The floors are a beautiful , classic color. I would not touch them. I would replace the backsplash and paint the walls.

The floors are a big reason we purchased the house - nice old hardwood. Unfortunately, I don't think the floor has had a whole lot of maintenance over the past 30+ years so it's a little worse for the wear. When I say refinish, I just mean to bring it back to that day 1 glow.

I appreciate the feedback, though! The walls we're thinking a (light) grey? Any ideas for the backsplash?

is the sink at the bar? they put up the higher part to avoid splashes. With the available space you have, it looks fine as is. dropping it would encroach on the walkway behind it.

do you plan on painting all of the trim and casing along w/the cabinets?

I can't tell what the countertop is because your pic is super tiny and far away. post better pics.

if you do replace the top, then replace the backsplash as well.

do you have a budget for all of this?

gray? with all that wood? why? what color stain will you be doing floors? don't think about splash until cabs and countertops are done.

I was gong to say.....any color but gray! I am afraid that your kitchen will go from cheerful to dreary.

Some additional pictures for context and the rest of the first floor.

Budgeting about 10-15k for the project

that is a lot of wood. pretty, but a lot of wood. please, no gray.

again, will you be painting any of the crown, baseboard, trim, casing, wainscot,etc, ?

you're painting your kitchen cabs white, I assume? yes to new countertop and splash. no wood panels on the fridge. SS appliances would be fine.

if you like the bar, keep it. if you want to open up the end and make an island, then you can do that, but would probably need to keep the two levels. you really don't want all the water splash in the middle of the island (and on the people sitting there) and you don't have enough room to push it back. it would make the path too tight.

So much wood!

The crown, baseboard, trim, casing, wainscot will be painted (TBD for now, maybe white?)

Yes, to the painted cabinets. And swapping out appliances with SS as the budget allows.

Thank you for the feedback :)

10-15 isn't enough for what you want. You will have to keep that bar, unless you two are handy and know DIY.

hiring a pro to paint those cabs professionally, 3-5K. (don't cheap out on this one)

countertop 5K. If you got pre-fab countertops, you could save about 2K.

appliances, 3-5k. (unless you look on craigslist for deals)

Refinishing that entire wood floor downstairs, many thousands.

to save money, learn how to paint walls and wood trim and do the entire house yourselves.

Thankfully the 10-15 is for the kitchen only. This house has made us painfully aware of the cost of painting and refinishing!

It's still barely enough for cabs, countertops and appliances. unless you find some deals. If you shop around, you can find appliances that were floor models, or have very slight damage (sometimes you can't see them once installed).

Good to know. We may have to go back and rework our budget, then.

A large one-level island (with or without an overhang for stools) would look much more current. Raised bars are old-school IMO. You could have storage on both sides, if needed. A sink on the island allows the cook or prep chef to enjoy the view. You want to allow space for a good passage between the island and the windows, whether the island has stools or not. Leave gas lines and plumbing where it is, when possible, if the work areas are located well. I like at least 42", with 48" even more comfortable (if you can manage it) between the wall cabinets/stove and the island to allow space for opening the dishwasher, refrigerator and dishwasher. Don't put any of those appliances across from each other. Have counter space on both sides of the stove for convenience.

Hi Mischa!

I can see why you bought this house. It's a traditional layout, yet the rooms and the openings between them are nice and big! If it were my house, I'd certainly paint the trim--not even white, necessarily. Actually I'd probably beef up all the trim, including the door and window casings (budget permitting) and remove the wainscoting. I'd also replace the flat slab doors with a raised-panel style. Are they that way throughout the house?

You might want to start with just painting trim, leaving doors and cabinets. This look is better with paneled interior doors, so consider replacing doors with wood (prettier) or white (less expensive) interior doors. The wood and white look gives both the brightness of white with the warmth of wood.

Then you can think about painting the cabinets. Oak is not a paint grade wood because the texture of the oak shows through the paint. This is a clue that these are oak cabinets that have been painted - but the door says that too. This bothers some but does not bother others. A paint over a factory finish is not a durable as a factory finish. That said many love their painted cabinets. I've painted cabinets, but I kept my present kitchen stained.

Cool grays do not mix with warm wood tones. Neither brings out the best in the other. Cool grays will work with the white. Keep it very light and silverish - we get post here nearly every day from people who have just done a white and gray kitchen and want to know how to pretty it up - sometime posting pictures that look like black and white photos.

Lighter floors are what I am seeing in the newer designs coming out. This may be due to the upkeep involved in dark floors which show dust and scratches more.

If you do not paint the cabinets, but paint the trim, consider cream, soft creamy beige,blues and greens for wall colors. The blues and greens can have gray undertones. The white appliances are also fine. They work well with warm wood, lightening up the kitchen. My friend with a new white kitchen has white appliances and it looks fine.

Many do just replace the countertop backsplash and sink with these kitchens and it looks fine - a bit vintage, but good to go for another 12 to 15 years. Since they are true to the innate style of the home, they work, rather like people are charmed by a vintage kitchen in an older home. In the long run, that could be more timeless than the white and gray - which some pro's here have said is a fading trend. However, it is your home and yours to do as you wish - just be sure you are true to what you like and what is good for the house and your pocketbook - not what you think you "should" do. I am old enough to have seen at least three expensive trends go by and unless you are rich, stay off the merry go round, find your style and see if it can work in your new home.

I refreshed my oak kitchen with quartz counters, backsplash, and a Kohler Whitehaven "short apron" farmhouse sink - the short apron style can be installed on a standard sink base. My hood and plate rail give it a more French Country look.

https://www.houzz.com/photos/my-pics-work-in-progress-phvw-vp~58830325

https://www.houzz.com/photos/my-pics-work-in-progress-phvw-vp~71048330

Here are some white and wood combos:

I would replace the runner and update the home with furnishings to start. Live in the home a while before making big changes. You might find the kitchen needs more than just a new counter and would hate to have that money go to waste.

The doors are actually from an old local court house - solid oak and heavy. And yes, throughout the house.

Its a lot of wood, but to me it's not a turnoff. Like an above post stated, it seems to fit the style of the home. If you keep the furnishings light and airy and maybe replace the backsplash, once you have lived in the home a while, you might have different ideas or priorities. Your new home looks cozy in a traditional way to me, and those floors will be beautiful once you refinish.

If grey and white are a fading trend, what do you think are the rising ones?

We had a similar raised bar with sink behind it. When we re-did the kitchen, i had the raised area cut down and a single piece of marble extended across the whole counter. It works fine. I chose a 30", fairly deep sink, and I have never splashed anything over the counter. We also have oak floors throughout, which I had refinished in their natural color.

LOL, great article. Thank you... I understand completely the absurdity of trying to keep up with trends simply because something is "in." This stuff is too expensive for that. I asked because you also don't want to accidentally build something that's already considered dated. Imagine being the very last person who built a new house and put in avocado or gold... I don't want to be that guy either!

I was the last person to buy bright brass bathroom faucets:)

It might be quite lovely to remove the bar and add a nice island. Check out our design here for some more ideas on what you might want to do with your new kitchen.

@jhmarie, my gosh, the shame!! :-)

Beth and Jmarie have given you lots of good feedback. Don't be too worried about "all that wood". As people have mentioned. You have nothing in there yet. Once you have rugs and furnishings in there it won't seem like too much wood. Your kitchen was somewhat like mine except for the cabinets--mine are maple but after painting the kitchen new stainless appliances (had the wood panels like yours) and soon the new countertops I'm loving the look of my warm wood cabinets in my updated kitchen. Good luck to you and love your new home.

I suggested waiting to make changes to the kitchen because you may find the area in front of the fridge to be a major bottleneck. If this was my house, I would remove the peninsula and install an island. Off-white, white or light colored cabinets (samples below) will brighten not only the kitchen but also the adjoining spaces. Best of all, you don't need to make any structural changes.

Hello,

Congrats on your new home! After the cabinet updates, take a look at our cabinet hardware to complete the fresh new look:

https://www.houzz.com/pro/glideritehardware/__public

Best wishes,

GlideRite Hardware