With Adam ripping out his kitchen and Lolly planning how she’ll cook up a storm when her renovation is complete, my thoughts have also turned to the heart of the home.
I realise I’m extremely lucky to have a large kitchen in my new house. The peninsular unit is a bit of a dream-come-true and since this image was taken we’ve relocated the pendant lighting to hang over the seating so you can actually see what you’re eating. The large expanse of worktop makes meal prep so much easier than the small counter top we had in our previous cottage. I’ve never had a kitchen which steps out on to the garden so I adore the french doors leading out the patio and herb garden. Despite my best efforts to get guests through to the living room, the kitchen is where they seem to want to congregate.
The layout is okay. I do find it a bit odd most of my food is positioned above the sink (the bank of low level storage is mostly concealed appliances) and I miss my beautiful Smeg fridge which we were unable to relocate. The large sink is super duper practical as is the new Range we purchased when we moved in.
However there is one thing I’m not very keen on and that’s the cream cabinet doors. In other houses I’ve seen cream work really well, so homely and welcoming but as this room is fairly dark the doors always seem discoloured and I feel they really clash with the white woodwork. The carcasses are very new and great quality from Howdens. They have a royal warrant don’t you know, but I don’t think Liz would be too keen on the colour either either. One of my friends recently announced she’d been looking at the same kitchen but that she’d been put off after seeing ours in the flesh. Insert sad, slightly mortified face.
The DIYer in me tells me to whip the doors off, give them a sand down and paint them to give the room a brighter and fresher feel. As a shaker style, the cupboards have a timeless design which is a plus. I’m very tempted to go two-tone with grey units on the bottom and white on the top and add new hardware to the drawers and cupboards. Then I remember I did this in our very first house in our tiny kitchenette and it took forever and ever! The thought of approaching 22 cupboard and door fronts with a roller doesn’t really appeal.
#kitchengoals
I contacted a company who claim to recolour cabinet doors several times for a consultation but they declined to reply so I’ve no idea how much this would cost.
I’ve got to be honest an entire kitchen refit is completely off the cards, and feels a bit unnecessary too. As mentioned the layout is okay so all I’ve got to do is sort out the colour. However it did make me wonder how many people have bought houses with very new kitchens and bathrooms which really aren’t their style. It seems very acceptable to rip out an avocado suite or a melamine eighties kitchen but what do you do if the cupboards still have a whole load of life in them? It seems sacrilege to pull out a brand new kitchen just because the doors, worktops or floor don’t fit the aesthetic.
Invariably the DIY approach is one we’ll take, probably taking on one area at a time and slowly painting the doors and trims until the cream is banished. Notice how none of my inspirational images had wooden worktops though? I wonder if this will be the start of a lot of other changes too. I hope my husband isn’t reading this…
What’s your experience of inherited kitchens and bathrooms? Did you have new fittings when you moved house which really weren’t your style? Did you rip them out or live with them? Any experiences of painting units you’d like to share?
Personally, I think your kitchen looks fab. We had our units custom-made and my husband painstakingly painted 16 doors and when the work top went in, the colour wasn’t quite right, so after many tears from me, he painted them all over again, still not completely happy but I think a third time might just be pushing it! To change the colour of the doors, have you thought of looking for a local friendly car bodywork shop, they are experts at respraying, the finish would be pristine and very hard wearing, you could get them to try a cheap piece of mdf to see if you like the colour.
Thanks Eileen, ooh yes a third time might not go down well!
It’s funny you should mention the car bodyshop – a very good friend of ours actually runs one – painting F1 cars so all very professional! We discussed the idea before we moved in but James wasn’t keen as we’d have to get most of the kitchen over to them and also we weren’t sure about the side panels (the ones that are visible when you walk in the room, and round the island thing. Definitely an idea to look at again x
Aah Lauren, seems like only yesterday we were chatting about the hideous units we inherited… and our kitchen STILL isn’t finished! ? Ours is a fairly good size but the layout is shocking so we want to extend at some point in the next few years, in the meantime you might recall the hideous orangey wood effect laminate and sage green walls that I was living with.
It took me ages but I Annie Sloaned my butt off and it’s a million times better. Lee put up some faux brick wallpaper (I swear, it looks boss) and although it’s still not my dream kitchen, it’s a vast improvement.
Funny you should mention French doors though, I’m itching to brick up the current door and get one of the windows replaced with french doors. The space and storage it’d create would work wonders but Lee isn’t so keen. Give me six months ?
I honestly don’t think you’re too far off with the kitchen you have, just a few tweaks and it’ll be perfect. A cupboard repaint is definitely on the cards – I set myself mini-goals with ours so it was less tedious (a one door each night limit) and the time flew.
From what you say about the light too, you’re spot on about the worktops. (Funnily enough, they’d go perfectly in our kitchen – I’m still in black laminate doom) I’ve considered overlay worktops as a less costly replacement option, might be worth a little look if you’re not looking to pay through the nose?
It’ll be absolute perfection before you know it xx
Ah yes I remember those units and walls well Karen. Love that you went for the Annie Sloan option in the end.
James read the bit about the worktops last night and his face fell. He loves those wooden worktops but I’m sure we’ll come to some form of compromise! Overlay is such a good option to look in to x
I keep meaning to share pics when its finished… so that’ll be round about 2019. As with everywhere else, it has no floors ?
Oh bless James. You need light though! You have the same problem as me by the sounds of it, a million windows but light just doesn’t flood through. So unfair. It is a gorgeous kitchen though, even as it is x
Love your kitchen but know exactly what you mean. Ours was brand new when we moved in but I just didn’t like it. Shiny gloss and cheap cupboards plus a very strange layout. We lived with it for a few years and then redid the whole thing. Hoorah! It’s so much harder if it is good condition and quality. My mum had the same and had her whole kitchen resprayed by a local carpenter (same one who made all my built in storage!). She’s great at painting but decided the finish would be much better this way. They came and took all the doors and kickboards off, took them away, sprayed them and refitted them. It was £500!! Mum thinks they may have perhaps got the quote slightly wrong and it should have been a touch more expensive but she wasn’t complaining! Good luck xxx
Wow, your Mum got an excellent price there Lottie (I take it she has more than two cupboards?!)
Your kitchen is absolutely immense, hoping mine looks half as good one day! x
Ha ha yes. Quite a big kitchen. I wonder if these guys would travel to you? They are great and my sister has used them for numerous things from furniture to her magi mix!! http://www.wesprayanything.com x
/makes mental list of all the things I want them to spray/
xx
Honestly Karen, it is amazing. Why would you ever bother painting anything?! x
I painted our cream kitchen last summer (still one cupboard to go….) and it looks great. The kitchen was lovely but was in stark contrast to the rest of the house. I went for a pale grey and new handles. A light sand, a coat of combined undercoat and primer, 2 coats of the grey and a coat of clear satin varnish and now it looks like a brand new kitchen. I didn’t do it in one go hence the last remaining cupboard (I got bored and wandered off) and was able to do bits and pieces every now and again so it wasn’t disruptive. It’s a good budget option.
Susie this is really great to hear. What kind of paint did you go for?
It’s engraved locket from the dulux timeless classics range – very soft grey
Firstly, I would LOVE to have that kitchen! But it’s hard when it’s not your taste. Our kitchen is big – room for a large dining table and an Ikea Stenstorp in it, but I think it is hideous! The worktops are a speckled laminate, the cupboards are beech laminate and the tiles and door frames are maroon.. With cream walls.
We’re in the middle of doing our bathroom and know we won’t be able to afford a proper kitchen overhaul for a couple more years so we have set ourselves a £600 kitchen makeover challenge. For £600 we plan to rip out most of the top cupboards and replace with open shelving, replace all of the tiles with white metro tiles, re-paint the rest of the cupboards etc – Annie Sloan here I come – and get new hardware, get a new tap because ours is hideous, paint all of the walls brilliant sparkly white, strip the doorframes and replace the Stenstorp and the current table with a lovely scrubbed pine table, to free up some space!
We’re sort of considering it Phase 1. Phase 2 will be to rip out and reconfigure some of the cupboards, change the worktop, get a new floor and appliances and add a skylight to get more light in to the room.. But Phase 1 will do me for now!
This probably hasn’t helped at all.. But good luck!
Jennifer, I think it’s fab you’ve set a makeover challenge. Please keep us updated!
Lauren! I moved into my new house 3 months ago. We too have cream cupboards which are not what I would want AT ALL! But the kitchen is only 2 yrs old with lovely soft closing doors and the layout is great. So I have decided to do my best with what I’ve got. We have huge windows so it’s nice and light in there-thankfully we can pull off painting it a very rich dark grey. We are also changing the tiles from tiny cream and light grey mosaic style (yuck!) to some split slate grey ones which I feel will break up the cream even more. I will probably continue to spruce it up with some tropical colour accessories (coppers, greens, pinks and yellows) to give it more of a styled look. This should last us for the foreseeable future I think!
As for the bathroom… It’s beige… it’s brand new and the entire thing is beige. I lived in a teeny flat before and we pinterest styled the bathroom to the max with varnished palette wood behind the sink and and toilet and then white tiles and white paint with lots of plants and general greenery. I will be doing this again. I just think in this day and age there is no necessity or valid reason for a beige bathroom! 🙂
Loving the sound of your tropical kitchen Vanessa.
My old downstairs bathroom has popped up a couple of times on my pinterest feed since I’ve moved and it makes me sad 🙁
Beige is an odd choice for a new bathroom isn’t it? Where does one go to buy one?!
I can’t wait to see what you decide to do, lovely! I love the island and glass fronted cupboard to the left as you have it. We were in the exact same predicament when we moved into our house. I hated (and still do) the kitchen, wooden effect cupboards, fake black marble top ? but it was brand new, so we vowed to live with it and spend the money on other bits around the house. Now some 8 years down the line (can’t believe I’ve lived with it for 8 years) we are in the position to think about replacing – it also helps that it’s falling apart. My Kitchen Pinterest board looks pretty similar to your inspiration pics ?
Maybe I just need to wait for it to fall to bits and I can have a new one!
I’m off to steal all your pinterest pics 😉 x
We’ve inherited a kitchen which can only be a maximum of 10 years old, but has wooden cupboards, and also a wooden worktop – which is this bizarre stripey dark brown effect, plus a lino floor in a (brown!) squiggly pattern. It’s all very brown. It is also set up for an under-counter fridge & separate freezer (I’d love a smeg fridge freezer!) and has a really narrow free-standing cooker with an electric hob – not exactly my dream oven! However, the previous owners asked for a tiny amount (compared to buying it all new) for them to leave us the fridge, freezer, oven and washing machine, so for convenience we bought them, thinking that one of the things we wanted to do was knock through the kitchen and dining room so we’d replace it all then. However, we got a quote for doing that and it involves some underpinning as well as huge RSJs (the wall between the rooms is actually a massive chimney breast…) so that’s not happening any time soon! We caved and decorated the dining room but the kitchen is still the same. It just seems a shame to waste money on it when we hope to do it in full one day… I just keep hoping that the fridge or oven breaks and leaves us with no option but to re-do – the dishwasher has already gone! 🙂
Your kitchen is lovely, Lauren, but I can imagine the cream in person may be different to the photos! I have no experience of painting a kitchen but I have been amazed at how tiny things like new handles can make a huge difference (like when you see cheap IKEA units with fancy leather handles and they look incredible!).
New handles are definitely on the list Katie, agree they make such a difference but blimey aren’t some of them expensive?! x
Our kitchen is huge and was a hideous green colour, it needed replacing really but we couldn’t afford it so I painted it with deluxe quick dry eggshell, I should have either sanded the doors first or zinssered them but I didn’t and now the paint chips of if you accidentally put your nails on it which is annoying put I just touch it up every once in a while and you can’t tell but lesson learned for the future if I have to do it again
Good priming tip Emma. I’m guilty of taking short cuts too! x
Hi Lauren, my other half is a painter/decorator and alot of the jobs he does are painting people’s kitchen units to give the room a makeover. As a rough guide, he charges £135 a day (just outside of London) and for 22 units which is roughly what my mum’s kitchen has, he painted that in 8 days. So maybe around a grand? He always takes before and after photos of the work he does and I have to say, the difference can be astonishing and make a massive difference even if you do nothing else but change the colour of the units!
We have the builders starting on Monday for four months (insert nervous/excited face here!) and one part of the work is the kitchen extension so I’m currently trying to decide on what kitchen to go for (husband has told me categorically I’m not allowed to buy wooden units that he has to paint!). I think I’ve finally decided on navy lower units and a few white walls unit mixed with open shelving. Now just need to find a money tree so I can get the Neptune kitchen of my dreams!
Good luck – as always, will look forward to seeing the results x
Oh Anna, how exciting you’re getting a new kitchen. Very envious of your mix of units. It’s going to be fab! x
I totally get you Lauren. At least it’s good quality and layout so I’m sure you’ll be able to work your magic on it in no time. I’ve been living with a fairly new but badly fitted shiny cream kitchen for nearly three years and it’s the only room we haven’t decorated in the whole house because it leaves me so uninspired. I don’t think we’ll be ripping it out anytime soon either as when we viewed the house we thought the kitchen was fine so if we come to sell in the next couple of years I wouldn’t imagine we’d get our money back.
Love your inspiration pics – I’m in love with dark lower cabinets too and those marble counter tops are just dreamy. Can’t wait to see it after its makeover.
So true about when you come to sell. I don’t think it will put people off buying the house at all and they are so expensive it’s unlikely it’ll be worth it for resale.
Ahh marble counters. If only they didn’t stain!
I think your kitchen looks gorgeous but why don’t you enquire about changing the doors through Howdens? We’ve just had a kitchen done with them (the Burford range) and they did it in a few colours, including grey. We went for ‘stone’ and it looks pale grey really, which is what we wanted. With our old kitchen we painted it with Annie Sloan paint, it was easy enough to do but to be honest it didn’t stay looking good for very long, it looked fine from a distance but close up it just wasn’t very practical. The cupboards started looking grubby pretty quick and were hard to keep clean. We ended up re-painting it every few months. But that was a really old kitchen and just a quick fix until we could afford a new one. So I’d say if you go the painted route then definitely research well (I’m sure you would anyway!) so you don’t end up ruining a new-ish kitchen! X
Thanks Sarah – very good idea to check with Howdens. My friend suggested that too and I completely forgot. x
Hi Lauren,
We painted our kitchen cupboards! When we moved in we had a fairly boring beige “wood effect” MFI style kitchen which looked really dated but the cupboards were all shaker style which we liked, we picked a greige Neptune paint and replaced all the knobs to the same as yours – we managed to rope in some keen family members so only took us a weekend and nearly 3 years down the line they’ve stood the test of time. We’ve now saved up to install our dream kitchen and looking at the Shaker Kitchen Company. I think yours would be completely transformed if you painted the doors and would be totally worth it!! We used a “cupboard maker over” paint to prime them and then 2 coats with mini rollers, 3 years later I’ve only ever had to touch up tiny little patches and it’s worn extremely well. X
Thanks Lisa, good to hear your makeover is still going strong.
Hope you get your dream kitchen soon x
I loved reading this post Lauren, I can totally relate. We’ve been putting up with a fine-but-don’t-love-it kitchen since we moved in 3 years ago, and I’m worried that changing it ourselves would take forever, especially as we now have a baby. We also have cream unit doors, plus cream tile backsplash. Worst of all, our worktops are a kind of plastic laminate wood-effect. They’re awful! Any ideas or tips on how to improve them short of ripping them out and replacing them?
Thanks!
Thanks Hannah.
You can overlay worktops with different finishes. I’m always a big fan of a concrete screed! x
Your kitchen is a lovely space Lauren. It’s a great size and I am jealous of all your worktop space! We moved house 3 weeks ago, to a new build, so I was able to choose my kitchen. We actually paid extra to upgrade from the standard finish offered by the builder, and I am so glad we did. We have solid wood shaker style units which are painted a mid-grey colour. I really wanted white carrara marble worktops, but my husband was completely against it (because he is very practical lol). As he had agreed to go for the cupboards I wanted, we compromised with a wooden worktop and it actually looks great, much better than I expected. So I think if you painted your kitchen and kept your existing worktops it would be lovely, if a bit darker and moodier than the pics on your moodboard. It’d be especially nice with the two tone cupboards you’re thinking of, with the dark ones on the bottom and a lighter grey on top. Can’t wait to see it when you’re finished! x
Congrats on the new house Tracy. What a lovely kitchen you have!
I hate my kitchen and the sad thing is that I chose it! When we moved in we had an old kitchen which needed ripping out but we needed to wait a year or two to be able to do it properly. But alas when we had to remove cupboards for damp proofing they literally just collapsed and we saw the true state of the kitchen. We had very little money and just had to pick one of the kitchens which were on offer in B&Q. It is a cherry wood laminate with black worktops. I desperately want to Annie Sloan it and get wooden work tops but my hubby keeps telling me I’m not allowed to touch the kitchen. I’m just going to keep quiet for now and bide my time…
I would hate to be stuck with a new kitchen that I didn’t like though. I’m always looking at houses for sale – just in case – and I much prefer the ‘old lady’ houses that need starting from scratch to the newly done up ones.
Oh Claire, I’ve made some really bad decisions recently as I’ve been up against it time and money wise. I hate how they end up being expensive mistakes in the long run.
I can definitely see the appeal of ripping out and starting from scratch!
You could consider replacing the wall tiles and floor with something lighter to help brighten it up and which may work better with the cream? You could also consider just replacing the cupboard doors but keep the carcasses. I think there are companies online that offer good prices specifically just selling door / drawers. But obviously both options will cost more than a DIY paint job.
Thanks Jules, yes, should have mentioned the tiles will be having an update too.
Thanks for the door replacement suggestion, definitely an option to look in to as well x
A girlfriend inherited a similar kitchen to yours when she moved house last year – she farrow-and-balled it and whilst it was a slooooow process, her kitchen now looks amazing.
Have you considered changing your flooring rather than the cabinet colour? I wonder whether the darkness of the floor against the paleness of the cabinets is throwing things… a gorgeous pale parquet (like in the instagram hallway pic you posted yesterday) would look amazing. Sorry – i’m not much help really suggesting other things to change!!
I thought the exact same thing Nicola! I thought perhaps changing the flooring and the cabinet handles may solve the colour issue?
Lauren, would you ever think of having wooden pelmets, matching the cabinets and at the same height as the cabinets, above the windows? I think it would really transform those two walls and finish off the kitchen beautifully.
Apologies if I’m only making things more difficult.
Loving your suggestions Helen and Nicola, the tiles are definitely going (as James loves tiling and is very good at it). Handles – yep search is on.
Considered replacing the floor but need to look into it as we have underfloor heating. Very intrigued about the pelmets Helen, that’s not something I’ve thought about….
Have you tried MoreHandles Lauren? I found ours on there and their customer service was brilliant. In the end I went for the nicest we could afford and I think it came to around £200 but it was well worth it – makes such a difference – perhaps even more so than the paint job. We also have wooden worktops, currently stained a horrible orange brown colour (think garden fence circa 1985) which I am going to sand back and then oil. Once I’ve finished that last cupboard of course……
Thanks Susie, will take a look! x
My father in law built us a wooden pelmet painted the same as our cupboards for above our kitchen window and it has made a huge difference to the kitchen. The wall with the window had no upper cupboards and to me just looked a little unfinished, so we had the idea for a pelmet.
He literally made it out of a few pieces of mdf and arcitrave then painted it! Because it’s the same height as the cupboards it looks like a continuation of the kitchen and completes that wall. I’d highly recommend considering it.
I’m so impressed with all of the work you guys have done already to your new house and going by instagram the garden looks truly beautiful xx
What a lovely idea Helen x
We had exactly the same problem in our house. As first time buyers with very little extra cash we needed to buy somewhere that had a decent kitchen and bathroom as we couldn’t afford to do these up. Our bathroom is fine but the kitchen is not my style at all, it’s layout is good but I don’t think the people before us had a lot of money so you can tell it’s the cheapest IKEA kitchen they could find. The cabinets are flat laminate beech wood colour with a dark worktop. Does anybody know or had any successes painting an IKEA laminate kitchen? If so how and what paint would you recommend? Thanks in advance.
We painted a B&Q laminate kitchen, which I imagine would be the exact same as painting an Ikea one, and it worked an absolute treat.
I can’t remember the exact paint, but it was just one for woodwork (I think), we also heavily sanded back the doors before priming.
We did this two years ago and it has held up amazingly well!
We also have a dark wood ikea worktop and with our cream cabinets it looks fab.
I say *we did all of this, when really my very handy father in law did most of the hard graft!
Thanks Helen! Did you use a brush or a did you spray them? Did you use an electric sander or just by hand? Thinking of having a go, wish us luck!
No we hand painted with a brush. It took 2-3 coats. I know some people use rollers, and that might speed things up. Just sanded by hand. I’d be afraid that the electric sander would be too harsh on laminate and might end up removing the laminate coating, not sure though?
Good luck! I was really delighted with the result and hope you will be too!
I definitely think the answer lies not in the cabinet door colour but in the floor and wall tiles. Changing the worktop would also be a big cost, but perhaps you could do that down the line if you wanted to? I would suggest changing the floor tiles and possibly the wall behind the sink to something more like in your inspiration images. And depending on what you’ve already done with lighting, consider maybe ceiling spotlights in the main area? Beautiful kitchen, though!
Thanks India, smashing suggestions.
Completely neglected to tell everyone the tiles will have an overhaul too! I’m a bit reluctant to change the floor because of the other spaces that flow off this space.
We’ve switched the lights over the peninsular and added a load of spotlights too – bit of an IG pic here – https://www.instagram.com/p/BD-_toaqRhx/?taken-by=fairlylight
Your kitchen is lovely Lauren, love the size and layout – that is much closer to my dream kitchen than ours currently is but we’re very lucky to have inherited a relatively new kitchen that is reasonably attractive! Everyone who comes round likes it! I’d love to have the size and shape of your kitchen, with an island or peninsula and doors out to the garden. We have more of a galley style with cupboards down both sides.
The cupboards are gloss finish which I wouldn’t have chosen but I don’t mind them – I hate the handles though but haven’t gotten around to doing anything about it.
We’ll probably keep our kitchen exactly as is, with the exception of new coat of paint when needed and maybe adding some tiles. We are planning to re-do our bathroom as soon as possible though! Again, it’s not old – it’s just really boring, and doesn’t function properly. It has a bowl on top of a floating pedestal for the sink, but the tap isn’t big enough so water always splashes all over the side! And the pedestal itself has barely any storage considering its bulky appearance!
I’m going to tag you in a IG photo so you can see our kitchen! xx
You have a beautiful kitchen Kitty! Good luck with the bathroom reno x
Lauren your kitchen is really nice, but I do know EXACTLY what you mean – if it’s not “you” it’s just…not. We moved into our house almost 10 years ago and the kitchen was only a year or so old, and was (for its time) really quite expensive. Like you we have cream shaker style units (!) which were ok, but I really dislike the worktop, the door knobs and the fact it’s all against one wall rather that having some kind of island/being more homely/more of a “room” I guess.
There were several occasions where we were going to paint it, or change the worktop, or buy new knobs…but for one reason or another, we just haven’t. And I regret it – because I think we could have enjoyed the room a lot more for a lot longer if we’d just taken the plunge. So I would heartily recommend you have a bash with a paint brush, I think you will love the finished result.
For our new house (eek, should write a post soon!) we are designing the kitchen from scratch, it’ll be part of an extension and after dealing with our “blah” space for the last decade I can’t WAIT. I’m definitely having a generous island. And a polished concrete worktop. And I’m having units from DeVol – I’ve told James it’s non negotiable 😉
xxxx
I think I definitely need to know about this new house… let me peep! xx
Oh Charlotte, a DeVol kitchen – how ruddy amazing. They are so beautiful.
Can’t wait to hear all about the house progress at the weekend 🙂 x
I agree that changing the floor and tiling will make a huge difference already – but completely sympathise with not liking a relatively new kitchen. Ours was only a couple of years old when we moved in last year and it’s both cheap and beige…. Unfortunately the finances don’t stretch to replacing it right now so I painted it with Annie Sloane’s chalk paint, the bottom doors are red, the top ones are white (something like this: http://pin.it/yVWpOq7) and we replaced all the horrid handles, too. It’s still not anywhere near what I would really like but it definitely has made a difference!
I look forward to seeing your updates 🙂
What a fab combo Maike! x
Lauren this post couldn’t have come at more of an appropriate time! We’re in the process of putting an offer in on a house and we’ve lived in rented and temporary accommodation for the past 12 years so we’re more than ready to put our stamp on a house when we finally own one!!
The house is in great condition and everything fairly looked after, a few papered walls, new lighting and painted walls will be all some rooms need. But the kitchen which is only 3 years old is something which needs to stay. It had fantastic larder pull out cupboards and huge drawers, BUT the kitchen is glossy white and super futuristic. I think I liked that style years ago but now I’d certainly be going for something more modern traditional and I dare say I’ve pinned all of your examples in the past. Before we made the decision about the house I got straight onto my friend who actually works for Howdens to ask how easy it would be to Change the worktops without wrecking the kitchen. I’m also thinking to change the existing handles to gold effect and stick on some subway tiles. I realised very quickly that I will be able to change the look of it just by a little adaptation without being ruthless and sacrilege by ripping out a brand new kitchen. I just hope now our offer is accepted 🙂
Best of luck with the house Ebony. Do keep us updated. x
Lauren, I wonder if it is the grey that makes the cream appear off ! A Blush pink walls and tiles would look awesome all be it a bit brave! I can’t tell but are the lamps white ? Maybe that does not help the cupboard colour at least ! Maybe it is an optical illusion? I have been lusting after the pink tops tiles you featured a while back, Do you remember them ? X
Hi Rebecca, the lamps were cream too but we’ve replaced them now with spots and two pendants but the cupboards are still as cream as ever!
Oh those blush tiles were immense weren’t they?! I’ve just gone super duper feminine in the bedroom with lots of blush pink so not sure I can negotiate into the kitchen too?!
Suffering other people’s choices can be so frustrating, for sure, whatever kitchen interior trickery you magic up it will be amazeballs and total inspiration to others in similar dilemmas X
Hi,
I’m currently planning a new kitchen and have pinned similar images to you! Our kitchen is smaller than yours and I’m thinking of going for pale grey units. I’m worried they might date though. What are your thoughts on this please? Should I play safe with white? Worktop wise I can’t decide between a white Quartz or a reclaimed iroko wood worktop??? Flooring is proving stressful as it needs to be practical but look fab too, I’m thinking white but not sure if to go for a porcelain tile or maybe Karndean. When you mentioned new handles etc what colour would you go for? I love the brass but I’m concerned I might go off them so I will probably go for chrome! Basically I like the images you’ve pinned but I keep worrying about it not being timeless?! I’m struggling!!
Thank you in advance! Xxx
Hi Catherine, it’s true grey isn’t go to be the colour of the moment forever but it will definitely date less than something like a high gloss red one did several years ago.
My plan is to go chrome with the handles as it fits in with the other metals I have in the room.
Adam did a cracking post the other week about worktops which might help.
Kitchens are so spendy it’s difficult not to doubt decisions but you have some fab plans in mind x
Will consider the white vs grey units for a bit longer! I’m going to go chrome with the handles too as I think it will be easier to match with the sockets etc. Just had a read of the worktop post, might have a look into some premium laminates too. Thanks so much for replying. Xxx
When we bought our house 6 years ago we inherited an original 1970s kitchen. The cupboard doors were painted in bright red gloss, the floor was dark brown lino, the plastic looking work top had a huge burn hole and it was all a bit broken looking. Oh and the beautiful floral tiles and the fact that not all of the appliances actually fit into the spaces properly!
In my first home buying naivity I didn’t realise what sort of budget we would need to put things right, and other than paiting the cupboards white we had to grin and bear it for much longer than we anticipated. Three years later, for our wedding present, we finally had our new kitchen with a layout that works so much better. We didn’t go for top end as we know this isn’t our forever home. But after living with such a horror of a kitchen for so long I really do love it. Except now I want to change the tiles….. I have just told the hubby this and his face was a picture ?
For us a complete overhaul was a no brainer. But you lucky things have inherited a stunner of a kitchen! I think new tiles and a splash of paint will make the world of difference. Oh, and I have just seen THE most beautiful rose gold handles on Love It Or List It with Kirsty Allsopp. I need them in my life ? x
Rose gold you say Anna? I need them in my life too!
Sounds as though you really deserved a new kitchen, the burn hole doesn’t sound like much fun 🙁
your kitchen is lovely, Lauren!! We moved in to our house 8 months ago and did the classic – “everything is perfect, we don’t need to change a thing” – the previous owners were Italian and very stylish and we had very similar taste.. sure enough as soon as we moved in, i realised that similar just isn’t quite mine! Combined with renovation plans to extend in to the loft and adding an extension on back to open up the kitchen and add a new day/loungey room (hello bi-folds/atrium ceiling -a pinterest cliche) – all of a sudden I now can’t wait to rip out everything and make it our own. I think its a totally natural trick of the mind!
Yours is going to look just beauts when you are done, love that final kitchen goals pic.
This is my kitchen goal
http://www.stylemepretty.com/vault/image/1363659#_a5y_p=5293524 – swooon!!!!! Isn’t it just the kind of kitchen that could home some super fun parties!
Looking forward to seeing your makeover
xx
[…] the dining room. Hopefully we’ll have the floor painted soon and can then move on to the kitchen makeover during November. My dad is going to help us with this one. What a […]