Kitchen styling paralysis - help!

2 years ago

Hi folks! I've been working on my kitchen plan for months now. Decided to go for a 'makeover' rather than ripping it all out as the footprint and carcasses are sound. We've nailed the layout changes in terms of some vertical rearrangement to create extra worktop space.

I thought we'd nailed the cupboard front choices, but now we're trying to choose a worktop and I'm questioning it all again! We picked charcoal matt for the bulk of the kitchen, with a run of light oak effect to the left where the sink and kettle are. There's a lot of cupboard, so figured having a contrasting section would break it up a bit and 'zone' the areas of the kitchen into cooking vs casual use.

Flooring will be mid-grey tile-effect laminate. Initially i thought it'd be a white worktop with maybe some visual interest of marbling, but the company we're using doesn't have quite the right thing. In the shop yesterday we were drawn to these mottled grey/copper industrial looking worktops and they seemed to go well with the door choices. Now we've got the samples in the house, though, I'm worried it's all going to be a bit overbearing!

Posted this on Reddit and got torn apart, drab was the word, but apparently also my room is 'a dark and tight space'. (I thought a 15'x15' kitchen was ample, myself?) Critique is fine but please be kind, and constructive :)

Current kitchen (pics taken before we moved in, not our 'things'):

Cupboard doors and floor:

Cupboard doors and worktop:

Visualised layout on ikea planner (we're not buying through ikea so colours are approximate):

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Comments (10)

Juliet Docherty
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
I like all of your choices but i'm not sure I'd use them in that space. People shouldn't rip it apart, it's not helpful. For what it's worth here is my take based on personal experience. Flooring and worktops can make a huge difference to the feel of the room. If light levels aren't really high, then you're stuck with that. One way to deal with it is to install light surfaces, it can make such a difference. Hence possibly the charcoal may absorb too much light in a room that's already not light enough.

I find that blacks and greys can feel very cold and it may be worth considering a warmer floor. We used grey tiles in our kitchen, (to complement wood units) but I woudn't do it again. I would install huge format warm tiles from somewhere such as Mandarin Stone. The tiles you have now are very yellowy and small so possibly feel a little dated, but I wouldn't go the other way and go grey. In terms of patterns, only have one. Don't mix patterned worktop with busy fronts, it may look to much. What other options are there regarding doors?

https://www.mandarinstone.com/product/kast-sand-porcelain/
Sophie Shoults
Original Author
2 years ago
Thanks, that is helpful. We are a bit stuck with our floor options as the company only uses one product which is Karndean loose lay. We've got laminate wood floor through the rest of the ground floor so wanted to avoid wood as unlikely to match. The light floor stone effect we feel is a bit beige.

On the doors, we could go all charcoal but I think one colour throughout would feel very 'heavy'. Our initial inspiration was this combo of the light oak with green, per below pic, but we chickened out on the green.
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Sorry eehchristie, my computer did not seem to accept your email address for some reason known to itself only! Yes, I agree spend more time in kitchen than dining, but don't want another set of french doors into garden - we have those elsewhere in house already. Also, don't want the extra expensive of rewiring/plumbing/drainage etc to put kitchen where dining room is, or have the dining room at front of house looking at road. Paddyart, yes I was trying to get things inside which reflect local colours - as you will see from front of house, the porch is made from reclaimed local sandstone, which I love and there is a mixture of granite and sandstone river rocks in front wall and garden border edges (which I found in garden and lugged into place myself!). Do you think the sandstone colour (pinky red) would work as a highlight/accent colour with the grey? I dont want a too frosty grey feeling on cold highland mornings! Sorry, I will go away soon and not bother you all; thanks everyone for suggestions, much, much appreciated and getting there gradually with all your kind help.
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Daisy England
2 years ago
Stick with the green as opposed to the charcoal. I have sold only one charcoal coloured kitchen and while it looked lovely I do feel as though it has had its day. Green is much more popular at the moment and looks lovely with a white background worktop with some marble for detail as it provides a lovely contrast.
Sophie Shoults
Original Author
2 years ago
Thanks Daisy, one of our reservations about the green is that it's a trend and we might get bored of it quickly. Grey is more timeless in my view, and most of the house has dark grey accents already! We thought we'd paint one of the walls green, instead, as easier to change down the line.
Daisy England
2 years ago
Grey is more universal insomuch that you can add accents to brighten the colour up. Charcoal is more black IMO and is harder to compliment.

I’m off to the KBB show in a couple of weeks time and 4 years ago they predicted green would be the ‘in colour‘ so it will be interesting to see what they predict this time.
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Naturally Allard
2 years ago
personally i love the grey and the combo you have chosen as its so versatile you can change your kitchen accessories as your mind changes and it gives it all a whole new look without having to rip the kitchen apart. my kitchen is currently grey and white and i love it and i have the option to add darker accessories to change the scheme at any point.

Daisy ill be at that show in march too really looking forward to seeing whats coming up this year.
Juliet Docherty
2 years ago
The image I posted is not dissimilar to the one that was your inspiration picture. I like the green in your image, it looks lovely with the wood.
CWD
2 years ago
If you want it to be timeless and classic, rather than a trend, then choose a white kitchen (or very pale neutral). A dark grey kitchen is a trend too, an out of date trend already to be honest. Having it white (or off-white) will also brighten up the space. The wood-effect is quite nice too, a more updated version of what you have already? I'd also think twice about which cabinets you might have wood versus a colour - given the unconventional layout of your cabinets I think I'd keep them all the same to make it all seem more cohesive and intentional. I'd also echo colourhappy's advice about choosing a more neutral and lighter floor as grey flooring is going to date your kitchen to the 'grey trend' and that trend is already passing so perhaps you want to look to a more greige which is right in the middle of beige and grey (will look beige next to a grey, but look grey next to a beige) - it is more forgiving and more current. And having it a paler colour will also help to brighten up the space.
Sophie Shoults
Original Author
2 years ago
Maybe this will help in terms of the 'colour story' in the rest of the house, which I'm trying to keep connected to in the kitchen.
The mid-end of our dining/living room (3 through rooms with the green area at one end). Also unsure if that green in the kitchen inspo pic I posted will go well with this one, or clash. This section of the living room can be seen through an open arch in the middle of the kitchen, opposite the hob.
whizzywig
2 years ago
What about moving the hob to that area where you currently have the microwave and having that central peninsula/seating area in a contrasting colour, like in the inspiration photo you posted. A paler worktop there might bounce the light around a bit more..?

Kitchen styling paralysis - help!

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Juliet Docherty

Sophie Shoults
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Kitchen styling paralysis - help!

Comments (10)

Juliet Docherty

Sophie ShoultsOriginal Author

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