help me update my brown kitchen
Nicole Gomez
4 years ago
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always1stepbehind
4 years agoRelated Discussions
Help me update/remodel my kitchen.
Comments (13)Since you're keeping your cabinets and floor, I would start with the most expensive item, which will be countertops. You said you've looked at a lot of pictures online - what kind of kitchens are you drawn to? Your dining room set and cabinet look traditional, so are you drawn more toward a traditional look or do you want something more sleek? My cabinets are similar to yours and I personally prefer the consistent look of quartz rather than granite. But many people love the movement that natural stone offers (yes, there are quartzes that have a lot of movement but I find that nature provides a much better palate). Take one of your cabinet doors, and if you have an extra floor tile, and hit a local granite yard. You can get an idea of how different slabs look online but there's no substitute for seeing them in person. Also realize that names can vary from yard to yard. See if you can bring samples home and see them in the lighting of your own house at various times of the day. I also prefer the contrast of a light countertops with dark cabinets, similar to what you have now. A have a few friends that prefer darker countertops with dark cabinets (one of my friends has Absolute Black granite on cherry cabinets) but I find that a lot of dark countertops can suck the light out of your room. I've been looking to update my kitchen for years and I remember someone suggesting to me to take dark construction paper and put them on my counters to give an idea of what dark countertops would look like. It really was a great idea and confirmed that I didn't want to go too dark. You can also do the same with white paper if you want to go lighter. White counters have been popular for a while but white may be too stark for your creamy floor. Again, bringing samples home is the best way to tell what's going to work in your space. Once you find a countertop that you love, the other things will fall into place. If you stay traditional, you can get more traditional knobs and handles; going more sleek will give you different options. Many people recommend living with a countertop for a while before picking a new backsplash unless there is one that you're totally in love with (one of my friends picked her backsplash first then her counters but most people do the opposite). My understanding is when your current laminate counters with the 4 inch backsplash is removed the drywall will have to be replaced where the backsplash was, and it will not be on the same plane as your current backsplash. Therefore, I don't think it's as simple as adding new tiles where the 4 inch backsplash was, but I'm not an expert so perhaps others have had a better experience with that. There's a lot of choices out there so it can be overwhelming on where to begin. I think once you start looking in person you'll be drawn to certain colors/designs over others and it will help lead you in the right direction. Good luck!...See MoreUpdating green and brown kitchen, want gray walls-HELP!
Comments (16)I understand. but painting the walls in the room is big job. all I'm saying is don't go out of your way to match the green countertops. Try a neutral, warmer gray that works w/the wood cabs and the flooring. (And really, i don't know where this "wait a year" thing came from. I understand waiting a few months to see what you like, but a year? why? if you need to save money, fine. But I'd rather do things now in the kitchen before I move in. otherwise, you'll have to move everything out when you do redo it. If you know what you want and what you like, and have the money to do it, then do it. IF you have no idea, by all means, wait. )...See MoreShow me your Baltic Brown kitchen updates!
Comments (3)I had a similar kitchen in our previous townhouse, only the doors weren't arched, but they were pink oak..pickled I guess it's called. The granite was more brown, the tiles on the floor a bit more golden. Backsplash was same granite, except for some dark travertine over the stove with some faux Tuscan motive painted over it. Appliances and sink were high quality only black..I don't like black appliances. In short-if to pick it apart, I didn't like one element of that kitchen ( I had no idea it's called Tuscan style back then. Was living in rentals before, and was in kinda of a temporary situation) But, returning to that kitchen-if to see it as a whole, it worked together-elements of it,and with the house..also it was inside the house, semi open to dining and family rooms, but not visible from entry or living. So it didn't bug me..I was all in a "wow I have a house" mood. It didn't even occur to me that I can change it. I changed some other things around the house-flooring (some on the first floor, then second)..painted some rooms..had to start from scrath with furnishings because we didn't have any..so I for sure got busy with that house, it just never got to be the kitchen. But of course I made sure to have tea towels I love, teapots I love, untensils holder I love, and stuff like that, and I remember it as a very happy kitchen-which is of course was more about years spent in the house, not so much about the kitchen itself. I like yours better, in terms of cabinets' stain, and that one of your cabinets is a glass one. I know though that when I want to improve cabinets(or can be bookcases etc) I look for hardware. Interesting hardware can make a big difference in how one feels. I love vintage, and am leaning eclectic, so I usually check sites like Anthropologie for new hardware, and Etsy for vintage..huge choice. I'm not saying yours should be changed, but you can look at different hardware, and decide whether you'd like someting else, whether more streamlined, or, on the opposite, more quirky. I don't know the bigger picture-how the rest of the house looks, does the kitchen work with it or against it, what's your style, what you would prefer..that all influences things. For example if that previous kitchen of mine would make zero sense with other rooms or would impede me in how I decorate, I might think "oh maybe I can change it somehow so it works better" I don't know whether counter chairs are yours. And if not-what yours will be? Maybe shouldn't be wood, but rather upholstery in color you love. To break things up a bit. But if you decide to embrace it..My friend painted similar stools, each one a bit differently, with a very charming result. I'm not as handy as she is, just another suggestion. Painted can be fun. Do you like rugs in the kitchen, or you'd rather steer clear? Rug can partially cover the tiles you don't like, tie in colors you prefer, and make the place more happy for you. I agree with Boxer-it's not a bad kitchen, just very "everybody was doing it in years such and such". That what happens when everybody's doing the same, pretty much. That will be the fate of many kitchen we see right now too-just a bit down the road. I do believe that with small touches, you'd notice whatever irritates you right now, when kitchen is empty, less. Congratulations on your new house!...See MoreHelp me update the exterior of this brown 80’s house
Comments (9)I sort of like the colors you already have. I would add a nice bright color to your door, and some nice bright outdoor furniture to your porch, and brand new landscaping. The steps are so wide, you can easily add colorful pots to them., too. Is that just a patch of blacktop in front, or is that part of a circle drive. If its just a patch remove it. If its part of your circle drive, then have it resurfaced. I cant see the front yard in the pictures, but, dont forget it, when you do landscaping....See MoreKatie B.
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