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Kitchen is desperate for some love

We recently bought a new house. I die a little each time I look at it; it needs some help desperately! The pictures attached are from the previous owner, so please disregard all decorations.

Since we just bought a new house, our budget for the kitchen is small. The red is awful, especially next to the greenish tinted countertops (Christmas year round is not my thing). Both need to go.

The cabinets are just basic grade. I have thought about painting them white because it seems to be the "thing", but worry about the up-keep. They are in great condition, as are the appliances. I looked into having them professionally stained a different color and that's almost as much as replacing them. I thought about adding crown molding to the top and adding some hardware. I attached the inspirational pic for that. I also would love a greyish subway tile backsplash, but worry it wouldn't match the yellow undertones of the wood.

We also have this floating desk area, as shown in the picture. Some day we'd like to tear it out, but for now, I'm not sure of a nice way to incorporate it. Currently, it seems to be a catch-all spot for clutter, which I hate.

The dining room is attached to the kitchen. I love my dining room table and hutch (pic attached, but please disregard the poor lighting and kids stuff), but it is very large and bulky making the room feel very crowded. The color of the natural wood on the table is beautiful, but I feel it competes with the yellow in the cabinets.

I love the natural wood, almost rustic look, with a few bright colors to make things pop (love the bright blues, navy, bright green or coral). The dining room is also attached to the family room so I need a color that is neutral enough to help things flow smoothly. A couple I love are BM Morning Dew OC-140 or BM Glacial Till AF-390.

Any thoughts are much appreciated!

Comments (5)

  • 13 years ago
    Here are a couple pictures that I've been using for inspiration. First is from Jill Wolff Interior Design. Second is the greyish backsplash that I love from Martha O'Hara Interiors.
  • 13 years ago
    I think white painted cabinets would work really well in here. In terms of your inspiration pics, I think a black countertop would work with it as well. Given that your flooring appears to have more of a beige color and I know that one of your paint choices, Glacial Till has a warmer color, I think with the backsplash color, if staying with a neutral, I would consider a taupe subway tile rather than a gray to work with both the warmer and cooler tones if you go with white counters. The backsplash might be a place where you could consider the splash of color with perhaps a bright color backsplash - maybe something like a bright blue or green. Good luck!
  • PRO
    13 years ago
    Key is deciding to paint or just work with your cabinet tone.

    Since your inspiration photos feature a white kitchen.. probably the way to go long term. you can still add your crown molding to give some interest. It is interesting that both your idea pictures have a white counter on the main tops. This is a very fresh & current way to go. I have more folks using white or very light tops currently. Most love the reflective & freshness. A quartz like Ceasarstone Blizzard can work... or there is a Marfil that is more creamy. Keep in mind the undertone of your floor... looks a little creamy/pink so be cautious of too yellow undertone. bring the samples home & see at night & day to determine.

    The right hand kitchen has a deep chocolate brown top on the island. You can pull this feeling by the tones in your paint or furniture. I did a kitchen where the splash was richer tone & some accent panels in back of glass door units. It pulled that rich accent into the space. Your table has a smokey/taupe undertone to the finish... go that direction. maybe use a rich chocolate/taupe as your wall colour

    for your desk area, consider pulling out & making it a corner for an accent piece of furniture. if there is room for some "mail" organizing & storage below, perhaps will handle your drop zone better. There are also some lateral lift hardware that allow a door panel to pop out to access and drop down to hide. check with a local fabricator to locate.

    Save the punchy colours for accent items. flowers, jars, table linens. They can change quickly & move on to a new theme inexpensively.

    remember... it takes time to pull everything together & especially when families are young, there are other priorities

    Senior Designer~Urbana, Victoria, BC
  • 13 years ago
    I agree with emzc on the white cabinets and black countertops. We put that in in our kitchen an love it. We also put te color latte from restoration hardware and love thar as well
  • 13 years ago
    Thank you all for your comments! So helpful! I didn't mention that we are looking at replacing the flooring in the kitchen and dining room as well. Carpet in a dining room with little ones just doesn't work! And yes, emzc, if we leave the cabinets the same, we wouldn't be able to do the greyish backsplash. And thank you Ellen Crystal for the suggestions. I've always been nervous of white countertops, but I am seeing it a lot lately. In your opinion, how does white cabinets and countertops (with some rich accents) work with white appliances? We don't love the appliances, but they are in such great shape.