modernize the kitchen

last month

Please tell me what to do with this kitchen - especially this hanging thing right there in the middle. It has lights under it which is the only good thing about it. however, I'll lose a lot of storage if i get rid of it. what is this type of a kitchen shape called ? i'm having a hard time finding picture with this shape of counter to see possible options.
Ideally i would like to lower the breakfast bar to make some sort of an island.
change the counter tops
maybe also change the cabinets and have them go up to the ceiling.
i find that the cabinets above the stove tend to get oily and discolored. is there a solution for that?

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Comments (10)

PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
last month
How much storage is available in the pantry? Other than glasses, I'd keep everything in a pantry over cabinets.
Kendrah
last month
How extensive of a renovation are looking to do? What is your budget? I would certainly remove that suspended cabinet.

The location of the sink and dishwasher is really odd. It seems you'd have to talk over to other cabinets to unload and where do you stand when you are washing and loading?

I good exterior venting exhaust fan over your range should take care of the nasty grease problems. Are you able to vent outside? It looks like you just have a recirculating situation.
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This topic stressed me out a bit since we are the middle of work opening our kitchen to the dining room in our 1906 house. I'm already worried about whether everything will turn out ok. We thought a lot about this, though, so I'll weigh in. I apologize for the length - brevity may be the soul of wit, but it apparently is not my strong suit. We moved to our current 1906 Arts & Crafts house from a Victorian farmhouse which had the kitchen isolated from the dining room and living room, separated by a bathroom. We found it hard when we had people over since they were either crammed in the kitchen without enough room to participate in the cooking or they were way at the other end of the house. We saw that we had a pattern of having people over in the summer when we could congregate outside by the grill, but not much in the winter. We have a very close community of friends and we enjoy sharing meals in a very casual, family sort of way with kids playing, adults talking and cooking. We also found the dining room more difficult to use for everyday meals. Additionally, it was not possible to carry on conversations when in the two spaces or moving between them for setting, clearing etc. I enjoy cooking, but also like interacting rather than being isolated. When we decided to move we were looking to resolve this split and have a more connected common space. We saw many houses (and almost bought one) with family room additions connected to the kitchen which left unused living and dining rooms. These rooms had become merely somewhere to walk through, heat and cool. Some had little or no furniture in the abandoned formal rooms. We realized that we did not really need this redundant space. There is an excellent book by Sarah Susanka (Taunton Press), The Not So Big House. It talks quite eloquently about using space in an efficient manner. I personally like having one place to eat all meals. I like eating at the dining room table for just the reasons mentioned in posts above - slowing down, sitting on a chair instead of stools, in a space designed for eating, around a table (preferably round) which facilitates a relaxed, shared experience. The truth is that since we do not have servants, we often need to go back and forth between the spaces. Houses at the turn of the last century were often built to fit a more formal way of living which placed servants (even modest homes) or the women of the house out of the way while the hosts entertained in formal rooms. They were also built prior to the use of refrigerators. When we moved into this new-to-us 1906 house it had a (tiny) butler's pantry for staging serving, while the refrigerator was crammed into the food pantry in such a way that required near-contortionist moves to get a carton of milk. The only storage was open to mice or around the corner in the butler's pantry cabinet. Counter space was limited to the two drainboards of the 1950's metal sink. This was not the room of efficient post-work cooking and cleaning, much less any pleasant shared time. One of us would quite frequently get trapped in the pantry by another trying to get something. The rest of the first floor of our beloved home showed signs of the revolutionary changes that were happening in houses at the time, shifting from formal double parlors to more flowing open rooms with wide framed openings between them. I am in Oak Park, home to Frank Lloyd Wright, though our home was part of a far more modest working class development. It is stunning to see the differences among the different houses being built during the first part of the century. As central heating and radiators allowed rooms to open up, a social shift away from formality and toward more relaxed, real connection was also under way. Now that the social and technological changes that have transpired over the last century have ushered in a time of shared cooking, I welcome kitchens and floorplans that facilitate that. There are other times in history and other cultures today in which the communal kitchen holds a significant place in a community. Our new kitchen provides inward facing space where people can prep around an island. In our open floor plan I envision friends and family cooking and talking together, either within the de-cramped kitchen or between it and the dining room next to it. We are also concerned about creating something that respects the house's history, fits in with the architecture and creates a sense of two spaces with different but related activities. The disfunctional pantries were ommitted in favor of refrigeration and dish storage near the new dishwasher (uses less water than hand washing). We removed the wall between the kitchen and the dining room and are replacing a portion of it with shallow (12 inch)cabinets that create a partial division and open to both sides. There will be a 6 foot visual opening on top,stepping in to a 3 foot walking space at the bottom in a sort of key hole shape. As much as we love the big pocket door in the large opening between the dining room and the foyer, I doubt that we will use it. I just can't see part of our family sitting in the living room smoking cigars while another part of the family or servants quietly set the table out of sight. It has been a delicate dance trying to mesh the eras. We are having a duplicate of the missing original built-in hutch along one side of the dining room built, but it will have some wood doors in place of the original glass to house some less aesthetic items that have no other storage on the first floor since the one closet was turned into a WC in the 50's. We got a picture of the original at an open house across the street and noticed gloves and scarves displayed where china and silver of another time once shone. Life is not static and it seems to me that a key component to navigating the ever-shifting impermanence is to be flexible. I cross my fingers hoping that my ideas about homes and people actually work out in this re-working of our lovely old house. I do not disagree with any of the prior posts, I just wanted to add some thoughts.
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I like the metallic backsplash...but maybe *I'm* dated. I would leave it. Definitely don't paint over it. The paint will peel and quickly look bad. You can cheaply add some "wow" factor with some large cabinet pulls. Since you currently have knobs, you could easily upgrade to pulls by drilling a second hole. (I'd leave knobs on the drawers so you don't have to figure out how to fill the center hole.) https://www.lowes.com/pd/Brainerd-Subtle-Arch-5-1-16-in-Center-to-Center-Satin-Nickel-Arch-Handle-Cabinet-Door-Pull/3470373 Some really nice pendant lights over the peninsula like others suggested would also help a lot. If you have can lights right above the peninsula you could retrofit those with pendants. If not, than a corded unit with cord running down the wall will do in a pinch.
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There is nothing ‘un-modern’ about the kitchen, except I would take down the metal rack and change out the fan to something more streamlined, or change it to a chandelier/light fixture - all dimmable. And I would bring in some under-cabinet lighting, if not there and update hardware. Wood for cabinetry is very much en vogue right now - plus classic. All types of wood are trending - and can work with a ”modern” design. So for me, the wood cabinets would not be a problem, and I like the warmth. But it is not my kitchen, and you already have major issues with the kitchen and are wanting to tear down stuctures to ”lighten” the space, etc. Plus - you are wanting to do this in a budget friendly way. So I would suggest just spend your money on refacing the cabinets. Leave everything else. Nothing wrong with the granite, breakfast bar, etc. http://countertopsnews.com/enviable-black-granite-countertops-with-white-cabinets/ ETA: https://www.houzz.com/photos/kitchen-with-green-countertops-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~a_3379-20107
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PRO
Beth H. :
last month
last modified: last month
oh good heavens. that monstrosity just needs to come down

(you also need to upgrade your light bulbs to LEDs in the 4000K temp. how can you even see in there?) I'm serious. get some new lights (bulbs) the ones you have appear to be 2700 or so? changing those out will make a huge diff. and if you can put a few more in the ceiling, great!

If you can't do a complete gut,

I'd reface if your cabs are good quality wood. I'd build some boxes on top and take everything to the ceiling.

The island? I'd rip that out and do one that isn't angled. I mean, how can you rinse dishes and put them in the dishwasher?? you can't. that's horrible.

Maybe remove that pantry and extend some work space. you have no room on the right side while at the stove.

Hard to tell based on the photos you've posted

What's the budget? There is no sense in only spending a few thousand on this. It's extremely dated and isn't using the space wisely. You could have a much better working kitchen if you just started over. If you want to reface the perimeter cabs, redo the pantry, and the island, maybe move a few things around, new countertop and tile splash, do that.

Either spend a good amount, or save up until you have a good amount.

you have the space to do any of these:
Soisth M
Original Author
last month
I absolutely love this one!
I can’t even imagine how much it would cost to get something like this in the place of ours.
And yes we have to stand at an angle to rinse the dishes and put them in the dishwasher.
I don’t have room in my pantry for dishes and such. We’re a family of 5 and the pantry is pretty small as it is.

How much would something like this cost?
I’m in north Texas and the house is a 1996
PRO
Beth H. :
last month
last modified: last month
with everything you see? minimum of 20-25. depends if you're getting all new cabs. if yes, then that depends on the quality. New cabs could be 5K or 30K, or anything in between.

countertops, about 4-7K, depending on what you get.

Tile backsplash? 1-3.

Appliances still good? great.

moving the pantry? depends.

Do NOT use home depot or lowes. way expensive.

you prob have some local carpenters who do cabinets. check w/them.

check w/a local kitchen rehap place who does it for a living. I had mine refaced, painted (nothing moved) and paid about 14 ( i have a double pantry off to the left) but I had a bunch of other things done w/mine.

drawers built, microwave moved, custom hood vent, doors made for the desk area, all the ornate trim removed. drawers in the island. Flooring was a separate cost

I paid an extra 2K to reface all my doors and drawers. pretty good price.

I found my guys on yelp. 70 reviews and 95% were 5 star ratings. start w/that. If it's cheap and too good to be true, then it prob is.

family of 5 needs a good working kitchen w/proper space. You have a crappy layout. don't spend money on a crappy layout. Change the layout. Spend the money on that. it will be worth it.

Start getting some estimates on kitchen places and see where you're at. find out exactly how they paint (IF you plan on keeping those. but honestly, you don't have that many cabinets. would prob be better just to get new ones since you want to reconfigure the island. So start looking at cabinet options. To save money, look at some RTA or online options. The kitchen places you interview should have many choices .
Soisth M
Original Author
last month
Exceptional advice Beth! Thanks so much!
I’m going to bring all this to my husband and see what he thinks.
cat_ky
last month
last modified: last month
The worst part of your kitchen, is that hanging thing. That has to go. I would also remove the island, and put in a straight island, with sink, and dishwasher mounted in it, so they are more easily usable. At least that gives you a bit of function in your kitchen. You already have all the plumbing there, in the existing island, so that will help with some of the cost.
BC Jones
last month
The hanging thing is comical. Maybe the most hideous things I've ever seen in a kitchen that is also expensive. You have a great wall of windows. Why someone would block that is just insane. That natural light is going to make your kitchen a great place to be, even without perfectly executed cabinets/other, so don't worry. Just get appliance placement, counterspace, clearances, and lighting right. With cabinets, btw, the way to save big is to NOT get wood. Go with laminate frameless - not cheap, but midrange - and get solid color TFL, ideally slab, or fake wood look if you want wood. Or, next step up before solid wood, get veneer. When you go with solid wood and start wanting a decent finish - that's when your cabinet budget will explode.
PRO
Beth H. :
last month
I still think the layout is horrible. that sink and DW is a joke. i'd be cussing that out every single day. to me, that island would have to get redone.

does anyone sit at that bar top? do you have the room to take it down to one level?

what about doing away w/the harsh angles? That alone would be worth any cost.

You could do a whole new island and then reface the other cab doors/drawers to match. That would save you a bit of money.

can you take another picture so we can see what's to the right of the pantry area? how deep is that pantry? could you be ok w/a built in pantry and pull shelves? is there room?
SeattleMCM
last month
Regarding that hanging cabinet: it doesn't even look like you have a lot of things in there. With a little decluttering and organizing, I'm sure you could find homes for everything. The cookbooks could go on a shelf somewhere near the kitchen. The wine glasses could go in a bar (if you had the space to designate a bar somewhere else in that house-- maybe a corner of the dining room?).

The rest of the kitchen doesn't even look all that bad to me. I think the simple act of getting rid of the hanging cabinet will make an enormous impact w/o having to do a total gut job. Get rid of that bizarre ceiling trim as well (the ceiling will need some repair work anyway, so you may as well add that change).

Of course if you have a healthy budget, there are many other things you could do too. Personally I'd want to replace the island with a rectangle one (if it fits) with barstools on the far side. New counters everywhere, and maybe a new backsplash. That's about it.

modernize the kitchen

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