Need Renovation Ideas for a timeless Kitchen

[KKB]

Thanks everyone for your comments - please keep the thoughts and ideas coming!!

Spoke to my husband this morning, and I expressed my concerns - and I really want this to fit our lifestyle and needs and not just a beautiful kitchen. I want to listen to my inner voice that says take a little more time - but this is a big step for me emotionally as 1) really I'm a disorganized mess and fear someone in my home discovering this 2) Hate to make a mistake and this again is big investment 3) want this to be ours and not just doing it to be done with it and will be realistically be in our home another 5 -10 years.

Examples - there are pull outs in some of the cabinets but are there enough? Right now we have a cooktop on our kitchen island - now our stove/cooktop or whatever will face the wall - yet I'm used to cooking and talking/seeing things going on around the house, tv etc... not sure if I will like it even though in the design the cooking area against the wall makes a 'statement'. Friend has a faucet above her stove to fill her pots (she really doesn't cook but put it in anyway!) - does anyone have one of these? Also, I have in mind an image of a cabinet that opens up and stores all our counter appliances plugged in and can be pulled out for access - kitchen aid mixer, toaster, slow cooker, sou vide, pressure cooker/rice cooker, etc.. - does it exist is that too much to ask for or should they just be placed in a cabinet and pulled out (realistically I don't use every thing all the time) etc..

Have to call the designer today - and I'm nervous and procrastinating reading the disboards - So thanks again for all your support and help!!

Your design should fit the way YOU live--NOT make a statement (unless THAT is your first priority!!)

I would put that stove where you can see people while cooking--that's what I would like!!

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Unfortunately, there is no such thing these days as a timeless look.

HGTV ruined that for everyone.

I am getting my kitchen redone and going with a slightly off-white even though that is NOT my style at all. I don't even really like the granite we picked, BUT we were told over and over again that OUR style was completely outdated (it may be about 5-7 years old).

We are selling, so I wanted to go with something that was more current and buyers would want.



Man I hope this house sells......and I am being picky about the kitchen in our new house as I DO NOT like white cabinets nor do I care for the cooler colors for granite (I much prefer warm tones.)

Dawn

Granite is becoming dated; I prefer Quartz myself.

OP, I think the extra expense for a pot filling faucet over the stove could be better spent elsewhere. I do not see the appeal. I can see someone leaving it on and flooding the top of the stove.

 

[Eastern]

Whatever you do, keep it simple. The worst things I notice about kitchens and bathrooms are overly ornate cabinets, busy granite, obnoxious tile.

Simple and clean will be less trendy than any special color, tile, or countertop.

Costs less, too.

I would also skip the high end pricey appliances. Find a good midprice model and go with that.

 

[LJSquishy]

Build the kitchen YOU love since you will be there quite a while!

A traditional, timeless look will vary from person to person. In my eyes, only creamy white kitchen cabinets are truly timeless. There are no timeless countertops or appliances. I guess I would say butcher block countertops would be the most timeless but I'm personally not a fan of those aside from the fact that I like how they look in photos. I don't like granite, either! I'd prefer Quartz I guess. Actually, marble countertops may be considered pretty timeless but marble is soft.

All stained wood cabinets are eventually dated looking. It's just a fact of life! So, just choose what you truly love.

Also, white cabinets don't get any dirtier than espresso colored cabinets...it's just that white will show the dirt eventually. I've always wiped my cabinets down periodically anyway so I would love white cabinets. I'd rather know when they were dirty! Cabinet hardware will help a lot also so people aren't touching the doors & drawers directly. The cabinets we installed a few years ago in the house we just sold didn't even have cabinet hardware and still didn't get dirty.

 

[tiggerluver12]

In 2010 when we sold our house, we had just put in neutral brown granite-like quartz countertops. That countertop hid every crumb, water drop, food residue, etc. Loved them. When we moved, we purchased a house that has black granite - I HATE THEM!!! Black shows everything from the tiniest of crumbs to water droplets left over from kids washing hands.

My suggestion is to go with a very busy patterned granite in a color that you LOVE. If you can take a piece home and "test" it out that would be ideal.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

The thing that stands out to me as becoming likely dated in kitchens is some of these back splashes they're using now, especially the small glass ones. It wouldn't stop me from using one if I really liked it - it's easy enough to replace - but I just think down the road, we'll be seeing some of them that will be a dead giveaway for the time period they were put up. If I wanted to go as timeless as possible, I'd try to do a "classic" one, not a trendy one.

OTOH, if people don't have money for a full renovation, replacing some of these things that are "dated" will give your kitchen a really fresh look. I'm talking countertops, lights, hardware, etc. If I had decent cabinets I'd have no hesitation in painting them to update the kitchen, along with some other fresh changes. (Ours were built in 1964 and awful, if you reached in to get a pan your hand came out sliced from a nail sticking out and whatnot. Uggh. There was also a lot of wasted space that was essentially unusable - so nice to be replaced with modern spinning shelves and drawers, etc.)

 

[dsneprincess]

I have quartz in the kitchen & a granite top in the master bath. Both are new to me in the last 4 years. Personally, I LOVE the quartz in the kitchen, it is indestructible and looks amazing. It is the older of the 2, by 15 months. The granite (remember this is in the bathroom!) has changed color (stained?) from water and soap. Yup, it's a bathroom, pretty much essentials! I hate that it doesn't styrax shiny and shows all water spots. I have none of those issues with quartz! Just my 2 cents.....

 

[arthur06]

Granite is becoming dated; I prefer Quartz myself.

OP, I think the extra expense for a pot filling faucet over the stove could be better spent elsewhere. I do not see the appeal. I can see someone leaving it on and flooding the top of the stove.

We have remodeled a whole house. When we were looking at our kitchen, we originally were looking at granite. However, our cabinet maker recommended Quartz. We are very happy with our decision of Quartz. Granite is porous, and requires maintenance.

 

[shelly3girls]

Definitely read through gardenweb boards. They were a tremendous resource when we remodeled. Here is what I love from our remodel...

Light tan/neutral cabinets that are classic and go with everything
Drawers instead of cabinets
Pull out shelves in pantry
Under cabinet lighting
Outlets installed on underside of cabinets so no outlets in our backsplash
Pendant lights over island
Huge black kitchen sink (matte quartz) doesn't scratch or show any dirt/food and blends into the granite
Cabinet faced appliances- I didn't want too much metal
Natural stone backsplash (sealed so no stains)
Hardwood floor (warmer than tile and already distressed so no wear and tear)
Microwave drawer in the island hidden from sight
Shallow cabinets on edge of island to store water bottles
Spice drawer
Sink in island
Wine refrigerator
6 burner stove with double oven (one side smaller)


I love our unique granite we picked from the granite yard. It has lots of movement and is the only non-traditional thing we have. We seal it once a year and have no daily maintenance. Different granites have different levels of being porous, ask at the granite yard if you decide on granite. Don't buy granite from a place like Home Depot unless you want a very standard/common granite. We also have quartz in another room and I'm not a fan of the look.

If you get tile then add the stain protector in the grout. We did this in our foyer and the off white grout is still spotless years later.

 

[dminnie]

Skip the rollouts and go with lower cabinet drawers. Love my 36" wide drawers for storing both pots and pans and dishes.

Laura

I also use them for dishes and bowls and such. One is for all my plastic containers.

Lower cabinet drawers make so much sense. They are also less expensive than doing roll outs on a regular cabinet. Plus, they are easier to use...just pull out. With roll outs, you have to open the door first and then roll out. I think traditional bottom cabinets are really dated(mostly because they just aren't very functional and people want a lot of functionality in their kitchens).

As far as cabinet style, someone suggested wood finish without any fancy finishes. That makes sense to me. Almost anything you get will look dated at some point, but if you go with classic styles it will take much longer before it looks dated.

 

[PatMcDuck]

We are re-doing our 20 year old kitchen too. With possible sale coming in a few years. I have been thinking about my options for years.

We have white cabinets, which was really not idea for life with 4 kids, but I am keeping them white. I will refinish and repaint them. The kelly green formica (!!) will get replaced by light beige colored quartz. Not granite, I think granite is just getting overdone, or maybe I am sick of it just from watching HGTV/TLC, lol. I am going for the "light and bright" look, as the kitchen windows not near the cabinets. Room now a warm tan. I think I may get light colored glass subway tiles for the backsplash. New hardwood floors will run into the kitchen. We already have stainless appliances.

This is a re-do on a small budget, well, a few thousand for the quartz of course. It will certainly look lots better than it does now.

 

[Eastern]

We are re-doing our 20 year old kitchen too. With possible sale coming in a few years. I have been thinking about my options for years.

We have white cabinets, which was really not idea for life with 4 kids, but I am keeping them white. I will refinish and repaint them. The kelly green formica (!!) will get replaced by light beige colored quartz. Not granite, I think granite is just getting overdone, or maybe I am sick of it just from watching HGTV/TLC, lol. I am going for the "light and bright" look, as the kitchen windows not near the cabinets. Room now a warm tan. I think I may get light colored glass subway tiles for the backsplash. New hardwood floors will run into the kitchen. We already have stainless appliances.

This is a re-do on a small budget, well, a few thousand for the quartz of course. It will certainly look lots better than it does now.

This is my exact kitchen. I had my cabinets sprayed BM Cloud White, and used Cambria in Coswell Cream for the counters. Stainless appliances, wood floors. I get lots of compliments on it.

http://www.cambriausa.com/en/Designs/design-palette/Coswell-Cream/ (they have a BM paint color match feature on the website that is nice) The quartz has a small speckle pattern. If you want to see the pattern from farther away, I would get a chunkier pattern, but I like a simple and clean look.

I think that glass subway tiles would be a nice look in one color (not the 1 inch, but the subway). I have a neutral beige on the backsplash now but I wish I had done the glass.

 

[CAFarmerGirl]

We did a complete gut and remodel of our kitchen about 4.5 years ago when we bought a new to us house. We went with cream cabinets and cream Quartz. We love our kitchen.

I went with what I liked, not what was popular (oddly enough, cream and white seemed to gain popularity after we did our kitchen...maybe I just never noticed before?). We also went with cream appliances. Was told to stay away from cream, but I just love it. Our kitchen looks so much bigger! I do have to wipe the cabinets down occasionally, but no more than my prior house with cherry cabinets.

Before we moved in:

 

[MrsPete]

I'm hearing two different topics here:

1. How to create a kitchen that won't look outdated in two years. You can choose classic items, but nothing's truly going to be "timeless".

2. How to create a functional kitchen that will serve you well and make cooking a joy. A good layout is the most important thing -- double ovens and oversized this or that come in a distant second to that.

 

[tina.tina]

I wouldn't worry about making a statement with appliance placement. That's what you use color and texture for. I would worry about how I want my workstations laid out. I feel completely hemmed in when I'm standing at my stove. So, don't put your stove at the end of a narrow kitchen or in a corner. The refrigerator is behind and to the side of me but if anyone opens the door, I start feeling really claustrophobic.

Like a PP, the granite in my bathroom is spotted and difficult to deal with. My MIL has the coated white cabinets and they are so easy to clean and look brand new. I would be sure to get soft close drawers.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

CAFarmerGirl, I like your kitchen. You are right, the lightness really opened it up a lot. It is nice to have so much space!

This is mine. We have since changed all the appliances over to SS. I never wound up putting in a back splash because I couldn't decide which to use, but I wound up liking it as it was, so Im going to leave it that way. (Plain Mickey Mouse Yellow.) The undercabinet lighting was one of the best suggestions someone gave us - it was the electrician, in fact - and now it's one of my favorite things about it. (I should really take some pictures with and without it sometime.) Our kitchen was always naturally bright but just after we remodeled the kitchen, we added a sunrooom off the back, and that blocked some of the natural light that came in, so even during the daytime, the lighting is nice to have. I really like a contrast of colors and textures as well. And put me down as somoene who really loves my granite, too! (I stil baby it, lol.)

 

[Dashzap]

I think subway tile will be dated fairly quickly...

 

[SplashMo]

For cabinets get the lower drawers. Check out shaker style cabinets and if you don't like them check out raised panel cabinets. I like light or medium maple but you might like off white. I would go with a softer floor. Think about broken dishes and perhaps falls... Do go for a tall and colorful backsplash. this is a big bang for the buck. And if you can consider glass in upper cabinets that sit on the counter making a 3 foot hutch between the kitchen and the rest of the house.... Make sure the glass cabinets are for display items only and have lightening inside. Otherwise perhaps skip... We went with a cherry island and maple for everything else. Granite is apparently going out of style but if you like it I see no harm...

We also skipped on the sub zero and went with a deeper cabinet that hid a bit bigger fridge. The new 33 cubic foot units can be made almost flush with the cabinets if the designer is creative....

 

[SplashMo]

Also check out http://www.susanka.com/books/default.asp and Fine Home Building annual homes issue and annual kitchens and baths.

 

[SplashMo]

And one more thought. If you do go white on the cabinets choose a cream color. It will still look white but a bit softer...