Modern/old kitchen

May 25, 2014

Hi
My wife and I have just bought a 1920s cottage. The dilemma I'm having is the kitchen. It's a totally blank canvas as you can see. Was after some ideas of doing it up. I like modern kitchens but I also want to keep the character of the house. Does anyone have any suggestions on style? Any help would be great thank you

Comments (13)

PRO
Lampert Dias Architects, Inc.
I feel that it is totally ok to redo an older house with a modern kitchen.....
Take everything out and start fresh with a new floor plan.
May 25, 2014
gazza333 thanked Lampert Dias Architects, Inc.
PRO
Dytecture
Especially if the kitchen is more separated from the rest of the house.
May 25, 2014
gazza333 thanked Dytecture
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Are the kitchen floors vinyl or parquet? They look like vinyl. But I really like parquet floors in the kitchen, and they match well with hardwood flooring in adjoining rooms. As well I think they are charming in an older home. http://www.houzz.com/Parquet-kitchen-floor I agree with all the other kitchen suggestions. But I'm not sure if anyone mentioned painting that range hood. There are metalic paints so it might be nice in stainless or copper... I also agree with getting rid of the terra cotta paints. I think you could go with ivory and white or gray, you can go light medium or dark. Grays and ivories go really well with brick. The one thing bothering me about the builtin shelves are the support rails/spindles on the right side. I am not sure if this your style, but I kind of like the look of birch branch shelf supports. http://designawards.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/shiro-shelf1.jpg Or something that might add a little more charm. If you go with gray in the livingroom, you might go with a very light gray in the kitchen so the cabinets pop. You can also go all one tone rather than two tone even with the chair rail, if you like. I couldn't find the example I wanted, but this picture shows how the molding and walls can be all the same color
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feeny
Simple shaker cabinets can look either vintage or modern depending on the style of hardware you use. Plus that was the style of cabinetry used in many kitchens in the 1920's, so even if you make all other elements modern (hardware, appliances, fixtures, etc) the kitchen can be in harmony with the rest of your house.
May 25, 2014last modified: May 25, 2014
gazza333 thanked feeny
Maria Smith
Jane Powell's Bungalow Kitchens is a great guide for inspiration and details. Take cues from the original time period and incorporate modern finishes and details (lighting/plumbing fixtures/cabinet details) to get your kitchen to blend with the house. A well constructed ideabook with notes will help you get there. I would love to see the whole space. It appears that that there is more natural light to work with on wall opposite the window. A sky light might help open it up as well. Are all the walls staying as is? Will you post more pictures please?
May 25, 2014
gazza333 thanked Maria Smith
apple_pie_order
Congratulations on your new house. Do you have more photos? Will your budget cover a complete redo all at once or will you be doing the work in stages?
May 25, 2014
gazza333 thanked apple_pie_order
PRO
Al Fortunato Furnituremaker
Search for "unfitted kitchen" both here and the internet in general. You may find some ideas that fit your cottage perfectly. I am personally tired of kitchens with rows and rows of cabinets.
May 25, 2014
gazza333 thanked Al Fortunato Furnituremaker
Kimmy Mackintosh
I do hope you can keep the floor, it looks lovely. I agree with the unfitted kitchen. Old fashions looking crocks and kitchen wear is now in the shops. So it would be easy to dress the room with old and new. I just love the little curtains they used to have below a sink. My Aunt's kitchen in Cornwall had this and a huge built in (Very tall) cupboard. The old mangle washing machine was in the corner. I'm NOT that old - My mum had a front loader so imagine my joy at being allowed to stay with my auntie on wash day.
May 25, 2014
gazza333 thanked Kimmy Mackintosh
PRO
MS Colours Inc
This is a modern old kitchen that we finished. Cabinets and shelves were custom built to create the look of an old kitchen.
May 25, 2014
PRO
Cabinet Wakefield
If you haven't tackled it yet I also have to support the idea of an unfitted kitchen. Check out Unfitted.co.uk for some great ideas. One cost-saving advantage is that you may not even have to do much more than paint the walls - if they are not in really bad shape. The (myth of)perfectly flat walls found in new construction might not even be desirable with the unfitted decor.
November 19, 2014
PRO
Al Fortunato Furnituremaker
We intend to change out kitchen to an unfitted kitchen in the future (probably way into the future, the paying work keeps getting in the way). We are collecting furniture that can be used in the kitchen for storage vs. cabinets. We search salvage places, antique dealers, garage sales, craig's list, etc. Don't rule out old dressers for storage and counter top space, hosiers, secretaries for china cabinets, etc.
November 20, 2014
housegal200
Can you provide a few more photos of the adjoining spaces so we can see whether it's possible to open up the kitchen to dining/living area especially if this is a vacation or weekend place. Do you envision congregating in an open living/dining/cooking area or are you restricted on space? What's your budget? (I've been impressed in a vacation rental by the Ikea shaker cabinets. Don't know how long ago they were purchased, but the quality and look were impressive for the price.)

If your kitchen is going to be a small U-shape, Google U-shaped kitchen. Some upper open shelves can work well in tight spaces, and there are all sorts of appliance sizes that can fit into small spaces. Let us know how you plan to use the cottage--full-time or part-time, rental/personal use?
November 20, 2014
apple_pie_order
old post.
November 20, 2014
marilynellis
Yes modernize the kitchen people live old houses but nothing ls kitchens. We had one like this and did white cabinets and black granite counter and small black and white ceramic tile floor. It looked fabulous and we flipped it on the first day on market.
November 20, 2014