My new fav color is sea salt green for the walls. And a darker shade of green for the island, while leaving the rest of the cabinets natural. Green looks great with natural wood. Add 3 pendant clear globes above island. I'll see if I can find pix. Groveraxle can you show example with 3 pendants over island?

Examples

Just thought I would update. Found a rug that helps me!! loving my kitchen now I know it is dated but dont want to spend the money to change the countertops at this point . Cost of living is high enough in Seattle! I am in process of changing out LED undercabinet too

Thank you for all your help along the two year process

It looks great. What all did you do? Flooring and hardware. The house we bought last year has knotty hickory cabinets. Even more contrast than yours. I wasn't crazy about them to begin with but have grown to love them. Wouldn't have been my choice but it's a great choice for our montana home.

So I never liked the floor I had put down. It’s so dark it shows everything it’s not it all what I envisioned I vision something more like a warmer gray brown concrete look. But oh well. I love my rug and it was like 50 bucks and it’s so soft. Adding hardware made a huge difference and we lighten the walls with accessible beige which everybody said don’t do in the kitchen. I could have gone lighter but then I think I would focus more on the granite which I don’t care for at all. Not in my budget to do new quartz countertops right now I did change out the lighting to some cooler LED bulbs which help but they are on on the warmer spectrum because I didn’t like the blue light! I picked up the hardware at Home Depot and I absolutely love it! So solid. I know with the change up countertops adding more canned LED lighting with make a huge difference but not quite ready to take that plunge especially if I decide to move soon somebody would likely come in and redo this whole kitchen!!
My Hickrey does have quite a bit of contrast I think the picture doesn’t show it but I’ve learned to not focus on what I don’t like about my kitchen!!

I agree with regards to lighting- otherwise I would use the kitchen as is for a while and see if anything really does need to be changed- as you used it you find things that either you like to keep as is or change.

I LOVE the original kitchen, I would NOT paint a thing.

I could see re-arranging things based on most ways to cook efficiently but I would find it repulsive to turn that kitchen with its lovely woodwork and countertops white or grey.

Fwiw, far down the road, my appreciative input. I'm not big on brown rooms, but exactly that -- the serene, monochromatic warmth of this one -- is what I like best about it. I like contrast for setting off what's handsome, not for its own drama, and stronger bulbs would absolutely be my preference for adding light over what might be unfortunately shaped and placed planes of highly-contrasting whites.

To my mind, your kitchen is not just sophisticated and elegant, but I really would like it for being at its best (definitely superior to my white) whenever artificial light is required or there's a chill that invites cozing up. And you are in Seattle. :)

If it were mine, like the rug I might look for some little piece or pieces of art to add a little light, contrast, interest, focus (if I had a place), but I'd want to enjoy seeing it often, definitely not just anything.

I've enjoyed seeing a brown kitchen I could enjoy, so thanks.

Thank you so much for your kind comments. It has been a process --I see all of these beautiful remodels in my expensive area with Quartz and white/gray cabinets... You all helped me to love my kitchen and want to share!!

To the comment above to knock the wall down... it is weight bearing, structural and to costly unfortunately

I'd do something with the lighting. It seems really dark.

Fresh bright paint and new lighting. Good luck!

I think it could use new lighting, backsplash and a lighter floor.

if it were my kitchen I would want to lighten it up-it seems kind of dark...lighter counter tops, or dark counter tops with white cabinets-it could be the photo but to me this reads closed in.

The lighting seems much, much better. I'm actually surprised by the color of the cabinets; so different from how they looked in your first pics. It looks more pleasant to work in than before. Are you enjoying the better lighting?

You don't have your undercabinet lights on in these pics; I think you said you changed those out as well. Can we get a pic to see what they look like turned on?

Changing the layout/cabinetry!

When changing the cabinets in the kitchen, you usually change around the layout to what is most functional.

If you plan to put the flooring all the way around the room, then buy the flooring and lay that around everywhere first (once all the old cabinets are removed), if you plan to buy flooring and just floor everything around the cabinets, then you need your new cabinets installed first!

If the layout changes in the kitchen, it's best to have your new layout in place and go from there!

Update on the kitchen the flooring is staying the Hickory is staying At least for the time being ready to sell yet I’ve been told if I let you do my countertops it would help with resale

?? Thoughts

If you think I should re-post as a new thread please let me know you’re probably all tired of me by now

Here’s the kitchen today with sunlight

More pics

It looks lovely. I love your old bright colored rug! It added excitement to the kitchen. I am looking for one like that. Would you please let me know where you found yours? Thanks.

I have hickory cabinets and went through a huge struggle with counters, including looking at the one you have pictured. I felt that the gray was too cool for the warm cabinets.

lmuhrich

If you think I should re-post as a new thread please let me know you’re probably all tired of me by now

No, not at all! But you're going to get a lot of replies to your original post and pictures, and that might get sort of tiresome.

Update on the kitchen the flooring is staying the Hickory is staying At least for the time being ready to sell yet I’ve been told if I let you do my countertops it would help with resale

Told by whom? A realtor? One thing that would give me pause about spending several thousand on new countertops is the very real possibility that a buyer would simply rip out everything you have, including the countertops, and build a new kitchen.

I can see that lighter counters would help the appearance of the kitchen, but I think if I were going to change them, I'd change them for me, not for someone else.

I really wouldn't get involved in a project of that sort in preparation for a sale. Everything looks fine.

I helped my dad sell his house when he downsized earlier this summer. Stupid realtor told him to do over $100,000 worth of upgrades to his house! It was a very large five bedroom family home. She told him to demo and change all tile, carpet, gut and buy all new cabinets, gut and re-build entire master bathroom change all toilets, lighting, door knobs, mirrors, countertops, sinks, faucets, re-landscape, paint inside and out, etc. 100k wouldn’t have even accomplished that list in such a large home. She was crazy wrong!

What he did: purge, give away excess things, move to new place, hire someone to trim a couple trees and do a yard “spruce-up,” wash house, and re-stain the deck. Hired pro house cleaners, and carpet/tile cleaners. Hired painter to re-paint only where needed inside (same color), and touch up some trim, only where needed. Including hiring movers to take things to new townhouse and haul excess things to charity places, he spent less than 10k. He sold his house in 1 hour. First person who walked in gave a full price offer.

Realtors are not always right. I like your current counters better than a white or gray quartz. You have no idea what a potential buyer would want. Mostly they want the house to be clean and free of any obvious broken things.

I love it! I’d just start cooking!

Just make sure the place is spotlessly clean and it looks like you're ready to sell it. Do not let some RE agent tell you that you need to spend thousands on new counters. You don't. It's perfectly functional and it looks beautiful.

Despite what you see on the property brothers, redoing stuff like that most likely will not get you more money.

I agree-no need to spend money on new counter tops. Your counter tops are a perfect transition between the floor and cabinets. People are going to do what they want when they buy it. Be sure it's spotless (and it certainly appears to be), and price fairly.

Thank you so much for the comments. I am a couple years from selling so I would get some time to enjoy it and hopefully recoup the money I put in to update and brighten the counters.

I am leaning too just leaving it now I just am toying with the idea of fresh and bright

^^^ Well that's different then.

I would choose a counter that is a bit warmer than the one you show.

I think I will try a new design dilemma! thank you for all your feedback and help.

You can now buy LED bulbs that fit where the old style incandescent bulbs worked You can also get them in different colors or soft white or a more "sunlight" kind of light.

did it :) Still a work in progress I just wanted to update this thread --I have started a new one too ! Thanks again houzzer

Welcome backsplash ideas! I now need it for sure with the 4" granite removed!!

I like the simplicity of not introducing more color just texture. Have you looked at WOW FEZ tile in the white (w/ variations of creamy white) colorway? I might consider it in high gloss to add a little bling if you want it to look more feminine or the matte if you like a more organic look. I'd stack them (not subway style but squared like a grid) with a white grout to keep it a tad bit more modern.

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I love to show the before pic... so bad!

My sister in law has(d) this EXACT same kitchen, We painted the lowers soft black - the uppers a simple white to match the walls and ceiling, did moroccan tile backsplash in a creamy white and *GASP* kept the countertops! We actually made the countertops look intentional by highlighting a coppery color in them and using it in chunky cabinet hardware. I can't tell what the material in your pic but hers are granite... Lucky you could afford to replace the countertops!

Thanks Lisa! I could afford to replace the countertop in my mind because it became a priority! Maybe not the best money spent for resale down the road but I get to enjoy it! So clean and fresh I dont feel like it is my kiticen--- I just keep cleaning the slab!!

Where did you get your lovely blue diamond rug? It's perfect in your kitchen!

Amazon !! 70 bucks

Thank you, Imuhrich!!

Better lighting and get some hardware on those otherwise beautiful cabinets, as long as they're in good shape and meet your functional needs.

thanks @Veronica Stanwyck. I appreciate your comment but you may not be looking at the latest post