bead board on all door fronts? and non-negotiable???

here's a plain white subway splash.

White Cottage Styled Kitchen · More Info

What about a subway lengthwise to mimic beadboard (ignore the center pattern)? Chevron looks nice too. Gold, black and copper is a bit too much metal for my taste, maybe a black and gold mix if you are keeping the pendants?

The copper on the stove is very pronounced and dictates a lot. I would stick with all black metals and swap the lights for something black as well. Let the copper be the solo star of the show. I would do an extremely simple backsplash - no herringbone or hex. You have so much movement and so many lines already in this kitchen - look at all the square trim around the cabinets, the corbels on the island, the beadboard. I would go as simple as possible, with as few groutlines as possible.

The stove was a big hubby mistake. I'd consider selling and a new. All stainless will never fail you. A fad will always buy you a problem, especially when your micro lurks above the "glam fad": ).

You aren't going to "Modernize" it - what you will do is spend a LOT of money to have essentially the same kitchen. Hi/low cabinet uppers, imposing hood with a microwave, bead board etc, turned posts at the island. You aren't going to turn it to white Shaker with faux marble and gray walls anything.

The gray on the walls? It's turning the cabinets to yellow from ivory!!! For now? Paint the walls to match cabinets, pic a subway soft white backsplash, try a more pewter toned pendant, and change hardware if you like. I'd leave the tops alone. But IF YOU MUST CHANGE? A honed black mist granite, or even a soapstone!! would be great.

Then ? Stop. Save your money for the kitchen you REALLY want. Real marble included

Jan is totally right.

If you insist on your vision anyway, how about just following the current trend of running the counter up the wall for your backsplash? It's a simple easy approach and your counter material would make a nice backsplash. You won't have the stress of trying to find just the right white tile (OMG, the flood of posts from people trying to match whites or near-whites, when it would be better not to have white everything). It could be hard enough trying to match your cabinets to your countertops and walls (assuming white walls). Jan is right that the grey walls are yellowing your cabinets.

You mentioned a possibly dark grey island. Well, if you are not willing to do as Jan said and return the range (doubt you are willing to make hubby pout), could you please find somewhere to repeat the warm copper color, like perhaps in a warm coppery wood island? I can't tell if you are replacing or just repainting your cabinets. If you are just painting then the wood island base is out, so, grey? OK, assuming you are bringing out the grey in the countertop. But consider a real wood butcher block island counter in a warm coppery brown. 

Pictures of your adjoining living room could be helpful. Pictures of both rooms showing how they relate would be helpful.

You're lucky to have caught Jan's attention. Look at her projects on her  profile. She can give you exceptional results.

It looks like the bead board is only on the island back and the side panels- if so, cover those with thin veneer and that solves that issue. Move on with the countertop and tile combos.

If it were me, I wouldn’t paint the cupboards white. For the effort and cost of painting, the style is the style and being white won’t really feel more modern.

I’d embrace the black stove, ie: black counter/island (and update the front, see below). Major decisions first and then decide on lighting, faucet and hardware.

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. Within a few months of moving into the house last year, the fridge and then the range bit the dust. Had it been the other way round, I would have insisted on white cafe appliances, but alas, here we are. IIRC, stock was pretty limited when we had to order the range. I wish I could convince hubby to get the gold hardware for the range, but he won’t budge, said we made the decision together (though I don’t remember approving). It’s $600.

The plan has always been to paint the cabinets white - they’re quite worn out and not really in our color scheme. The gray walls were painted by us when we moved in knowing we would paint the cabinets. I would love to do a dark wood island but we are keeping the existing cabinetry and I doubt it’s able to be stained rather than painted. We have matching built ins across from the kitchen in the living room which will also be painted white.

As for backsplash, subway tile isn’t what I wanted to hear but I think i knew that would make the most sense. It’s what we’ve had in our last two houses and I wanted something different but, maybe next house! I’ll probably go with a 3x12. Slab isn’t really an option - I don’t think we’ll have enough extra on our slabs anyway and the fabrication cost would be far more than tile.

We don’t want to spend a crazy amount of money because we know this isn’t our forever home, and so far we’ve been able to get reasonable quotes for our plans. We’re not looking to make a bunch of expensive modifications. I have been trying to convince my husband to move our microwave over to the cabinets next to the fridge, but he’s insistent to get the black microwave to match over the range. It needs replaced we just haven’t gotten around to it. I was also going to replace the pendants with something black, not sure on style yet.

Edit to add: I would love nothing more than to remove the entire hood area - it has no useful storage and I think a custom hood would elevate the entire kitchen. Then I’d move the microwave to be built in to the left if the fridge. But husband can’t be convinced. He thinks it’ll be too expensive. I get it - we have already replaced appliances, all the carpet, repainted the entire house and paid 10K to have the exterior painted last summer. We still have to update all the bathrooms and refinish our hardwood floors.

Splash out with interesting tile in your bathrooms. I would look for lighting that is copper to tie in with your gorgeous range. A copper sink? Think copper and black. How yummy! Consider a drawer microwave, too.

That house needs white Cafe appliances............like I need a third eye?

I know you want what you want. But you already have one fad - just saying. : ) sorry....but every single time, they bite you back.

Show us more of the house, for a MAYBE I change my mind.

Start some research of mega trends, and you will find a huge "warming" trend. Past the white gray blue......into softer, green, !! and deep caramel tones in lush fabrics. Show more of the house.

It's ok if you don't want to spend a lot of money on the house. Just make it nice for the next person then.

work on which "white paint " and focus on the perimeter cabs. Leave the island out of the equation temporarily. It's possible you could paint the island in another color with nice results...esp if all the counters will be the same.

DS Chicago to Birmingham · More Info

Mercer Island Retreat · More Info

Re the hood: consider removal of mwave and insert "under cab style" hood. consider a small counter microwave over in the corner . You'd gain a feature you now lack so worth pricing it out.

[I think this would be a valuable upgrade]

Freeport 2 · More Info

St. Thomas Model Home Interior Design (1252) · More Info

Jan, can you specify which fad - are you talking the range?

Was just discussing some of the comments and suggestions with my husband - he has conceded that if it will really help us with the kitchen design he’d be ok with switching out the copper hardware to brushed gold. Y’all have helped me make some movement ;)

I do think that would help me immensely. I had considered honed black countertops on the perimeter, white on the island. But if I do that I’d keep all cabinets white. And if all counters are the white quartz in my first post do a charcoal grey island.

Our realtor friend says grey is ‘out’ but it’s what we like. The whole house was shades of beige when we moved in - my worst nightmare. Believe it or not, the walls are a warm grey, the cabinets are just really, really yellow. But all the trim around the house is pure white. The cabinets need painting either way - the previous family really banged them up.

I use my cabinets over the range to store hot pads and towels. They are lightweight so I don't worry about them crashing down. Just a thought. I don't think the storage space is worthless.

What are your plans for all those black face plates in the backsplash? Will you replace them with white if you put white subway tile there?

KL- its hard to explain what theyve got going on up there. the spaces are too narrow and deep to be useful and half is taken up by the venting. We’ve got plenty of storage plus a walk in pantry. We have oil and a few cooking vinegars up there that could easily find homes elsewhere. But again, thats a little more construction than my husband is willing to do. We will definitely be switching out those face plates.

For those wondering what the whole room looks like. The lighting was all here when we moved in. I would definitely like to replace the pendants soon as we aren’t the biggest fan. They’re fine, but they could be better.

I appreciate the details like the coffered ceilings and love our living room light and entry chandeliers. I agree that the kitchen just has *too much* going on. Perhaps we can replace the fluted supports to simplify just a bit, I’ll look into that.

The LR really is a nice space with the ceiling and the windows.

I know little about architectural styles, but it does seem to me that the coffered ceiling is of a different design era (if that is the right word) than the kitchen.

The light fixtures in your photo (kitchen, nook and LR) are a bit of a mish-mosh!

doesnt seem you have to try so hard to "create a look" in your kitchen. the adjacent spaces and the whole is very nice and atttractive. Just getting on with the painting and new counters will do quite a bit. subway backsplash would be a fine pick it seems /pick a quality tile. It's transitional...dont really follow "French Country" kitchen theme. I like the tiny bit of glam with all the the light fixtures/ dont think I'd change them . I might think twice about black hardware and of course the hood thing might be an actual upgrade. here is what they call "satin brass"

Master Bathroom Renovation | Gold, Gray & Cobalt | Spring Valley | Houston, TX · More Info

hardware. you could keep the black faucet and sink if its ordered and look at metals now avail for the knobs/handles . this is pretty and you lean toward the white/gray surfaces as shown here, apparently.

I love your blue sofa and the light blue area rug.

These ceilings are specific to one of the builders in my area. There are a lot of houses in our area with them. My guess would be that the builder chose the finishes. I find that mass production builders (in my area at least) generally don’t have the best taste.

I haven’t ordered anything yet, we’ve just secured our painter and counter fabricator. We’re going to finalize our slab selection soon which is what prompted this post. I’ve put gold faucets in our last two houses, before gold finishes were popular. It’s just what I love. Herbflavor - That bathroom is exactly the types of finishes that I love. Raee gw - the previous owner must have liked capiz, bc there is a duplicate of the dining room chandelier in the master bedroom.

I’ve got a lot to think about!

So, the hexagon tile kitchen backsplash would repeat the hexagon pattern in the living room light. Would that be a good thing for you? And assuming you would use white grout, it wouldn't seem too similar to the headboard. That sounds like a safe fallback.

And so, regarding the storage over the range, you really would love a hood up there instead but don't want to spend that level of funds right now. Is that correct? I was just thinking that if you did, would it be a metal hood, and how would that affect your island pendant choice? You have a fairly open plan, so all decisions affect each other to some degree.

What have you figured out about your (and hubby's) overall look? So far I see a trend towards glam for both and contemporary for at least you. Is that correct? I'm a little confused because originally you said you liked the traditional details of the kitchen. Maybe it's not the traditional part so much as the detail part you like?

Your kitchen has some very traditional details. I see why you wanted to start with the backsplash. It's got multiple tiles and contrasting plates.

The island has the greatest concentration of traditional details. They could be replaced with different details and would fit your style better. You are already looking into replacing the turned legs. Then look into more contemporary corbels.

I was going to suggest replacing the beadboard in the island with the current trend for reeding until I saw the beadboar in the kitchen example of this article on 2023 trends. https://www.houzz.com/magazine/35-home-design-trends-on-the-rise-in-2023-stsetivw-vs~165263773

I don't get the two area rug thing in family room. Agree you need larger than what's on top. Yes you can put a pattern over a texture sisal...... But.......that's not working: ) The sisal isn't big enough TO make it work. Sorry, off topic.

You say you’re trying to get your very traditional kitchen more modern. To me, beadboard screams “country/farmhouse” and isn’t modern. The extras (corbels, overdone island legs, etc) from the 1990’s kitchens can be removed to make the cabinetry more sleek and modern. Take off or cover the beadboard as well.

I know you’ve said you like gray, but your lovely sofa is deep navy. Have you considered doing the island in that color? Navy and white are classic.

Glad you got your husband to give up the copper.

Your fixtures can be redone once the rest of the kitchen is completed. I wouldn’t try visualizing new lighting until the major “modernizing “ is done. Then the type of fixtures you need will be more apparent.

Off topic: any chance of creating an inside shelf on the side of the island for your microwave? Mine is hidden there and I love not seeing it on the countertop.

Keep the cabinetry over the stove and insert the exhaust in there. I would not add another “design” element to this kitchen. I am envisioning your husband falling in love with a stainless steel one….

As a non-professional, but future home buyer, the elephant in the room is that “feature microwave/hood”. That’s the first thing I’d see and the first thing I’d object to. If this is about investing in things with resale value, I would get quotes to remove most of that cabinetry and replace it with something simpler. You have a beautiful living area, and great possibilities for the kitchen. It would be a shame to spend a great deal of money on lovely features in both rooms only to have everything take a back seat to that enormous eye catcher.

K L - If we did a ‘hood’ it would really just be a hidden one with a piece of trim to cover, no more metals! Rather than replacing corbels I think we’ve come to an agreement to knock out or cover the beadboard with a smooth panel. That would still allow us to have the other details and just have a lot less going on overall. I’m pretty happy with that decision, and I think it will allow for hex or picket tile. The current backsplash is awful, yes.

We saw great potential in this house when we moved in. Perhaps the word ‘modernize’ wasn’t the right one. Really we just want to bring it into this decade and out of the early 2000’s and bring it together with the rest of the house. The cabinets are verrrry yellow and chipping, and the plan has always been to paint them white. I’m really liking the idea of the dark island with two young kids. Maybe sw iron ore or urbane bronze? Then the question is - white quartz or black soapstone. I don’t want to do two separate color counters if we’re painting the island dark. Dark sink and gold fixtures and oven hardware, and replace the counter stools and pendants eventually. I’m going to price out moving the microwave and we’ll see.

Re the rugs - I’m sure there is a Reddit snark page somewhere that the comment would just be golden, but if you must know, the wool rug underneath sheds terrible and isn’t terribly soft or comfortable underfoot when you’re playing on the floor with young kids. We had the blue rug in our old bedroom and so we’re just using what we have. I’m mot expecting my house to be featured in a magazine or anything.

Love your last comment! 😂

Covering the beadboard is great. Keep it simple. As for the island, both SW colors are gorgeous. I redid a small bathroom vanity in Urbane Bronze and it has a “tinge” of brown so it makes it easy to work with (i.e.it can be wam or cool). Iron Ore is also a great color. Doing a dark countertop with a dark island can be gorgeous. It also covers a multitude of sins when you have little ones. I would search for photos on Houzz to see,how that looks before making a final paint/countertop decision.

There are a million runners in polypropylene you can use in your kitchen after you finish the remodeling. I wouldn’t think about that in advance. Just as long as you have something to protect your floors, your back and the kids can play on.

Eliminating corbels there is fine with me too. It's hard to know how attached someone might be to something. Was giving you the option to keep them but modernize. 

I'm also ok with knocking out the legs or replacing them. If you plan to have a smooth back instead of beadboard. What will you do about the legs, the big ones near the living room and the little ones near the range?

Re hood, personally I like the wall look and contemporary flat panel uppers that look like more wall, so you'll get no argument from me. And I definitely agree to repaint the cabinets in a fresher non-yellow white!

I'm glad I can be useful by helping you say what you don't like. :-) I had a supervisor who told me to flip a coin then pay attention to my gut reaction. Very useful tool sometimes. I'm happy to have been your coin!

I somehow missed that you plan to replace your counters too. I like both your choices. Don't really know how to put them together. When you say grey island, are you thinking light grey or dark grey? When you say white quartz, are you thinking solid or with a light grey vein? When you say soapstone, are you thinking oiled deep black with white veins or no veins? Or are you thinking medium grey? All those grey and white combinations have so many interesting potential combinations? I'd figure them out before choosing the exact color white for the cabinets.

I can understand why you want to paint your cabinets white, However, I think you need to consider the cohesive picture of everything together. If you are insistent on keeping the black range, I think that needs to connect with something else in the kitchen. And just a faucet isn't going to create that cohesion. Would you consider doing matte black countertops? Maybe soapstone or virginia mist granite. Or perhaps there's a quartz option out there.

You may also need to do something different where the microwave is. Maybe replace it with a coordinating black range hood and tuck a microwave elsewhere (maybe the pantry).

Your home is really lovely and the living room is really something special. I look forward to to seeing your progress.

What did you think of her flavor's top picture photo? The base and uppers on the wall were white with a grey counter. The island was grey with white counter. Could be white with grey marble look.

Sorry, that was herbflavor.

KL- would be some grey veining. Dark island. Cover beadboard. Out of all the detailing I like that the least and I think will simplify the most. Here’s an updated inspo photo. Still some swapping out to do.

I’m leaning toward white counters with dark island right now. I found a more traditional style faucet that I love to honor the style of the kitchen without trying to ‘modernize’. Still unsure on microwave or hood. But I rather like my disco ball lighting. Those stay.

That all looks nice. The white tile is different. Is it really textured or is that an illusion?