Refinishing kitchen cabinet design/color help?
Ignore the white trim. I want these cabinets refinished but I can't settle on a color or colors! I definitely want to go brighter as the kitchen only has one small window. I also very much dislike the flat panel doors. Should we add molding around the edges of the doors and drawers for a shaker look? I'm considering going all off white/cream, or doing the island in a darker gray with cream on outer cabinets, or doing a two ton with a darker color on the lowers with a light cream/white up top. Help me please! I've been stewing on this for weeks.
Comments (15)
Stephanie Kopf
5 years agoRelated Discussions
Got Kitchen Cabinets colours wrong, need help.....
Comments (51)Dear Azfar, I think your units are lovely, very sophisticated and much nicer than white. Your units and work tops are very similar to those I have in my kitchen, which also have black granite tops. I also have a wooden floor of a similar shade, please don't change this, it is lovely. I was aware when I had my kitchen fitted that the units appeared darker than in the showroom but this was due entirely to the colour of the walls they were installed on. To lift the units, and celebrate their beautiful colour, you should paint your walls a darker and contrasting colour, I have chosen a really shocking pink, Rock Candy, but there lots of options. The showroom I saw my units in used a burgundy colour, too dark for my Victorian kitchen. There are so many colour options which don't have to be expensive, play around with a few tester pots and see which you prefer. This is by far the cheapest option, and I'm sure you'll fall in love with your kitchen units again once your units are allowed to stand out. Incidentally your unit colour helps to visually integrate your stainless steel 'fridge, another reason to stick with it. If you want to add units in the future you could pick up on your new wall colour for a very stylish look....See Morekitchen design: choosing cabinets and countertops colors
Comments (17)Having looked through your idea book, I would say that 70 percent of the pictured have a similar style to them, broadly speaking. Warmer tones, some darker wood / walnut, many of them handleless. As a next step, I would go back to all the pictures and write down the elements that appeal to you, and be quite specific. If there is one picture that stands out to you as having the right overall balance you can use this as a template when planning your kitchen, even if for example it has shaker doors, but you might want handleless. You also need to consider how the kitchen will look against existing elements in the room, and things you might be planning for the living area. Then consider the practical elements, ie pros and cons of different doors, finishes, worksurfaces etc. Some of this will depend on your circumstances, do you cook a lot, want easy to clean etc? There's lots of articles on Houzz covering that kind of thing. Budget will also play a big part. For my part, I went with a handless German kitchen, with a matt finish with a quartz worktop. I cook a lot and have found this combination very easy to keep clean....See MoreDesign help for open plan kitchen layout
Comments (11)Exciting times- I think side by side ovens have more presence and the island is a great place for the microwave. I don’t like seeing a microwave high up as I think it is dangerous. In fact you should put your ovens at a really comfortable height for you. I notice all of the designs show a draining board- personally I would choose an undermounted sink and no drainer to maximise work surface. I agree about putting the extractor in a cupboard- it doesn’t have to be a 600 cupboard though- I think it looks more luxurious if it is 20cm bigger than the hob. Consider if the 70/30 fridge planned is big enough. You could have a larder sized fridge and a freezer elsewhere. All of your designs show the breakfast bar sitting in an Lshape at the end of the bar- Personally I think that you should have the stools on the long side of the island so that they can see the TV, so you don’t have to have a cheap looking metal pedestal and so the stools don’t obstruct the sofa in the TV area. You have also shown the breakfast bar in a different material- if you want to use the island for food prep it might be easier to use and to keep clean if there are no differences in height and it is all the same material. If you want variety of materials in the kitchen you might choose two different cabinet finishes- perhaps one could be textured. I noticed the glass cabinets on one design- I would be careful about their placement because of getting steamed up. Lastly I felt the the designs with lots of vertical lines made the room seem smaller and I preferred the designs with uninterrupted horizontal lines....See MoreNeed help. Design for kitchen.
Comments (4)I agree that light coloured surfaces will help this feel bigger. Personally I think that there are things that could be done to maximise space. For instance you could have a reduced depth hob- if you found one that was 40cm deep there would be room for storage behind. Given that you have a compact oven perhaps a 2 ring hob would be sufficient? I would personally get an induction hob so that more of the surface is flat and you can put things down on it while preparing food. In my opinion the wall cabinets are on the wrong wall and you would be better having a cabinet with a concealed extractor and then shelves over the sink. In my opinion I would also be thinking about moving the sink closer to the oven. Although this compromises the room you have for washing up it would increase the room you have for food preparation between the sink and hob. You might also consider a narrower sink (perhaps 45cm wide)....See More
PROBeth H. :
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoi have to agree. your cabs look great. what don't you like about them? people would kill for those slab front wood cabinets in that condition!
Why would you want to turn those beautiful vintage wood cabinets into white shakers like everyone else? The problem is your current countertop choice. Sorry, but it's just wrong w/those cabinets.
As for lighting, get a pendant light or two for over your island to help with light. it's dark because you don't have adequate lighting in that space.
I'd get a new countertop and turn this into more of a mcm type of kitchen.
look at how beautiful this is.
even staining them a bit darker wouldn't be that difficult (slab makes it so easy to do)
Right now, the flooring and countertop do nothing to compliment them. Look into white quartz, waterfall the island with a little overhang, and if you can't change the flooring, thrown down a runner or something.Countertop would be the biggest bang for your buck.
can you paint them and add trim? yes.
rantontoo
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoThere are people who would lust after your slab doors especially since wood tones are making a comeback.
When/if you are absolutely committed to a painting decision, I would paint one door without the trim to make a shaker style first. That way you can see if a different color makes the slab door more appealing to you.
- PRO
Beth H. :
5 years ago lindastein
5 years ago
emmarene9
5 years agoStephanie Kopf
5 years ago
PROCoates Design Architecture + Interiors
5 years ago
Carolyn Oliver
5 years ago- PRO
Beth H. :
5 years agostephanie, the old top coat may have yellowed, giving the stain an orange tone. those wouldn't bet that difficult to stain. heck, it's the same amount of work if you paint. you have to remove them, sand, (and if you paint, prime, sand again, and two coats of paint). or, stain them once, and give a clear coat. I'd do a nice neutral walnut tone. top w/GF satin top coat.
Hansen
5 years agoHansen
5 years ago- PRO
Beth H. :
5 years ago Stephanie Kopf
5 years agoThanks so much for all your input! I ended up having them painted in a warm white and doing the island in Benjamin Moore Chelsea gray. Here's an update:
GreenDesigns