With a change of hardware your cabinetry would look completely different, so there is room for future update in that area. Your cabinets themselves can be painted or refaced eventually, so that color choice is not permanent either. Your countertops look to be very nice quality and are neutral, so that is something you could live with through decades of style changes. The biggest surface of your kitchen is the floor, and that color and style is very trendy. However, it will be popular for some years as people don’t change their flooring as often as other decor. I will say that your proposed light fixture is very trendy and if it is more than a few hundred dollars I would choose something else.

Your furniture choices are handsome and go well with the kitchen elements but could adapt easily to a different kitchen esthetic. I hope you post pictures when youve moved in and furnished.

Are the cabinets and floors really dusty in those photos?

For me, the gray floors would be a deal breaker, but some love them.

The actual style of your cabinets is pretty timeless. The trendiest element I would say is the floor. I would not go with your current selected furnishings. All that black, brown and gray is going to make it look like you are living in a black and white movie— or a Restoration Hardware showroom. If anything I would try to bring in elements that warm up the space. You could switch out the countertop of the island to a rich deep butcher block or have counter stools with rich warm wood or cognac leather seats. I’m adding this picture just so you can see the warm wood color I am referring to.

To answer some of the questions, there is a lot of construction dust at the moment. The cabinets are not what I would consider to be blotchy. I think it’s just the dust. The cabinets are not the highest quality, but they do have some upgraded features. They are Merillat in maple with a dusk stain. They have dovetail joints, soft close and upgraded glides.

The floor is a laminate maple look in a light warm gray stain. Here’s a picture from a section with less dust. I hope they are good enough to get through the next ten years without looking horribly dated.

While changing out the cabinet hardware, faucet and lighting would be easy enough down the road, I do worry that the black schluter edge and even backsplash style might appear out of style soon. The backsplash is a 2x4 beveled white (matte I think) tile in a stacked horizontal layout.

The lighting fixture I posted above is less than $150 so that will be easy enough to change out.

I also worry about a the very neutral, possibly drab decor. My current home is very neutral too however (SW dover white walls, whitewashed oak look floors, beige/white/brown furniture) and I like it. I do have blue as an accent color though. I hope to add some color with a rug and maybe throw blankets and pillows. Most of the artwork will be what I currently have, which are nice b&w enlarged family photographs, but I’ll switch out the frames to black. I will be adding in some brass, perhaps in accent furniture and lighting fixtures.

The kitchen does read as dark which is the total opposite of what I have now. It doesn’t help that there’s only one window in the kitchen. Looking out from the kitchen to the living/dining there is a ton of light.

What is drawing you to want to buy the house? The front room is lovely, but I agree with your assessment of the kitchen. I can imagine bright runners to cover much of the flooring, different hardware on the cabinets to offer some contrast, and flowers or plants and wood touches to add some warmth to help ease the kitchen. I would not go with the stacked backsplash or black edge if you have that choice (it sounds like you might not?).

Given that this house is such a departure from your current style and it sound like you have some hesitation in going through with the purchase, I think it would help to know what drew you to the house in the first place and why you would like to buy it. (Our current house is very different from our last and there are definite...challenges, but there were also enough things that we liked/loved about it to make it worth it.)

I also have a more cottage style home and I have not been attracted to the gray trend. Many love it and find it soothing. I respect that, but for my personality, it brings me down. If you have a preference for cottage or different colors, either pass on this house - the newer styles of white and warm wood tones will appeal more to you - or get the least expensive option so you can change it out. In my area (which is usually not cutting edge trend wise) the gray flooring etc is not as popular and the newer look of more whites / creams with warm woods is on the rise. The black hardware to me is not a problem as for many years it has been a popular option in hardware. The polished nickel is the trend and also I think will remain popular, but black is like chrome, a reasonable alternative in hardware. I don't think is goes well with the cabinets, so for that reason, I would change out the handles.

All of that black and gray looks depressing to me. IMO, no amount of plants, rugs, curtains, or anything else would change that. Personally, I would not consider buying a new house that already has a major area that I don't like, and would have to spend a significant amount to change.

The location and floor plan of the house is great. I’m considering the home in an effort to help a family member out, we will be a multi generational household and should all benefit from the move. The house has the master on the main, kids room and loft upstairs and then a finished basement for my family member. It’s a time sensitive thing, and I’m not sure there is a house with as good of a floor plan and location.

in general I feel like this is a big thing, selling my home and purchasing a much more expensive one, especially considering I didn’t pick everything out like I did with my current house. I am settling in some ways, but at the same time it is an upgrade. I also worry about the economy and the prospect of selling my home, everything feels uncertain.

If the location and the floor plan is great you can live with it and renovate down the road, assuming everything is functional. You can't nearly as easily move or completely rearrange a house with a bad location or floorplan but an "on trend" kitchen....

The last thing you want to do is buy a home in a hurry, especially with the concerns you have. What is keeping you from making changes (e.g., remodeling or adding living space) to your existing home to accommodate this family member? If you could go into more detail about what’s driving this purchase, I’d be able to offer much better advice.

On the positive side it does have an excellent kitchen layout. If I had to make this kitchen work down the road on a budget, I might consider painting the uppers or removing some (if you have plenty of storage). Being short I make poor use of my upper cabinets anyway. I would resist the over the range micro if possible and have a true vent installed. You want that done before the backsplash. If that is not possible, reserve enough backsplash tile to fill in the area when the micro is removed. Is there going to be a true vent? - it doesn't look like they have done one.

I would not change out all your furniture to a different style if you prefer your present. Wait till you have moved in. With whitish walls and rugs covering flooring, much of your present decor may work better than you imagine. If not, you will decide whether to change out the furniture or flooring, or whatever is making things not work. You said the flooring is gray laminate - not a long lasting flooring. Switching that to a natural oak / French oak LVP would start to move the home more towards your preferred warm tones.

Possible flooring down the road:

White uppers - maybe with some glass in some doors:

I think jhmarie's photos and advice is spot on.

I agree that you don't need to go dark or heavy just because the cabinets are dark. I think jhmarie's first photo shows a look for furniture that would work really well.

I'm not sure why you can't ask them to change to a white Schluter edge to match the white tile? I agree the black edge would be an unnecessary accent in such a dark kitchen.

And do you have to have the OTR microwave installed if you hate it? Do they provide enough venting to overcome your dislike of them? (I truly don't know.) I'd stick with the stainless appliances rather than adding more dark tones.

As for the grey floor, we have a gray concrete look tile floor - installed in 2005 - similar in tone to yours. (We are on acreage with horses and flotsam and jetsam.) I still like the tone. It seems pretty neutral to me. Copper, blues, white, wood are my colors and it's a fine background for them, at least for me.