I just wanted to say that I love your kitchen space. I think the white subway tile might look sharp but won't it be very difficult to keep clean. I really like the colors of the tiles you have now.

I am new to all of this so I will sit back and see what others say. Good luck!!

You have created a wonderful cohesive space. I am in awe of your creativity. As for how man roosters -- I think that answer will depend on whether your name is igloochic. :) I am not a rooster fan, so I would say even one is too many for my ktichen, but if you love them, put them whereever you think they go. You obviously have a good feel for your space. :)

I love what you've done!!

I'll be painting my island soon and will be adding butcher block too. How do you like yours?

White subway tiles will look great and the roosters will add a pop of colour. I have one chicken and one rooster in my kitchen .... several more hiding in the closet. ;)

I have the same problem with lighting over my island that you do. I have a pot light that isn't centered and think I will get my electrician to wire a new, centered fixture for me. In some older show homes I've seen, old ceiling electrical boxes have a plate over them. If it's painted the same colour as the ceiling, they aren't too noticeable. I had thought of doing a swag too but think it would bother me.

In answer to your questions;

I think it would be better to have an electrician hang the pendant centered rather than doing a swag. Swags look messy. The extra chain collects dust and great. The electrician can put a plate over the old hole and you can paint it, or you could even drywall/plaster it and have it look like it was never there.

Subway style tiles would look nice. You are doing the entire kitchen in them right? I do not think having a mix of two different tiles would work in a space that also has different cabinet styles. Having the same tile all the way around would anchor them together.

A charming kitchen! You have done a lot to make it feel welcoming and comfortable. Bet the new countertops will be a nice addition.

Instead of swagging, what about getting some kind of track lighting that has pendants that hang from it? You can put the pendants and the connection box anywhere on the track. Check out the build your own track systems at lampsplus.com.

One other thing. Since the one set of cabinets that stand alone on that wall (with the microwave) are so different, have you considered doing a different color finish (like an antiqued red) on those? It would almost look like a separate piece of furniture, perhaps like a baking center or coffee bar.

I love Les's idea of painting that cabinet an antiqued red. It works on so many levels. Love the color with the gold walls and hallway, rug etc.

It would pick up on the red in your roosters that you would just put on the other cabs, then. It also breaks up all the white you would end up with if you go with the subway tiles.

You have done such a great job with a small budget and that's a very hard thing to accomplish!

I have no advice to add, but would like to say I loved your "before" kitchen...found it perfectly charming, & I love your "after" as it is simply stunning! Enjoy!

Hi balego.....As if your living and dining room were not great enough to look at....now it's your gorgeous kitchen. I just have to say that I am always impressed by people who have the ability to do so much on a small budget. I wish I had that talent.
My suggestion for your question regarding tiling....what about either wainscoting in sheets or maybe glass tiles that would reflect the space? Also, I happen to love paint because if you get tired of it, you can change colors at a minimal cost. Maybe just tile above the stove for splatters.
I agree with others about the light. Swagging does seem to collect dust and look "off" to me (JMO). Maybe an electrician could center a light and you could cover the old spot with some kind of simple medallion. You could find any small chandelier and spray paint it white (I did that and it came out great).
Now, on to the roosters...I used to have an addiction to a certain animal and went bonkers with it. The following year, they lost their appeal and I was sorry that I had so many. "Less is more" seems to be a wise phrase.
You could buy what you like and switch roosters once in a while, but your kitchen is just beautiful as is.
Please show us photo's of what you decide to do.

Thanks so much for all your nice responses!! Again, I am quite surprised that my very small budget decor has received such good reviews!
I am actually in the middle of a long reply but am scanning a photo of an idea I have and want opinions on, but I just wanted to pop in and mention that the end of the kitchen with the sink is also to have new countertop and sink, etc. The cabinets were redone with paint and wood trim previously, but the work stopped there. I will be back later to address all your replies and suggestions. Thankyou all! :)

Please forgive the length of my posts, I have a hard time trying to make long stories shorter ;)

Laurience, the tile that is already on the sink walls is the old 6" square tile. It is white, with the odd one having a blue and grey design in it, and although the grout has gotten dirty over the years, the tiles themselves are easy to clean. I'm thinking that I would use a light coloured grout with the new tiles (as some have done in the kitchen forum). That blue counter is coming out this weekend thank goodness! It's been a long wait for new counters!

Sarclos, I have seen some of igloochics' rooster decor. Her wall mural is nothing less that a masterpiece! Her whole house is amazing.

Speaking of wall murals, I am toying with the idea of hand painting my own tile mural. I don't have a cooktop or slide-in stove that would allow one over the stove, so I thought of doing one in the middle of the newly added cabinet wall (oak end). Apparenly there is a heat set paint available that is durable enough to work. Maybe painting a small 12x12in or so group of tiles, framed with narrow border tiles then the rest in the subway.

Dawn, the only regret I have about our butcher block is that I oiled it rather than varnished it. I really don't intend to chop food directly on it, so I think I would have preferred a nice satin finish. Apparenlty Lee Valley carries a nice one 'Tried and True Varnish Oil', and we have Lee Valley right here in my city. I should find out if I can apply it even though I have already used the Ikea oil product.

I'm liking the idea of having the light fixture moved, as it would really be nice to have something hanging over the island rather than the ceiling light that we have now. And it would have to move so little, that a ceiling medalion would cover the old hole.

I love the idea of red stand alone cabinets! I don't know if the finish on these Ikea ones would take paint very well? I did formerly have a big armoire in the end spot in the kitchen that I had painted red and antiqued, and I loved the colour! Ikea does carry red cabinet doors (too modern looking for this space probably), but changing out the doors and drawer fronts would cost way too much (I just replaced the larger bottom drawer front using one I found in Ikeas' 'as is' room for $10. The actual price for one drawerfront is $75!). But man, now I won't be able to get the idea of having it red out of my head. lol. I'm going to discuss this option with my DH and see what he thinks about painting them. I'm sure with todays' products there is a good enough paint to adhere to the slightly plastic finish of the doors?
Here is the red armoire that used to sit where the oak cabinets are now

{{gwi:1821707}}

The last new countertop (for the sink wall) arrived yesterday. It will make a huge difference in the look of that space! We're still waiting on the sink to come in so it might take a few days before install. The tiling will have to be done right after, as taking out the old counter will leave a messy gap, not to mention the wall near the fridge is horribly crooked and will finally be repaired.

Okay, here is an idea I have but don't know if it would be pushing things over the top a little. Here is my fridge wall
{{gwi:1821709}}

We were thinking of adding crown molding to the cabinets over the fridge and stove. However, in a magazine I have, there is these wonderful tops (don't know what to call them) added. Would adding something like this (pic below)over my fridge and stove cabinets be too much? BTW, the cabinets in this photo used to be the melamine slab doors with the oak strip at the bottoms, but have been embellished with moldings and paint!). The boxed shelf tops would be so easy to make!

{{gwi:1821711}}
As for roosters, I have three little shelf sitters on order to tuck on the tops and shelves. I suppose I better limit the number of roosters, but darned if I don't keep seeing rooster items I like (such as the bowl in this link that is no longer available) http://touchstonecatalog.com/rooster-bowl-faux-eggs/p/27366/
Just spotted your post, declansmom. I have considered beadboard wainscotting but would worry about water damage. (I have a knack for ruining things with water- don't ask! lol), but I also considered placing some small glass tiles in here and there, if I can figure out how to fit them in a design with subway tiles.
Thanks so much again, everyone. It is so great to be able to get ideas from you all and get your opinions!

How much space (inches) are between your cabinets and your island? I'm thinking of purchasing an antique piece to use as an island in my kitchen but wasn't sure if I really had enough space.

You've done a great job. Could you tell me the paint color you used on the walls? It's just what I have in mind for my white kitchen.

Thankyou, Stinkygardener for your nice comments. :)

lkennedy, I think there is a rule regarding the space between island and counters, and I don't know if the minimum is 36 or 42 or thereabouts? Someone else might be able to tell you. However, whatever that rule is, I know I broke it. The reason being is that I needed storage space, and the oak cabinet doors behind the island open right back all the way. So, leaving enough room for the doors to do that, I can swing them right back and get something out of the lower cupboards without having to go around to the opposite end just to access them. My little island is 43 long x 24 deep, with a couple of inches added on top for the countertop. If you think you can still function around an island (i.e, it isn't a traffic path and other cupboards/oven/ etc can open with no problems, then go for it. Try mapping out the area you would need with masking tape on the floor, or better still, make a model out of cardboard boxes that would take up the space the antique piece would and see if you'd be okay with an island. :)

BTW, my island is not fixed in place. I built it to be moved if need be.

Carol, my paint on the walls is actually a mix of two colours. I had painted my hallways with Benjamin Moore 'French Toast', and love it. I wanted something just a little deeper gold in my kitchen, so thought that using the next colour on the colour chip would suit. That one is called Maple Sugar. Well, the Maple Sugar didn't look the same on my walls as it does on the chip! Even though my kitchen is the brightest room in the house with natural light, the colour was way too orangey and looked terrible. It even cast a weird colour onto my white cupboards. And to make things worse, as the colour went around the room, it looked green! How it could go from screaming orange to green is beyond me, but it did and I think I even have pictures somewhere of that phenomenon. lol
So, after trying three coats to see if it would get any better, I decided to mix the Maple Sugar half and half with a partial gallon I had left of French Toast. Bingo! The colour is exactly what I wanted! A nice gold that doesn't take on any weird colour effects with changing light. I don't know if you could try out a quart of each and mix them to see how it looks in your own space? And if you like it, get a gallon of each and mix them? What I really should do, is paint up a small sample of my mixed colour and have BM colour match it for me. If I can do that in the next few days or week, I will let you know the name of the colour they match it to. I'm sure it is very close to some colour they have! :)

Congratulations on a job incredibly well done. I think adding a simple crown molding where you don't already have it would continue the cohesive feel of the kitchen, but the raised cornices (?) would be a bit busy. Just me. You've obviously spent time at IKEA? I think some of their pendants could work for you. Maybe MOLNIG, OTTAVA, FOTO or SEPTIM? And I agree that you should spring for hardwiring whatever you choose directly over the island.

Here is a link that might be useful: IKEA pendants and chandeliers