Narrow galley kitchen with dark slate floor needs uplift

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

Problem: upgrading my tenant-letted property on a miniscule budget. Thinking kitchen and bathroom are priorities.

Issues are: a small, dark, older-looking galley kitchen with slate floor and old cabinets, and a tiny bathroom with layout issues.

Kitchen: dark slate tile floor, dark counter tops (laminate), older looking cupboard fronts (pale but worn), two narrow windows side by side that could be knocked to create one window to get more light coming in, older looking major appliances - these all need a big facelift! They feel dowdy and dirty. Floor in living room next to kitchen is lovely hard-wearing pre-finished oak and an idea would be to extend that into the kitchen, if I could match the wood.

Bathroom: short and narrow means a bath fits in here just (with shower over it), and toilet and tiny 8" corner sink where you can't put both hands under the taps at the same time. Is it necessary to have a bath when the only bathroom is small in a 1,400sqft two-bed house? Is it better to save the bath and have less space or get rid of the bath for more room??

Any suggestions on what to prioritise when on a miniscule budget??

THANK YOU!!!

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Comment (1)

Danielle Garber
9 years ago
You'll get more responses if you repost this in the design dilemas bit.

There's no images or dimesions to go from but here's my thoughts, bearing in mind budget is a big consideration: -

Kitchen

Leave the windows as they are, you can create a sense of light with reflective materials and light colours.

Leave the slate floor - it's hardwearing and easy to clean

You could try replacing just the cupboard door fronts, as long as the carcasses themselves are in good shape - if budget doesn't allow then you could paint them a pale grey instead to match the floor.

Replace the work surfaces with a light counter top.

Shop around for appliances - there are some great places local to me that do slight seconds, you can grab a bargain and often it's just there's a scratch on the side or top where you won't see it anyway.

Bathroom

There are some great space saving bathroom ideas out there . Some people don't mind not having a bath but bear in mind you could reduce your appeal to some renters if you take it out and you'll definitely reduce the property's saleability (this may not worry you if you're in it for the long term). Ask a local estate agent for their advice - they'll know the local market better.

I'm pretty sure there was a story about the owners of this house, where they took the bath out to create this lovely shower room - I can't find the story but there's a link to the project below - it's a great example of how to do it well
villa refurbishment Glasgow · More Info

https://www.houzz.co.uk/photos/villa-refurbishment-glasgow-contemporary-bathroom-glasgow-phvw-vp~58208653
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Narrow galley kitchen with dark slate floor needs uplift

Comment (1)

Danielle Garber

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