I bought a home in feb and I also hate my kitchen, know how you feel! Changing the counter tops would be definately help and

oops! and a nice back splash!

If I do wood flooring in both rooms, what color do you suggest if I am going to keep the cabinets the same?

Hi Brittney, you added one of my photos to your idea book. All these ideas are great! I would also consider adding crown molding to the top of your upper wall cabinets, which will give you a more finished look. In addition, if possible, along the refrigerator wall, swap the positions of the cabinets and the fridge. Rather than looking at the side of the fridge from your living room, you would see the cabinet that is now to the right of the fridge (wall & base cabs would need to be moved. Another idea would be to replace the small cabinets/countertop with a tall 24" deep pantry cabinet to the left of the fridge and move the small wall & base to the small space available to the right of the range. These look to be a medium oak and Lowe's and Home Depot have stock pantry cabinets that could possibly work.

In answer to the question of what color of wood flooring to use, I would suggest a dark brown tone, that stays relatively neutral (meaning not too red). Oak tends to have a very prominent and dark grain pattern, which is nicely highlighted by dark brown tones. Oil rubbed bronze hardware and a darker countertop in earth tones will pull the whole look together. You can stay with a lighter, neutral backsplash with dark decorative accents tiles, if you want to keep a brighter tone in the space.

I agree with Designer's Choice about moving the fridge. If you want to have a kitchen that is open and flows into the next room, you should consider moving the fridge. Unfortunately that would cause you to do a new kitchen. From the photot the best place for the fridge is in the corner where the dishwasher is, however the door opening does not appear to accomadate such a move. Can the door way be moved a bit to allow the fridge to go in the corner. To top off the project you can have a peninsula installed to add additional cabinet and counter top space. It could also be raised up so as to use bar stools for a little eatingarea.

New backsplash, counters in granite, new cabinet hardware and add color on the walls and recessed lights to start.

This pantry cabinet from Lowe's is unfinished and could be stained to match. $219

By adding the pantry cabinet to the left of the refrigerator, you would conceal much of the side of the fridge and would not have to re-orient the entire kitchen.

Nice and inexpensive options for lighting and hardware abound. These are from Lowe's, too. Use a semi-flush mount light ceiling fixture that will give you plenty of light. This one is 18" in diameter and can be outfitted with 3-100 watt bulbs. For a custom kitchen look, mix up your hardware by using knobs (cabinet doors) and pulls (drawers only).

With darker countertops, a granite sink can be a nice alternative to stainless and, of course, a bronze faucet.

A portable island cart could be a nice centerpiece for your space. An internet search will turn up many affordable options and it could be nice to incorporate a painted finish for this piece.

what about creating a built- in look for the refrig wall. The space next to it could be transformed into a pantry/ built-in microwave.

Designer's Choice - I love all of your suggestions! Thanks so much!

great suggestions Designers Choice.....I agree to definitely do wood flooring everywhere.....you will not be sorry......changing the refrigerator wall will also make a huge impact......good luck

My pleasure! Looking forward to seeing your NEW kitchen! Best wishes, Tracey

In your picture, the fridge is on the left. How about putting it on the rignt, instead - you might have to remove/swap the upper cabinets. Then extend the counter to fill the old fridge space and build a curved island on the end. It could be a serving/eating counter. Sort of like this (forgive my tenuous sketching skills).

I ended up going in a totally different direction! I Did white on the cabinets, and will be doing dark wood floors next month. We are currently in the process of adding oil rubbed bronze pulls and knobs. I picked a wall color called grege avenue by Benjamin Moore and really don't care for it. I am thinking i want more of a grey. I would love thoughts on new paint colors and backslashes. We want to do dark countertops. This room is open to a living room and dining room so the color needs to work with those areas too. Thank You :)

Looks great, you're one step closer. If you decide to continue with the oil rubbed bronze pulls and knobs consider changing out the kitchen faucet to match as well. Try a natural stone with grey tones and texture for a back splash. Unless you decide to go with a lighter counter top you can carry it up to the back splash for a cleaner look.