Trim & Remodeling Issues

17 years ago

I have been reading posts here for ages and I have finally decided try it out! My husband & I just recently purchased his childhood home. The style (exterior) of the home is French Provincial. It was built over 20 years ago and they used a ton of Ash wood throughout...floors, moldings, cabinets, doors and windows! It is a large home and somewhat of an open floor plan. I am pulling my hair out over what to do as we start our remodel.

In our previous home we used a cabinet recoating method to redo our kitchen on a shoestring budget and it turned out amazing! We plan to do the same with our current kitchen...we would like to have white cabinets with dark countertops & island (the island you see will remain with different tops)

We will be removing the large black box that you see hanging down as well as the pot rack and pendant lights so it will really open up to the family room. There are also built in bookshelves in the family room and the living room.

Here are my questions:

1. Can we keep the crown molding in the kitchen natural wood? Our plan is have white subway tile above the cabinets.

2. If we need to change the crown in the kitchen can we just change it in this room as well as the window or does that mean we would have to change it throughout the house?

3. I would also like to change the built-ins to white and have a white mantle with a smoke or black glass subway tile surround. Same question about the crown, do I change it to all white or leave the natural crown. If I do it all white, can I leave the rest of the room natural? Do the cabinets need to be the same white as the kitchen? Our painter suggested a lacquer finish for the built-ins and mantle...opinions?

4. We have more Ash built-ins in the living room, we have already reconfigured the shelving but as you will see, it presents the same problem. Suggestions for shelving color and wall color would be appreciated. I am thinking black for the shelving but the same issue applies with the crown & trim. This room stands somewhat alone so I feel like we can make changes a bit more easily.

At first I just wanted to go through the house and paint all of the trim and doors white, but not only is it super expensive (or time consuming if we do it ourselves), I am starting to doubt getting rid of all of the wood. The doors are really quite attractive (not quite as yellow as they look in the pics) and while I know it would look sharp to go all white, I am looking for a compromise.

I am also planning to get rid of the dark paint you see in the pictures, so any suggestions you may have would be appreciated!

OHI almost forgotÂI would like to do the dining room with white molding and paint it a vibrant colorÂdo you think this would work if the rest of the molding in the house remains natural?

I really hope this all makes sense...after looking at the pictures please let me know what you think...or if you would like to see more pics, please let me know!!

THANK YOU!

http://s611.photobucket.com/albums/tt192/caskeller/

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Comments (8)

desertsteph
17 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
well... that is a lot to consider! i'll leave it to those with an eye for color - and decorating. lol!

i do like the wood, not sure if living in it it would be too much tho.

it looks like a lovely - and big house! in very good condition also.

i was wondering tho if my eyes were deceiving me or is the stove setting out from the cabinet run?

Also, is that your furniture in it now? will it be changed out? that might make a difference in colors etc.

do you have any color preferences?
rubyfig
17 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Wow, lot to consider indeed. Your questions are really a matter of personal taste. Personally, I prefer consistent trim throughout a house (it seems more harmonious that way)--whether that means all white or all wood.

Re: lacquer finish. Again, it is a personal preference. I think it looks a bit plastic-y, but it does hold up better than a lot of other finishes, and perhaps that is why it was suggested.

In terms of general colors, which are you drawn to? Warm tones or cool ones; do you want energy in a room, or a sense of calm?

I also wondered if it was a trick of the camera with the stove run.
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hestia_flames
17 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
I think the stove run has us all wondering. Hope it is ok if I post this:

Is the stove in the middle of the room? So that there are two islands?
lovlilynne
17 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
I think it's good that you are thinking about this now - I was hit with trim questions/issues in the middle of my remodel and left limited to what I could do about it in that timeframe.

What I followed was that if a room was "contained", it could have all the same trim, and different from the room next to it - and I even stretched this because basically I opened up my whole first floor and now I have a combo of painted and stained trim. I have resisted painting the trim for so long, not just because of cost and time, but because of maitenance. One you paint, you can be sure that in 2, 5, 7 years you will be repainting. I just couldn't see myself doing that, so it has stayed stained.

I think you could have two different crown moldings as long as they weren't radically different, and I think a kitchen can be set apart from other rooms - at least mine is right now, so maybe I'm justifying :-)
plllog
17 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
I usually start with people's design leanings and follow those to a good solution. I really feel, however, like i have to advocate for those cabinets. Maybe they're yucky in person, but in the pictures they look beautiful! Why not give them a good wash and bring up the details with a bit of glaze rather than replacing them?

BTW, what is the black hanging box??

I think the wood molding would look odd with all white cabinets. It would just be a bad '80's flashback. Don't do it. If you paint them the same color as the wall and/or ceiling they'll recede and just become part of the, um, woodwork. [Silly Pun]
bmorepanic
17 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
I'm glad the black thing is going, it scares me. I'm another who can't quite make out that range install.

I don't think its a white kitchen/subway tile place - its just too happy. I like the cabinets. I like the craftsmanship of it all. I don't like black island or the counter tops.

I'd be tempted to work with color and use something like the link below. Talavera tile is very similar in feel and can be had for reasonable sums of cash.
morgne
17 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
A little Off topic but how far above your range is the hood?
morgne
17 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
bump