Dated Kitchen - Help! - Stuck in the 2000's!

3 years ago

Hi Everyone,

Thank you in advance for any suggestions. We recently purchased a home that has bathrooms and a kitchen that seem to be very mid-2000's "take me to Italy, but I'm really in NY/NJ" type kitchen, all that is missing is a sign that says "Cafe".

We plan to completely redo the kitchen in the next few years but for now it is just a budget fix. To date I've painted the walls (were a unpleasant yellow) to a white and changed the door hardware. As you can see it's a smaller kitchen with a dining room attached, in all it is a small area.

My plan going forward was to paint the kitchen cabinets, possibly the cabinet pulls, paint the tile back-splash and the tile floor. For now I really want to keep the white walls just to get some light in there, however I'm having a horrible time figuring out what to plain the above items (backsplash, cabinets, floor) because we plan to leave the granite in for now and not paint/epoxy that. The color of the granite appears to be a new Venetian gold granite.

What does everyone think? I guess I'm having a hard time coming up with colors that work with the starkish white and the yellow granite that will stay for now. I've been toying with a navy blue, light grey, whites, blacks....

HELP!

Featured Answer

aprilneverends

3 years ago

Nice job with hardware.

I'd say leave until full remodel, it's not a bad kitchen, even though one can easily place it in "Tuscan" period, and it's indeed hard to bridge between granite-and stark white. You don't want effect "new on old", you want an organic result, even in between. I'd say: bring white canisters, utensil holder, maybe a rug/floor cloth with white in it, to tie it all togher. It's very livable.

Another possibility is choosing not white, but dark rich color. Only the kitchen is already a nice rich color, so why to cover the stain. Also it will be darker. But I believe such color can be found.

But I can see new flooring on the first picture(correct me if I'm wrong); is it something that you're going to install now? Or just a sample?

Important because if yes will have to be taken into account too

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Comments (8)

Mark Robinson
Original Author
3 years ago
@aprilneverends I see what you are saying, I guess I just want to brighten up the multi-purpose space since it feels so small to begin with. The sample you see in the first picture is my dining room table without the plastic on it! The dining room floors are a typical walnut hardwood midcentry vint. with a dark stain w/ hint of red.
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Boxerpal
3 years ago
Very pretty kitchen.. Why not update just the backsplash. Find something that would be a good match with the counters and the cabs. A more trendy updated backsplash will get rid of that Tuscany vibe. And those counters are blessed to not have the dreaded 3 inch mini splash. They are already one height so any backsplash above could really update without spending too much.

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Fori
3 years ago
I'd just get a sign that says "CAFE" and live with it until remodel time.

It's inoffensive, though not a great layout. Stark white might not have been the best option for walls, but it's not terrible.

I'd save for the redo. Painted backsplash and floor will make it look trashy. As it is, it looks nice enough, and actually isn't all that Tuscan2000s.
aprilneverends
3 years ago
Oh. Silly me, thank you for clarification.

So. I believe something like dark blue, glossy and brilliant, can be used for cabinets, it should work with granite, and you paint backsplash and tile with the warmest white so still is not too stark against granite, kinda borrow the most light color found in the granite.But you'll have darker kitchen, and maybe more prone-to chipping tiles, I never had painted tiles but heard different opinions on them, some were very favorable too. And you'll have warmer tiles next to "cooler" paint. Can still work if repeated around -but not sure it's the look you're after.

Or- you paint cabinets this blue(as an example), but leave the rest the same. I'm not sure how you benefit from this endeavor, except of introducing color where stain was(stain is very nice btw). But if you really love the idea-something like rich blue would work with golden tones of everything else.

Or-and might be making most sense-you leave the cabinets as they are now, save on all this paint, change granite and backsplash that are most "tuscan" of all, which is not to say they're bad, -and have a great kitchen. That might not need future remodel. (unless you're changing the layout)Cabinets seem to be in great shape.

You can paint then floor tiles only, or make them work.

Or-you simplify backsplash only, go for something glike glossy ceramics -it won't be stark white, since it has to work with granite..but it'll change the vibe significantly enough. You won't change the color scheme enough, but you'll take the kitchen in the direction where you want to see it. Maybe it'll bug you less if at all.

I'd bring samples and try to see them in your space. i might even tape a paper over the backsplash (or on the flooring too) to see how it might look with different colors, get an impression-what will make the most differemnce, what might work, what not, what might be worth the hard work, and what really waits because the newer is not better than the old.

Me-I'd do nothing, besides decorating with things I love that bridge colors and styles together. Unless the kitchen is in such conrtadiction with the rest of the house it literally pains me.

You chose a nice hardware, I love your lighting fixture which I presume you picked..walnut floors should work with just about everything, although would be nice to see them...I think you'll pull it all off so it ties together nicely.

I really do hope others weigh in (maybe they did already while I was wtiting this essay lol)
aprilneverends
3 years ago
Oh great, I'm happy to see folks less verbose than me indeed commented too:)
Looki Lu
3 years ago
I‘d say live with it as is and see how you use the space. Dream, collect idea pics, save up and then redo it all when you know exactly what you want. In the meantime I would definitely redo the tile backsplash, get a pretty window treatment (i love a pretty roman shade) over the sink window and focus on the eat-in area. I’d repaint the white a tinted white color, it’s a stark contrast to the kitchen.
MizLizzie
3 years ago
I’m with Boxerpal. Replace that dated backsplash with something light and bright, then stick a fork in it. I think it is otherwise a darn nice kitchen. Congratulations on your new home!