I've never understood why islands have to be clad is something totally different from the cabinets. Replace with the maple stain.

Stainless hardware would be an improvement.

Island pendants too big.

Color of floor is the biggest issue.

@alenas

It's a very nice kitchen brand new. Replace the pulls with stainless. Do NOT try edge pulls - too late and you're going to ruin cabinet faces. Change the pendants! Lose the black faucet! Change the white float shelves to wood. Then?

Live with all of it for a bit. Add some fun rug runner, some warm wood decorative accessories.

Why? Because the truth is there was a lot of miscommunication here. The cabinet style didn't ever! go to your soft girl/mid cen/Scandy feel, nor the stain. You didn't need three finishes. I might just paint that island to white, right now.

We could ask what happened, did the "designer" understand your look, what did you show her/him to start? We don't know. We just know , that despite you were happy at sub floor, you aren't happy now. Fix what you can, and don't pick a backsplash until you get sorted out with the rest.

palimpsest,
you are correct about the wall color, it’s crushed ice by Sherwin Williams. A grey that looks very blah to me, a designer pick. I think your suggestion to go bright white on the walls is a good start.
your feedback on the inspiration photos is something I didn’t think of—always taken in natural light. that makes sense-my kitchen looks the most agreeable in natural light. and bad currently with electric lighting.
And yes, I don’t know why the under cabinet lighting is SO yellow!
And I’d be okay with a Japandi kitchen that’s dull in real time 😂. I definitely understand what you mean though.

Because your banquette is black, maybe hold off on whether or not to paint the island until the space is more finished.

Have you selected a table, lighting fixture, bench cushions and chairs for the banquette and island yet?

With a black banquette, island and black exterior door handles, you may need some touches of black when you decorate (i.e., art, etc.) to balance the room.

Love all the natural light - I would swap the hardware, faucet and add a terrific rug and then live with it for a bit - agree it’s likely best to wait on the backsplash till you feel a bit clearer on your direction

Yep, it is a distracting, harsh look in an otherwise very nice new kitchen. Soften the edges so your eye can relax: Swap black faucet, cabinet and back door hardware for nickel or stainless - maybe brushed instead of polished. Paint your walls the same white as your cabinets. Change the island to maple. Then live with it. I think the floor will become much less of an issue, perhaps the lights will be ok too.

If its possible, I would change the flooring and the hardware. The flooring is the real culprit, and why you liked it with subfloor, and now dont like it with the flooring. It doesnt look scandinavian to me, so apparently, your designer has no idea what scandinavian is. It will still be a very nice kitchen, once you are done, but, changing flooring, is what will make it look much nicer.

Jan Moyer,
thank you for giving me a place to start and changes I can make.
Much appreciated. the kitchen is functionally nice, and if you saw where I started….
I added 82 square feet, made structural changes—I can’t bare to just say it’s a lost cause. Perhaps I compromised on shaker style cabinets because they saved money. I got flat panel drawers. But maybe when I made that compromise we started loosing track of my style.

Kendrah,
I hope the floor becomes less of an issue after some of the easier changes!
Definitely paint and hardware changes
thank you

If you decide to change the handles to stainless, do not buy new ones - spray paint what you have.

Maybe you have a few extra - so spray paint those, put on a few doors and assess.

Shirlpp has a great idea. Saves money and ensures the handles will fit in the current holes. I will add a notion. What if you paint the upper handles white and leave the lowers black? That way, you get back the stark, pretty white you loved, while keeping the lowers black like the island and banquet?

That may be too many different colors, but it is an idea.

Design Fan,
Nope, none of those banquette area selections are made yet thankfully. Maybe I can make some corrections to the room first and then hopefully get those choices right. Well a wood tone bench top is coming for the black drawers in the banquette and it should be installed next week. I’d definitely be willing to try some touches of black decor for balance.

Shirlpp & auntthelma
Good ideas with the spray paint! I will poke around for extra handles to experiment. there were supposed to be a few. White handles on top is a creative idea!
Thanks

Try this for a couple days: remove the black handles, use white paper towels to cover the black island walls and the black banquette seating. Wrap the faucet with aluminum foil to imitate stainless. You can wrap the black handles in foil, too, for a couple days. Then stand back and see if it all looks more like what you wanted.

Apple_pie_order
Creative!! Will try

Your original flooring brings me back to my childhood. Did everyone have that same floor (and same color) in the 70s? Well, I guess we had carpet (🤪) in our kitchen, but I seemed to see that floor everywhere! Anyway, you have a big improvement from that.

Part of the problem is that it’s not yet “decorated”. I would start with some easier changes and work your way up to more extensive/expensive ones.

1. There are too many finishes for that small kitchen. Muti-colored cabinets are tricky to get right.
   a) I do think the wall paint needs to be changed, and I would just take a white cabinet door to the paint store and have them match it. If you change the wall paint, the white shelves won’t be so stark. Changing them to wood is an option, but I’d see how they work after painting the walls.
   b) Consider changing the island to match the rest of your lowers.
   c) Cabinet hardware is too stark - not a cheap change, so consider it carefully. I also think that the scale of the pulls is too large for the doors. However, that’s a difficult change because you have holes that would need to be filled and would probably be visible. Short term you could try spray paint (if you’re good with that sort of DIY - it takes patience).
   d) Faucet is also rather stark. Consider changing to stainless.
   e) Flooring could be better. Vinyl is tough to get right, especially when it is laying next to real wood. It also looks like the installers didn’t do a good job of mixing up the patterns. I wouldn’t recommend redoing the floor, though. You can probably find a vintage runner that works with your decor to help distract. Once your table goes in to the dining nook, it will cover some of the floor also.
2. Island pendant scale seems off also. I love oversized pendants, but the location of your island makes the pendant seem a bit obtrusive. Jan had some good ideas for you.
3. Under cabinet lighting temp is too warm for the rest of the room. Consider swapping out fixtures for ones that are more neutral or have adjustable temp settings.

What are you doing for the nook seating? If it is upholstery, look for a fabric that will unite the different finishes.

Getting some pretty pottery or art on the shelves will also help.

Susie,
Thank you for such a considered response. I’m going to have to talk to my team about the undercabinet lighting being too warm. The rest of the light I can adjust with different bulbs/the recessed lights have temperature adjustment.
I don’t want to redo the floor as I think—as you said—a lot of it can just be covered.
I think the faucet /hardware/paint/lighting changes are where to start. Too bad i have such long pulls as i agree they’re out of scale and now i’m kinda stuck with the holes . Thanks for your help

"Where do people get these weird descriptions?"

The style comes first, that kind of grows organically, or sometimes a few people start specifically designing things that way and then Labels or Terms get applied to that style as shorthand so people don't have to use a whole paragraph to describe what they are talking about.

The word Mid-century Modern or MCM was first applied to a specific line of furniture in the 1950s, and then Cara Greenberg has been attributed with coining the term Mid-century Modern as applied to furniture in 1984 in her book about furniture of the 1940s -1960s before which point it was called various things. (And people have been arguing ever since about whether it was really her or not). The original designers of it just called it "Modern" or "New" or "Contemporary", --all words which only mean "Right now" so that means it's going to change as time goes by. The original designers of furniture from the Victorian era called it "Modern" too.

Scandi and Japandi are newer, but I think most people who follow design can picture in their heads what this looks like. It's much easier than saying " A room with white walls and light natural wood in a minimalist style with organic elements"

"Soft girl aesthetic" which I have never heard of before, is a social media term, mostly about very feminine fashion. I am not sure how this is going to apply to interiors and I don't think this will be a durable term.

The original flooring in the kitchen is Armstrong pattern 5352, introduced in 1932, and still available in off-white when I did a kitchen in 1997 (I did not use it) and reintroduced in 2020 by Armstrong.

Thanks for the extra photo - I wanted to basically compare side by side to check the pulls and the lights. I think in your kitchen the black is limiting the airy fresh feeling that you're going for. So as so many have mentioned replace the faucet and it would be great if the pulls that you have came in brushed nickel. The length of them I think is fine with the long linear look but it's the black and the same with the lights. They are quite large for the space.

…“I think the faucet/hardware/paint/ lighting changes are where to start”…

Bingo. Take it in stages. Add more photos after these changes are made and the banquette seating is installed.

Black and white is not MCM or Danish/Scandinavian. You can mix wood tones and neutrals and whites, but the harshness of the black against the white is too much contrast. Walls are too gray and under cabinet lighting is too yellow.

When I think classic Scandinavian I think of layered soft neutrals vs black or bright white.

Fewer color changes, softer color changes will help. Getting rid of the black will help.

Let's remember.........She was very happy until the final finish

"BEFORE LVT, paint, hardware, appliances (I thought it was SO pretty then)"

I don't think the op really clarified her look in her head, then trusted "them" to make a flooring decision!

It can be rescued without using a literal translation of soft girl. japandi,scandi whatever!

Change what most obviously has impact, while remembering......she recently was...happy.

Add stained to match the cabinetry/ float shelves to replace the white and at this point? Go warmer, leave definitions behind. They don't matter if the result is pleasing.

Wait a bit....and then? See where you are.

I actually don't see most of the finishes as a strong problem in Scandi Japandi (however since Soft Girl appears to be mostly pink, I am not getting this part at all)...really it sounds like the floor is what threw things off--to you. Except for the floor, I don't really have a problem with this kitchen. It's not my style but for what it is, I like it better than a lot of the kitchens I see in here.

I think if you let the tail wag the dog here and you are changing hardware, changing the faucet, changing the lighting, painting the island and the bottom of the window seat,

...why not look into Changing The Floor? even from a price stand point. Changing everything else is going to add up.

I would say three quarters of the time, if not more, painting a brand new shop finished, lacquered, cabinet on site is just going to give you a cr@ppy finish that will chip and scratch to black underneath. If you have beat up kitchen cabinets, and have nothing to lose, maybe this works. I don't think it works if this is a brand new cabinet. If you are going to paint them white to match the uppers I would pull them and get them sprayed in a dust free room in a shop. And then you will still have the problem of the floor, which is the original problem.

Well and the wall color. But that actually IS a relatively easy fix.

@Jan Moyer - where is that stool that you posted? I love it - I can't tell because it's a photo of the stool, not the url. THANKS!

@ Sally T

Here's the link to stool

https://gdfstudio.com/products/molle-walnut-finish-mid-century-modern-24-inch-counter-stools-set-of-2?variant=31531781062718

The floors are the biggest offender. Too many material choices also.

@Jan Moyer - thank you! have you used them/purchased them? They look so much like these ones from All Modern but they're less $$

https://www.allmodern.com/furniture/pdp/fitz-24-counter-stool-a000994340.html?piid=1974798288#9p9rmraeo6e-2

We had a very similar style flooring in the house I grew up in that was built in 1977! I remember how much better the kitchen looked when my mom replaced it right before the house was sold! @palimpsest - I’m surprised that it was still available in 1997 - I’m SHOCKED that it was reintroduced in 2020!

@alenas - the first thing I noticed when I looked at your photos was that the unfinished one (that you were still happy with the look) was taken in daylight - and the other two photos were taken with artificial light that is really warm. Changing the tone of the lighting would help.

I agree with starting with just a few relatively easy changes. The greyish paint color sticks out to me, especially in the areas where there is less natural light. I would repaint and change black faucet. Then move in-get your accessories out on the counters, barstools, possible rug etc. and let it all settle to figure out if there is still something you are unhappy with.

@ Sally t

No,haven't used them , just grabbed as an example of some nice mid cen warmth: )

I wouldn’t change a thing. It’s very nice, and you will see it that way in a couple weeks.

Overall it is a very pretty kitchen. It just needs a few small adjustments. The undercabinet lighting is very yellow, so change that to a whiter light. I love toaster ovens, but I don't like to see them in a prominent spot on the countertop. Is it possible to build shelves behind the door that can house it? Then I'd add some accessories, like a rug and some greenery, and wait to see how you feel about the changes.

My thoughts, echoing what others have commented on:

(1) Change the faucet and cabinet hardware to stainless steel using the same holes.

(2) Remove the ceiling molding and replace it with a plain filler strip or plain molding that matches the cabinets.

(3) Paint the walls a whiter shade of white (to match the cabinets ?).

(4) Change the lights to be less yellow (3500K or 4000K).

(5) Change the pendants to something white, like what Jan suggested above.

(6) Change the floating shelves to wood to match the cabinets, and make them thinner.

(7) Smaller (white) coffeemaker and maybe put the toaster oven on the counter to the left of the DW so it is more "out of the field of view."

you are all very helpful! I love houzz.
Thank you for the mood board, Jan!

Spray painting door hardware is a very easy DIY project. There are many YouTube's on accomplishing this.

If you like what you have - why - go out and buy the same in a different finish?

If you feel you'd like to buy new then at least spray paint a few to ensure that brushed nickel or stainless will work for you.

@alenas Have you let your kitchen designer know about your disappointment?

It appears that they did help you make some good decisions. The meeting doesn't have to be confrontational, but I think it would be helpful for both parties to discuss where the project went wrong. Perhaps they will offer a discount on some changes to help you achieve a kitchen you love.

deegw,
good ideas and yes it hasn’t all gone sour , we are still troubleshooting the banquette area. They will help me get the light fixtures right too. i’m going to try some paint samples and hardware out asap . Its close to done, but not wrapped so all is not lost

I think I know what kind of style you are looking for, but if I had gone through what you went through, I would not make any major changes for a while. First try some decorating with kitchen towels and a few objects on those shelves to bring in a bit of soft color (pale salmon and teal?), and as Emily says, a plant or two and a rug. That will force the eye to resee what you already have. I like the pendants, but if you want to change the color they are not hard to paint or use Rub-n-Buff to get a metallic finish. If color helps, think about painting the walls - that's something you can experiment with without a huge investment. Replacing floors is an expensive proposition - although I agree with what people say about the floor, I am not sure I would change it, at least for a time. I also agree that the toaster oven is distracting and takes up too much space, so if you can put it somewhere else that would help. Good luck!

Here you can see some color combinations that have black, beige, white, and a pale green, which changes it all.

Don’t fret! The new kitchen looks very nice. You just need to add a bit of color here and there: a few glass-covered framed pieces of art or photos on the wall if you have some space, and a few rugs where you stand to do most of your kitchen work (I have colorful rugs in front of the sink, at the island where I prep, and in front of the stove….faux Persian runner rugs because we have Persian rugs in the living room, dining room and den. If neighbors can see into your kitchen from their windows and you sometimes make breakfast in your nightgown, add light-filtering shades for privacy without blocking light. You can raise the shades during the day and lower them for privacy when needed. When you look through the opening over the sink into the other room, add some art and draperies in that room, too.

Once upon a time, people had cabinet door & drawer pulls made of wood, which can painted OR stained to match cabinets. They come in many sizes, and they function discreetly instead of trying to be jewelry.

Those island lights are almost classic. Here is a picture of 1968 lights in our master bath in a dark cream color. We had funny chartreuse sink and toilet with our greenish Formica and white walls. After painting the walls a pale blue found that the chartreuse fixtures were really a pretty and soft yellow. Somehow adding blue counteracted the reflection of green. Lighting and paint can really change things a lot. I do agree that the dark handles everywhere make it busy.

Are the floors only in the kitchen? Or run through the rest of the house? They do seem to be the main issue IMO. If they run through the house, leave them. If they are only in the kitchen, I would look into what that the change would cost. And see if you can find one that you like. Then make a decision about them.

I agree with changing the hardware and faucet, painting the walls, wooden floating shelves. I am not opposed to the pendants.

I would not change the island to be the same as the base cabinets. Then there would just be more of the different tones of the cabinets and floor. I think having stools there will help to soften the black. Changing the island sounds very expensive and I assume then you’d want to change the banquet seating too.

I believe adding the third color on the island proved to be one too many dominant colors. I believe the floor could appear more neutral IF you painted the island the same white as on the cabinet. Next, add black bar stools to repeat the black of the cabinet hardware & faucet to make the overall space look more harmonious. Add accessories with a few pops of color to the floating shelves. (Plants would look awesome!) Re-evaluate the overall presentation and possibly add a runner/ or small rug in front of the sink to break up the different color wood tones in the cabinet and flooring. Finally, add a sprinkle of love and start enjoying your beautiful new space!

Coming in late, but I'm jumping on the bandwagon: Too many finishes in a medium-sized space. This could be corrected in several ways, but one of those ways should involve the cabinets.

Scroll way back up

Don't fix what does not need fixing.

" I was happy until........I thought it was sooooo pretty"

The dots are not yet fully connected. ?

The cabinets are beautiful and I know you worked on choosing them and paid a lot of money for them. There is no need to change them or paint them. I love the black island and banquet. The contrast serves to join them together as the eating, socializing room while the pretty maple is the work room and the white recedes so as to not clutter the space. Perfect choices.

I have to imagine your designer then added black accents like the handles and faucet. Although also an expense, I agree with most that changing them to SS would make a huge difference.

Don’t fret! You will love this kitchen! Construction is tough!

Hold the phone - am I seeing real wood in the adjacent areas and this new LVP is only in the kitchen? Please say it isn’t so….a new slate ish/stone look floor may be your saving grace as real wood next to new LVP wood is a big no no.