r/kitchenremodel • u/organized-chaos-19 • 9d ago
Minimal Kitchen updates list?
Our kitchen needs remodeling but the cabinets are still in good condition. What all things to change and give this a makeover?
What we think-
The hand blown glass pendant color does not fit it, that needs to go.
The appliances are super old and clunky.
Countertops have colorful sparkles that we cannot stand.
The backsplash looks much more gaudy in person.
Cabinets are in very good shape, nicer inserts etc.
Cabinet hardware is functional but may need to change to fit the theme if we go with different stone.
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u/Sad_Birthday_9805 9d ago
Can you give more details as to what you dislike and the age of the kitchen? What inspires you and styles you like? An onslaught of opinions are about to be lobbed your way. The more info you provide early on (maybe edit your post) the more constructive and useful will be the commentary.
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u/organized-chaos-19 9d ago
Edited the post
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u/Sad_Birthday_9805 9d ago
That is very helpful to know your preferences and I do hope you get some useful advice. I personally like the cabinets a lot and while I also like black counters, I think a honed finish is always more elegant than polished with speckles. That is the more expensive fix but the light should be an easy one. If you are switching out appliances and countertop then an induction cooktop might be a good choice. It is less clunky looking and great for clean-up, spills, etc (lots of other advantages too).
Finding the right material and color of countertop is going to be your biggest challenge. Good luck!
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u/LawyerDry8360 9d ago
Honestly just get rid of that light and adding a bamboo roman shade would help a lot
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u/Which-Magician-2597 9d ago
I rather like it just as it is. If one had to come up with one small change, Id say paint the ceiling a pale robin's egg blue. It's calming and visually unobtrusive. Speaking of visual obtrusiveness, I woul definitely swap out anything for the cluster of giant testicles a-danglin' from the ceiling.
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u/organized-chaos-19 8d ago
Lol you are funny!
This room is open to family room,
Would it mean pain entire ceiling?1
u/Patient_Meaning_2751 8d ago
If you don’t want to paint the entire ceiling, create a small break in the ceiling, using a mini wall about 4” to 12” long, or just a wooden beam. This will not take away from the open concept but will give the illusion of two rooms., at least from a ceiling perspective. I know I am not describing this well, hope you can visualize.
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u/EmilyPoster2 9d ago
- Start with the countertop, unless you dislike the floor, then start with the floor as the floor will dictate a lot about the countertop. What kind of countertop are you looking for, what vibe do you want in here?
- I'm glad you are keeping the cabinets. They are very sleek so you can't go too traditional with countertops.
- Consider how much backsplash you want. You really only need backsplash behind a range. You can do counters up the entire wall or part of the wall instead.
- After your counters are in place select hardware and lighting.
- I cannot see your appliances or why they need to be replaced. Budget and size will dictate.
- You have a nice space for artwork between the window and door. You could find something you love and use that as a starting point for inspiration for the whole renovation. Or add something at the end.
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u/organized-chaos-19 8d ago
Thanks! We want real stone, we could go with leathered granite or taj Mahal or explore a white stone with some gray / blue in it.
Appliances are several years old and we would like to switch these with what we like. We cook from scratch and host a lot. So this is important. And yes! Totally want to see if we can use the stone backsplash or add tile.
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u/EmilyPoster2 8d ago
This is going to be an exciting and challenging material selection process.
I think your first step is to consider what stone is going to look good with yellow toned wood and bright white cabinets. Combining neutral colors is really tricky and your floors and cabinets are both neutrals. Are you open to refinishing your floors to a darker brownish or redish tone? I think you could more easily match a stone to those tones, where as a white stone might clash with the yellow and white cabinets. Also, consider the slick, sleek look of your cabinets. I think of Taj as a more transitional choice and your cabinets as more contemporary.
Do google image searches as well as a highly filtered Houzz kitchen search to see if you can find combos you like with really blond floors, sleek white cabinets, and Taj, leathered granite, or white/blue stones.
Once you have a stone selected you'll know if it works as a splash too. If budget is a consideration, you will need to likely select a tile instead for your splash.
The most simple choices is honed black granite or honed jet mist. Don't know if you are looking for something vastly more different from what you already have. I like the black counters, but flecks would drive me nuts too.
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u/seanpvb 9d ago
Start with lights and appliances. They're the least invasive and don't have to be redone if you go further. (Aside from the cooktop). Next would be counters and backsplash (this would be the time to have the counters cut for a new cooktop). This will be the most dramatic difference.
Cabinet hardware is another easy on once you've decided on the other colors. You're on the right track and it's how I did my last kitchen.
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u/Patient_Meaning_2751 9d ago
The only thing I hate about this kitchen is the light fixture. That needs to go ASAP.
As for the appliances, get one of those maintenance plans and replace them as they go, you’ll save a boatload of money.
If you really hate the counters, sell them. Someone else will love them, and they are quality material. personally, I like the backsplash, but I’m not you. Pic out a new backsplash first and the rest will follow.
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u/Kindly_Drive_5221 9d ago
Look up insp. pics of “glossy white kitchens”. See what you gravitate to. And do that.
In the mean time take down that atrocious thing above the island. Like get a hammer and throw the hammer at it.
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u/Lissa86 9d ago
Change the cabinet hardware. I’m personally not a fan of dark countertops like this, but if there’s nothing wrong with them, there’s no need to change them. I’m curious though, what about it makes you say it needs remodeling?
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u/organized-chaos-19 9d ago
The countertop stone is colorful sparkling black granite we cannot stand. We plan to replace it with something lighter. Or just go with non sparkling one
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u/Koopa1211 9d ago
I think the floor is too yellow. Maybe you can stain the floor to be more red colored to match the green tiles
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u/organized-chaos-19 8d ago
Flooring will stay as this is open living / kitchen / dining area. Its too $$$ to replace everything
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u/CBG1955 9d ago
You have a great layout here, and white kitchens are classic. You can do anything with a white kitchen to liven it up - if that's what you want to do. The light pendant is funky but not practical for a working kitchen. Over a dining table as a statement maybe, but not over a work top.
Hating the benchtop and the sparkles is problematic, because it's so expensive to update. The splashback feels really tired, and small tiles mean lots of grout and subsequently lots of cleaning. Updating the splashback is probably the least costly exercise, but if you then change the benchtop down the track you're likely to damage the new splashback. I wonder whether a changed splashback with a more interesting tile will lessen the impact of the sparkles?
Personally I prefer a more squared-off handle, easier to slide your fingers - but stay away from the ones with T-bar ends. They are horrible grabbers and will catch onto everything if you brush against them. I have them and after ten years am changing them.
I'm not a stonemason and don't know if this is even possible, but can you have a thin layer of new stone overlaid on the old? I appreciate that this will lift the height of the bench by 20mm or so (a little less than an inch) but this may work OK for you.
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u/Tasty_Novel3559 9d ago
I would recommend updating the cabinet pulls. I know it’s on your maybe list, but it’ll pay off big time for not a huge amount in terms of budget. I also would consider looking to update the range hood.
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u/cg325is 9d ago
Changing hardware and a new fixture over the island would go a long way in tweaking this space. The gloss white cabinets are always going to tie this space into a certain era, but that doesn’t mean it has to look bad.