working side'', a run of counter across from the refrigerator (with dishwasher under), then the sink, then a long stretch of counter (the main prep space, under the window), then the cooktop, then some landing zone. - counterdepth refrigerator, recessed, probably French door or side-by-side (for the narrower doors). Cooktop with hood venting to the outdoors, can be induction or gas. Dish-drawer type dishwasher (a conventional type with bottom-hinged door will hopelessly clog up the aisle, no matter where placed, a dishdrawer can be slid in and out as easily as closing a drawer). A wall oven, or two. One oven could be a speed oven, but they are expensive, and it seems more convenient for the microwave to be at the refrigerator end of the kitchen. The pantry cabinet could be shallower, as depth isn't that useful in a pantry (depends on if you'll use pullout pantry organizers or simply fixed shelves) and you get something like 38'' aisle width in the kitchen center (depends on the options in the cabinet line you use). - change the position and width of the doorway from breakfast room to kitchen, to accommodate the 24'' counter on the exterior wall and avoid interfering with the refrigerator door swing. That means shifting the doorway to the right a few inches. Shouldn't cost much. Remember, there is no point to a 36'' wide door leading to a 33'' aisle. - moving cooktop and sink to the exterior wall will cost some ($2-3K?) but I think it will make for a much better layout. The exterior wall can provide a significantly longer counter than the short interior wall. The exterior wall has a window, which works when it is over a counter but not when it is boxed in by fridge, oven, and pantry cabinets. You can recess into an interior wall, but an exterior wall is harder or not possible depending on climate and construction. Layout is the most important thing. If budget requires, I would live with the crappiest Craigslist appliances, builder-grade fixtures, the cheapest laminate counters, skip the backsplash, learn some DIY skills, etc - to get a good layout. A $100 Home Depot faucet will work 90% as well as a $1000 faucet porn star, and can be changed out in an hour someday. A $100 no-name stainless steel sink will work 120% as well as a $2000 Shaws fireclay apron front sink of indeterminate dimensions, unknown drain placement, and - oh, drat, its cracked. A laminate or butcher block or granite tile counter will work - well, at least 100% as well, and maybe better than a pricey Carrera marble counter that has you popping Valium whenever lemons or wineglasses are set on it. But a lousy layout will be a lousy layout, forever, no matter how much lipstick is applied....See MoreHelp! Tight Budget! Need to Update My Kitchen!
Comments (13)If it's considered an entry level condo - that is a starter home - I wouldn't change anything major. Just paint the walls a neutral color, clean and edit the items on the counter. Remove the multiple towels and dated canisters. If you have a Home Goods or Crate and Barrel nearby check out new stylish towels. Keep the counters totally clutter free. Clean out the cabs and de-clutter. Allow the next buyer to do the upgrades and updates to their taste. The previous posters are right that some upgrades will actually turn buyers off. In my area of middle suburbia, it is granite on old cabinets that have seen better days, especially if the layout isn't great. If your cooktop is older, around 8 - 10 years or going out - this may be an item to consider updating along with matching hood since you already have the SS oven. The newer appliances are a great selling point on an older home. I've bought a couple of houses where the old 1980's stoves were downright scary. Check out clearance, closeouts, craigslist or sears outlet for a good deals. As the others posted, new lighting can help brighten up the space. You don't have a picture of the sink, but if the faucet is old and dated, that could also be a great upgrade for not a lot of money. My personal favorite, the one I currently own is this Moen Brantford: http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-25ecodZ5yc1v/R-202998687/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=moen+kitchen+faucet&storeId=10051#.UJvZF6UTBvc I don't know what your lighting and flooring is like, but a neutral color I love is called Autumn Haze. The color is by Glidden. I've staged and sold 3 houses since 2003. The following pictures are the kitchens from the two most recent. Both of these have oak cabinets. The most recent (1st) had 20 year old laminate counters. The wall paint was Behr Sand Pearl. The 2nd one actually had tile counters. It was newer with the original builder paint, except for the blue/green color. I had 2 toddlers and a baby and didn't have time to repaint and neutralize....See MoreUpdating our small bathrooms on a budget
Comments (12)What is your budget because that is going to determine what you can achieve. While I am generally in the camp of keeping "retro" bathrooms which are true to the architectural style of a home, in my opinion there is NOTHING worth salvaging in your bathroom. Pardon me for being blunt but you have what appears to be a prefab bath/tub shower - lighting that is identical to the hideous fixture I had in my builder grade 1965 condo when I moved in - a vanity that is not particularly attractive and is basic slab door - again identical to the cheap cabinets I had in my condo :-). If you have the money for it, you could gut it and install a bathroom that is more to your taste while also respecting the architecture of the exterior. I just remodeled my bathrooms and while I opted for a more traditional bathroom inspired by Art Deco, I also admired some very modern bathrooms with walnut slab doors :-). But budget is going to determine the extent of what you can do. From a practical point of view, unless you really have a LOT of money saved, it is probably best to put any major renovations on hold until you have lived in your home for awhile. This will give you a sense of what your priorities are in terms of making your home functional and aesthetic as well as seeing exactly how much it costs each month as home ownership has some economic surprises. There is nothing wrong with your bathroom at the moment - it is clean and looks in good condition and you could jazz it up inexpensively if you have other priorities....See Morehello, we are updating our oak kitchen on a budget
Comments (13)And - do you have undercabinet lighting at the sink side? If so that needs to be turned on when evaluating backsplash. I am noticing your countertop color tone is more of a bluish white - the floors are a pinkish tone and that backsplash is (right now) bright white. To do this successfully you will need a backsplash that marries the countertop color for sure but I’m afraid if you go with a solid you may end up making your floors look out of place. This will be tricky so again, lots of samples and also get a grout sample kit. You will need to be very precise about this in order to make it work....See MoreAlex Pierce
5 years agoAlex Pierce
5 years ago
niccidhg
5 years agoAlex, congratulations on your lovely new home ! That is a bit of a tight budget including appliances. I would invest my dollars on a beautiful, unique new backsplash , hardware for your existing cabinets , and a carpet runner to soften , but not hide , your floor. It would be great to be able to add a new countertop. A leathered, black Formica would be a great look with your cabinetry color and might be doable with just a slight increase in budget. Reinstalling a new , updated vent hood over the stove is a no brainer here, imo. — Best of luck and wishing you much enjoyment in your new home.— For inspiration -
Alex Pierce thanked niccidhgAlex Pierce
5 years agoAlex Pierce
5 years ago
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