Kitchen Refurb - narrow and dark! Ideas please...

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

This is the kitchen that came with our house...isn't it beautiful!!!
I've been living with it for 2 years and its finally time to say goodbye, yey :) since moving in we know have the fridge/freezer in the right hand corner and our cooker (below) in place of the lovely brown original one...
The problem is i've looked at so many ideas i'm now confused! Id love light grey units but because there is NO natural light in the room (its underground!) they tend to look lilac..especially next the the cream cooker. Should I just stick with all white? Tiles and units?
Thanks x

Featured Answer

minnie101

8 years ago

Hi Lauren. What types of lightbulbs are you using? I've copied this as I thought it would be useful https://www.houzz.com/discussions/my-gray-walls-look-purple-any-lighting-suggestions-dsvw-vd~574853 ( last comment!) I think pale grey would look nice especially with the cream oven, it's just the lighting that will be key. I've found a couple of pics for you with kitchens with no windows. You could use reflective or gloss surfaces, including stainless steel/chrome to bounce light or even a mirrored splashback. The things I would avoid are a dark worktop and a really dark floor.

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Comments (21)

standroid
8 years ago
The kitchen is fine, the oven and floor need to go !
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standroid
8 years ago
oh and the table and chairs..
Lauren
8 years ago
I don't think grey cabinets are a problem despite the lack of windows, though I prefer darker lower cabinets and white upper ones to keep the working portion (counter-tops upwards) of the kitchen bright. The biggest positive change I think you could make is to the lighting as minnie suggests. Layering is key. Get warm under-cabinet lights as well as some nice wall lights above the table. Experiment with different bulbs to find a light colour that suits you and the space.

I would also add a hard wearing flat rug. Maybe a natural jute one with black geometric or zigzag pattern to give a little punch to the space. Dash and Albert do some great indoor/outdoor ones too.

It feels like the table and chairs are a bit uncomfortable squashed against the radiator. Depending on budget I'd get a vertical column radiator put in which takes up much less space, looks cool and will create a purposeful feature. Looking at where your pipes are at the moment this shouldn't be an expensive job for a plumber. I can recommend the acova rad's which we've put throughout our house - look great and heat up quickly.

Finally I don't think you can go wrong with white glossy metro tiles to bounce light around. My only concern being white doesn't play well with cream. I've attached pics showing examples of everything I'm suggesting to give you a better idea of what it could look like in your space. Good luck!
Lauren Cooper thanked Lauren
Lauren
8 years ago
One more thought on the lighting front is to consider smart colour change bulbs. You plug them in as usual then can change the colour and brightess to any intensity you like using an app on your phone. I'm desperate to try them out to avoid using dimmer switches everywhere but the most well known phillips ones aren't cheap! Though there are other well rated cheaper ones available.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Philips-Personal-Wireless-Lighting-Starter/dp/B00IVZZ9XY/ref=sr_1_18?s=lighting&ie=UTF8&qid=1444933313&sr=1-18&keywords=smart+bulb
Lauren Cooper
Original Author
8 years ago
Thank-you all... The picture above was taken when we first moved in with fluorescent lights..I've now changed to daylight LEDs..better already plus the table is gone.

I like the idea of lights under the top cabinets and having darker units at the bottom!! :)
PRO
P & P Maintenance Services
8 years ago
I think a light grey (erring to a stone colour) would be ideal. It will add a depth of colour without looking sterile. Under cabinet lighting would also negate the need for full lighting and will also give task based illumination.
Lauren Cooper thanked P & P Maintenance Services
PRO
Akiva Projects Ltd
8 years ago
Hello,

Knowing that you have no natural light I would rather go with grey to add some depth to the space. It's not always the whit that brighten up the space.

Izabella

StJames Design Interiors
Lauren Cooper thanked Akiva Projects Ltd
Lauren Cooper
Original Author
8 years ago
thankyou, i guess its just down to finding the right shade, probably more of a greige/taupe rather than a blue grey
PRO
Akiva Projects Ltd
8 years ago
Hello,

A blue grey can look stunning too! Whichever stands closest to your taste go for it.
Lauren Cooper thanked Akiva Projects Ltd
PRO
Banbridge Bathroom Centre
8 years ago
Here is a recent tiling job we completed with some very cool tiles. You could maybe incorporate something like this into your kitchen in order to brighten it up a bit!
Lauren Cooper thanked Banbridge Bathroom Centre
Ludo Gallagher
8 years ago
If this were my kitchen I would want to maximise the light. I would have modern gloss white cupboards like Ringhult from IKEA. I wouldn't have handles but pop open doors (IKEA again). I would have a light worktop. Again IKEA do something with a little sparkle to reflect the light. I would use a mirrored splashback. This will make the kitchen look much bigger and again reflect the lights. I would use accessories to add colour. A clock, colourful toaster etc. Then I would go all out on the floor to add personality and depth. I would turn to Fired Earth and maybe their Patisserie or Madeira.

White is timeless, crisp, clean, appealing to buyers in the future. And for your needs, bright.
Lauren Cooper thanked Ludo Gallagher
Caroline Zilboorg
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
I would change to a proper galley kitchen-- units more or less as now-- but nothing on the end, and a narrow set of base cabinets on the right (the entire length) with open shelves above. Definitely no table and chairs. The current L configuration wastes space and this kitchen needs to maximise functionality-- and storage. This would involve moving the radiator to the end, I see, but I think it would be worth it for what you'd gain. Good luck!
Lauren Cooper thanked Caroline Zilboorg
PRO
The Kitchen Paintress
8 years ago
Hi Lauren, how are you? I think a colour such as Little Greene's Bone China Blue would look fabulous in your kitchen. I also think it would take away your potential purple looking if painted grey issue that you are worried about. Have you also considered replacing your wall cabinets with some plain white shelving? Or similar. It would really open up the space and look great with a white backdrop. I think sometimes in small, dark spaces keeping things simple and bright can often work best.
Lauren Cooper thanked The Kitchen Paintress
Lauren Cooper
Original Author
8 years ago
firstly those tiles @banbridgebathroomcentre are beautiful! and i like the ideas of switching from an L to galley kitchen and using more open shelving rather than all units. got howdens comes this week for measure up and ideas
Ou its exciting! :D
Caroline Zilboorg
8 years ago
Good luck, Lauren-- and please share photos of the final result! Moving a radiator can seem like a big step... but the change would be dramatic and impressive, I think-- a small structural change that would give you a lot more length and freedom! I am attaching two photos of the galley kitchen at my French pied-à-terre in Rennes (France)-- just to give you an idea of what full cabinets on one side plus cabinets of reduced depth and open shelves on the other might look like. This combination allows you to play a bit with colour (neutrals and 'ardoise'-- slate--here) as well as shapes and space, while achieving a streamlined, modern look (light in both weight and colour). In the finished kitchen you'll see that I added while tiles along both walls. The colour comes from dishes displayed on the shelves and a vase on the counter of seasonal flowers.
Lauren Cooper thanked Caroline Zilboorg
PRO
Pat Oliver Interior Design
8 years ago
Hi Laura,

You've received many suggestions and some have been quite good. Particularly useful are the photos above of the French pied a terre with the slim line cabinets on one side. If you need somewhere to eat, you can swap the table and chairs for a bar and stools with slim cabinets either side. And don't worry about losing the panel radiator. Your plumber can install a hydronic plinth heater that connects into your central heating.

I think the key to your colour scheme should start with your new cooker. Have you considered beige cabinet doors in high gloss? They would make your range look integrated and help reflect light around the room. Polished black granite (or laminate) worktop will pick up the black trim on the cooker. The arched lower door of the cooker points toward a more traditional or transitional look for a cooker hood (black) or an integrated hood.

Beige and black tiles would keep the walls of the working area scrubbable. Look at metro tiles for a high gloss finish or patchwork tiles for some retro designs.

Lastly, change over to LED lighting with warm white lamps. Avoid harsh white light overhead, but don't forget worktop lighting.

Good luck and have fun.
Lauren Cooper thanked Pat Oliver Interior Design
PRO
Antiqued Mirror
8 years ago
An antiqued mirror splash back would also help to add a feeling of more space and light - they come in any size and a variety of edge work.
Lauren Cooper thanked Antiqued Mirror
PRO
ParkerRose Interiors
8 years ago
Love the antiqued mirror splash back are they toughened? How do you toughen the mirror?
PRO
Antiqued Mirror
8 years ago
We are pleased you like our tiles! They can be made to any size or are slightly cheaper if you go for standard sized metro tiles with either a polished, bevelled or clean cut edge (like the photo).

Before glass is toughened it is cut to size then passed across rollers through a furnace and heated at + 600 degrees celsius before being cooled - this 'toughens' the glass. Because the glass needs to travel over rollers, small pieces of glass like these cannot be toughened as they fall between the rollers, the smallest piece of glass that can be toughened is 15 x 30 cm. When we make splash-backs on glass that meet this minimum requirement we do toughen them, however we have supplied hundreds of splash-backs and have never experienced any problems with our tiles or even larger splash-backs that clients have not wanted toughened (as toughening often changes the appearance of the glass). I hope this answers your questions!
PRO
KW Kitchens
8 years ago
We do this type of work all the time. Have sample doors in 30 colours we take to customer homes so they can see what they look like in the light of their kitchen. We cover South Cheshire and North Staffs if we can help let me know.