awesome ideas. I can't wait to see BOTH finished pictures!

if you added custom cabinets/bay seat (not that hard to make yourself) under the bay window (pink area) you'd gain a TON of storage space... like the DIY here:
http://itsthelittlethingsthatmakeahouseahome.blogspot.com/2009/03/diy-window-seat-with-hidden-storage.html
i LOVE the first and third pics you posted of your dream kitchen. you could try a habbitat for humanity store - pick up some gently used cabinets, paint them that great color of blue, the white over the top and distress them to see the blue peeking through. it'd be gorgeous :D
super cheap (with awesome results!!) way to update cabinets:
http://www.addicted2decorating.com/cabinet-doors-updated-with-moulding.html
http://www.hgtv.com/kitchens/streamlined-kitchen-cabinet-makeover/index.html

I agree, but you've blocked your asset - the bay window. Banquette seating, small table and the other 3 walls can pick up the triangle easily. The small table can be prep space too since its not a large area. I love figuring out small spaces. I agree with the paint and simplify the space. Keep the storage doable but not out in the open - love the cupboard organizer ideas. The dresser is great - but too big. The glass front cabinet can be wall mounted to hold what you need. I'm looking forward to the finished room!

First, I think you need to prune your belongings. Second, you can strip that paper and paint your cabinets, but do NOT sand your floor (if it is not wood) before testing for asbestos. You can send off a sample to a lab via snail mail. If it is vinyl or something else with asbestos, sanding will release it.

Great point, Fiona. The diy instructions I found never mentioned asbestos. I'm glad I read your post, because I was thinking about doing it to my kitchen floor.

Take down the wall paper!!!!! Paint the cabinets Brown and change the hardware Ikea has some hardware for cheap $6 for two handles. Home Depot has the glass backsplash tile to $5.00 , paint the walls new counter top.

When I painted my floors I never sanded. I just cleaned them really well - about 9 times and then I cleaned them again.... including going over it with a piece of tape wrapped around my hand for any lint. but what a job that was! That was when I was very young and my knees worked.

I have painted a vinyl (textured and non) floor many times with really excellent results. As long as you prime it with a good primer, and then use a couple coats of porch paint (and perhaps follow with a topcoat of Varathane), you won't believe the new lease on life it will have. No sanding required, but yes- make sure it's very clean first!

Ditch the wallpaper, lacy window treatments, and the light fixture. Sorry, gotta go. Paint the walls a pale cantelope. Blue and orange are complementary colors and they're hot now. Just make sure it's a PALE cantelope or the contrast will overwhelm the space. Don't bother changing the cabinet color....you'll love it once you paint the walls. Your kitchen is small, so avoid using much pattern at all...so you've also got to get rid of that gray/blue swirly pattern surrounding the cabinet doors and drawers and covering some door trim. ALL of that must become high-gloss white!! The pink must die. And the black (??) wall goes away, too. Your color palette must become limited to the existing blue cabinet fronts, high gloss white, and pale cantelope (satin finish). This will work!!! Go buy a cheap big paper globe (white) from Pier One to replace your light fixture. Keep your butcher-block island, it's awesome. However, it needs to be the ONLY natural wood in your kitchen. All those other wood freestanding pieces have got to go. Surely there is stuff inside them that you can store in another room. (China can go under the bed, etc!) On the wall where the dresser is, you need a unit that offers storage from floor to ceiling with a bit of countertop at a height to match the other counters (for the microwave and to put hot stuff down on). This unit can be freestanding but it needs to appear built-in (crown moulding and baseboard trim can do that trick). I suggest removing pair of small cabinet doors from over fridge and incorporating them into this new unit. You can also remove the 3 middle cabinet doors over the sink and use them, too. Using old doors on your new unit will tie the new unit in with the existing kitchen (paint the rest of the new unit high gloss white except paint behind the countertop/microwave spot with the pale cantelope.) Move all the stuff that's under the butcher-block island and etc into this new unit. Paint the exposed shelving in the few now-open cabinets with the high gloss white and paint the exposed back of the cabinets with the pale cantelope. This will open up the existing cabinetry and make it not look so blocky and "hung" on the wall...this will make it look incorporated into the kitchen. Buy a SIMPLE indoor/outdoor rug that's BIG enough to cover much of the kitchen floor. A big square one would be ideal. This is where you put some pattern into the kitchen. A WIDE stripe of blue & white or cantelope & white would work well. Make sure the blue is not too strong...DON'T match the intensity of the cabinets' blue, just reflect it in the shade of blue. No need to replace the floor and no need to cover it entirely. Play OFF OF IT....that dark brown vintagey stuff is good fodder for a great rug that's durable and waterproof. Shop in garden departments and garden catalogs for the rug! Spend money on the rug and the new unit. Do the rest yourself (painting over wallpaper or stripping it and repainting). YOU CAN LOVE YOUR KITCHEN!! :) (I've done a lot of kitchen makeovers for homestaging...thkough I'm actually a landscape architect...hey, design is design!)

The floor idea is ok - but the tile is etched and starting to crack. If we sanded, I would worry about asbestos, because of the age of the house (1949) and I don't know if it's original or not. Might be from the 70's. It just never looks clean. And it might be harder to clean then just go over it :). A girlfriend actually took up the tile and painted her cement floors. In the hall she painted a "runner" with a border and flowers. In the living room she chose to paint squares of a deep grayish purple and brown(memory?) and it looks FANATASTIC! I know there is hardwood available but we have heated cement floors. My husband would have put it in long ago if we could. I do like the Allure Flooring from HD.

Also, there's part of me that wants to modern, clean, look but there is no denying that I like color and flowers and lace. I am more than willing to part with the clutter. That's what's driving me crazy! And of course I would love to be working on it NOW! :).

sqrrlgrl: Wow! I've gotta write yours down to figure out what you just described. Sounds interesting. I am ready to give up things, but storage is at a minimum in my house (even under the beds are full!) Brenda (and some others): I always wanted under window storage but we have issues with ice dams right there, so I have to be able to move it while I chip ice outside.

I WOULD ADVISE REMOVING EVERYTHING FROM YOUR KITCHEN. START WITH A GOOD CLEANING. REMOVE WALLPAPER, AND PAINT WALLS. THEN CLEAN CABINETS WITH TSP BEFORE PPRIMING THEM. THEN REMOVE CABINETS TO PAINT WITH A NICE CREAMY WHITE. ADD NEW UDATED HARDWARE. PAINT UPPER AND LOWER CABINETS THE SAME COLOR. HANG A NATURAL WOVEN BLIND IN WINDOW.
SAVE MONEY BUY BUFFING YOUR FLOOR AND ADDING A NATURAL FIBER RUG FROM IKEA. YOU CAN ALWAYS DO YOUR FLOORS LATER WHEN YOU'VE SAVED MONEY FOR THAT PROJECT. THEN DON'T BE TEMPTED TO BRING BACK IN ALL THAT STUFF, IT WAS WAY TOO CLUTTERED. ONCE YOU'VE DONE THAT YOU WILL HAVE A CLEAN SLATE AND CAN MAKE DECISIONS ABOUT THE THINGS YOU WOULD LIKE TO DO LONG TERM. HAVE FUN DOING IT, YOU WILL BE AMAZED AT WHAT YOU ACCOMPLISH AND HOW FRESH IT WILL LOOK. I CAN EMAIL YOU PICTURES OF A KITCHEN I DID THIS TO IF YOU LIKE. KEEP US POSTED.

I had to comment just to see how/if this kitchen changes! My gosh!!

I agree with all that have said to empty this room of everything. Paint the cabinets,get rid of the wallpaper, paint a fresh color THEN move to the next step.

Honestly, I couldn't even SEE a bumpout with all that is going on here!
Good luck!!!!

Leslie, it's so hard for you to give up the flowers and lace! But, if they just don't go in this style of kitchen would you be happy to have them in all your other rooms? If you must, use flowered drawer liner paper and flowered shelf liner-- you will see them evry day when you open, but they will not compete and challenge the eye in the rest of the kitchen. THen, if you still must, I saw someone who hung framed photos on each cabinet door; could be flower pictures--BUT ONLY if there is no other pattern or clutter in the room. Don't add that with the existing paint job or with existing paper--only if you decide to go with white or off white cabs. If the lace is more important to you, frame and mat some lace, but don't do both! :)

bkdale, you don't have to be a pro to have good ideas.

Oh. Just FYI Leslie, I saw you said you inda of liked the Allure wood overlays I mentioned. They are really nice looking and I am really liking mine but I have to tell you because Home Depot won't... You can't clean it the old fashioned way by dumping a bucket of water w/ cleaner on it. You can clean it with a wet/damp rag or with the 'recommended cleaner = $$'. Mine is in my laundryroom and i havent had any problems with it so far [2 months]. But I wanted to be sure to tell you because I don't know what your kid/pet situation is. Here is a pic of my mini-plank maple. The plank size is only about 1"W [of course the actual pieces that are laid are wider...] But you can get normal size plank widths which you prob already know :)

gabriellefry: Thanks for the tip! I was looking at the Allure vinyl - Is yours the vinyl or the composit?

Mine is the 'resilient vinyl plank'... and please excuse that pic... lol... it looks much better now w/ my new front load stackables and cabinets but it was the best pic of the floor. I did that style cuz the room is so small - i don't think that particular floor would look right in most larger rooms.

bkdale: Nope, it's really my kitchen. And there are ALOT of great ideas!

gabriellefry: I like your floor!

We painted the cabinets in two different kitchens, and an important step is to use PRIMER first. Kitchen cabinets are handled and touched so much that the paint will start to chip off if you don't use primer first.

In our current kitchen, we first used primer, then painted the cabinets in a very pale coffee-with-cream color, and then we put on a dark brown glaze that we immediately wiped off. It left the darker stain in the recessed areas of the cabinets and gave them more depth. With your cabinets, however, I don't think that a glaze would work since the doors are completely flat.

Instead of the glaze, I recommend putting a coat of polyurethane on top of the paint so that you can scrub the cabinets to get off any spaghetti sauce stains without taking off a coat of paint. You'll save yourself a lot of work later by using both primer and polyurethane.

I'd go with neutral colors for the cabinets, and countertops, and then adding more color and punch on the walls, curtains, and artwork.

In one house we owned, we had the refrigerator in the doorway and it was always driving us nuts because we'd be carrying food from the kitchen to the dining room and someone would open the fridge door and block the doorway.

A lot of the furniture you have in the room isn't all that useful because it doesn't hold that much stuff, so you've ended up putting a lot of small pieces in the room. Adding some cabinetry will help you eliminate the smaller pieces in the room.

If you decide to buy new knobs, make sure you check out Target. They have some nice knobs that aren't too expensive. I think you can get a package of 10 knobs for around $10.

Good luck!
Sheri

Okay, I admit it. I have become a wee bit obsessed with your project. I do hope in some small way it will be helpful. At any rate, I was interested in the idea of heated flooring. I imagine if you prefer synthetic that a flooring person could say which items might be safe. At any rate, I found the info below about adding heated hardwood floors to your home. Who knew?

http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/how-to-install-a-heated-hardwood-floor/index.html

I have been looking for examples of kitchens with floral stuff….and color. Much more difficult than one might think. This seems to have a combo
I do not know if you checked out the earlier link I posted. It had the lower cabinets painted blue and upper as white. I really like the idea of either using a rotor or adding moulding to the cabinet doors. years ago I had a kitchen with the same style doors. I regretted having them swapped out. They were very high quality wood. I suspect most of the cabinets available online today are made of composite.

I like the lace curtains. I also like the light fixture. I think one of the biggest challenges in decorating is to pick and choose which items to include. It is very easy to get carried away. I suppose whatever you decide you will need to make some tough choices.

As for the additional storage and counter space…I saw this a while ago in a magazine. I have not purchased or seen in real life but I really like the idea. http://amishloft.com/cabinetry/ The prices seem incredibly reasonable. There are all manner of custom cabinets available.

Sheri Ferguson-Edmondson: Thank you. I'm actually still thinking of using a glaze but as a trompe l'oeil to make it look like it has some texture. And either in warm tones or the blue thing again. Maybe yellow? The thing about the white cabinets that almost EVERYBODY (and me)has recommended is that the cabs over the sink are 43 inches, over the stove 39 and if we add another wall.... That 4th wall is all window. When I moved in the cabs were off white and I hated them. That was alot of blah!!! I painted the cabs about 20 years ago, so they have held up quite well-thru boys and spaghetti sauce:). I like color and my family likes it too - but it's time for a change. I would love the v-grove but the doors are only 3/8" thick and pressboard or composit-in other words junk, but have held up VERY well. When I look at IKEA, the cabs themselves seem so flimsy compared to the actual cabinet. We were trying to figure out how to move the micro to the sink wall, but unsure how to cut cabinet and would it weaken the structure. I would like move the dishwasher to the other side of the sink and that's why I want to change out the bottom cabinets. I don't have many, but could add to it. We love the idea of an island, but I keep going back and forth about full wall cabinets on the dresser wall, but then we would have to move light switches and with plaster walls - ech! But yeah - it's a hogepoge and I'm tired of storing things on the floor. So, some days it's white-some brown, maybe even a metal look, but I like homey. I've GOT to write all these ideas down!!! LOL!!!

sweetfe: I did look at the link and I REALLY like it! I would add yellow curtains or a print of some sort but with yellow, orange, green! But with my cabs so flat and three walls, that's ALOT of white. We are even checking out moulding and there's so little room at the top, that it might look wimpy. I have heated floors! It's a two slab system with brick work and no registers. The top slab heats up. It's very nice to lay on the floor in the winter or walk on warm tiles in the bathroom. The previous owners tried wood floors and between the heat in the summer and the sweating in the summer (not air conditioned) it's a no-win for real wood. It warps and cracks. We live by Amish country, and that island would be a VERY nice piece. Also, the last picture-reverse. Blue on top, white on bottom. The first is another favorite of mine.

One last question-Since I don't have air-We don't get alot of breeze in the back-and I would LOVE a pot rack - Pot rack or fan? We have space for one or the other.

Fan, pot rack looks clunky; there are other places to put pots, but you aren't getting moving air if don't put the fan up!

I think if you got one of those fans at HD that have really small blades (that have very minimal visual impact but can move a TON of air) you could get a hanging pot rack as well. if you played your cards carefully you could have your cake and eat it too...

http://www.hansenwholesale.com/ceilingfans/fanimation/model.asp?ProdNo=FP2700BL-LK27SN-S140

it's discontinued, but local stores in your area might have some stock or something similar...

good luck - can't wait to see updated pics! :D

The big problem with a fan in the kitchen is that it blows all your bits of paper around. Recipes, cookbooks, stacks of napkins. We had one in a kitchen once and ended up never using it (except on those rare occasions when the oven started smoking and we needed to air out the kitchen). Plus, the fan blades get all gunky and nasty when it's in the kitchen.
I vote for the pot rack, or a nice suspended light fixture.

We have a fan in our kitchen and I want to get rid of it. I absolutely hate it. The only time it gets used is when my husband doesn't want to turn on the a/c. Otherwise, it is always off and just used as a light. I've seen so many ceiling fans in kitchens that are just caked with greasy gunk, and I always think, "I hope they don't turn that on whilst they're cooking," because all the gunk could get in the food.

Definitely get a pot rack instead. I have a pegboard that I use to hang my pots on because my kitchen isn't designed in such a way that a pot rack would work. I love having my pots and pans so easily accessible--no digging in a cupboard searching for the right pot. I can see them all at one time and can grab the one I want with no searching. The next thing I want for my kitchen is the magnetic knife holders to put on the wall so I can get rid of the two knife blocks I have taking up space on my countertops.

But you hav to clean the gunky stuff off the light fixtures and pt rack too. The paper problem is easily solved. Look at where you will store your pots and pans; if you have good cupboard space, you don't need the rack. Also, if you use a rack, you have to keep your pots looking great all the time, which to me seems a more difficult part of design. Decide based on how you use your kitchen. No sense having something you don't use.

There is an advantage to keeping your pots looking great all the time...they get replaced less often. I see so many great quality pots and pans at Goodwill that people probably replaced because they looked like crap. I've had my set for 12 years and they look like brand new...definitely worth the extra effort to keep them looking great.

Yup, like many here said, declutter, paint out the cabinets an off white, strip the wallpaper and paint a calm color. Bluish gray is hot right now. Update the hardware and the faucet. There are lots of flooring options that aren't expensive if you can do it yourself. A small updated island in place of the butcher block would give you more storage. Be careful not to clutter the space with too many furniture pieces. Pick one and paint it out to match the cupboards. You would be amazed at the results.

I do not like ceiling fans - I always think they will drop. I do not like pot racks - the pull out cabinet shelves I posted above work just great for all my pots and pans. I also have a couple of pretty pink pots on the wall, I like the pegboard idea. The main reason for the no fan or fancy fan chandalier is all the eye-real estate it takes... Our kitchen is connected to the dining room and once we got rid of this hanging chandalier and put in a flush-mount chandelier which means it is close to the ceiling and it makes the room so much bigger. It is pretty too. But in the end it is what YOU like. I'm kind of obsessed with this too. :)

My 1960's kitchen got a huge update for less than $1,000. Paint, beadboard, and vinyl tiles on the counter and backsplash. New hardware, new faucet, new lighting. Not a dream kitchen but definately an improvement.

I am obsessing, too! barit22158: Funny you should send your pictures - I am following an architect and I like the idea of green, white and wood. Coincidence? Hmmmm!

I'm following Crisp and Whitten Architects. I like the white and green kitchen from Crisp but the cottage feel from Whitten. I like the idea of a cottage - light, airy but with color and efficient.

Great. More choices-decisions!

What about:

Leslie, that pic is nice and bright, has a touch of green, wood tones and is almost eclectic as it has a tradional and cottage feel. I think whatever you choose for the backsplash will set the tone. Beadboard backsplash would make it more cottage. Glass tiles can make it more modern or subway tiles would add cottage/aged charm.

I vote fan also. With your tendancy to collect...! i think it would be best!

This womans renovations are incredible! http://twiceremembered.blogspot.com/2009/10/transformation-of-cottage-kitchen-part_24.html She has done soem amazing things with her cabinets and she certainly likes her color!

sweetfe: Thanks! I checked out her blog. Since my husband can't seem to visualize, this helped ALOT! My cabinets don't have any dimensional interest and that makes it tough.

But Leslie, you can add the dimensionals by buying trim and decorative moldings and applying them to whichever doors or drawers you want!

Leslie, This lady designs fabric and is a quilting queen. She and her family just moved into this house and her kitchen updates are really amazing. She painted the walls, the cabinets and did the floors. If you look above the cabinets in her before and after pictures you will notice how her color play has made a huge difference in making the space look larger ....and she has white cabinets. I think it looks clean...enjoy http://camilleroskelley.typepad.com/simplify/ (look for the house renovations...)

Any updates? How's the project going?

yes - inquiring minds want to know :)

Hi Leslie, please post any updates! My husband and I are about to move into our first home and I am looking all over like a crazy person for ideas for every room of the house. It's a 1955 house, crazy ugly wall paper in the hallway, bathroom and kitchen. Keep us all posted! :)

Sorry. Nothing to update yet. I have it narrowed down to three, but it's been the end of school and I work full time so.... I will definetly (sp) post pictures as I go. I have a senior in high school and graduation and an Eagle Scout party will be happening in the next school year...so I've got to get busy.

ginjon: I lived in my first house for 11 years and didn't change the wallpaper-kept thinking we were moving out it took me 5 years to put pictures on the wall. SOOO, TAKE DOWN THE UGLY WALLPAPER! :) Life is too short - make it your home. Also, if you look at pictures too much....sometimes it's good to stop for a little and then go back to them. All of a sudden the ones you really like will pop out. Also, do the 2 test. Start with 2, narrow to 1. Take that 1 with another and narrow again. Pretty soon you'll find what you like. And don't be afraid if you have to change it. Good luck!!!! But mostly - HAVE FUN!

Omg I just spent 30 mine writing up a post and it didn't go thru!!!

In a nutshell just get started...I had a similar kitchen in a previous home. It never worked because I kept adding curtains...knickknacks...etc thinking it would help.

What u need to do is paint cabs...neutral...and walls too. Forget blue for now...save that for the backsplash and accessories. Its too hard to get right.

Do the alllure floor...or tile...right on top of the existing floor. Its asbestos so don't try to remove it. Please don't paint it. That will look and wear awful.

Get rid of all the clutter...dresser...potrack...light...lace. its not working.

Good luck! You will feel so liberated once the kitchen is free to breathe!

I also want to add: I wish I had done what I am advising you to do in my last house. Then instead of being overwhelmed by the enormity..not to mention expense...of a big remodel, and not starting anything... I could've tackled it in stages. The way it was i would get overwhelmed and curse that kitchen all 8 years we lived there!

The big things are projects you can do now...declutter...paint...then flooring. Later you can add a backsplash and lighting.

Again good luck!

Leslie, thanks for the tip, I am dying to move in already but we are definitely taking down that wallpaper before moving in. It's really terrible! I mean seriously lol. I refuse to move in while its like that. I am going to take down the wallpaper as well as paint everything before moving in. Our closing is in about 3 weeks so I plan on doing the wallpaper and painting during the first week, and after that finally move in!