It is not whether the lights are recessed or not but all the bulbs need to LEDs in 4000K then at least the colors will look true all the time . Why did you go with a colr at all and especially a dark color if you think it is too dark. I personally think wasting money on new counters would be silly put the doors back on that upper cabinet that will never look like open shelving . What you need in this space is storage and lots of it That island is ridiculous in shape and size I have to agree this is a kitchen in need of a total makeover so save the money leave it as is and wait to have a proper space. You have window completely covered with stuff of course it will be dark. I have to say I love the windows looking at the rock but then everything else needs to be light and lots of new artifical light in the LEDs as I mentioned BTW no ivory walls either

We have tons of storage, far more than we actually need.

We chose nothing in this kitchen, it was like this when the house was bought. It’s actually an extension onto what had been a back porch. The rest of the house has oak floors.

Why wont it look like open shelving?

I agree the island’s shape is strange, but what’s wrong with the size?

I’d love a total gut and redo. Our family members are poor artists so a gut is out of the question. If an average kitchen renovation is around $50k, that’s 3/4 of our total household yearly income.

Maybe I should have started with the floors, as I think they’re by far the crummiest aspect of the kitchen.

The ceiling is white, not dark. I don’t feel it’s so bad as a “tomb.”

Some of the comments here verge on cruel and not everyone has the resources for a total reno. I realize this isn’t how everyone works, but if anyone has optimistic thoughts for what I can do for ~3k to make our humble kitchen a little more joyful, I’d be so grateful.

@Eve - I think sometimes people here are trying to prevent you from throwing good money after bad, and their bluntness comes across as cruel. It's not intended that way. And if you go on something like Insta with your pics, people are a whole lot horrible. And, in all fairness, your OP did not mention your constrained budget, but did mention all new counters, so of course people are going to give suggestions for a do-over since we have no idea what you have in mind for the scope of your kitchen.

Sorry, I haven’t read the rest of the thread, but I get the gist.

Start by looking for inspiration images. If you’re keeping that flooring, do a google search for kitchens with painted cabinets and tan floors. Find images you like, then look at the color schemes they’ve used.

Find the colors that work for you, then paint again. What I’m finding are cabinets that are cream or white, but if you want color, keep looking.

Also, if you’re open to replacing the island, this is the Vadholma island from IKEA that retails for $450 in the US.

You know, charcoal or black could be nice in your space...

Darker colors require a lot more light to look rich and jewel like. The kitchen was dark, with limited daylight, before the paint color amplified this. Lessen the contrast to the dark red by using additional deeper colors. And add a lot more additional lighting to create that jewel box experience.

This is what I would do. Paint the window frame black. Put the white doors back on the upper cabinets. New cabinet hardware. I would put my money into replacing the odd island, assuming the floors are intact beneath it. Even a simple farm table or IKEA unit would be better. The rock view out of the window is kind of cool.

Not a pro....but I am someone who "gets" the idea that not all of us like white cabinets and gray walls, and not all of us have an unlimited budget. There's nothing wrong with being different if it makes you happy! You can put your artsy spin in this kitchen for sure. Personally, I think the big offender here is the island. The shape of it, the tile on the bottom, the countertop - all seem to date and downgrade this kitchen. I'd try to do something with that first. I love the rock view, and I don't find the cab color too dark, but i have to say it's not my favorite - either a completely different color like a green tone to give you what you lose by not having a "green" view outside, or darker red would be better. I would consider painting the wood tones inside the skylight to brighten that ceiling even more. Also, I agree with the suggestion that the upper cabinet would look better either with the doors replaced, or the whole thing removed and replaced with open shelving. And maybe think about storing your pots and pans in a cabinet, and replacing the pot rack with an awesome light fixture there instead, to inject even more personality.

Did Maria Killam also advise the wall color? If so, since you've already done the hardest part (painting the cabinets) I'd go ahead and finish the walls in the recommended color. I'd probably also carry the ivory color onto the ceiling/skylight area and the upper cabinets as well.

A pretty Roman shade that has a touch of the brick color in it will tie everything together nicely.

Thanks all! This is very helpful. We need to replace the countertop by the sink at least, as the ancient Formica has begun to leak and crumble there. Wasn’t including that in my budget.

if I was able to pull up the floor, what would folks recommend?

I love the idea of a bit of black/charcoal and love that Valdholma look. If I had that type of black powder-coated bottom on the island, would I need black elsewhere?

Thanks itsourcasa, karrylouwho and flopsycat! What if anything would you do with the lights?

Not a pro, but if you decide to go with the black island you should definitely bring in black elsewhere. Not that everything has to be black, but I would consider starting with black knobs on your cabinets and painting the window black. It looks like you need storage so if you can't find a place for the pots and pans, you can spray paint the pot rack black.

This slate flooring doesn't have as much copper as other ones I've seen and I think would coordinate well. https://www.flooranddecor.com/slate-stone/peacock-slate-tile-100415009.html#prefn1=size&prefv1=12+x+24&start=6

Easy^^. Paint the window trim black. There ya go!

I’m personally not a fan of brick red but I don’t think the colour‘s a disaster! I think it suits a warm Moroccan boho vibe. I do prefer the slate grey-blue you had on the doors previously, and think it called to the boulder view better. But since you’ve already repainted, start by warming up the walls with an ivory and see if it helps.

Your pic of the track lights shows there are various bulbs in use. Follow @Patricia Colwell Consulting’s bulb advice to improve the lighting. Finish painting the ceiling by getting in around the skylight.

It does not appear that you have “tons of storage” because there is so much clutter on the countertops. I am sorry to hear about your injury and understand it makes tidying harder, but thats where all the “more storage” advice is coming from. And, as mentioned in your other threads, getting rid of the hanging pots and putting them on hooks to the right of the window will make the space airier and allow the view to shine through.

Upper cabinets with doors removed will never look like open shelving because you can still see the frames. It looks unfinished, like you’re still waiting for the paint to dry on the doors before replacing them. True open shelving is simply horizontal lines. Putting the doors back on is a cheap & easy fix to make the room look neater. :)

Possible inspiration...

Kitchen · More Info

Paint color was noted as a Pratt & Lambert Bittersweet.

I admit to not reading all the comments, but my initial reaction is that the brick paint applied to the raised panel doors lacks depth that could be created using sanding to distress the finish or apply a glaze or a wax.

This door has been distressed and then some black wax has been artfully applied to enhance the appearance.

Here are two different wax colors and the effect they create.

Painting cabinets is expensive and if it's a quality paint, I would wait with changing it. You can improve the look of the kitchen by changing other things, like lighting, hardware, wall color, and see if it works for you. If not, repaint it to a color you really love. Brick color is a nice idea, but I suppose you didn't expect it to be so red.

I happen to be very fond of red (my desk is painted very similarly, and my dining table has a red stained base & chairs); I agree with some of the other posters that the problem is with the surrounding colors creating discord, not that they are too dark. Paint those walls (if you don't have a color selected, consider Behr Cottage White or something similar, perhaps even lighter- it will go well with the floor), paint the window trim (I am also fond of black window frames, but with the dark rock a light color may be better - or even the same red would be a real wow factor.)

Choose a light, neutral, not even a hint of gray, not patterned new counter. If you don't replace the island, think about perhaps butcher block for it. I agree also about revising the base, with beadboard or drywall painted to match the walls- should not be difficult..

If your walls are a cream or ivory type shade, you may find that the ceiling will look better if it is also repainted a slight off white. Ceiling white (if that is what it currently is) can tend to look grayish or even dirty next to a warmer shade of white.

Start with painting the walls, which is the easiest and least expensive part of the equation. Then, stand back and take a look. I am bothered by the island...perhaps try paint on that. Also, the island's top looks rather weak (visually) compared to the strong look of the base. Along with painting the base, placing a new top with a nice formica covering (with a strong edge) over the old top would be a fairly inexpensive way improve the room. As you've noted, there is a fair amount of countertop clutter...getting rid of that would greatly improve the look and not cost anything. Then, if you can afford to do so, add some lighting. As for the cabinet color, Houzz shows some photos of attractive kitchens that use two cabinet colors. Perhaps you can paint just a few of the cabinets and see how that looks. The big rock outside your window is perhaps the most interesting dilemma here...perhaps the first of its kind on Houzz! It looks quite dark. Is it in the shade most of the time and creates darkness? Can some planters be hung on it? I do my own faux paint jobs and would experiment by adding some color to the stone...a natural color with some metallic dust in it. If it comes out poorly I would just continue to work on it until I like it. But that could get expensive if you bring in a faux painter, and might be disastrous if you start such a job without prior experience. But that rock.....hmmmmm?

Skip the negative comments and focus on the helpful Ones. Some very good input from many who understand how to help. I’m often flabbergasted at the deliberate lack of helpfulness on the part of some who frequent these boards.

One more ore thing to consider, Formica is a great choice for a countertop on a budget and it comes in lots of very useful colors. I think a change in countertop would do a lot to brighten and finish your brick red kitchen.

The rest of our house has quite a Moroccan boho look, so that would be a nice outcome for this kitchen in the end.

The clutter is partly from stuff taken out of the cabinets for painting. The only eternal clutter issue we have is along the sink. My husband believes a drying rack placed anywhere but over the sink will leave countertops wet. How do we combat that?

Obviously they’ve got different elements, but these are looks I liked.

This is the vibe of the rest of our house (without that white sofa on the left, was in transit).

It would be amazing if you could alter the floor. You could even tile over it with a glazed thin brick.

in the meanwhile, Red and Black and Tan can work well together. But look at the difference in the shade you chose for your cabinets to the shade in your inspiration image.

The shade of red you chose is almost brown, and I think it’s going to be tough to liven things up with that shade. Would you be open to re-painting with another red, or choosing a charcoal for the other base cabinets and a brighter red for the island?

@eve Something like a drying rack I don’t consider clutter (when in use — it should be stored under the sink when not in use). It’s the boxes and bags and appliances on the countertop that made it seem as through your didn’t have places to to store them.

And the wall cabs with doors removed result in visual clutter as well even tho those items are technically stored. Even true open shelving is very tricky to style (and it must be styled to look right)!

following

The biggest bang for the buck, would be to just leave the floors, repaint the reddish cabinets to match the white uppers. Put the doors back on, it looks strange and unfinished without them. Then pick some countertops that will look good with your floors and white cabinets. Put a nice clear type color on your walls. By clear, I dont mean really clear. I mean not a muddy color. A clear greenish color, a clear bluish color, etc. Change all your light bulbs to led 4000k and remove that piece of whatever it is above the window, and put some nice window treatments, that match everything on it. Your biggest expense in all this will be countertops. There are some very nice formica, that come in many colors. Add some wall art in a few places, and make sure everything is spotlessly clean, and your kitchen will be a nice pleasant place to eat or have friends come over.

The 2nd pic you posted is much better. I still say paint the walls first.

maybe post a pic of color swatch, it’s really hard to see the color you painted

are you putting up blinds or painting the window frame??

I went all white. That would have looked nice but it looks like you like bold colors!! :)

Slate or gray with white would have looked great as well

Eve. I like your inspiration pic. Let's see. If you could change the island out to something freestanding like in your inspiration might not be very expensive and so cool. Also, the knobs etc. would be great black. I have a similar color in my mudroom and I love it. It's a lovely warm brick color. I agree to warm up the walls [creamy color maybe?]

I'd also leave the floor for now. Someone suggested changing light bulbs out. See what that does. Also do you have a place to store the pots and pans? I like to keep stuff that is out to a minimum if possible. Makes it feel roomier and calmer.

Regarding the negative comments. There are very opinionated folks on here. I just take the useful bits and ignore the rest.

Best of luck.

If you’re not in a rush peruse marketplace, antique shops, flea markets, craigslist for an interesting table to replace the island. I love the one in your inspiration pic. IKEA also has nice ones. But if you are artists and painters you might really love something unique. (My MIL - who btw was Jewish - shopped a Catholic Church that was closing and purchased the altar table complete with marble top for her grand Victorian entryway, and a couple of pews as seating in the family kitchen... ;))

Not a pro, but I like the color of your cabinets. I think it is an improvement compared to what you had before. I would add knobs or handles to the doors, put back the upper cabinets' doors and paint the walls.

Once you have done, put away everything you can and reassess. See if you can do something for this island ( It is what bothers me the most, not sure it would be easy to replace it, but I would try ). Changing the floor do not look useful if you cannot get rid of the island and its weird foot. If you can get rid of the island, you can change the floor. It does not need to be an expensive floor. I replaced mine with a nice vinyl floor as it is temporary and it changed the look of my old kitchen for $200.

Change the countertop if you can, even if it is with a new laminate.

I don't think the cabinet shade is the biggest problem. At all. The lack of storage and organization might be. I would get rid of that island (you could try to save some tiles to patch the floor) and replace it with a well -planned storage island. There are all sorts of hacks/DIY that could work here....from using Ikea to old furniture. Design for how you want it to function. That done, pick new counters and then re-paint WALLS. You have an idiosyncratic kitchen but that doesn't mean it can't function and suit your aesthetics. Crafting a more personal,characterful space as you are doing may take more time and tweaking,but the reward is enormous. Good Luck!

Eve,

It is very hard to see colors online. In your first picture the brick red seems to have some pink undertones, but the second picture seems to be a truer orange brown.

Can you provide the name of the actual paint color that was used?

With you $3 k budget you are planning on changing the counters and paint the walls.

To make your color decisions you have to decide what must stay and what can be or has to be replaced or changed. Do you have the money to repaint the cabinets or to replace the flooring (Both/Neither)? (Don't need to post - you just have to know what is in your realm of reality)

To decide if these two items can possibly work together you need to see them in isolation and in good lighting.

I want you to do is get a sample of the flooring - If you don't have a sample can you pull up a 6" square piece from under the stove or fridge or get a sample from Home depot of something that is really really similar?

A sample of the cabinet color is simple - if you have the paint, paint a sample board that is the size of a standard piece of paper (8 1/2 x 11) or larger.. If not - just take a cabinet door off the hinges or take a drawer out.

Get a big white sheet or plastic table cloth and a card table or boxes or something you can cover with the white sheet.

Take your samples outside around 2:00 in the afternoon on a clear day. and place both samples on the white sheet. If the cabinet color looks pink next to the flooring you have pink and yellow undertones and they generally do not play well together.. I would recommend changing one or the other if this is the case. If you can't afford to change either, I would recommend getting a couple of carpet runners for in the kitchen that cover part of the floor - reducing the conflict.

Once you have figured out if these two colors can work together you can use the same method to pick other colors that work with the two colors. Use large samples - undertones cannot be seen in tiny samples.

From the photo below you can see that natural daylight is the best way to see undertones. The tile in this house all looked very neutral, but adding other neutrals to the walls proved challenging - everything looked bad in one room or another. The reason is that there were pink and yellow undertones. Getting the tile together in good sunlight made the problem obvious.

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Not only are you keeping it real here, but by not blowing a bundle you are also doing the environment a favor. Thank you.

Check out Plain English for inspiration. They think way more outside of the box around color and cabinetry than what you typically find on cookie cutter Houzz kitchens. Their Streatham Well house pictures mimic your red cabinets and rough, real life architectural features. Based on their lovely pics, I'd paint the uppers same as the lowers, find a very light grey for the walls, install wood counters, or paint the walls, uppers, window frame a sand color with slight green undertone. I love your painted wood knobs and would not change them. And, I think black in this kitchen will look garish.

If demolition of the island is a possibility, I'd put a rug where the foot print of it is and put a nice salvaged wood table in the middle of the room.

This pic also reminded me of your space. I'd like to see you color test this kind of khaki with your red and a grey.

Marylebone Kitchen · More Info

PS - Who the heck has a rock outside of their kitchen window? How cool.

Replace the floor and the island.

Then paint the walls.

Thanks, all! I live in South Africa and don’t have access to BM or SW paints, but the red paint is very close to BM Georgian Brick and the intended wall color is near to BM Soft Chamois. These were colors suggested by an interior designer since, as Jennifer Hogan suggested, getting a wall color that looks OK with the floor has been tough. I’ve been hesitant to put the wall color on as it looks quite yellow.

Looking at the colors in the BM Paint, those should be very nice together, Again, the best way to know, without question, is to look at the colors in natural daylight. I never place color on a wall without first testing it outside in daylight.

Here is my reno in progress

Will your 3K (American dollars?) budget for this stage cover replacing the floors and island? The same tile covers both floors and island, so it would all get replaced at the same time.

If anything, LT is showing you the cost of sticking with the wrong red. Look at your inspiration images. They are clean reds with white, not muddy reds with yellow.

I think the colors that were suggested to you will look very nice, once you get everything completed. The cabinets tie in the colors of the carpet from the living room, providing flow between the rooms, and the Soft Chamois wall color will relate to your flooring and help it appear more neutral. Then you can channel your funds towards the new countertops that you need, and eventually a new island.

Sometimes it's difficult to envision a room when it's only half finished. It's a bit like doing a deep house cleaning, things look worse before they look better! But I think you'll be happy with your "new" kitchen when you're finished.

After thinking about it, I’m thinking of using our budget this way. What do you think of this plan? This is the ideal—I’m not sure if we’ll be able to afford all this.

One good use of our money, I think, would be to break down the arched wall between the DR and kitchen. We rarely use our beautiful wood-topped dining table (legs are not the same wood), so I’m thinking of putting steel legs and a shelf on it and turning it into a bigger, new island we can also use with stools as a dining table.

We live in South Africa, so labor and paint is significantly cheaper than in the US, though furnishings and rugs are not.

Questions: we have brass and charcoal powder-coated steel elsewhere in the house. should the drawer pulls be one of those tones?

- New hardware for cabinets—brushed nickel, brass or charcoal powder-coated steel (we have this elsewhere in the house) : $150

- Knock out kitchen island and screed over hole in floor: $150

- Replace dining-room table legs with powder-coated white or charcoal steel legs and shelf, turn into center island: $300

- Kitchen Rug under Island: $150

- new countertops: $850

- repaint kitchen cabinets, walls, and ceiling white: $400

- Knock down arch dividing kitchen and dining room to make it open-plan: $250

- Open shelving to the right of the rock window: $100

- replace upper cabinets w/ open shelving: $300

- DIY pot-hanging rack to the left of rock window: $50

- Two new stools, painted: $100

- four new recessed lights or plain white kitchen pendants: $250

I would be inclined to use brass (but not the bright polished brass of 20 years ago); I think it would be very pretty with the red. But, black will work. I love brushed nickel (have it in my own kitchen) but I think it is better to repeat elements - esp. if you are going to have metal legs on the table.

I love the idea of repurposing your table! If you want a slightly industrial look, you could make the new legs and shelf support out of galvanized pipe with brass fittings (combining black and brass). Or, just paint those table legs, unless you really want the metal element.

I would go for recessed light, but I think you need more than 4 (from what I can see). They need to be positioned over the edges of your counters as well as the island. I am having trouble visualizing pendants for the island with the skylight there. Repositioning/installing recessed lights is not hard, but you might have to factor in repairing the holes from the track lights unless they are in the right spots for the new recessed lights. Can you get the new LED disc lights? Very easy to install, I understand.

You also might need to do some wall repair from removing the upper cabinets, so don't forget to include that in your budget.

Do you need the DR space as part of your kitchen? Would you want that separate room in the future for any purpose? I would wait on demolishing the archway until you see. how everything else works -- unless of course, the space is needed for the table/island.

Oh, and when you get the rug to cover the floor gap, make sure it is one that can be cleaned well - colorfast, and can tolerate water. I take my large kitchen rug outside spring and fall and wash it with rug cleaner and the hose to rinse, letting it dry in the sun.

There’s no way that I would waste any of that money in removing a wall. It’s likely load bearing and full of electrical, and cost way more than that, even in SA.. I’d just paint the walls darker khaki green, and choose a darker cream to light tan for the uppers. Not the stark white. And no open shelving.

The rest of the money, I would spend on adding lighting, a rug, and keep an eye out for a furniture piece to replace the island with. The island serves a functional purpose. There is no way Id get rid of it either. Just replace it.

I wrote on your other, newer kitchen thread that I would NOT put a rug under an island (or table-island) in a kitchen. I also wouldn't bother with the arch, esp since your house is Moroccan-inspired.

Do you have any plans for the flooring? Because that would be at the top of my list for any updates to this kitchen. If you do remove the arch, will you have to make the flooring consistent between the kitchen and dining room?

What exactly is your goal in updating your kitchen? When you say it's outdated, are you talking about form only, or function as well, or ???

Becky, it’s a good question—the things that bother me most are the color scheme (or lack thereof) and the lighting. We absolutely have to replace the 30-year-old laminate countertops as they’re crumbling.

Becky, it’s a good question—the things that bother me most are the color scheme (or lack thereof) and the lighting. We absolutely have to replace the 30-year-old laminate countertops as they’re crumbling.

It's a question worth spending some time on, to think about and identify answers. Aside from the countertops and lighting, do you need to improve function in any other areas?

Do you want the kitchen to look of a piece -- ie same boho feel -- with the rest of the house? Do you want it to look a bit different, perhaps less boho?

Hello, this was a great conversation. I am interested to see the final result if you have it finished. :-)