What a great facelift! You made that dated kitchen look fresh and new. Your sink and faucet coordinate wonderfully with your granite. What's the name of your granite?

Nice touch with the new switch plates too! As for your floors, I think they go very nicely with the finishes you've selected. Congrats!

You are certainly making progress ! I really like the new granite with the sink/faucet choices too. Also the new appliances are easy on the eye.
The floor's decorative design seems to go just fine with your new choices, I wouldn't worry about it any time soon. If you want to make a great WOW impact for not so much money I would look at new light fixtures . And then go from there. I bet there are some folks here that could give you some more ideas for low cost great suggestions. c

Looking good!

Very nice!! Love the faucet/sink!

Your off to a terrific start, you've done a great job of focusing your resources on some big impact areas. The tone of your oak cabinetry is very nice and you were wise to keep them as they are working well with the stainless and your new laminate. I thing going forward your right about the floor and there is a lot of terrific and affordable resilient flooring that will look great and not break the bank when you get to it. I also think changing the light fixtures would have a big impact as they are quite dated. When you have the resources you might also consider re-doing the back splash as it could really finish things off. The great thing about doing renos in stages is it always keeps it fresh, every time you add an element it all feels new again. For now you should just enjoy. Congratulations.

Great updates! It looks so much warmer and more inviting now.

Great! I think a fantastic DIY change would be new light fixtures -- in a dark/ORB type finish to pick up the faucet and colors in the counter.

Thanks, everyone! And I appreciate the suggestions too. I never even thought about doing the light fixtures! That seems like a good idea.

Breezy, it is actually Formica 180fx in Antique Mascarello. I looked at granite, but the ones I really like were pretty pricey. I thought about waiting and saving up, but I couldn't stand the blue any longer!

careyscott, what sort of flooring are you thinking? I was looking at pergo, but I hear mixed things about it.

The other complicating factor is, when I redo the floor in the kitchen, I want to extend whatever it is out to the dining room, so I'm scared that that project might open up a whole new can of worms...

mirz it looks great! The black sink/faucet combo is really stunning. And I like how the new hardware really updates the cabinets. Great job!

I think you dressed it up quite nicely and show the importance of changing a few key items.
I also vote for new light fixtures before worrying about the floor. They will be cheaper and are less fitting with your new choices than the floor. The floor is not bad at all now that you no longer have the blue counter.

Super job on the kitchen! Everything looks awesome! I am trying to decide on a faucet...really like yours. What kind is it?

Great facelift! I love your formica & faucet along with hardware & new appliances. The new paint also really warms the space up! I agree with others that new fixtures would go a long way to furthering your update.

As for flooring, cork would look wonderful in your space and gets very positive reviews--easy to maintain & easy on feet & knees. I wish I could consider cork but we have 2 big dogs and I don't think it's durable enough to withstand their antics (and nails). Marmoleum is another possibility with lots of color choices. Enjoy your lovely new kitchen!

Everything really looks great! Love the counters, sink, and faucet. You got a lot of bang for your buck.

I agree that the floors seem to work in the space. Maybe get some new lighting. You can find some ORB pieces that are not expensive at either local lighting shops or the big box stores.

I love our ceramic tile, but I know it's not for everyone because of the hardness. My friend just did the pre-finished hardwoods in her kitchen (she also has ORB fixtures like you), taking out the linoleum. It was a smaller space, so it wasn't that much money. I can't see how big is the space where you want to maybe extend.

Thank you!

Cigi: The faucet is an American Standard. I bought it from Home Depot... I think it was around $200? I am so glad I went with the black instead of the nickel I was going to buy (my stepmother actually picked out this faucet, because I had no idea what I was doing).

gsciencechick and dianalo, the more I look at it, I think you guys are right... new light fixtures will have to be the next project, instead of floors. If you happen to run across something nice, shoot me a link! :)

Thanks for the faucet info! I have looked at your pictures several times. I agree with the others - new light fixtures in ORB and you are set. The floor can wait. Everything else looks so good that no one will be looking down!

I love that you took a perfectly usable kitchen, used the best of your existing resources and pulled a WOW with creativity and thought. Yes, maybe some decorative track lighting found at a "big box" could do the trick, but the bones are there to work with to finish it off in style. If you do go there take a look at some of the new vinyl tiles made to mimic ceramic. A friend just put them in her kitchen to buy her some time until they can overhaul the kitchen and unless you get down and touch them, you'd never guess, really fabulous looking for the money.

Very nice!! I recognized the Antique Mascarello--I did 180FX in my kitchen too! Beautiful job! Have fun in your "updated" kitchen.

Cj

Wow, it really looks so different and very nice! Congratulations!!

Nice job! I was totally fooled by the Formica - in the picture it looks like granite.

Here's one thing to consider. You can have a trim kit made to the exact size of your opening for your microwave. The microwave can be raised to fit, centered, into the opening. It will give you a more finished look. Here's a picture of my before kitchen (2 microwaves with black trim kits around) and after (1 microwave with stainless). In each picture, the microwaves are counter-top models, not the built-in (ie more expensive) models. The trim is simply screwed into the edge of the cabinet.

Never ending: Thank you! That's a great idea about the laminate tiles... that would be a good affordable option.

Thank you, Mamabear and cj. Cj, I think I remember you talking about your formica on another thread (I did a lot of lurking and a little posting before buying mine).

Annkathryn, those look great! Where did you go for your trim kits? You're right; that would help to finish things off...

Wow, guys, I really appreciate all the suggestions! You all are awesome!

Mirz2000,

I think all of the updates you have made are fabulous. The current flooring coordinates well so I would save up for something you really like.

I agree with the lights. I looked to see what you had done with the lighting. Lowes and Home depot have some very reasonably priced Oil rubbed bronze lights that would coordinate well with the laminate, sink and faucet.

Its also fun to google oil rubbed ceiling lights and see whats out there.

The formica is beautiful and looks like granite in the picture. I have a friend with a granite looking formica counter top and her kitchen is beautiful too.

Enjoy your new space!!

mirz you could try an appliance store for trim kits. They could probably refer you to a metal shop. Or google metal shops in your area and call them to see if they can do a trim kit.

I think it looks great, you must be very pleased. That's nice looking laminate. Another thing you could do if you want is to add matching oak trim to the top of your cabinets to beef them up a little. We did that and it really looks nice.

Very nice! The new laminate is so much prettier than that blue!

Somebody mentioned Pergo flooring. Just wanted to point out that Pergo is *not* recommended for kitchens or baths. I do have it in my living/dining/office and it looks very, very nice. Most people don't realize it isn't real wood. It is not, btw, necessarily cheaper than engineered wood; installation is more suited for DIY, but materials are equivalent in cost (or they were 5 years ago).

Wow, very nice. You did a great job. Love the sink and faucet. Looks wunderbar with the countertop.

It may not have been a major overhaul, but what you did looks great and really updates the space. Great job!

Wonderful Job!!!

Oh yes, I agree with the others......leave the floor alone for now as it looks fine with your new kitchen.

Instead, maybe spend a little of the 'floor' money to buy yourself a nice rug for the kitchen.
Something that really completes this new wonderful kitchen you have created!

Your photos show how a simple color change on the countertop can change the flavor of the room. This is praise from a fellow Formica Antique Mascarello poster. Will want to know how you like working on it after you've had it for a while. It's interesting to see details of my kitchen in yours, and the difference that stainless steel makes in the aesthetics.

What is YOUR taste in lighting fixtures? And your budget? Hard to make suggestions without some point of reference. You might as well help us out--you have some good designers at your side right now, ready to think about your space.

Thank you, Florantha! Your posts about your counters were actually very helpful when I was deciding about mine!

As far as choosing light fixtures, I am not sure what I am looking for, but the oiled bronze mentioned here sounded like a good idea. Budget is pretty shoestring (ideally under or around, $200?).

I also have trouble visualizing what something will look like until it is actually installed (some designer's skill that I am lacking). So, every decision has been very difficult for me (took me almost a year to decide on the counters). Needless to say, I appreciate any suggestions anyone here has to offer!

your 'new' kitchen looks great! be sure to post new pic if/when you replace the lighting.

how did they do on your formica in the corner areas? is it a good match?

Hi mirz2000,

I'm back. lol

I was looking again at your wonderful kitchen.
Lots of responses mentioned new lighting.
I noticed you will be needing two fixtures for the kitchen area?

I had a file on my computer saving pictures I liked so that I could find "My Style" in my budget range.

I just went through that file and found a few pictures that might interest you.

NOT saying you need to buy these lighting fixtures (Lawdy knows I am NOT a designer nor decorator...far from it! LOL) but with a budget in mind, I don't see why you can't purchase both fixtures you will be needing at the prices of some that I found when I was trying to make the same budget decision.

Not that these lighting fixtures are classics or will stand the test of time but for now, they are ORB (Oil Rubbed Bronze), will give off decent light and will pull everything together in your new kitchen.

Like I said, I am not saying you need to buy these lights.
I'm just showing you that with your budget, you could possibly buy both fixtures for these prices.
Just find two fixtures that are made by the same company so that the ORB will match......different companies have different versions of what they call "Oil Rubbed Bronze".

Mirz2000,

You mentioned you were glad you purchased the faucet in black. It appeared to me it was oil rubbed bronze in the picture.

Is your sink and faucet black or is it a dark bronze? If in fact it is black you may also want to look at black or iron fixtures.

It appears you may want to focus on fixtures that hang from chains like your current fixtures to bring them down closer to your work area since your ceilings are vaulted.

Is you house more of a modern style?

Oh mirz2000,

I totally scrolled by your little tiny post about the faucet being black....looked ORB in the pic.

irishcreamgirl is right....if your faucet is black, take a look at some black lighting fixtures. You can still purchase two....some great sales going on now.

If you find one you like and the chain isn't long enough, you can always buy more chain at a home improvement store.

Really great job! Enjoy your 'new' kitchen!

My eyes instantly went to the lighting too!

desertsteph: The corners? Like the outer edges, or the corner that meets the wall? For the most part, the installation went perfectly.. the only minor issue, you can see in the sink picture... on the right, underneath... they discovered that the old breakfast bar was not level and was actually built around the wall... so you can see above the backsplash, there is some wall showing. I haven't figure out what to do about that at this point, but it is not too noticeable anyhow.

Amity & Irish, thank you for the ideas! Yes, the faucet is black, not ORB... (it is a black metal)... but the hardware I used is ORB (black versions were too shiny), and you can't really tell unless you get close up. Do you think, if the fixture is dark enough, that it won't be noticeable? Hm...

On an unrelated note, I asked a male friend of mine his opinion, and he told me I should install a disco ball for lighting ...this is the type of help I get in real life, so you see why I appreciate your suggestions so much! I wish I could fly a couple of you out here to help me in person.

You could write it off as charity or something. :P

desertsteph: oh, were you maybe asking about the seams? I ended up only needing one seam, and it is all the way on the edge next to the door. It is not noticeable at all, unless you are looking for it. I could take pictures if anyone is interested...

That's actually the reason I went with a beveled edge... a rounded edge would have required more seams (i.e. one in the corner, and one next to the sink). I wanted the least amount of seams possible.

wonderful kitchen - I especially love your faucet and sink, those are great - so deep, rich and chunky looking!! Enjoy that terrific new space --

Have been thinking about your light fixtures. The one over the kitchen area is the equivalent of a ceiling fixture, but on a chain, right? I suggest that it spread sideways more, cover more realestate of the air if that works for you. [I also suggest that there be a piece of art riding high on the walls so that you bring eyes up to that fab vault.]

Not sure if you are looking to replace the fixture over the table also. It's the currently unfashionable shiny brass, but it's also "important" enough to be a thing unto itself and something you might not want to replace. A gutsy person might find a way to remove glass, refinish it in a darker finish, and replace glass again, but not sure if that's a good thing.

You didn't give us much help on your design direction, so have picked up on the ideas above. I looked at Overstock for a dark finished metal. These are roughly in your affordable range and generally have some drama. This exercise was very educational.

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

And then there's this one in the Open box outlet at Lamps Plus (for $99.86 each, two available):
http://www.lampsplusopenbox.com/31902.htm

Elk lighting makes this one, which has some movement and drama:
http://www.lightinguniverse.com/chandeliers/elk-lighting-5-light-elysburg-chandelier_g290271.html?isku=2693627

There's lots more out there awaiting your spending hours on the Internet...Have fun stormin' the castle.

Thank you, florantha, you are awesome! I particularly like the second and fourth links. This really helps give me some good ideas.

There is a lighting store in town that I want to visit this weekend. During the week they are only open through my working hours, so I have to wait for Saturday. Lowes seemed to have some nice ones too...

Wow, the update looks great!! Your countertops came out really well, they look super fab. Love the dark faucet, now I wish I'd looked at that for my granite sink.

I think lighting will make a huge difference in your happiness. Do you have any undercabinet lighting? If not, you might want to consider adding some directional track lighting. HD and Lowes both sell kits that convert ceiling fixtures to track lighting pretty painlessly and inexpensively. Installation in newer construction would probably not be difficult -- we ran into problems because of the old plaster ceiling.

You can see what we did with lighting in the link below. Even without new lighting, the kitchen looks great, congrats!

Here is a link that might be useful: my budget kitchen makeover