How To Make My Tuscan Style Kitchen Fit With Rest Of House
We have a 5000 sq. ft "Santa Barbara/Tuscan" (more Santa Barbara than Tuscan) style home with all the floors done in travertine. (light and dark) We updated it some when we moved in several years ago but did not do the kitchen. I am really tired of this look but don't know how to tie it together with the rest of the house. All of the doors, base molding, and windows throughout the house are the same wood as the cabinets, so painting the cabinets doesn't seem to be the right way to go Thought of refacing them with a more modern door - perhaps flat panel, but they really are in great shape. All I have come up with is replacing the old granite and backsplash and changing out the hood to something different, but am having a hard time getting something that works with the travertine floors. I would love some ideas and/or pictures from others who have done something similar. I have posted pictures of the kitchen and few of the rest of the house for you to get a sense of the house. Thank you.
Comments (16)
- 28 days ago
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Comments (6)I think an architect will be able to give you the visual appearance that you are looking for. Experienced contractors are good to have, but an architect looks at more than how to remove a load-bearing wall--they look at how to make the rooms look as if the load-bearing wall was never there. My brother ended up hiring an architect to design an addition on his house--one that included a family room, mudroom, and an accessible bedroom and bath for a disabled family member. The architect managed to copy the style of the rest of the house, down to the post and beam construction, trim moldings, etc. Once the outside of the addition was painted, you really cannot tell that the house was added on to. The only way you can tell inside is that they couldn't exactly match the wood flooring. Otherwise, the addition looks as if it was always part of the house. The best place to put the addition was right off the dining room--but that would leave the dining room without any windows. So the architect solved that problem by putting french doors from the dining room to the new family room and adding skylights to the family room, so that there is a ton of natural light in the dining room and you really don't notice there are no windows. My brother would have just put a regular doorway with a regular solid door between the two rooms. The architect also suggested adding a second stairway in the addition, and punching through a wall on the second floor (the addition is one story, but the ceiling is vaulted) so that in case the parents needed to get down to the child's bedroom fast, they wouldn't be running to one end of the house to get downstairs and then running the length of the house to get to the child's bedroom in the addition. I think it is the details like that--noticing that a room won't get as much sun and working out a way around that--or realizing that a second stairway is necessary--that you pay the architect for. They are in the business of planning rooms and houses that work and that look good. For what it's worth, my brother and SIL had wanted to buy a house with an accessible bedroom and bath, but found that the houses that were available had made awkward choices in adapting the existing house--an accessible bathroom immediately off the dining room, you had to walk through the accessible bedroom to get from one part of the house to another, the accessible bedroom and bath could only be entered by leaving the house, things like that. If the architect will fit in your budget, I'd say use one....See MoreWhat style is this kitchen? Tuscan?
Comments (85)I dunno, Allison... I think the one with the chicken is very kitchen appropriate. I've seen "gothic" kitchens that had the pointy arches and cathedral details, and the ones that trend more '90's goth, than true Gothic, but they hold nothing to the one I'm imagining! Kind of indoor/outdoor with sliding glass walls and trestle tables in and out, grey stone walls, arrow slits, er, um, long, slender, high windows, rough hewn, smoke darkened open shelves, Massive walk-in cooler, cast iron cooking podium in, firepit with spit and woodfired beehives out, and hand forged strap hinges everywhere. And beasty gargoyles doing dining appropriate tasks, perched inside and out. I don't usually go for theme, but given the appropriate site and budget, I'd do that one!...See MoreBrightening up a Tuscan style kitchen on a budget.
Comments (46)It is a beautiful kitchen. Someone invested a lot of $ into it. The kitchen is so dark even in the day the last photos posted. Does it look as dark at night with all the lights on? If you are going to keep it as is for now, experiment with different light bulbs. I would save up for a future remodel since modern is preferred, but if it's too far out for the remodel, then... 1st-get bright lights then choose color changes. Bring samples home to see with new lighting, daytime & night time. Not enough, then Paint walls light color, if not enough,then remove backsplash (maybe leave under hood area & trim area. You may want to save $ for tile backsplash for your future modern remodel. So, high quality paint that is washable will do. , leave perimeter cabinets top, & just do island countertop. (Less stone= less $) may be able to get a remanent. If still not enough, light color stone on perimeter base cabinets. Leave island as is, or The problem with doing it in stages to bandaid here & there is -later when doing remodel for modern, usually end up paying twice for repeating. But sometimes immediate fixes help get people through the current kitchen until they can do a complete remodel. I agree painting the cabinets is not worth it in this situation, because it's not the true style preferred. Plus, too many posts on painted cabinet projects gone array. Hope that helps;)...See MoreHow to make my earthy kitchen go with the rest of my house?
Comments (28)I absolutely adore that blue hutch in your kitchen and the sunroom ceiling color. Amazing! Seeing the tones in those and the floor/cabinets/counters, I would chose a fairly neutral tone trim color like BM Simply White. If the tone has any warm reds it could read pink (our engineered cherry floors did this to us) or yellows it will emphasize the counters. Since your floors have an orange tone (at least on my monitor) and that's opposite on the color wheel from the blue hutch and accents throughout your home, I recommend not encouraging or contrasting that color. Essentially, adding more warm color tones like Cotton Balls would make the warm tones even more dominant and adding cool would provide contrast, potentially making the warm pop more. A neutral tone will let the two coexist without dominance. Threers is right about lighting too. My husband rebelled at daylight lights in most rooms, but our kitchen was the one room that really needed it. Higher kelvins can wash out some of the warm tones, which can make the colors better go with the rest of your home....See MoreRelated Professionals
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28 days ago- 28 days ago
- 28 days agolast modified: 28 days ago
We had a very similar kitchen that we updated with paint, new lighter counters, new backsplash and lighting.
The cabinets are SW White Duck and the island is Shiitaki. Counters are Taj Mahal.Here is the before:
- 28 days ago
- 28 days agolast modified: 28 days ago
28 days ago
PRO28 days agoYou do not need to paint the wood trim/doors in the rest of the house. Leave that all alone.
I would pull that hood and do a simpler one - maybe a nice plaster tapered hood up to the ceiling
You could paint the cabinets or just paint the perimeter and just leave the island. Can you take more pictures showing the overall room - its hard to tell what is really happening.
I do agree with changing the backsplash and the counters , if it is in the budget. You don't have to go with white. There are plenty of warmer tones out there without being as creamy/tan as it is now
PRO28 days ago
PRO28 days ago- 28 days ago
- 28 days ago
- 28 days ago
Thank you everyone for your very helpful advise. Here is a more complete picture of my kitchen which shows the high ceilings and my massive hood. Main sink and counter is to the left just out of view. I like the idea of replacing the backsplash and hood, but if I were to do the countertops also any suggestions for what would go with travertine floors? I have considered Tahj Mahal, but it seems like everyone is doing that.
- 28 days ago
- PRO24 days agolast modified: 24 days ago
THat hood screams wrong on so many levels so miwould start there with a much more streamlined hood If you still want a wood hood it can be much less in your face . I like the rest of the space you have kind of a Barbara Beery style with is qute elegant So my idea would be a new stainless hood to match the fridge and instantly change the feel of the space .Maybe something like this . I don't think the cabinets are all that bad with the style of the rest of the house I do not think refacing would be the choice since your style is pretty classic not so much contemprary so wood cabinets make sense .The counters work with the floor and the cabinets but a large format tile backsplash would be a nice touch with matching grout a bit of classic but not subway .
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