So, here’s what I’m dealing with:
This is the view as you come in the kitchen from the carport.
You come in the kitchen door, and here is this long-ass narrow, almond-colored monstrosity of a kitchen.
So, please note the god-awful cabinets, which I’m hoping can be painted over. According to Home Depot, i can paint them with an oil-based paint. Seriously, i detest these damn cabinets. Also note the overhead light. It has to go. But what to put there instead – Ideas?
Sink has to stay. Cabinets have to stay. Almond appliances have to stay. Almond floor tiles have to stay. (Considering either Flor tiles, or a very large rug in there, though. Thoughts?)
So, anything that we use needs to coordinate with almond floors (or cover them) and with the almond appliances. I could shoot the old people who used to live here in the head for putting in crappy cheap laminate cabinets, almond appliances, and such light tile. It shows every little smudge and crumb. Also needs to coordinate with the two paintings I have that are going in the kitchen. This is what makes me think blues, grays, cremes, whites, with maybe touches of red or apple green.
Inspiration 1: Colors I choose need to work with this.
And it needs to work with this. My friend Leigh painted it for me, and it absolutely has to go in the kitchen.
This is the breakfast nook. It is tiny. We have a wooden table we are keeping in there. It is round and we are thinking of refinishing it. Todd just wants to stain it; I was thinking painting it. Would love to incorporate a banquette in this corner. Think it might save space. See that light fixture? It's outta there. Thinking pendant of some sort. Something much smaller.
Also thinking i will take the doors off those cabinets in the picture above, just to open it up some more.
This is the view if you are standing in the corner of the breakfast area. Sadly, this makes it look even bigger than it really is. God, it's awful. You get the idea of the almondness from this view.
This is the view of the kitchen, looking towards the carport door from the foyer. See that door on the right? I want to get rid of it to open things up. Todd likes it. I think this pretty much shows off the narrowness of the space.
This is the doorway we were just looking through. To the right of that door is the pantry.
This is the wall space wasted by the door to the foyer. We usually have the door open, so this is covered.
And here is the same space with the door open. (Looking across the foyer, down the stairs to the basement.)
Same view. Creme door is laminate. Hoping to prime it, then paint the door with chalkboard paint. That's Brody, standing in the foyer. Left behind him goes to the basement, right goes up to the bedrooms.
These are the cabinets to the left of the sink. I am thinking about taking the doors off of them and leaving it open. Sink is under the window. You can also see that the backsplash is laminate. Almond laminate. That old bitch loved her some almond shit. I am thinking tile - either white subway tile, or maybe some glass tile to coordinate with whatever colors i pick.
This is the carport door. The one we came through at the beginning. I kind of think that diamond pane pattern is charming, but am considering taking it down. It seems too traditional and Tudory. I think that i can just take the panes out and leave the door and window. Thoughts?
This is the door in the breakfast area. To the left of the carport door. It goes into the dining room.
Here is the kitchen door from the dining room. See how the door eats up the dining room space? Also shows how close the dining room is to the kitchen. I think i could feasibly get rid of the breakfast nook altogether if I really, really wanted to. We could just eat in the dining room. I think the door needs to go buh-bye. Todd is unconvinced.
And another view. Pretty dark in there.
And this is what it looks like, from the dining room into the kitchen breakfast nook. Do we really need all these tables? Hmmm.
So, yeah, that’s what I’m dealing with structurally. We can’t afford to knock that wall out. That would be the first order of business if we could. So, my questions:
What colors work with both the almond appliances and the paintings?
Kitchen doors – Should they stay or go? We do sometimes shut the kitchen off with a dog in it, or to block out the sound of dishes banging, but my gut says it would look bigger in there to get rid of them.
What color should the cabinets be? I wanted to brighten the room up, so i was thinking white, but can i use white with almond appliances? Is an off-white or cream a better choice? Or a light blue or gray cabinets with lighter walls? (Oh, HELL! Didn’t even discuss the wallpaper! That shit is gone, baby, gone. It has herb names on it, for fuck’s sake!)
Kitchen table – refinish it and stain it, or paint it?
Banquette seating – How hard can it be to make your own? Can you buy it? Thoughts? Ideas?
Windows – Blinds? cafe curtains?
Floors – Has anyone used Flor tiles in their kitchen? Also thought about just putting down a rug. Or what about those adhesive tiles they use on DIY shows all the time? Looks like maybe they don’t hold up over time.
Seriously looking for input here. I am design-challenged, and Todd is colorblind. I’m hoping folks will weigh in, and then I will maybe post some Pinterest links to things I like, and show the colors I’ve been leaning towards. Definitely want your ideas based on seeing the starting point. Come on, people! Design my kitchen. (On a dime, so to speak.)
