The kitchen and oven are brand new from the previous owners, and we bought a white fridge to match. This is our first home.

I’m afraid it would be more expensive to buy all new appliances that work perfectly as they are 😩

I see... I would live with it for a little while then if its a new space. I think it all looks really nice right now. If you are needing some color maybe decorate in a different way such as window treatments over the sink and dining area or you could always paint the legs of the stools. Maybe some pretty cloth napkins for the table and a seasonal tea towel for the stove handle? Or maybe a colorful backsplash?

https://www.soundbuilthomes.com/all-white-kitchen/

Some other ideas on how to add color to an all white kitchen!

We have been here for about 7 months now, but that is good advice :)

Maybe we could get some fun upholstered dining chairs. New barstools are definitely on the list, those came with the house and we’ve just kept them for now. It’s difficult though because the island is long and narrow and two barstools barely fit under the counter Together.

Your cabinets and appliances look fine. Put some color on the walls, and change out the light fixtures. Much easier and less expensive than changing appliances or cabinets. The fixtures are heavy and not doing anything for your space. Those would give you a high impact, in relative terms, for a fairly low investment.

I also think a future thing that you could update the island. You are right about it. It is narrow as but it does give you some more counter space. It seems like the island was an after thought and it is a definite a barrier from the refrigerator to the kitchen sink. I'm not sure I would want to walk around it each time I wanted to wash veggies or fruits. Here is an idea for future:

Thank you! Dying to replace all of the light fixtures, but have been waiting to do all of the living room and kitchen together since It’s all open concept (for the most part). You can sit on the couch in the living room and see all of the fixtures in the kitchen and down the hallway from one viewpoint.

Was thinking it would look best to do them all together rather than changing out one chandelier and having 5 other really dated fixtures in the same room still visible.

You could probably sell the old ones on craigslist, facebook or ebay. Lots of people out looking for deals right now!

Oh something like this would be adorable in that kitchen. Not sure what vibe you are going for but I love this light for over the sink! I can picture it with some navy checked/gingham cafe curtains.

I'd start by replacing the lights and hold off on painting the cabinets. If you're set on painting something though, you could paint the door or just the island.

Your cabinetry looks like it might be melamine. If that' the case you should consider roughing up the surface with 220 grit sandpaper and then using a paint that is specifically used for plastic surfaces.

That’s super helpful!! I think you’re totally right because it certainly doesn’t feel like wood to me. Thank you!

I love the idea of painting the door! thats so fun!

would you paint either the door OR the island? Or both? Color suggestions??

thank you so so much!

The door seems more impactful. Painting the island may be too busy IMO.

I agree with @er612. I love that robin egg blue shown above. It is so pretty.

@er612 and @K H would you paint the panneling on the window part of the door too? Or leave that white?

Additionally, we have a set of french doors in our all white/light living room...would you recommend painting these as well? Or the fireplace? Please help! I'm so new to this haha My husband and I have been living in a 400 sq ft studio apt in Boston for 3 years and I havent had to think about decorating or furnishing more than one room, let alone a whole house!

All guidance is sincerely appreciated!

Also open to input on fireplace...I have no idea what to do here.

Thank you!!

move your sofa off the rug a bit. usually only the front feet should be on it. chairs too. You have the space. give the furniture some breathing room. It's like everything is on a 'rug island'. lol

Does the LR rug have some purple in it? You can use one of the colors from it for the kitchen door, towels, and pillows for the couch. And Beth I’d right - pull the furniture off the rug so the feet are on a few inches of it. The whole room will feel bigger.

@RedRyder and @Beth H. : this is so helpful! Thank you! The rug has all of the colors under the sun in it lol we've tried every neutral and light colored rug and they end up ruined after a few months because our dog just loves to lay on them! So there's navy, purply, ochre, green and pink in this one.

I've pulled the couch off the rug on both sides. The accent chairs have casters on the front feet, so they became a little unstable when I tried to pull them off the rug some too, and they were pretty close to being in the kitchen archway. The rug is 9x13, so it's fairly large. Had I gone smaller I think I could have pulled all the furniture off some. Still waiting to get an entryway piece to go alon the 9 ft long blank wall. Updated pictures here

Somone has also suggested flipping the couch so it's not immediately as you walk in the front door, but I haven't experimented with that as of yet.

Love that mustard color! You could leave the grids/mullions white. A lot of people have it that way. They are a pain to paint anyway!

beautiful rug and sofa and chairs! nice job.

I'd still move the chairs back a bit,

like shown here:

BTW, have you thought about doing a tall plant in the corner ^ like in the picture? I think some taller elements and greenery would give you some 'extra'. The FiddleLeaf Fig tree in a pot is always nice, but I've seen these olive trees in similar decor like yours. you have plenty of windows and light

don't know if you could fit another chair over there in the corner and add accessories like shown:

here's a similar arrangement

you could do a sofa table

more modern style sofa table.

I can't tell from the pics if you can rotate the sofa.

what's on the wall behind the sofa? any art?

any plans on painting? I notice you have a chair rail. what if you did a wainscot trim or painted the lower portion darker?

Keeping the ceiling fan? you could do a nice chandelier, or another style fan.

this arrangement is also like yours (notice the plant in the corner) Diff hanging light. larger coffee table.

maybe a slightly larger end table next to sofa?

All great recommendations! We did actually have a really beautiful tufted chair in the corner, but sold it to pay for our COVID wedding last month 😬 planning on putting our Christmas tree there soon! Yay!

I wanted to do a buffet/sideboard at the back wall with a mirror and possibly wall paper, it’s opposite the fireplace and TV.

Would love to try the furniture in that one arrangement you shared! With the paired accent chairs in the corner. Will have to get the husband to help at some point.

And definitely getting a new fixture and plants. It’s a slow work in progress 🙃

oh, one last thing that I think will really give your room what you need, window blinds. I'd remove the mini blinds (When you're able to do all of this!) and get diff window coverings. Whether you prefer drapes or blinds, or shades, up to you.

perhaps some woven woods, roman shades, Silhouette blinds, curtains,,,etc. I'd explore some of those options

You don't need to paint the living room doors...but you can. Do you use both bar stools at the island? Is there an overhand on both ends?

Also, I like your dining table and chairs and wouldn't change. I might change the hardware on your cabinets though, at least the drawers. The pulls seem heavy. Something simpler like this might work.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Franklin-Brass-3-in-76-mm-Matte-Black-Straight-Bar-Drawer-Pull-10-Pack-P29520Z-FB-B/313808981

@er612 there is an overhang on both sides, but the trashcan is underneath the other side. Regarding the pulls, all of the cabinets and drawers had white glass single knobs (they made the cabinets look really dirty) in the center when we moved in. We wanted to replace them quickly, but we had to find something that would cover the hole in the middle of the drawers since they are melamine and couldn't be patched/painted to match.

So unfortuantely I think it does have to be a sort of cup pull, but I am open to other designs!

@Beth H. : thank you for your input and for the writing on the photo! That is super helpful. Drapes/window coverings are definitely on the list! Also in search of a new ottoman.

@er612 and @Beth H. : Any suggestions on tile/finishes for the fireplace?? I'm really not into the dark brown marble look there.

Not a Pro.

I would paint the kitchen door black. Add color in accessories, easy to change out.

Fireplace ideas, you could paint the tile as a temporary fix or keep the tile and replace the current mantel with a natural wood one.

Painting Fireplace Tile

@er612 I love the way the room looks painted! My only concern is the the chair rail is carried out through literally every hallway and throughout the whole kitchen. I wasn't sure If it would look strange to have a few walls painted this way, and not the other walls. Perhaps you can see what I'm talking about here? See how the chair rail extends throughout other areas.

Thoughts?

well, you could always remove the chair rail.

but yes, if you paint the walls, you'll have to pick the same color to carry out through those adjoining halls

I think Pale Oak,

, Smoke Embers,

Nimbus, or Light pewter

would all be lovely in your space.

I'd also hang a nice piece of art here

to tie in the pale aqua chairs, maybe to some pillows on the sofa w/those colors.

the fireplace/mantle is way too traditional looking. I'd remove everything.

if you want more Boho, try some zellige tile on the surround

I love this selection^

or a cement tile with natural wood mantle

or, do more of a modern surround w/a marble tile

at the very least, do a diff surround w/out the fluting

Love those fireplace options! I agree it’s definitely too traditional right now. I’m hopeful that fixing the light fixtures first will help turn down that dated look. Then we can tackle fireplace. I don’t even want to share the bathrooms haha they need complete overhauls.

Funny enough, Pale Oak is actually what we have on all the walls currently. Top and bottom.

oh, well I think the color is fine. Wasn't sure if you just wanted to change it. Looks like a nice neutral from the pictures.

It is a really nice neutral. I think with some art with those colors like you suggested will make me less squirmy.

i painted our master tissue pink and my husbands office acacia green, so I think I get uncomfortable with the idea that the kitchen and living area have such neutral walls while the others are so full of color - which was maybe a mistake haha

Update! We rearranged the furniture. Thoughts?? How can I dress up the backside of the couch that’s now facing the kitchen? larger more substantial end tables feel like a must as well?

I preferred the furniture in the prior configuration, and think the room felt more connected to the kitchen that way, in a way that seemed positive to me. I don't think the new configuration is crying for more furniture, but it's crying for some wall and corner décor. Namely, plants. Get some plants into the corners, and some art on the walls.

Rats! I'm really struggling to find a configuration that I like. yes the former was open to the kitchen, but felt very closed off when you walk through the front door.

We do have a few pieces of wall decor, but definitely need more. Would love to go through the flea markets once they open up again. Buying art onine isn't the same, and is significantly more expensive. Have been monitoring FB marketplace as well. I will make that the primary focus! Thank you!

I think furniture configuration is all ok (the original way you had it). I dont think cabinets need to be painted either, what you need is some color in the too sterile rooms. Pick your favorite colors and give it some personality. Right now, it looks like the house is done well, but, not loved. Brighter pillows, brighter accessories, some brighter art work. Put some accessories in it that you love, and brighten it up with your own personality.