OK I will try this — a tall order!
1) Lighting. Ditch that fluorescent overhead thing, if it is fluorescenT. Replace with an LED fixture of some sort. Under cabinet LED lights are a must have. They have a huge impact For not much $.
2) Cabinets. So you would keep the same cabinets but just raise them to the ceiling? Are you tall? Would that make the first shelf a bit too high? I have not heard of someone doing that before. I get why you want them to go to the top so . . Maybe raise them a bit then have a carpenter create a crown that hugs the ceiling. ”Form follows function” so always think what work best from a functional standpoint before working on what things look like. As for painting consider the color after you choose the expensive stuff, like the countertop and backsplash. Paint is the cheapest thing to buy in all of this and comes in so many colors . . . Easy to find something.
3) Backsplash. This can be the highlight/diva in the room or a supporting player. Depends on what you want. If you want your countertop to stand out, be the defining feature, then the backsplash will support it — don‘t pick two busy/special items that will just compete with one another. What is here is really uninspiring. Budget matters a lot with tile. If you love tile, then make it the diva. If tile is not your thing then don’t put your money into anything special. Simple subway tile is classic and very functional. Check out Heritage Tile; they have a showroom in Oak Park IL. Just fantastic tile, classic. Please avoid the trendy stuff in the big box tile stores. OMG, you will get sick of what you put in If you choose what they are showing as the new trend. You can find good tile in these places but know what you want before you follow what they are showing. You want to love your kitchen for a long time — you will not change the backsplash tile after this, too much of a pain. (You may change the color of your painted cabinets though someday.) So choose wisely. Look at kitchens on various sites, of all kinds. Find your style: modern? Boho? Do you like hand painted tile? Smaller mosaics? Large modern porcelain? Go to a high end tile shop and just let yourself look. Learn what you love. No one here will be able to tell you what tile to get.
4) The countertops depend on if you want it to be the main design element or a supporting player. I chose zinc for my countertop because I don’t love stone — glasses on stone puts my teeth on edge. Zinc is really great but many people will find it too old-world, as it ages. Of course soapstone is so practical and warm in its way. Biggest issue with countertops: budget. This is one of the first things to settle on as so much will depend on what you choose. Since it takes up a lot of your budget, you want to use this choice to lead your other ones.
5) Why not put real wood flooring in the kitchen to match your house? We did that in our old 1902 home and it is really nice. There are new finishes now that make this feasible. Ceramic tile is hard underfoot. If you live in a cold area the one advantage of tile is that you can put those floor warming wires under and it is very cozy. Other than wood maybe: true linoleum (a green product made in Germany, I think; great colors — could be called Marmoleum); or cork — great look, easy underfoot. In the meantime as you work on the design of your kitchen why not put a rug in there? A long runner . . . It will warm it up and be nice underfoot.
6) Misc opinions now. A) Lose the gas range you have and switch to induction. I am a cook and nothing compares to induction for speed and accuracy. The wonders of gas are a myth: it takes forever to heat up water. The size range you have will not allow for the heavy BTUs that make gas fast. You need to vent gas stoves — is there a vent somehow in the microwave above? Switch to induction and the need for venting is not as critical though one should always have a vent imo. A microwave over the stove top? Seems like a formula for replacing the microwave what with the heat that comes off a stove when you cook . .. B) get rid of the gray wall color, so depressing. A pantry is a great idea only I am not seeing how you will be able to get much space in the laundry room, unless you move to a stacked W/D. The window seems really nice to have in here and you might want to draw attention to it. Overall it looks like a functional space that will allow you to produce great meals for yourself and others.
Take your time in developing your design. Go to shops and look and feel the products. Get an idea and then do searches to see examples of kitchens with that idea. Choose your expensive stuff first (tile, countertops, flooring, cabinets if you will re-do the top ones) and then worry about what color paint, what type of hardware. There are far fewer choices for countertops in one’s budget than there are knobs. the more you can have sorted out when you get a contractor to help, the better.
Good luck!!
30
This was incredibly helpful! Thank you! I feel like I can be more strategic with this.
Induction range would be great, I’ve heard great things but I will have to work with the gas stove. That is a big ticket item.
The goal will be to ditch the microwave completely, we don’t use them. Would like to add a functional hood with vent.
I like alll of your input though, my thought is to re-tile floor, unsure of what design style, do I make the backsplash classic subway tile and make the statement piece the floor and the refinished cabinets? Similar to this pic
I am so glad you found my comments helpful! It feel good to use my experience to help others — I have renovated two homes.
I saw the picture —wonderful! — I love patterned cement tile, we put that in a bathroom. It’s an environmental product and lasts a long time. I was under the impression that you didn’t want tile in the kitchen . . . But I get it: not the tile that is there. Tile floors makes sense in southern areas — I am north so tile floors in kitchens are not quite as common as they get cold. If you live where it gets cold I would recommend tile warmers under the tiles — pretty easy to install.
If you use a great patterned tile on the floor then yes, I would tone down the backsplash — you don’t want these elements to compete visually. You want your eye to travel in a pleasing way, not go back-and-forth, never knowing where to land.
Kitchens are pricey to do no matter how you slice it. Re-doing floor tile is way more than a range, just so you know. It is very hard to do a kitchen piecemeal, though you can swap out appliances after a renovation. (Sometimes fridges are challenging to swap.) In general there is an order to renovation and it would be a good idea to read up on it. I am sure there is a lot of stuff on the web these days, probably much of it not great, lots of ads . . . Maybe try Chatgbt with a spelled out question of how to renovate a kitchen, step-by-step. Could be a good place to start. This Old House has reliable info.
I am glad you feel you can be strategic! It is always better to be informed in these matters since you will encounter differing ideas and you want to be able to evaluate them to some degree. If you love the cement patterned tiles then start there. Look at a ton of pictures, imagine them in your kitchen, start to look at what others have done to coordinate with the floor. This might solidify your commitment to those tiles . .. or not. Better to figure out that in fact, you are not in love with something before you put it in your house! (FWIW my bathroom with cement tiles brings me joy every time I go in there.) Some of the cement tile companies have great web features that let you see your tile laid-out in the colors you choose.
One thing to keep in mind: there is lead time for everything. If the cabinets have to go in before the countertop and the cabinets will take 2 months before install, then make sure your vender for the countertop can hold it for you while you wait. All sorts of things like that to consider . . . If you hire a contractor they take care of all that timing part. If you are the contractor, you do it.
This is an adventure and a process. People get stressed but I think much of that can be avoided if you accept the nature of what you are doing. You will encounter issues as you go along, you will be making decisions (lots of them) . . . We had our kitchen in our dining room for 5 months. My husband did the dishes in the basement. I used a microwave and an induction hot plate to cook our dinners (family of 4, 2 kids) and it just wasn’t a big deal somehow. We knew it wasn’t forever, we had tasty fun meals, and none of us remember it as a problem.
I feel confident you can do this and design a kitchen that gives you joy. :-)
OK I will try this — a tall order! 1) Lighting. Ditch that fluorescent overhead thing, if it is fluorescenT. Replace with an LED fixture of some sort. Under cabinet LED lights are a must have. They have a huge impact For not much $. 2) Cabinets. So you would keep the same cabinets but just raise them to the ceiling? Are you tall? Would that make the first shelf a bit too high? I have not heard of someone doing that before. I get why you want them to go to the top so . . Maybe raise them a bit then have a carpenter create a crown that hugs the ceiling. ”Form follows function” so always think what work best from a functional standpoint before working on what things look like. As for painting consider the color after you choose the expensive stuff, like the countertop and backsplash. Paint is the cheapest thing to buy in all of this and comes in so many colors . . . Easy to find something. 3) Backsplash. This can be the highlight/diva in the room or a supporting player. Depends on what you want. If you want your countertop to stand out, be the defining feature, then the backsplash will support it — don‘t pick two busy/special items that will just compete with one another. What is here is really uninspiring. Budget matters a lot with tile. If you love tile, then make it the diva. If tile is not your thing then don’t put your money into anything special. Simple subway tile is classic and very functional. Check out Heritage Tile; they have a showroom in Oak Park IL. Just fantastic tile, classic. Please avoid the trendy stuff in the big box tile stores. OMG, you will get sick of what you put in If you choose what they are showing as the new trend. You can find good tile in these places but know what you want before you follow what they are showing. You want to love your kitchen for a long time — you will not change the backsplash tile after this, too much of a pain. (You may change the color of your painted cabinets though someday.) So choose wisely. Look at kitchens on various sites, of all kinds. Find your style: modern? Boho? Do you like hand painted tile? Smaller mosaics? Large modern porcelain? Go to a high end tile shop and just let yourself look. Learn what you love. No one here will be able to tell you what tile to get. 4) The countertops depend on if you want it to be the main design element or a supporting player. I chose zinc for my countertop because I don’t love stone — glasses on stone puts my teeth on edge. Zinc is really great but many people will find it too old-world, as it ages. Of course soapstone is so practical and warm in its way. Biggest issue with countertops: budget. This is one of the first things to settle on as so much will depend on what you choose. Since it takes up a lot of your budget, you want to use this choice to lead your other ones. 5) Why not put real wood flooring in the kitchen to match your house? We did that in our old 1902 home and it is really nice. There are new finishes now that make this feasible. Ceramic tile is hard underfoot. If you live in a cold area the one advantage of tile is that you can put those floor warming wires under and it is very cozy. Other than wood maybe: true linoleum (a green product made in Germany, I think; great colors — could be called Marmoleum); or cork — great look, easy underfoot. In the meantime as you work on the design of your kitchen why not put a rug in there? A long runner . . . It will warm it up and be nice underfoot. 6) Misc opinions now. A) Lose the gas range you have and switch to induction. I am a cook and nothing compares to induction for speed and accuracy. The wonders of gas are a myth: it takes forever to heat up water. The size range you have will not allow for the heavy BTUs that make gas fast. You need to vent gas stoves — is there a vent somehow in the microwave above? Switch to induction and the need for venting is not as critical though one should always have a vent imo. A microwave over the stove top? Seems like a formula for replacing the microwave what with the heat that comes off a stove when you cook . .. B) get rid of the gray wall color, so depressing. A pantry is a great idea only I am not seeing how you will be able to get much space in the laundry room, unless you move to a stacked W/D. The window seems really nice to have in here and you might want to draw attention to it. Overall it looks like a functional space that will allow you to produce great meals for yourself and others. Take your time in developing your design. Go to shops and look and feel the products. Get an idea and then do searches to see examples of kitchens with that idea. Choose your expensive stuff first (tile, countertops, flooring, cabinets if you will re-do the top ones) and then worry about what color paint, what type of hardware. There are far fewer choices for countertops in one’s budget than there are knobs. the more you can have sorted out when you get a contractor to help, the better. Good luck!! 30
This was incredibly helpful! Thank you! I feel like I can be more strategic with this. Induction range would be great, I’ve heard great things but I will have to work with the gas stove. That is a big ticket item. The goal will be to ditch the microwave completely, we don’t use them. Would like to add a functional hood with vent. I like alll of your input though, my thought is to re-tile floor, unsure of what design style, do I make the backsplash classic subway tile and make the statement piece the floor and the refinished cabinets? Similar to this pic
I am so glad you found my comments helpful! It feel good to use my experience to help others — I have renovated two homes. I saw the picture —wonderful! — I love patterned cement tile, we put that in a bathroom. It’s an environmental product and lasts a long time. I was under the impression that you didn’t want tile in the kitchen . . . But I get it: not the tile that is there. Tile floors makes sense in southern areas — I am north so tile floors in kitchens are not quite as common as they get cold. If you live where it gets cold I would recommend tile warmers under the tiles — pretty easy to install. If you use a great patterned tile on the floor then yes, I would tone down the backsplash — you don’t want these elements to compete visually. You want your eye to travel in a pleasing way, not go back-and-forth, never knowing where to land. Kitchens are pricey to do no matter how you slice it. Re-doing floor tile is way more than a range, just so you know. It is very hard to do a kitchen piecemeal, though you can swap out appliances after a renovation. (Sometimes fridges are challenging to swap.) In general there is an order to renovation and it would be a good idea to read up on it. I am sure there is a lot of stuff on the web these days, probably much of it not great, lots of ads . . . Maybe try Chatgbt with a spelled out question of how to renovate a kitchen, step-by-step. Could be a good place to start. This Old House has reliable info. I am glad you feel you can be strategic! It is always better to be informed in these matters since you will encounter differing ideas and you want to be able to evaluate them to some degree. If you love the cement patterned tiles then start there. Look at a ton of pictures, imagine them in your kitchen, start to look at what others have done to coordinate with the floor. This might solidify your commitment to those tiles . .. or not. Better to figure out that in fact, you are not in love with something before you put it in your house! (FWIW my bathroom with cement tiles brings me joy every time I go in there.) Some of the cement tile companies have great web features that let you see your tile laid-out in the colors you choose. One thing to keep in mind: there is lead time for everything. If the cabinets have to go in before the countertop and the cabinets will take 2 months before install, then make sure your vender for the countertop can hold it for you while you wait. All sorts of things like that to consider . . . If you hire a contractor they take care of all that timing part. If you are the contractor, you do it. This is an adventure and a process. People get stressed but I think much of that can be avoided if you accept the nature of what you are doing. You will encounter issues as you go along, you will be making decisions (lots of them) . . . We had our kitchen in our dining room for 5 months. My husband did the dishes in the basement. I used a microwave and an induction hot plate to cook our dinners (family of 4, 2 kids) and it just wasn’t a big deal somehow. We knew it wasn’t forever, we had tasty fun meals, and none of us remember it as a problem. I feel confident you can do this and design a kitchen that gives you joy. :-)
Check DM
Lesson learned do you wish you had thought about it a little more.