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I NEED help with my kitchen!

post #1 of 28
8/27/08 at 1:46pm
Thread Starter 
Do you love your kitchen and want to show it off? Or, would you just like to help me get ideas for mine?

I'm decorating our tiny, awful, dirty kitchen and I need all the help I can get. I've never decorated a kitchen before, beyond buying matching potholders and dish towels for an apt. I thought it would be easy, but it's proving quite difficult to come up with ideas.

I like simple things and not-crazy colors, and this all has to be agreed upon by the spouse, who is pretty hard to please when it comes to things like this. He does not like themes (coffee, apples, Italian theme, cafe themes have all been turned down). That's probably the reason it's been so dang hard!

The countertops and cabinets have to stay, and if we can't paint them, stay how they are. Which saddens me, b/c they're cheap and old and yucky. (Someday we will have a grown-up sized refridgerator which will be white, but in the mean time we are making due with the dorm fridge.) The appliances are all new and will stay. The table will stay, but someday we're hoping to get chairs that don't fall apart. We now know that the spot behind the trash can will NOT be the wall color. Ripping anything out or adding in anything fancy isn't really an option at this point, unless I can do it for super cheap. It's small and is our only option for a dining place, so I need to make it feel as big as possible, and conserve as much space as I can.

Those are my limitations. I'm not really awful when it comes to putting a room together, I'm just stumped and need some ideas/inspiration. Please help!

These are the views of the room, starting at the door from the LR and going to the left. Sorry, I still cannot manage to make the photos appear in the post.







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post #2 of 28
8/27/08 at 2:14pm
I hate my kitchen too. I think yours is very fixable...I would paint the cabinets either white or a light neutral color and add silver hardware. I would either tile the backsplash to go with cabinet or wall color or I put up white beadboard. I would paint the walls a lighter verision of the color behind the trash can or a light yellow or green depending on cabinet color. I would also hang some decorative plates or a picture or a nice clock above the table. Yoo might be able to find mistint paints at Lowes for $4.00-$5.00 a gal. You could get a few simular colors and mix them in a larger bucket so you have enough for the whole project. It's also in to paint your upper cabinets and lower cabinets 2 different colors. I would paint the upper ones a lighter color than the bottom.
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post #3 of 28
8/27/08 at 2:25pm
First thing that comes to mind is adding some cabinetry hardware. Here's our kitchen, the cabinet colors are actually pretty close to the same. Another possibility would be to add a laminate backsplash, or maybe stainless steel if you want a more modern look.

This is our "before" pic.

After Pic
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post #4 of 28
8/27/08 at 2:58pm
I don't think it just awful - I was picturing much worse in my mind when you described. I definitely think adding some pretty hardware to the cabinets to the cabinets would be a plus. Painting the cabinets could be nice, but the hardware would help if that's more work than you are ready for. I would definitely paint the wall & replace whatever the material is behind all the counters as a backsplash. If I had the money, I would tile the backsplash, but if not I'd just paint it. I think a pale yellow would brighten up the area, a taupe or sage would warm it up depending on what you are going for. I'd either make or buy some cheap valances for those big windows - that would give you some color & not cut too much into your natural light. Is there anything in the budget for the floor? If not, I'd get a couple of rugs, one for at the sink & maybe a larger one under the table to throw in splashes of color. Not that it's any of my business, but what is the story behind the dorm fridge. I'd never have enough room for all our food. We go through 2 gallons of milk every week, so I would nearly fill that fridge just on that - lol. GOOD LUCK!!!
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post #5 of 28
8/27/08 at 3:26pm
I LOVE your cabnets.....I think its a cute kitchen and alot nicer than ours.
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post #6 of 28
8/27/08 at 3:36pm
whatis on the wall under the cabniets , is it paint or laminate.
I would leave the cabniets the color and finish they are ... they are nice in the photos unless they are not showing something. (painting them wold just add to the cost that you could use elsewhere). Harware on the cabniets would look nice ( you can get them 0.99 each on ebay nice ones) Roman shades for your windows would look nice. I would def paint the walls a color you have a lot of taupe/beige nutrals going on already. I would remove the wall covering if it is laminate and pait it (add color breakup all that beige color)
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post #7 of 28
8/27/08 at 4:31pm
Those look like easily paintable cabinets.(if you wanted to go that route)

I like the tan color cause anything matches it really...red at the holidays(or beyond)baby blue...greens etc.

I can't really tell in the photos if you have an open area on top of the cabinets....but I put decorative photo boxes up on top of mine...they come in 100 diff colors or patterns......are great for extra storage(esp of packet items like kool aids,taco seasoning mixes etc)
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post #8 of 28
8/27/08 at 4:46pm
Your description doesn't match the pics. You have a very nice workable kitchen. I would add some hardware to the cabinets, can paint them if want to, but IMO they are nice to start with. You don't have to have a theme for a kitchen, just adding some nice bright colors will open the place up. You seem to have a lot of wood tones to work with, maybe something as simple as changing the backsplash such as adding tiles or painting it would work also.
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post #9 of 28
8/27/08 at 4:57pm
It just needs a bit of color. Maybe some sage or yellow walls? Some cheerful curtains? a rug or mat? And could you raise the refrigerator up? Maybe put a cabinet or shelving unit under it? I really like your cabinets - they look a lot like mine. New hardware is expensive, but would really spruce them up. I just painted a laminate countertop to look like granite. It turned out nice, and cost very little (primer, paints, 7 coats of polyurethene). It's still new, so I can't vouch for how it will hold up - but others have said it will hold up for years.
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post #10 of 28
8/27/08 at 5:35pm
Your kitchen is not Nearly as bad as I was expecting to see!

You don't seem to Need too much help ,
its a cute kitchen with nice looking Cabinets.

I would Probably Add hardware to the cabinets and Put a nice valance over top the window For a Quick spruce up.
Then I would Consider painting the Back splash or redoing it if It Can't Be painted. That would make a huge difference!
Add a fresh coat of neutral wall paint and Perhaps a border around the top of the room.
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