So your kitchen is modern, is the whole house in modern ? I don't think it is a good idea to change this kitchen if the rest of the house is in the same style. Even if you paint Your cabinets successfully it is still going to be modern slab fronts

Overall what are trying to achieve with your changes? do you want a brighter space? more traditional?

Your mood board has nothing in common with your current kitchen.

If you really want what's in your mood board, save your money and gut the kitchen. Anything else (such as what you're proposing you do) will look awful.

What great questions. Thanks!
My house is Edwardian and all the other rooms are not modern. The feel is contemporary, a modernised version of mid century, darker colours texture patterns etc. cabinets are wood, factory painted in gloss.

I want the space to have more texture and feel less clinical.

Thanks

Like millworkman I'm not sure painting your cabinetry is even possible. That is a very high gloss finish. You may have to consult a cabinet company as to what new finish might be possible.

I’d focus on your floors and that available wall - your wallpaper would fit nicely. However your grey floor is the outlier. What are the adjacent floors? Bringing in the wood as shown on the mood-board would be nice but only if that is also the same floor in the adjacent spaces.

I’m talking about the wall with art for the wallpaper - I would not do the wallpaper on the dividing wall - that would look best just matching the cabinet color.

Unfortunately that wall is going as right now there’s a toilet room in the dining room (!) and that will be demolished.

The rest of the house has wooden floors and so it will be more cohesive I think (the wooden floors elsewhere are planks not herringbone).

I wonder what I could do with the backsplash (assuming I can’t paint the cupboards) to add a bit of texture - ideally it would be something that the wall paper matches so that I can use the wall paper elsewhere in the kitchen.

Pls show other rooms

The space will have a lot of visual straight through into dining zone if thats what is beyond he wall you are removing. id wait and complete that work . how will everything look together? do you have a serving area/ wet bar /table w light fixture in that room/ etc etc?

This is a really fun challenge. Can you post more kitchen picks? Changing your floor and the backsplash will change so much, even if you have to keep the sleek white cabinet and black counters. What is the current backsplash material? Could you install the same thing but in the soft green color you love and paint the walls to match? Also, while it sounds super tacky, antiqued mirrored backsplashes can be ised to great effect. Im also curious if wallpaper can be used as a backsplash and then covered with glass. What other light sources are in your kitchen? It looks very dark.

Yes exactly this Kendrah. I’m hoping to find small adjustments that improve the look without having to gut the kitchen

Karen, Look outside of Houzz for inspiration pics. A lot of perspectives on Houzz fall into very one-lane concepts of design - your look has to be contemporary or traditional. Check out Clever - Architectural Digest's more DIY, youthful blog. Also do a google images search for Paris apartment kitchens. You'll see more thinking-outside-the-box ways to combine sleek and modern with pretty soft colors, traditional accents, and a mix of eras. Here are a few pics to inspire:

Lastly, never underestimate the impact that a big beautiful French hand towel can have when placed on the front of a range handle, or hung on the wall. This one really reminds me of your mood board.

https://www.le-jacquard-francais.com/tea-towel/tea-towel-la-vie-en-vosges-cotton/oftorchonvieenv.html

Thanks so much - great sources of inspiration Kendrah

Someone asked about other photos of my house - this is what downstairs looks like

@Herbflavour - good point. It will be much easier to visualise.
@thinkdesignlive - yes. I think it’s the floor that creates such a sharp contrast from the other rooms. And that’s definitely going as it needs to be pulled up to install new pipe work.
I wanted to install engineered wood in a herringbone design but I’m wondering if it would be better if I could find old planks of wood so that the kitchen floor matches the rest of the house?

@Kendrah I love the ideal of matching wall colour to the backsplash. And the wallpaper behind glass.

I wanted to install engineered wood in a herringbone design but I’m wondering if it would be better if I could find old planks of wood so that the kitchen floor matches the rest of the house?

I don't think you can go wrong either way, but I'm slightly leaning towards herringbone for your kitchen. If you keep the glossy cabinets, I think you need to lean in harder towards an eclectic look and herringbone against the gloss will help you do so.

I lived in an old house and found old planks of wood very similar to the other planks. (I've got some good tricks on how to do that.) But, even though the wood matched, it was nearly impossible to mix a stain that matched. So, I don't think your floors would look quite the same no matter what.

I now live in an 85 year old apartment that has oak herringbone floors. I recently had the floors refinished and some damage repair done. They used real oak for the herringbone, not engineered. It looks fabulous.

Your fireplaces are stunning by the way and I love how bold you are with color. You have a great eye for mixing different eras.

I’d post a plan of what you are doing as it’s hard to see how all these spaces work together. Seeing the plan will help determine how the floor should run. I would NOT mix engineered wood next to your old wood. You are better off either matching your wood and feathering it in and having all refinished to match or doing a new tile that works better with your overall spaces (think honed marble or limestone in a checkerboard, dark slate, cork, a Saltillo in a hex shape, etc). Resolve the floor dilemma first and then solve the backsplash.

Hi Karen, For the cabinet doors it might hard to paint your current ones, if they are laminate or melamine you could be better off changing the door/drawer fronts to the color & texture & finish that you desire. The current ones look to be in good shape and a neutral color, you might be better off financially to just change the countertops & backsplash (could be the same material). Its really pretty easy as new countertop slabs are available pre-made with finished edges for a very reasonable price and they will have the finished edge on them :- ) Darren

what are the interiors of the uppers.....are they melamine?

You could remove the doors and paint the inside to match the backsplash....or remove uppers and put up wood toned shelves. Another possibility would be to replace the upper doors with glass.

You definitely have a good eye for design!

It would be worth your time to get an estimate on refacing the kitchen (only new doors and drawer fronts). If it is within budget, your “new” kitchen will not only match your antique house better, it will let you choose what colors you want each element to be.

I agree the herringbone floor will be different enough that it won’t look like you tried to match your original floors. I would stain it to complement them (again - not trying to match).

Redoing the backsplash is a great idea and bringing in the green is easy. There are a lot of gorgeous green tiles now. Many look handmade, which adds character to the room.

If you want to change the countertops, scour the stone yards for remnants. I don’t know how many places are nearby, but prefab and remnants can be real good “finds”.

Refreshing a kitchen doesn’t have to be tens of thousands of dollars. You have such good instincts, I’m sure you can put these elements together to be cohesive with each other and your beautiful, beautiful old house. Thanks for sharing the extra photos!

Wow sooo many good ideas. Thanks everyone so much.

Kendrah and thinkdesign live thanks so much for the suggestions about the floor.
I love the look of herringbone - and yes like you suggested Kendrah I was hoping it will bring a little more of an eclectic vibe - i was also considering checkerboard tiles but I just love the warm feeling the wood creates. I wonder if I found reclaimed herringbone flooring (I live close to a reclaimed flooring yard) if it would match better than engineered wood as that was one of my concerns that new and old wouldn’t mix well.

In terms of painting the cabinets - I’ve done quite a bit of research and found this paint that comes highly recommended. Just wanted to place it here just in case anyone else is looking into painting gloss cabinets. A couple of zinsser bullseye followed by this paint: http://www.tikkurila.co.uk/
Will work. I’ve managed to paint most of my upvc windows (can you see a theme emerging :)) quite successfully

Although right now I’m going with the suggestion to get the floor right and then think about the rest after

Thibaut Eden Mystic Garden Wallpaper - Black

Tischler wood love all the cabinet suggestions. I need the cupboard space so have to keep them but love the idea of glass doors.

The kitchen is in really good shape and was replaced 5 years ago - a year before we moved in so it feels like a waste to change it. It’s also really good quality so I am a bit nervous about messing with the cupboards and it feels like a waste to replace them. I’m hoping that a new backsplash and floor might give it some new life.

Here’s a plan of the ground floor. Im removing that blue room - the room labelled ‘dining room’ on the map is one of the rooms with the fireplace and is painted in a green colour that currently matches the kitchen backsplash. I have a glass door leading to it from the extension part so the two places are connected by the colour.

Elcieg - aha - a wallpaper that connects all colours. The two rooms you added in your post are connected and visible through a glass door so maybe that is key. Thanks

Reading about your cabinets, I’d be inclined not to paint them and keep as is. They seem like really good ones, why open a can of worms? Another thought is to paint all of the walls and backsplash in a high gloss to match the color of the cabinets. I have a small galley kitchen and did this and it really opens things up to have every surface the same color. I don’t have a backsplash. I’ve discovered that a painted wall is even easier to clean and maintain.

What if you make it all one color, add herringbone floors, and put some cool vintage focal foint tile in a square just above the range?

Ooh Kendrah I didn’t consider that. And the difficulty has been in finding a third colour that matches with the cream and black.

I love the idea of a focal point tile. I think that would work really well.

And yes if I can update the kitchen without painting the cabinets I’d be happier with that.

Off to search for some cool tiles :)

Just found this photo and I love the sense serenity same colour tiles create

It’s white but I imagine cream with cream tiles would also work

What I love about the pic you posted of the white kitchen is how much the framed painting stands out against the white backsplash. In fact, instead of tile focal point, what if you did your entire splash in cream to match the cabinets and then just played with different framed oil paintings to have on the countertop, or hung on the splash (command strips!) a few inches off the countertop? The texture of a canvass painting and a wood frame will help break up the contemporary shine of tile and glossy cabinets and would bring another wood element into the kitchen in addition to the flooring. I think a piece or two of art would really help weave your rooms together more than a focal tile. You have a great eye for art pieces.

Here's an example of cream tile, cream cabinets, and dark counters.

Park Slope Brownstone · More Info

This kitchen in this link has pretty sleek appliances, cabinets, and counters with some nice paintings to balance it out.

What a brilliant idea!!! I love the idea of art breaking up the tiles. So simple and effective. And yes all cream tiles work really well. Thanks so much

I could totally see a small charming lamp or two in your kitchen to help brighten up the corners :)

Kendrah I just subscribed to the Clever website. I had never heard of it before. And Karen it looks like you’re getting a lot of great advice for making your kitchen more “you”.

Whatever you do, please consider using the Thibaut Eden Mystic Garden paper somewhere! It would fit your aesthetic.

Keeping the backsplash tiles the same color as the doors sounds like a great idea. It is not only soothing, it also gives you lots of decorating leeway for everything else. Creamy white/ivory is gorgeous anywhere.

(Full disclosure: my kitchen is creamy - doors and backsplash. )

Yes I love it! And I might just have the perfect space for it in the dining room.

Everything comes down to how much you want to spend. (Doesn't it always? :))

My thoughts, if it were my space and I was willing to spend a little but not a lot, and minimize the disruption...Would really, really try to make the cabinets work as is.

Love the floor idea, but agree it will be important to have it blend with your current floor. The fact that it's a different layout (herringbone) will help, and your style is so cool and interesting that different wood flooring can work if you do it with a good eye. The warm wood look will add a lot. (Your vibe seems to be depth and texture and warmth)

What about doing the counter in some version of that marble or marble-y looking quartz that you showed in your board? Something that works with the undertone of the cabinets. DEFinately in a honed/matte finish.

Love the previous idea of the backsplash blending with the cabinets in color. A nice neutral tile but a layout/grout lines/ that add some texture. I picture something a little rugged. You can accessorize and add art and you're not locked in.

I would keep walls neutral and then use that gorgeous green flamingo wallpaper somewhere in that end area. That's your cool statement. Also, how will you be using that added space? Table and chairs are another opportunity to add your look.

Lighting? Undercabinet is key. Any interesting fixtures?

Another idea I might play with is adding hardware to the cabinets. I think from what I see that the design doesn't need hardware, but I would buy a few to hold up and experiment with. Maybe a muted, soft gold/brass type of look, not huge. Might not work, but worth looking into.

Love all the suggestions @krdpm! Thanks so much. You’ve got my style down to a T.

Have been looking for different types of floor and can’t find old pine to match my floors.

I’d really like to use wood but I’m not sure if old pine - different colour and slightly narrower size or herringbone engineered wood would work here?

There’s also the option of bamboo …

I love your inspiration photo! We just built a house and I chose to have my kitchen cabinets painted in a tiffany blue color. Have white oak floors. Used a white geometric backsplash tile to tie into countertops. Chose mid century light fixtures , eclectic style with some family antiques mixed in. It’s open concept , so my favorite blues and greens repeat through the space. Just thought you might see how it all came together for our house, if it helps you moving forward. Best of luck with your project!

I think this backsplash tile could be really cool in your kitchen, and tie into existing dark countertops. I considered it, but went with the white tiles / dark grout. We actually used another colorway of the dandelion tile for our laundry room floor and love it. It’s bold, and not for everyone but maybe an option

If you don't like the gloss, get a can of matt clear spray paint and spray the doors with that. Super inexpensive fix.

@suzanne - I LOVE your kitchen. It looks amazing and so uplifting. And it’s so funny you recommended the hex tiles - I literally ordered a sample 2 days ago - I think they’re a bit too white but yes definitely love the design. Where did you get your kitchen tiles from - love their shape.

@Hu - genius idea - I’m going to test this out.

Thank you! Love your aesthetic too. All the colors are amazing, and i’m sure your kitchen will turn out great as well. The backsplash we used in kitchen is Soho Studio Rumba Diamond 4x8 in Blanco.

For the floor think Marmoleum. It will be too difficult to match your wood floors.

brighter lights & undercounter lights will change it.

So after playing with around with all the ideas in this thread I’ve landed on a couple of options that give me something I like while keeping costs down. I’ve come across this fluted mdf material which Id like to use for the tall cabinets. Would love your thoughts since there’s been some brilliant suggestions here. Thanks!

If they wok in person, then go for it. I like the darker one, but we can’t see what you see in person. Does the lighter one work with your cabinets? On my monitor it comes across as a “dirty” cream compared to your cabinets.

Love the idea!

And the wallpaper behind the shelves.

@Redruder - yes that’s the million dollar question - will it work in reality? I can’t match the tall cabinets to the rest of the kitchen so I’m trying to figure out how to add something that looks like it belongs. I’m drawn to the darker one too as in reality the creams will look pretty different.