Inspiration pics

I know you have asked a lot about paint color for the cabinets, but haven't noticed whether you got a price for it. Painting cabinets is a big investment in either money or time/energy to be done right.

Both of your inspiration pictures have hardwood floors, have you noticed that?? I think you really need to find a way to bring the hardwoods you have now into the kitchen. If you get the same color (matched to what already exists, rather than to what you pick out today for the kitchen), would you have to get the whole first floor refinished?

If you get the cabinets painted, and hardwood floors for the kitchen, could you live with an inexpensive laminate countertop for few years until you had money to go with quartz? Would a Glacier White Corian, which might be cheaper than the quartz, get you the look you want?

Yes of course I’ve gotten estimates for painting the cabinets- and the quartz:) To be clear, I wasn’t asking for budget feedback. As far as hardwoods, yes I see the hardwood in my inspiration pick. I don’t want to spend a great deal on the floor but want to update the look. Thanks

why does the entire first floor need to be refinished? usually they can nicely match or very very close. Does it NEED refinishing? in that case a NEED can be dealt with at the same time do the hardwood for kitchen...new counters ...and it will be a far better investment than painting any of your good looking cabinets.

I’ve had two flooring people come out and say that if i have hardwood placed in kitchen then all the hardwood on my first floor (there is a lot) would need to be refinished to obtain an Exact match. No the floors do not need refinishing which is another reason why I don’t want to spend that amount of money but If I were to do hardwood I would want an exact match.

We have hardwood throughout our main floor. We had a plumbing disaster at one point, and they ended up repairing and refinishing half of the flooring . They stopped at the door of the kitchen. It doesn’t match perfectly, and if you look you can see the division between old and new, but no one but me has ever noticed. If you want hardwood in the kitchen, I think you could make it work.
My two cents about the cabinets: it is a unique idea. Maybe choose one of those colors to serve as an accent and keep the rest of the cabinets wood or a neutral - white, taupe, grey. The reason for this is that you want your color to stand out, not get lost with too many elements competing. If you want more color, paint all the base cabinets the same. Or even the whole kitchen the same. But I think having two different strong colors on the cabinets won’t give your eyes a place to rest. Good luck

I think I want more color so maybe sticking with one darker color and keep everything else light will work. Thank you for your input. I was debating doing the tall built in cabinets in white and the other lower cabinets dark but I’m concerned that will look unbalanced. I just don’t want the room to be overall too dark.

I would do the island more neutral. That can even be a brown. You mentioned you like the eclectic look. That would be a brown wood island. Maybe green perimeters. Or even blue. Love either one. (Green will be much darker. Blue , obviously depending on the shade will be a much airier look, my personal favorite color lol) as far as the flooring. The actual hardwoods aren’t much more expensive than tile. The labor of resanding and staining of an entire main floor is. My advice for that would be to do it in the kitchen. Match it as close as you can. If it bugs you add some carpet runners. But eventually if this is your forever home you will sand and restain anyway. So it would be silly to add tile at this point. But again, obviously you gotta do you ! And what works for your family. I’ll also add that I think your current cabinets are gorgeous!! I don’t know id get rid of them so fast. Maybe another place to save... what are your thoughts?

if you want a wood look there are lots of nice wood look tiles out there that would be great. I would got with a contrasting color from your wood floors and maybe in a herringbone pattern so its not trying to match or look off from your wood floors.

for dramatic but casual I do agree that a bold green and blue would be fighting each other. I would keep with a bold blue for the island and then more neutral colors for your other cabinets and to keep it casual you could have a glaze/ antique/ distress look on them.

I would do the blue island color and effect below with the greige sage color for the other cabinets but put in a light neutral sage color. you could go with a lighter off white or white with green undertones as well.

oh and wood tile floor

I really like the wood tile look but will it clash/not look right with surrounding hardwood?

I would not put wood look tile next to real wood floors.

This is what is causing me such a challenge !

if you have a nice transition or border around the kitchen tile flooring it can work. some inspos below.

and yes herringbone design will help

We have larch floors in the LR and white oak in the kitchen/entry way of our open floor plan home, we used black walnut as the transition between the wood species and it provides a good transition, but I'm not a matchy-matchy person, YMMV. Also have dark green kitchen cabs, F&B Duck Green, still a WIP, cuz we're painting the entire downstairs walls and trim next, but here's a quick pic, and i don't think it's too dark at all, but again, just my opinion, and we do have a lot of windows in the house.

For the flooring, you can work with a STONE LOOK or a TILE LOOK vinyl. Not an issue. That means you do NOT have to worry about fake wood against real wood.

Please, please, please REMOVE the tile before you put in a vinyl floor. PLEASE!

Vinyl, like all rigid floors, requires 'flat' and level. Your tiles are NOT flat. They have grout lines. Those lines remove your 'flat' surface and turn it into a roller coaster ride. If you leave the tiles in place, you MUST have them coated (at least the grout lines filled) to get the 'flat'.

Here's the breakdown for costs:

A. $2/sf to remove old tile

OR,

B. $2/sf to grind surface, prime, fill grout lines

Either way, you need to spend $2/sf to deal with your existing tile. If you get rid of it today, you NEVER have to deal with it ever again. If you COAT it today, you still have to deal with it TOMORROW. Sigh. And that's another $2-$3/sf you need to spend at a later date.

The other issue I worry about....lost value. The tile you have right now is (looks to be porcelain) a high-end Versailles Pattern. That's a floor with an inherent value of (roughly) $18/sf.

A replacement vinyl floor is worth the cost of the material = $3-$5/sf. I know this is a refresh of your current space. I get that. I know you wanted hardwood but that fell out because of overall costs and the other hardwoods do not need refinishing. I get that.

Please remove the tiles before adding anything else. I know you were told the vinyl could go over top. Technically ANYTHING can go over top of ANYTHING ELSE....but it's not 'best practice'. You will not be able to salvage the tiles. They must be coated in cement. They will be void of value.

And if they DO NOT coat them in concrete...you run the risk of your Versailles pattern showing through (telegraphing) to the surface of the new vinyl. We've seen it. It is horrible. No one likes it and it just gets everyone upset.

Please ask your builder what they have in mind for the tiles. Listen for 'we'll coat them in cement'. If you don't hear it....it ain't happening. Guaranteed.

Thank you SJ- we have decided to do it the right way as you describe (very clearly) and have the current tile lifted and our plan now is to have new tile placed. I wish I was having more success with finding a tile- either wood or stone that I love.

I think the bones and the cabinets of this kitchen are great. Hate the bar stools & I think the ceiling light might not be lamped with the most flattering bulbs.

Very cool rendering. The bar stools were a generous gift- they are Amish made and incredibly comfortable and durable. Will also be changing out the light. Thanks!

It's interesting that you will have the floor retiled. It will cost $15-$18/sf to remove and then prep and then install the new tile.

It is entirely possible a wood floor (if added purposefully...in the same species but different colour) could be much cheaper.

Please don't use fake wood looking anything against real wood flooring...it never works out well.

I personally Like a dark slate when working with blue cabinets. It can be VERY handsome. But it will get VERY dark....you need HORDES OF WINDOWS to pull it off.