Ugly, mismatched kitchen - facelift on a very tight budget
Alexandra Fisher
3 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (81)
Related Discussions
Kitchen Facelift... Help me dream
Comments (7)Congratulations on your new home--how exciting! : ) We are a family blessed with seven children, and we made the mistake of painting our cabs white a few years ago. Now, some paints are better than others, but... I would not recommend going with white. With an active family, it is extremely difficult to keep looking nice. So our farmhouse white kitchen shows a ton of farmhouse dirt to go with it. ; ) It does not wipe down like a nice hard, sprayed finish, and it shows every drip, every swipe, everything. It also wears off along the edges. If you like the worn farmhouse look, or you are ready to wipe down the kitchen after every muddy child comes in for a drink, or like touching up your cabs with a paintbrush regularly, go for it! Someone on here compared paint and wood this way: On painted surfaces, you see just the surface, so if there is any flaw, you notice it. With wood, you see through the surface to the wood. So if there are flaws on the surface, you see past these to the grain. Or something like that. DH is in a lot of people's homes doing repairs and remodeling. He says the ones that have wood doors look cleaner than the ones with white doors. The white doors show it all. Honestly, I think the cupboards look pretty nice. What in particular is bothering you the most? The color of the wood, the style, the backsplash...? My guess is that you can make it read farmhouse with some decorative accents without having to go to the effort (or maintenance nightmare) of painting or staining the cabinets. Welcome aboard!...See MoreMy Kitchen Facelift Journey
Comments (150)Greenhaven, I think it depends on how you grow up. My dad was a jack of all trades because his dad was that way. Well long story short I was a big tomboy and tagged along with many of my dad's jobs (metal fabrication, machine fixing, electrical, plumbing, small building jobs like decks and garages. Also at home I was the one that helped him bleed the breaks on his old 1952 1 ton box truck. I also helped him rotate the tires, change fluids and general maintenance. I was also in awe when he had to get out his engine lift (doesn't every one have one?) to put a new engine in his old truck. DH is also very handy because he grew up on a small farm and learned woodworking from his grandpa. I even felt competent enough the other day to fix my leaky S trap all by myself. I fixed up the front porch on our old house (have to sand again and paint since winter came early last fall. :( It will be pretty when I finish, and I can transplant my little seedlings outside. I agree with everyone else though that learning to be handy seems to be a lost art, and I told DH we will have to teach little DD everything we know. It won't be hard though since he loves to help with everything. I am looking forward to your second thread and hope it goes as well as the first one....See MoreHelp! Old tiny kitchen, what to change with tight budget
Comments (23)Agree that you can live with this for now. But I understand the feeling of being in someone else's kitchen unless you can pesonalize this. Curently the countertops are so strong a visual feature that no other feature can stand up to them. They have too much power so your task is to defuse that strength. Agree that a window valence will help--this could be first thing you would see when entering the space and it would draw eye away from the squares.. Don't choose anything that reinforces the grid of the countertop (no plaids, stripes, linear stuff)--choose a vaguely floral pattern or abstract blotches or a textured solid. The black appliances lack echoing blacks elsewhere and have to fight with so many whites; overcome this by integrating black and white with a lot of other colors in the valence. Look for a print that has some gentle splashes of black but also generous amounts of wood color, small doses of white, and plenty of the colors that are accents in your kitchen area (the colors of your dishes or tablecloths or canisters or whatever). Consider fabric that also has a warmer brown but also includes the existing brown. Repeat the fabric on chair seats or napkins or something else, to integrate kitchen and eating area. You don't need to be an ace seamstress--this is not difficult sewing and your work will be good enough for now. Consider paint as an accent color--to the right of the outside of the pass-through, around window, above refrig. Imagine brick-red... or mustard yellow... or celery green...or warm gray or.... Bring in some good happy colors in small items--textiles, houseplants, rug at the sink. Be sure to keep the scale of items small. No big prints or large items. Don't use "ancient" to describe these appliances--it colors your opinion unfairly and it's inaccurate. They aren't ancient. (You want ancient? These could be much older! When we moved into our kitchen the dishwasher was one of the oldest models made for household use. We stored cat food in it until we could afford our first remodel.) A new lighting product on ceiling would be good but I understand that the existing one works and might be a bit tough to replace. If it is inside a plain ceiling niche you could replace the light with something affordable yet mod and play up the niche as a feature; but if there are ugly or difficult features in the niche that you can't remove, live with the lighting for now. Undercab light is cheap and good--get some at Ikea or Home Depot or .... ! If you like severe & mod, consider multi-color blinds--bands of 3 or 4 consecutive slats followed by the next color (black + warm brown or tan + brown of the cabs + white that matches countertop). Otherwise get wood blinds that match the cabs. In time, if you can somehow integrate the color and/or texture of the fireplace stone in the kitchen, that would add to the kitchen aesthetic because the fireplace will always be a visual feature of the kitchen. If you are determined to remove the cabs over the pass-through consider open, backless shelves that will still define the separation of kitchen and adjacent spaces and will add colors of dishware on both sides. New cab knobs are sometimes a good way to banish the old owner. I congratulate you for restraining yourself, for living with functional existing stuff, for thinking harder and better and more ecological. Have fun!...See MoreUgly kitchen tiles! Need advice for cabinets and counter top color.
Comments (3)Marija - your picture didn't post , a common problem these days on Houzz, sigh. Just add it to the comment section. Be sure to give the photo time to turn from the greyish pic in transition to the full color version before clicking the submit button. Uploading takes the system a bit of time. Good luck!...See Moreraee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
3 years agoeverdebz
3 years agoAlexandra Fisher
3 years agoAlexandra Fisher
3 years agoAlexandra Fisher
3 years agosarahsaccount24
3 years agoUser
3 years agoJoseph Corlett, LLC
3 years agoDiana Bier Interiors, LLC
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoTara
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoTara
3 years agolaurafhallen
3 years agopartim
3 years agojust_janni
3 years agocat_ky
3 years agoraee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
3 years agomsjoan
3 years agoUser
3 years agoUser
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agomjlb
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agohoussaon
3 years agoDiana Bier Interiors, LLC
3 years agoJAN MOYER
3 years agomojavemaria
3 years agoUser
3 years agoJAN MOYER
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agocrcollins1_gw
3 years agoM V
3 years agoRenov8or
3 years agoLisa Caudill Designs
3 years agoUser
3 years agoKathy Furt
3 years agoKathy Furt
3 years agoKathy Furt
3 years agoBeth H. :
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoKathy Furt
3 years ago
Related Stories
KITCHEN DESIGNKitchen Remodel Costs: 3 Budgets, 3 Kitchens
What you can expect from a kitchen remodel with a budget from $20,000 to $100,000
Full StoryKITCHEN OF THE WEEKKitchen of the Week: Refacing Refreshes a Family Kitchen on a Budget
Two-tone cabinets, vibrant fabric and a frosty backsplash brighten this eat-in kitchen
Full StoryKITCHEN DESIGNKitchen of the Week: A Cottage-Chic Kitchen on a Budget
See how a designer transformed her vacation cottage kitchen with salvage materials, vintage accents, paint and a couple of splurges
Full StoryKITCHEN DESIGNKitchen of the Week: Budget-Friendly Boosts in Toronto
Blandness gets the boot as a Canadian kitchen receives a bold dose of color and custom cost-conscious storage
Full StoryKITCHEN DESIGNKitchen of the Week: Mother-Daughter Budget Remodel
Designer Stephanie Norris redesigned her daughter's kitchen with functionality, affordability and color in mind
Full StoryBUDGET DECORATINGHow to Refresh Your Kitchen on Any Budget
With the right ingredients you can make this key room more stylish and functional, whether you spend $100 or $10,000
Full StoryREMODELING GUIDESFrom the Pros: 8 Reasons Kitchen Renovations Go Over Budget
We asked kitchen designers to tell us the most common budget-busters they see
Full StoryKITCHEN OF THE WEEKKitchen of the Week: A Designer's Budget Wood-and-White Makeover
Low-cost materials used in a design-minded way turn a depressing space into a light-filled showstopper
Full StoryBUDGET DECORATINGBudget Decorator: 15 Ways to Update Your Kitchen on a Dime
Give your kitchen a dashing revamp without putting a big hole in your wallet
Full StoryKITCHEN DESIGNTry a Shorter Kitchen Backsplash for Budget-Friendly Style
Shave costs on a kitchen remodel with a pared-down backsplash in one of these great materials
Full Story
Beth H. :