Update 2- Kitchen ‘lightening’ up ideas
Mo Kotes
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Help me lighten up my kitchen
Comments (24)Thanks for all the suggestions. Bette P, I really had not thought of drywalling those arches. Great idea. We do have some drywall repair that needs to be done so maybe I will have them do that as well. In Florida they used to make wall shelves out of drywall. This was when large screen TV's were just coming in to style. We knew enough that we didn't want the whole wall to have permanent built ins so it was left blank and we had a large entertainment center in there for a long time. I appreciate your suggestion about the shelving and dust. After reading here recently we have decide to do just what you suggested and do primarily bottom storage drawers and bookshelves. I think we will do some picture frame molding around the tv and on each side. That cut out is over 17' I will check out Ikea Besta, not sure I have heard of it. When we moved here 15 years ago the "in" style was "Mediterranean", while I never went full in I did embrace the colors and tried to add some tropical too. I had two of the walls in the kitchen a burnt orange color. One of the upscale furniture stores is now advertising "de-Tuscanizing" We were joking the other night that is what a bunch of us are doing now. Would LG Vietra Clarino be the tone of counter top I should be looking at?http://www.lgviaterausa.com/products/289/213 Thanks again for the help. It is greatly appreciated. I'm so happy to have found Gardenweb again..I thought you were gone....See Morehelp lighten up my kitchen,
Comments (13)It is a painting technique and really like the idea of white, how do I pick a color that does not clash with the fireplace or window trim, ceiling, etc. I don't want to add anything, (crown molding) ..I love the windows and don't want to take away from them, really like a clean, simple and sharp look, my decorating style is coastal. Thank you so much pricklypearcactus, I would have never thought of that. (would hate to have pinkish cabinets, my husband would kill me! Navajo white, I'll check that out....thanks everyone! (Move in is August 1st and our painter is coming then and paint, due to him painting and our kids coming in from out of state to help us move, don't have the timing to reflect on color after all the prior family's furnishings are out....See Morekitchen thrifty lighten it up makeover
Comments (13)Hi Julia, You're going to get a lot of comments about pros/cons of painting cabinets — some may be rough, so brace yourself. Here's 2 cents from someone who painted oak cabinets white four years ago while saving up the dough for my "real" renovation (including taking out a wall). I'm an experienced and careful painter who followed all the best practices for painting wood and four years later there is wear on the most used parts of some cabinets (mainly near the handles). Would I do it again? Absolutely. It got me through the waiting period not hating my kitchen. If you're going to buy new appliances, buy them for your ultimate kitchen reno. That means, know where you want to be a few years from now. I actually think your kitchen is quite nice and if it were mine, I'd simply replace the white appliances with stainless appliances that fit better. That would be my "interim" refresh while I looked forward to my ultimate renovation some time in the future. Re: cooktops: I've had both cooktops and ranges and they cook equally well. It's more a layout issue usually. Given narrow aisles in my kitchen, this time I went with a wall oven stack placed where it opens with the best clearance over a range/oven. If you're not constricted by layout, I'd go with what you love....See MoreKitchen Ideas to brighten it up/ update it?
Comments (8)Wow, yours is the house with the random shelves you don't need, right? And you've been living there almost a year. What changes to you hope to do? To start, I would paint the walls a bright, cheerful apple green or turquoise. Possibly remove the spindles and the curvy piece over the sink. Can you tell what the backsplash is made of? Whether it is possible to remove it or not? I wouldn't invest in backsplash or counters until you know what other changes you hope to make. Do a search on painting cabinets--much harder and more complicated than you might think. Good luck!...See MoreMo Kotes
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