BTW, I am not a SketchUp pro (I wish!). I'm just self-taught. Have been using it for this project to design flororplan, etc. This was my first time trying it out for colors. Materials were a little more difficult because I don't know how to custom-insert photos. That would have been cool. Would love to see what some of the countertops look like that I took picutres of. Does anyone know how to do that in SketchUp?

When I see soooo many here thinking dark kitchens I recall what we purchased 30 years ago. When built in the 70s this kitchen was the latest! It was a CAVE. My prediction is if you move forward according to some of your inspiration pics this is where you will be in 10 years. On a side note: Everything old is new again. Note the counter material was used for the back splash!!!

I ahve to agree totally you are in way over your head. I never use Ikea boxes with other doors Waht is the point the doors are the expensive part and Ikea slab doors are awesome plus the fact you will not have the 25 yr warranty from Ikea . Right now all those pics do not help one bit. Get an independant KD and first figure out the design then choose cabinets . Ther eis huge fifference between beded and slab doors they do not go together. If your brother thinks beaded are easier to make IMO he has no clue .

Thank you everyone for your comments. Yes, I agree I'm in over my head. The remodel just kept morphing until suddenly I was doing my main level kitchen and a whole bunc of other stuff too. It started as just a bathroom in the basement lol.

I have engaged an interior designer. I made this deck for her but she's not available for a week plus, so I also wanted to share on Houzz and get some feedback in the meantime.

Looking at these photos and imagining an outsider's perspective, yes, the kitchen does look dark, especially with the dark floors. Unfortunately I do not know how to make a custom texture in IKEA so am using a stock floor color. Mine is likely different. That said, it still is a pretty rich color.

I did like the way my house way painted before so am thinking I'm going to go for the same or close to the same colors again this time around. Just not sure about the kitchen, hence this post. The kitchen was off-white/cream previously but it never matched that great.

The curtains that I had custom made are driving the color selection overall as are the couches I already own. The space isn't giant so want everything in the living room, dining room, etc. to also match the kitchen.

You started out of order , you had no plan, you are doing a permanent kitchen selection BASED ON CURTAINS for gods sake! that may change in two years!

Get off Houzz, please, and listen to the designer, who I hope is saner than thee, and discards ninety percent of your pdf.

No, I am not kidding.

And none of this is "lol" either, as you dip into a 401k

Everyone go ahead and yell. That's the truth.

YELL YELL YELL Trust the deisner you hired and let them make choices

I think before you start even looking at countertops, decide what material you're going to go with, because I'm seeing a whole slew of top options here that are all basically different iterations of the same thing - Grey - at vastly different price points. None of them are popping. Unless you're going with extremely high-end cabinetry and finishes, grey in large quantities can cheapen a space like none other. I only say this because you've mentioned potentially making income off of this property.

Forget decision fatigue - you are unfocused and need help. Either use your designer or find a KD and let them help you get this done.

Don’t do a dark kitchen. It can have black elements but all black is like a huge hole.

I'm in agreement with others here, glad you are consulting help. There are a number of bad design decisions in the current layout.

Here is a simple recreation of what you spec'd for what its worth

“I ran out of my HELOC and am using my 401k now. (I also did the basement, turning it into a rental unit so added a whole other kitchen, took out my furnace and AC and replaced all of it with mini splits in every room of the house, replaced my big hot water heater with a tankless heater, etc.)”

This is showing a recklessness about spending your money. For example, while tankless is nice, with your money situation you should have just bought a new tanked water heater, perhaps in a smaller size than the old one, saving thousands. Then I have no idea why you replaced your furnace and AC entirely with mini splits. And who knows what the ”etc” you mentioned cost you. Your rental unit is far from completion, so you are not getting any income from it in the near future, and how many months of rental of a basement apartment will it take to recoup what you spent/will spend on its renovation.

I actually think you should take a long break from renovation and assess what you can actually afford. This spending of your 401k is terrible, not only for your future, but because the market was so down this year that you sold off 401k in a down market, and on top of all that you will incur higher federal taxes from drawing on your 401k now. Plus you have your Heloc debt that you’ve gone through. You evidently have no savings for an emergency fund, a bad situation. What you are doing with your reckless spending is beyond the scope of this forum. Put the brakes on, and assess your financial situation before getting in even deeper.

Thank you Rabbit Design for you amazing render! Nice job. Wish I was that talented. What program are you using?

I met with two interior designers and they were helpful, but I still am working on the design and finalizing the cabinet and countertop selection. Since my last post, I have choosen a green color instead of going dark. I appreciate the feedback from everyone that the design overall was too dark. Here's where I'm at now.

The bar stools are placeholders based on what I could find in the SketchUp Library.

Not sure if I can make my fridge look built in but I'm going to try. I bought the Samsung Bespoke fridge in matte black/charcoal because it was the cheapest fridge that I could find that I might be able to hack and change the panels on. Samsung makes a bunch of different panels that you can change out, and I was hoping I could make my own panels.

I don't own the Cafe appliances now, I ordered charcoal Samsung appliances but I can change my order as I have not picked it up yet (the fridge is the only item I picked up and have at my house now).

Anyway, I liked the grey-green because it pops with the floor color. The countertop I am thinking is Etude by Viatera and sold by Home Depot. I'm still working with them to see if they can do a waterfall for the island.

As for the backsplash, that is another quartz I was considering but probably won't have the funds to actually do it. Any ideas for a tile backsplash?

Here is a photo of my flooring with a different countertop selection I am also considering. It is called Halcyon but Silestone. I'm just worried it's too grainy and not punchy enough. Etude is a bit more pronounced but still light in it's veining. Although not as creamy.

Here is a photo of the Etude slab.

Here is a photo of the cabinet color with a couple other countertop options.

Any feedback? Am I on the right track with grey-green cabinets (color is called Millstone Grey by Benjamin Moore)? I am going to have someone custom make them (so that I can paint them) and am going to do Shaker profiles on the doors and likely drawers too.

Looking for backsplash ideas and appliance suggestions too. Any range is good, as long as it's induction. Would charcoal appliances work too (that's what I ordered)?

Thank you Houzz community!

Laura

BTW, here are some inspiration photos.

I'm not in love with the quartz that is in this kitchen but it's still nice. I do like the application, including the waterfall on the island and full height backsplash.

Here's a version with dark appliances.

Comments? Do you like white or charcoal better?

Any ideas for the back of the island and the range hood?