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jennjoy40

Need suggestions on how to update kitchen. Please!!

2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago

We just purchased this older home and it needs some updating. Its in Florida, so we are looking for calm, coastal colors vibe.. However Im needing to work around the honey oak cabinets and im so confused at how to pull that off in the kitchen!!

We dont want to paint the cabinets, but I dont mind using Britwax to darken the wood grain a little bit to tone down the orange and then add some black hardware and new faucet etc. I think changing out the countertops to white possibly??. I want to change out the cheap flooring to a LVP and of course new paint alllll around too. I love the color Sea Salt by sherwin williams but not sure how to tie it all together. Maybe thinking of white countertop etc.. Please give me your suggestions on counters, paint and flooring !! The kitchen window is south facing and has a vaulted ceiling... other pictures just for reference Tha

Comments (30)

  • 2 years ago

    Yes, thats a must lol but i need to decide on a paint color for the kitchen asap since im having ppl remove the wallpaper and paint for me thanks

  • 2 years ago

    If you want a white, SW Alabaster is the go to for this type of older cabinet.

    jennjoy40 thanked kandrewspa
  • 2 years ago

    You might find this article helpful: https://jennakateathome.com/paint-colors-honey-oak/

    There are a number of beautiful blues later in the article that would work very well in your coastal vibe. Those counters might look good too - don't be too quick to take them out if they are stone. Also, the flooring you select will definitely influence your paint color. So I wonder if your great crew could paint out the red and strip the wallpaper then come back later to do your paint once you've made other decisions that come in less than a zillion choices. You seem quite rushed, are you willing to have them come back and paint again if you don't get the color right on a quick decision?

    jennjoy40 thanked Jenny
  • 2 years ago

    I think white counter tops and Sea Salt paint would look nice with the honey oak cabinets.

    jennjoy40 thanked HU-402831377
  • 2 years ago

    Jenny,

    Thanks ive been reading so kuch lately articles about paint colors etc my head is spinning haha The crew is only removing wallpaper and painting those walls. thats really only the decision that needa to be made now. The red wall is in my dining and ill be doing that afterwards. as well as the flooring etc Thanks!

  • 2 years ago

    Emily Henderson just had a great blog post about updating honey oak cabinets. It includes several mood boards, but these ones might fit your coastal theme best.


    But if you're changing flooring and countertops, it might be worth it to get an estimate for new cabinets. You could get lower drawers and reconfigure the space a bit.




    jennjoy40 thanked stiley
  • 2 years ago

    Congrats on your new home. I know you have lined all this work up already, but I think you are doing this in the reverse order and might regret it down the line. Flooring and counters come in fixed colors. Paint colors are limitless. I would not select a paint color until you have selected flooring and counters, if you go with counters. I have learned from this mistake in the past. Trust me, if you think your head is exploding now, wait until you back yourself into a corner trying to find counters and flooring that looks good with your paint.


    I also think it would look best in the space to paint your kitchen, dining area, and living space the same color. You have an open concept coastal vibe that you want to flow and look laid back. Chopping your space up with different blocks of color will have the opposite effect.


    Also, do you have the furniture for your living space yet? You need to consider that in selecting a kitchen paint color because visually, they live in the same space.

    jennjoy40 thanked Kendrah
  • 2 years ago

    "I want to change out the cheap flooring to a LVP"

    I do not understand your wish to change out the floors for LVP. In the photos, the floors look like wood floors. If that is the case, you should not change those for LVP. Furthermore, LVP can look super busy and stripey. Lots of tales of woe on this forum from struggles with trying to work with busy stripey flooring. Your current floors look quiet, neutral and pretty. They do not look cheap as you put it, though LVP can look cheap due to its stripeyness. I advise you to leave your floors alone.

    jennjoy40 thanked M Miller
  • 2 years ago

    Agree. And judging any kitchen colors while that DR is blazing red will be impossible -- get a can of primer and cover it up yourself, just for sanity's sake.

    jennjoy40 thanked acm
  • 2 years ago

    I was in a million dollar plus house yesterday, on the ocean, that was beautiful, except for the grey, stripey , LVP. Well, i wasn’t impressed by the phony marble quartz countertops, either (and I have quartz myself, it is over 20 years old).

    jennjoy40 thanked Barrheadlass
  • 2 years ago

    If you don't want to do the counters right now, change the hardware to nickel which will tie in the counters.

    jennjoy40 thanked blfenton
  • 2 years ago

    JennJoy40, you mentioned it's an older home in Florida and you're looking for a calm coastal vibe. What's the style of the house? What's your total refresh budget for the house? What all needs to be done?

    jennjoy40 thanked ellaphant
  • 2 years ago

    Agree, info in current flooring would be helpful. If that’s a type of blond oak hardwood , it’d be hard to improve upon it as a base for a light coastal scheme. Except at great expense for perhaps an upscale large tile. But I can’t assess from the photos.

    So this is where you focus on your ideabooks and collect some samples of counters, if thinking that, —and order your Seasalt and several warm/ neutral whites from Samplize as a start.

    jennjoy40 thanked marmiegard_z7b
  • 2 years ago

    Wood cabinets are fine - in this case I might darken them, but first I'd delete the wallpaper and find a color you prefer for the red painted walls . THEN evaluate! I would never ever paint quality wood cabinets, ever. But I could see staining them darker - but deal with that red paint and the wallpaper, first. Set back a few weeks or so - then decide what's next.

    jennjoy40 thanked artemis_ma
  • 2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    It's a good space. And there don't appear to be any new updates so you won't have the worry about ripping out new things that have been barely used. Well, I would worry about sending new stuff to a landfill, some folks aren't bothered.

    Nobody has mentioned the island shape or finish - your current one is very 90s-looking. If you are thinking about new counters also changing the island shape would be an easy update that could make the space look more up-to-date. Painting the island a coastal color would be a nice touch.

    I would remove that wood valance over the sink.

    Ask the painters to add grey tint to the primer, it will cover the red better.

    What are the current floors?

  • 2 years ago

    I liked Sea Salt just before I put it on some walls and my room looked like an institution. Make sure you test colors first.

    jennjoy40 thanked Shawna
  • 2 years ago

    Kendrah, thanks!


    Yeah my husband wants the wallpaper taken down before we move in. Plus the same people will paint the walls above the kitchen cabinets etc.. so he just wants that done. Then we are planning to paint the rest of the house after we move in. Im with you on all the living and dining the same color :) We would be buying living and dining furniture after we move in. Thanks for your input!!

  • 2 years ago

    M Miller,


    The flooring in the living /dining/kitchen is the very old cheap laminate that is peeling up in some places. Plus later on they did different laminate flooring in the bedrooms trying to match it up and we would like to have it all the same. Sorry I dont have any upclose photos to show you of the cheap flooring. :(


  • 2 years ago

    Ellaphant


    The house is in The Villages, Paint the celings, Paint the entire interior, change out the flooring throughout and update some light fixtures, hardware etc. In the kitchen Eventually would like to change the countertops to a lighter color. About 15 K right now.. to start with them over time do things here and there.

  • 2 years ago

    Marmiegard


    The flooring is the old very thin laminate. Its starting to lift and peel up. Chipped in a few places too. Thank you, Im going to order some paint samples from Samplize and go from there :)

  • 2 years ago

    Artemis_Ma


    Yeah I dont want to paint the cabinets either and Ill only darken them down the road if i find they are still a bit to orange. Thanks!!

  • 2 years ago

    Deegw


    Yes all the appliances seem to be in good condition so thats good! I hadnt even thought about the shape of the island. I dont think we want to take that on.. changing the island shape for cost reasons. But then again I have no idea how much that would be. I do want to update/paint the backside of the island and add some wood trim work to update it. Im definitely removing the wood valance in the kitchen and also the one in the living room that matches . LOL .


    The current floors are very old.. the very thin old laminate type flooring.. its already peeling up and chipping in some places.. plus they tried matching the flooring in the bedrooms so we want it all to be one flooring. Thanks!

  • 2 years ago

    LVP makes sense then. You have a big space to fill, I would be very careful when choosing your floor color and style. Many LVP floors have stripes and shadows that are supposed to look rustic but in a big space like yours, the rustic touches just look like an odd pattern.

    Medium to light brown colors would look best as well as the wider, longer boards with a bigger pattern mix.

    Check out French oak LVPs, you should be able to find something to go with your cabinets that also looks fresh and beachy.

    jennjoy40 thanked deegw
  • 2 years ago

    When do you plan on getting the floors redone - before or after moving in? Regarding paint and paper removal, it is understandable to want paper removal done prior to moving in. Would your husband compromise by having the paper removed and walls primed before you move in? Then the actual paint color applied when you paint the rest of the space?

    jennjoy40 thanked Kendrah
  • 2 years ago

    Kendrah


    No i think because we will be painting the rest of the house ourselves after moving in… he didnt want to deal with painting around and above the cabinets and it comes with the price of them removing it. Plus i doubt the painters would prime it and then come back another other day to finish painting. I know this isnt an ideal situation, So im just trying to make the best of it and hope for the best too lol

  • 2 years ago

    Deegw,


    Yes 1500 sq ft to fill 🤦‍♀️ Thank you so much for your recommendations on the flooring. i do like the wider planks. i saw some smaller narrow ones and yeah it makes it look to stripey. I was thinking of going for this look. its a pic i found online where they darken the cabinets and added black hardware and changed the counters to white. I love that color of flooring, it was a shaw teak lvp but i believe it s discontinued


  • 2 years ago

    Why black hardware? I’m not exactly voting against it, just not yet seeing how that fits “ coastal “ vibe. I associate it more with “ farmhouse “, country, etc but I admit to not having a lot of design exuwith it. Whereas I think of more silvery/ nickel metallics with water/ greenery colors. Would also depend on the style of the hardware, of course.

  • 2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    Marmiegard yeah if i did the black hardware it would be more farmhouse vibe i like simple things and dont care much for the satin nickel and such. it was also an idea i saw looking through some pictures i posted the inspiration pic above in another comment


  • 2 years ago

    The current color of the cabinets works wonderfully with beachy aquas & greens. If the finish is in good shape, I wouldn't tinker with it and would work with the cabinets as is.

    Before replacing flooring, I would definitely reconfigure the island. Just a straight island with no dogleg.

    jennjoy40 thanked ci_lantro