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Help! I hate my kitchen!

5 years ago

Hi, my wife and I just purchased our first condo and we are so excited! The kitchen and bathrooms are nice however have older style granite and backsplash. We like the simple clean white look, however we feel like it won’t look well with the

granite top and current tiles. Please advise what we should do. I don’t have a large budget, so paint and backsplash is all I can do. Please ignore the furniture in the pictures they are not ours and will be replaced.






Comments (22)

  • 5 years ago

    Agree with Mimimomy. Best to take your time enjoy your new apt. Your style will change so don't rush. Home Depot just finished a 20% Quartz counter top sale but take a look to visualize your desired look. When sales come, go for the color that finally set your hearts on.

  • 5 years ago

    I was looking at a lot of pictures on this app and I think if I change the backsplash to a earth time it will make the kitchen look more complete. What do you think?

  • 5 years ago

    Picture advice is sample

  • 5 years ago

    Thank you for the complements! Sorry for the spelling auto correct

  • 5 years ago

    May I be honest? Small photo, but that looks like travertine backsplash. That, and the framed area behind the range aren't 'current trends'. If its current trends you are thinking of ;0) I agree with the above. Enjoy and settle into your new space. Place your own wonderful art and consider painting the walls with something you love. Make major changes later when you've recovered from your 'start up' expenses. I think your bathroom looks very nice! So much better space than our first bath (which had turquoise toilet, sink, tub ;0))

  • 5 years ago

    Thank you!

  • 5 years ago

    One more question! You guys are so quick and helpful by the way. Since our living room and kitchen are deep, the natural light does not come through and our apartment is dark. Hence all the lights. We want to paint the ceiling and walls white to brighten the place up. Do you think all white walls would match the kitchen colours?

  • 5 years ago

    All your current lighting is from above which makes for "shadowy" rooms. If you add table lamps and accent lamps, things will brighten up. I wouldn't paint til you have your furnishings in, especially big pieces like rugs and couches.

  • 5 years ago

    I also suggest waiting. But I understand that can be difficult. Colors on photos can be off so I may be wrong about this but white cabinets are a no with that granite. So it seems the decision to be made is..will you wait to redo cabinets until you can buy new countertops? If you dont forsee being able to wait I would consider painting the cabinets black. I feel the wood floor with the wood cabinets is a big no for me. So I would paint at least the bottom ones and get a black faucet to tie it up. Then paint the walls a pale blue to lighten it up a bit. I think it would look modern and beautiful.

  • 5 years ago

    Thank you!

  • 5 years ago

    very nice place @Ash Teh do you have a closer pic of the countertop? I would say from my experience doing something like a backsplash that you dont love to go with a counter you dont love will cost more in the end...waiting to see what you truly want to change is a good idea before you spend much money. Paint is cheap though and goes a long way to make the space feel fresh, new and like your own.

  • 5 years ago

    I’m thinking I should just paint the ceiling white and add new backsplash. My counter top is like this

  • 5 years ago

    This

  • 5 years ago

    I feel like I have to buy furniture that matches a kitchen I don’t like

  • 5 years ago

    what bothers you most about the kitchen @Ash Teh ?

  • PRO
    5 years ago

    I would chose a warm white like one of these back splashes and match the whit for the walls. What style furniture do you like, regardless if the kitchen?

  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    So if it was up to me the first thing I’d do is get new lighting fixtures for a more contemporary look (Including over the dining table). If that’s not enough, new hardware for the sink would be next. Still not enough but still no budget for a remake? Take down the upper cabinets and do open shelving, or —- if you really need that storage, remove the upper cabinet doors and replace them with an industrial-look metal mesh front, and paint the lower cabinets charcoal or some other dark color you like.


    Industrial Kitchen Design Ideas · More Info


  • PRO
    5 years ago

    Hard to see the countertops in your kitchen photos. Would suggest that you select a backsplash tile that will tone down the countertops. One of the better ways of doing that is to pick out a color in the granite (such as grey if it is in there) and select a tile of similar color. That should lessen the granites impact. Painting your cabinets will have a tremendous impact. Would suggest that you add glass to some of the cabinet doors. Addition of glass really gives depth to cabinets and lessens the flat facade they present. Good luck!

  • PRO
    5 years ago

    We might suggest going with the lightest color in your countertop and use that for a backsplash. We would recommend keeping the backsplash simple. Here is a kitchen we designed for a client and it might just aid you with this dilemma.

    Contemporary Kitchen & Bath · More Info


  • 5 years ago

    Thank you everyone.

  • 5 years ago

    This is similar to my countertop