Considering MAJOR kitchen Renovation, Need suggestions.

[DawnCt1]

We have been in the process of looking for a house in Massachusetts. DH can work from home, so if we don't find one, we will renovate our kitchen. My kitchen is vintage 1980's. We added on 15 years ago and used solid oak cabinets to augment our existing cabinets, so there is a support beam that has been made to look like the actual real wood beams that have no structural purpose. We also have wood ceilings. They need to go. The structural beam we can strip down, cover with smooth woodwork and paint it white. The rest of the downstairs is really an open floor plan so the ceilings that I just had painted for resale would have to be done again when the wood beams come out....unless I had a white, shallow coffered, grid type ceiling put in. That would hide the line, set off the kitchen ceiling as separate. I would get hid of the track lighting, put in recess lighting with a couple of pendant lights over the pennisula. The soffets would go too with the cabinets extending to the ceiling with crown molding.I am considering a glazed vanilla bean painted look cabinet since I have no window into the work area. Its an interior kitchen with the breakfast area in front of the window. The glaze would blend with the natural woodwork that I wouldn't change. We would have granite counters, stainless steel appliances and I would get a gas stove with a down draft. We have wood floors (red oak) Here are some pictures so you can see. Any and all thoughts welcomed.

Where the first kitchen beam joins the hallway ceiling

The support beam that will need to stay but can be thinned down and recovered.

The stuff in between and why we need to renovate.

 

[KarenB]

I love white cabinets with black granite countertops, white subway tile backsplash, and stainless steel appliances. But on the other hand I like cherry cabinets a sleek modern handles and natural granite. Are you near the water? I think the white fits better for that area and the cherry more inland.

Gosh, I could NEVER decide!!

Karen

 

[DawnCt1]

I love white cabinets with black granite countertops, white subway tile backsplash, and stainless steel appliances.

The Vanilla bean is almost white, just not glaring white. I like the black granite except I have Uba tuba granite on the area over the divider and the buffet and I HATE it. It shows everything. When I go to shop for granite I am going to take a dirty coffee cup and a bag of crumbs and if I can't see them, that's the granite I will get. Any thoughts on the coffered ceiling?

 

[KarenB]

I think that type of ceiling seems formal to me. Like an older, stately house in Savannah for some reason. I think they are really cool looking though. Do you want this area to be formal?

I am always watching HGTV and while many of the projects are way beyond anything we will ever have, I tend to focus on one thing...maybe just watch for the ceilings for a week or so.

I had to laugh at the shot of your old oven and the "digital" clock!!!

 

[Judy from Boise]

Do you have a theme or style ? The reason I am asking is that with mid century, Tuscan, French country etc you could really work with that ceiling and make it make sense in the room.

 

[disykat]

I must admit I saw there were pictures and scrolled down and looked at them before reading what you wrote. My FIRST thought was the kind of vanilla glazed cupboards to modernize but blend with your woodwork!

I see that you are changing out the ceiling - I have to say I kind of like that ceiling! I can see how you might be tired of the darker 80's look though.

I prefer brown/beige mix in the countertops for the "looking dirty" reason as well. I think it would be fun to do more colorful, slighty reflective glass tile blacksplash - something not too over the top, but enough to add some color choices for your accessories etc..

 

[DawnCt1]

I think that type of ceiling seems formal to me. Like an older, stately house in Savannah for some reason. I think they are really cool looking though. Do you want this area to be formal?

I am always watching HGTV and while many of the projects are way beyond anything we will ever have, I tend to focus on one thing...maybe just watch for the ceilings for a week or so.

I had to laugh at the shot of your old oven and the "digital" clock!!!

Its time for it to go!!! Still keeping time though.
I don't mind if it has a more formal look because it is opened to the rest of the house and directly into the family room. It would also serve to blend the beam that I have to keep with the ceiling instead of it looking like "that's where the addition is". It is where the addition is, but you can't really tell because its like the other decorative beams.

 

[DawnCt1]

Do you have a theme or style ? The reason I am asking is that with mid century, Tuscan, French country etc you could really work with that ceiling and make it make sense in the room.

Actually I want transitional style cabinets, not too traditional, not too contemporary but no particular theme. I haven't gotten "that far". I found this picture of a shallow coffered ceiling. I don't think I would have so many grids.

 

[DawnCt1]

I must admit I saw there were pictures and scrolled down and looked at them before reading what you wrote. My FIRST thought was the kind of vanilla glazed cupboards to modernize but blend with your woodwork!

I see that you are changing out the ceiling - I have to say I kind of like that ceiling! I can see how you might be tired of the darker 80's look though.

I prefer brown/beige mix in the countertops for the "looking dirty" reason as well. I think it would be fun to do more colorful, slighty reflective glass tile blacksplash - something not too over the top, but enough to add some color choices for your accessories etc..

My friends like my ceiling too. The wood is on the same diagonal as the floors but it darkens the kitchen and even if it isn't 'heinous', it is so dated. It also absorbs the light. The way the beams are, I need track lighting. Recess lighting wouldn't work and the track lighting has got to go. Those pine beams are going to be heavy. I will have to think of something to do with them somewhere. Maybe if we build a porch!!! I agree with your choice of granite. I may end up going with a more neutral tile backsplash however.

 

[Pamlur]

Your white cabinets are absolute duplicates to the cabinets we installed in the house we recently sold (in the '80s), but we went WAY overboard. The cabinets were a light teal and the countertops were dark teal. Talk about screaming '80s!!!

The buyers ripped out the kitchen and put in new cabinets, before they ever moved in.

 

[DawnCt1]

Your white cabinets are absolute duplicates to the cabinets we installed in the house we recently sold (in the '80s), but we went WAY overboard. The cabinets were a light teal and the countertops were dark teal. Talk about screaming '80s!!!

The buyers ripped out the kitchen and put in new cabinets, before they ever moved in.

I know how they feel. In the meantime, I am still house hunting. I love everything about my house except for the kitchen (and DH's commute) and the kitchen I can change for far less $$$ than the price difference in housing from Ct. to Eastern Ma.

 

[golfgal]

http://www.armstrong.com/resclgam/na/ceilings/en/us/tiles.asp?shapeId=2



What about using decorative ceiling tiles? We used these Armstrong tiles in our old kitchen. We used the "TinTile" ones. They are fiberboard tiles (just like drop ceiling tiles) and completely paintable. I LOVE how they look. We had the wood beams in the kitchen too-same deal, took out a wall, needed to add a support beam. There was also a picture on the Armstrong site of a wood ceiling with white beams that looked nice too.

 

[720L]

I have a coffered ceiling over my keeping room, off of the kitchen. I love it and get many compliments on it. The kitchen and keeping room are one room, but the ceiling separates it. My granite shows nothing--no crumbs or rings I LOVE it. I think the color is New Venetian Gold...it's been 3 years so I'm not sure, but when I googled it that's what my counter looks like. We were going to do off white cabinets with it, then changed to dark cherry, but white would look fine also.

 

[DawnCt1]

http://www.armstrong.com/resclgam/na/ceilings/en/us/tiles.asp?shapeId=2



What about using decorative ceiling tiles? We used these Armstrong tiles in our old kitchen. We used the "TinTile" ones. They are fiberboard tiles (just like drop ceiling tiles) and completely paintable. I LOVE how they look. We had the wood beams in the kitchen too-same deal, took out a wall, needed to add a support beam. There was also a picture on the Armstrong site of a wood ceiling with white beams that looked nice too.

There would be no place to start from the hallway. Its all open. That is why a shallow coffered ceiling would be an alternative to having to have my hall, foyer and dining room ceilings redone. Also, I have a small 30 inch counter that I don't particularly need, other than it provides a space to hang the microwave (under the cabinet) over. I was thinking a full length pantry with a drawer type microwave in the middle. Any thoughts? This is a late spring/summer project because I want a gas cook top, gas logs and so we will need to bring a gas line into the house from the propane tank buried in the side yard.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

We just completed a kitchen renovation that we've been planning for years (literally - over 20 to be exact, lol). I love it. We did most of the bull work ourselves and "recycled" as much as we could in order to keep costs down. We've had HGTV, DIY TV on 24/7 (j/k, but we have gotten a lot of ideas from the shows, as well as magazines and books, etc).

Our porcelain/ceramic tile floor was in beautiful shape and I still love the color despite it being about 18 years old. Fortunately we had some extra tiles in the attic which we used all of when we removed a row of cabinets to accomodate a new island, so that worked out great and people think the floor is brand new. We kept our appliances which are black, but fairly new and in good working order (I actually like the black). We also kept the sink where it was so no plumber needed. The electrician put in new recessed lighting, undercabinet lights, rewired the garbage disposal and some of our other plugs and such, and put the wiring in place for a sunroom we're building off the kitchen. DH dealt with the walls which was kind of a PIA - old wallpaper and tiles had to be peeled off and some sections of the walls had to be torn down for the electrician, so that all had to be replaced or repaired. It looked pretty bad for a while... He's done a ton of work and did an amazing job.

For cabinetry we went with IKEA in white. We paid for a kitchen designer who works with them and their person to come in for one day to help show DH how to install the cabinets (money well spent, and quite affordable). Can't even tell you how much we love them. We had a hard time deciding on countertops. We went with granite in Baltic Brown and they look beautiful. Walls are a Disney Yellow (Mickey's feet) w/ white wainscoting.

The one thing I would say from the sound of your project is that it sounds like it's going to cost a lot. The electrician's bill was one of the biggest expenses we had. Add in carpenters/builders changing ceilings and plumbers running pipes and But you probably know that already. Just make sure you figure their actual costs into your project before you make your final decisions. (We built an addition 15 years ago and I was surprised how much costs seem to have skyrocketed since then.) The good thing, though, is that kitchen renovations are generally a good investment in your home. You probably just want to be sure of your moving plans before you start, as it would be a bummer to go through all that and then change your mind (not sure how it would work with your investment, either). We are here for the long haul...

We're still working on setup and finishing up some detail work, so I'm waiting to take pictures until we're done. But here's a peek at the granite we chose. It's blackish, but you kind of have to look pretty hard to see crumbs on it.

 

[Disney Doll]

Outlets.
Make sure you have enough outlets.
And when you think you have enough outlets, add a couple more.

 

[DawnCt1]

Outlets.
Make sure you have enough outlets.
And when you think you have enough outlets, add a couple more.

That's true. I actually have a good amount of outlets but a couple more won't hurt, and I will keep the same general layout of the existing kitchen. Its the best configuration for the space.

 

[Judy from Boise]

Honestly am a sucker for wood ceilings, so I am going to lobby once for saving them! Since you have to remove the track lighting anyways, perhaps you could fill in and sand the old screw holes, then do a two toned paint job (one beam, one slat), pulling from the eventual color choices you make in the rest of the room. On the two tones I mean the same color with just two different values. It could look very custom and expensive at the end, but in actuality save you $ to upgrade your hard materials.

 

[crz4mm2]

Honestly am a sucker for wood ceilings, so I am going to lobby once for saving them! Since you have to remove the track lighting anyways, perhaps you could fill in and sand the old screw holes, then do a two toned paint job (one beam, one slat), pulling from the eventual color choices you make in the rest of the room. On the two tones I mean the same color with just two different values. It could look very custom and expensive at the end, but in actuality save you $ to upgrade your hard materials.

I love wood ceiling too. I would adore having them in a room.

 

[Ciao Mickey]

Have you ever watched the show Spice Up My Kitchen on HGTV? Lauren Lake is the designer and she has some great ideas for kitchens. You can go on-line and see the episodes and get some ideas of the style you want for your kitchen.

I agree with you about black granite. I have it in my master bathroom and I HATE IT and would never get it in a kitchen.