Spend the $2k to $4k, depending on where you live and consult a kitchen designer. Designers are worth their weight in gold. They have the education to be able to help you.

Cabinets in stained wood, white paint and black paint would drive me crazy. You do have plenty of storage! The step-up breakfast nook is probably hard to use because whoever sits down first gets blocked in when someone else comes in to eat. First in, last out. I would consider removing the whole nook structure and having a one level kitchen if there is no good reason for raising the floor in that area.
A certified kitchen designer would be a big help and could save you from costly mistakes when you are ready for the gut job.

I wouldn't get rid of the extra sink - that is set up nicely for the coffee bar and the whole beverage area - it also looks like there is a second dishwasher there? It also may be needed when you really start using those ovens or working on that side of the room. I think you could paint both islands if you want - that could work really well.

Good luck

I like the color of your wood cabinets and the hardware. To simplify things within a smaller, temporary budget, I would:

1. Try to finish the dark island closest to the nook in the same color as the other island. Or, rip it out and find a cool big antique butcher block or interesting cart on wheels.

2. Paint the white cabinets a subdued green as you mention.

3. Take the shelf out of the window.

4. Keep the nice baseboard trim at the nook, but paint the nook archway trim. It is just too jarring in contrast to the paint and in contrast to the other wood tones in this kitchen.

Glad you have a nice TV free zone for a teenager to hang out in. That nook would have so appealed to me as a kid.

Debbi, thank you for commenting! Yes, I have a smaller dishwasher in the island by the prep sink. It’s great for small loads.

Hi Kendrah! Thank you for the great suggestions! Love the idea if just painting the trim around nook. Never thought of that! If I wanted to keep the island with cooktop natural wood, could I only paint the second island a green to match cabinets? Not sure if 2 different color islands would work?

Sometimes it isn't obvious what's really not to our taste. Try putting some post-its on things- use one color for things you like, one color for things you find okay, and another color for things you really don't like. Then take some photos.

Do you have any close ups of the different hardware? Have you asked the previous owners if the black island was originally wood finished like the other island? If so, I'd consider stripping off the black paint to restore the original finish.

Honestly, I would just save save save. I agree with whomever said this is not a slow-change type of space. There is a ton to be done here, structurally and in terms of design, and I would consult a KD to get you started. When we realized we wanted to re do our kitchen, we consulted one, and asked for an estimate and loose plans. And then we saved until we could afford to gut and re-do.

i am so jealous of your fish tank wall

Haha, still debating on whether to get fish or not. Of course, my 15 yr old and husband vote yes, but guess who will end up cleaning it!?‍♀️

Do you know what brand the cabinets area? It may be stamped in the drawers. There is a lot of nice design work done here and interesting pieces. If it is a good brand of cabinet then maybe you could get new cabinets just for a redone island when you are ready for a bigger job.

The kitchen is really quite nice - it may grow on you the longer your are there.

Painting out the 2 islands and changing the hardware would probably be the only 2 things you could consider that won't cost a ton so maybe focus on that...

Good luck!

Fish tanks can have dioramas instead of water. Ask your teen to come up with some ideas. Action figures of Godzilla, a Kraken, a submarine. Or a more traditional conch, starfish, scallop shells.

I like it. I like the prep sink by the fridge and coffee pot. I love two ovens. I like the separation of the two islands cuz it saves steps.

I love love love the nook. Especially if the kids actually use it!

I think the room looks dark. I like the idea of painting the islands to match the painted cupboards. If you can afford it, a new countertop all around will brightedmit up, make it yours, and cut on the cluttered feeling.

Let us know!

I would spend most of the budget combing the two islands into one if possible. Paint all the cabinetry including the island a matching color. Add a new countertop (granite, marble, or soapstone)

Turn the eating nook into a walk in pantry. It looks pretty depressing the way it is.

I wou

Since you've only been in there 5 months, I would wait a yr and see what works for you and what doesn't. I find that after a year what I thought I wanted to change isn't necessarily what I do and I also find that there are other things that come to the top of the list that need changing first than what I originally thought. During that time, you can put together your plan and then also save money to do more things. As you'll find if the less changes your do at a time the things that you don't do right away will only be emphasized. Your kitchen is very functional and looks nice to wait a year. Enjoy your new home.

The more I look at the pics... the thumb that sticks out most to me is that black island with the prep sink. Even if only that was changed to match either the white or wood sides, it wouldn't be an odd third color sticking out.

I think a nice sage green would be pretty on the white cabs and both islands... or even just the black island. Since the booth seating is popular and used, perhaps consider using the same color on the bench areas that are currently white as well. Maybe seat cushions that complement the wood tones in the kitchen?

Lucky you already have a walk in pantry too! I wouldn't want to mess with that fish tank either for live fish. Is it just a shelf built in the pantry side with a fish tank sitting there, or is it really built in? If it's just a shelf and you decide you really don't want that tank, you could remove it and either leave the space open for something else or patch it shut.

If you like that shelf above the sink and like color- perhaps consider putting colored glass objects up there to catch the sun and give you some stained glass glow.

Thank you for the helpful advice!! I was hoping someone would think it was ok to only paint the darker island and white cabinets! I also agree to paint nook with the same color and love the idea of cushions! The tank is just sitting on the shelf( we found out when cleaning it out - almost knocked the whole thing into the nook!)
As far as the shelf above sink, it’s kinda tricky. The shelf is actually built into the wall, making it hard to remove. I’ll share a closer pic. I love the idea of glass to catch the light. Thanks again for the wonderful ideas!!

Debbi, this is the sticker in the wood tone cabinets...

Very nice - Ovation is a beautiful custom cabinet line.

I love the shelf over the window.

If you want to paint the cabinets, I would just do the white ones and the black island - leave the beautiful wood alone.

The other thing you could do ( since the black island is not a lot of cabinets ) , try contacting an Ovation dealer and see how much it would be to combine the 2 islands in the wood finish.

Good luck..

The first oddity I noticed was the fridge located next to sink, then there is lack of natural light.

Hmm, I guess I never thought about the fridge being next to sink. It doesn’t really bother us, but we’re definitely not experts on kitchen lay-outs. Where should it be?
My camera phone may not be the best to show how much natural light I actually have in the kitchen. Plus, the winters in Wisconsin can be pretty dreary, lol. I really have quite a bit. Here’s a few other pics that might be better.

These were taken on a bright, sunny ( but very cold) morning with no lights on.

My 2 cents, but I am not a designer. This is a hard working kitchen for a family/and guests. Often 2 people at least are cooking at larger gatherings and a prep sink is needed for whomever is working on the salad. If the nook is fun for the kids, keep it as it will be a highlight for them and their friends. Maybe there is a way to move your refrigerator to the right if there is a cabinet that can go in that place to give you more room around the sink. Enjoy your home!

I'm no help because I absolutely love it. Classic but also character. And it looks pretty functional, if unconventional. Can't say I'm totally digging those lights, but I have a terrible time picking lights. I'd spend the remodel funds finding just the right fun art (I'd probably go all-in with the pizzeria feel) for that crazy booth.

I like some of the elements in your space--the shelf is intriguing and the inlaid wood in the trim is an unusual and nice touch. Someone suggested painting that and I completely disagree. Just because it's not "historic" does not mean it's immediately worthy of being painted over.

You may like looking at the books by this architect:

https://susanka.com/not-so-big-house/

I’d get rid of the ceiling lights and replace with more recessed lights! They’re very distracting and spend the bulk of your budget on new granite tops light color and not too busy of a pattern

Laurie, I totally agree on the lights. For some odd reason, the original owners have too many styles going on in this house for my tastes. The house itself is mostly craftsman, but lighting and hardware throughout is farmhouse, traditional, and modern. Crazy!

I actually prefer light fixtures. I dislike recessed lighting to do a larger space - it makes it like an operating room. Light fixtures help with styling a space and defining the style... change them if you don't like them but I personally would not change them to recessed.

JMO..

Good luck!

Debbi, I agree. I don’t mind fixtures in the kitchen, just need to blend the styles more.
I appreciate your helpful comments!

2 toned kitchen cabinets are in style now. The problem is your dark countertops. I would go lighter with them, that would really lighten up your kitchen. and then match your hardware. The lights look dated, I would go with something more modern or I would go recessed.

I actually like it. I'd redo the countertops to marble or something light, and do a nice tile backsplash. I don't care for the current countertops. too dark and blah.

as for the islands, hard to tell, is one of them a diff color? be better if they were both the wood like the lighter one.

I suppose you could paint those, and paint the other white. Or, leave the one island in the light wood to go w/the fridge/sink wood cabinets. Everything else gets painted white.

I'd say to combine the islands into one, but would that mean you'd have to walk around often to get to the other side??

then get something like a white macaubas quartzite

Hi Beth, love your ideas for the countertops. I definitely want to get a lighter material to brighten the area up! Thanks for the pics and suggestions

I actually love a lot about that kitchen especially the wood island and cabinetry. For what it's worth, and if you care about "trends", I have been reading articles about the latest trends for 2020 and 3 toned kitchens are on trend. However, there is a lot going on in your kitchen ( and I am not a "less is more' person). I love the detail of those small drawers on the cabinet end. And I love Beth's ideas.

How do you feel about combining the 2 islands into one? I think it makes a more cohesive layout but it's a personal choice. I have a 17 foot island ( which includes a round table on one end) and I LOVE it. But my kitchen is set up in zones so I don't have necessary appliances or fixtures on opposite sides.

I personally don't like the light fixtures, either the style or the amount and the layout. I think you need more lighting on the island for task lighting and not on the walkways. I would do pendants over the island/s and small recessed lights where those fixtures are now. I would get the kind that can be tilted so that they shed light on your perimeter workspace.

I would get a consultation with a kitchen designer who is also a color expert. And I also think you need to give yourself a few more months of considering the above ideas before doing anything. If the multi-colored hardware bothers you, you can spray paint them all one color. But there is so much to consider here that you should definitely have a step-by-step plan. Painting cabinets professionally isn’t cheap so you don’t want to regret using funds for that if, in the end, you decide a redesign of the cabinetry (even using the same high quality ones) is in the plan. Combining the islands could be wonderful, unless you are “crossing the gap” all the time when cooking.

All great advice! Thank you for commenting.
The amount of “ schoolhouse “ lights is a bit much for me, as well. (And I’m personally not a minimalist gal) not sure why they combined the glass/iron, eclectic dining table light with the schoolhouse style... To give you more of an idea of the crazy amt of lighting, here’s a photo of my mudroom off of our garage.

I also have a longterm plan to eliminate the semi flush lights in kitchen and put pendants over islands. It just makes more sense to me.

You could probably sell all those light fixtures and have some extra $$ for new ones!

Holy weird floor plan Batman! Now what?
Sending positive energy and lots of prayers.

Kitchen remodel done March 2019

I love your kitchen and the finishes. It has lots of character. I can imagine the amount of bonding with family and friends that must take place there. I know sometimes at my home we have up to 3 people cooking or preparing food and it's always a fun time. But other than painting the trim around the nook fow now I just would spend a few thousand dollars on lighting to brighten the space up. That's it. Then if you still want to paint a few cabinets after you can but do lots of research so you dont have chipping paint over time or have a professional come in if you can. Best of luck.

Wow that is a lot going on in one space. The good news is you have quality cabinets and lots of them. But I would still make changes- if it were my kitchen, I would immediately replace the light fixtures with something - anything - else. Then I would explore removing the island with the prep sink completely, then select a light granite or quartz countertop to tie everything together.

All those schoolhouse fixtures will sell. They’re great - but one at a time!! Yikes. A combination of recessed lights and fixtures carefully placed (in your taste) is in the cards. Wow. It’s really a huge space.

I think you should live in the house at least a year before doing anything major. Wait and see how you live in it and what you come come to like about what you have. Then fine tune the place for your life style. It's a great house. Embrace its uniqueness.

The space looks broken up because of the variety of color. For something quick I would paint the black island white to match the other cabinets and install white countertops to pull the three cabinet spaces together. That will also lighten the space by reflecting the light. I would use something actually white for the countertops, like white princess quartz, or Blanco Romano granite, or marble, or one of the new quartz solid surface cabinets, which would also make the space flow together. The look of the wood cabinets would be enhanced this way too.
I have found it best the have professionals handle painting for kitchen cabinets. They can remove the doors and spray them in a clean room so that the surface matches your other white cabinets.
To save money you could change out the dark laminate for a marble look-alike laminate.
Also I saw that dining nook. I would change or paint the table too there. And maybe put a cool picture or mirror on the wall.
Good luck. It looks like a very nice house.

This might seem radical but I think it also might make sense to paint the molding around the breakfast nook white. Right now it’s the 4th wood color in your kitchen. Nice wood tho.

Simple solution. Bring the kitchen down to two colors. Everything will be easier on the eyes this way.

IMO that nook needs to go. Too dark and claustrophobic. I would tear that wall down and hang a nice light fixture over a round table.
The lights are distracting and agree with recessed ones. I like the idea of one giant island to unify the space. Cover both with bead board and paint black. Then cabinets on side paint white. Lighter granite counters would look nice or maybe on the sides with butcher block for the island. Good luck! You got good bones!

Nice! Good idea. Thanks for sharing!

You could also do a wood table top to bring the wood from your kitchen cabinets into that nook area.

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