I really like the bookshelves over the windows, and I would fill them with cookbooks! Nice detail.

I like the cabinets. I think the blinds have to go; get some roman shades with a pattern, maybe something from Dwell with leaves and birds. I would remove the granite any maybe use Corian. I would get new pendants. These are too modern. Maybe wicker ones; it is Florida after all.

I would paint the dark trim the same color as the walls.

Your fireplace reminded me of this makeover:

Here is a link that might be useful: Giannetti Home

Very nice house! Congratulations.

I have to laugh though as those shelves are the first thing I'd take down. I just see them as dust collectors since I'd never be able to reach anything up there.

What granite is it? It looks nice from here. Not suggesting you keep it if you don't like it though.

I'd probably take out the greenhouse window(s) since I've never seen them as really useful, and yes, change out the blinds there.

Unless you are going to have the microwave built into the island when you redo it, I'd have it installed in that one open cabinet to the left of the sink.

Nice sized dining area. What stone isn't real, the flooring or the fireplace? Any reason the fireplace is in the corner? Is it wood burning or a faux FP? It seems to make it hard to place the table in the center of the room. Can you move it? I'm not crazy about irregular stone, so I'd replace the stone if possible.

Congrats on your new home!

I like your ideas, and agree with marti that the shelves are impractical, but simply because they are so out of reach. I love open shelving in a kitchen, but it has to be usable without a stepladder.

Visually, the cabinets between the 2 windows are intrusive. So, I would investigate whether you could remove the open cabinet to the left of the sink in the photo. Then, relocate the cabinets in between the 2 windows, to the left of the sink. This would balance that whole run. In between the 2 windows would be a nice place for open shelving that's reachable and practical.

Replace the granite pronto if you don't like it. Doing so would change the entire space. (I would research whether the island could be a single tier, rather than the 2-tier it is now.)

Regarding your fireplace, if you don't like it, it may be easy to reface it with another material. When we moved into our current home, the fireplace was dated, and we just tiled right over what was there. I'm not an expert in this area, but it seems you may have some options here that wouldn't require removing what's already there.

I think it is pretty---including the granite.

Can you go through houzz, or someplace similar, and show us what your style is?

I think you should be thankful that the stone is fake; it will come down much easier! Believe me, I have "tons" of experience.

Are the low cabinets two tone shaker or slab like the uppers? I think my eyes are playing tricks on me. Do you have a less HDR/photoshopped picture?

It also seems like those recessed lights are way close together and all in a single line. Those pendants look off center and too close together to provide lighting for that island.

What I notice is the cabs between the windows. If it were my house, I would remove them and the shelving. I would add a couple of shelves where the cabs were. I would change out the two windows and then go from there.

Nice house you have!!

I don't mind the extra cabinet between the windows. The only thing I would do is have the cabinets professionally painted white. The fronts go off site and the rest is painted in place. (refer to Linelle's kitchen)
if you paint, you might then be able to have the shelves removed and painted over.
You are right to keep the cabinets as they just look tired but are solid and overall this is a nice kitchen.

I think the kitchen looks very nice! While I love cookbooks, I too would get rid of the upper shelves. Perhaps valances like this and turning the cabinet on the left into a bookshelf?

You could either go with a deeper red/burgundy or greens, for the valances and lights.

Haha, I had to laugh, too, because I'm a sucker for greenhouse windows. Of course, I'd never had one :(
So, I'd put herbs and aloe in the window.
While I personally don't like granite with a lot of movement/pattern, I'd live with it for a while. I'm a little torn by the shelves above the window. Kind of like them. What's the floor in that kitchen?

You have a large and bright space to work with. It looks great.

I like pendant lighting over an island, but not particularly fond of those.

I love the wood color in the cabinets. I probably would want to add matching doors to the open cabinet if I could as I would prefer the symmetry of the closed storage all the way across. If I couldn't match, then I'd probably go for glass front anyway as the open shelves look too unfinished to me.

I suspect that, given how the recessed lights are placed, there is no under cabinet lighting, which is a must in my kitchen. Also if I were to replace the granite, I'd look into a nice backsplash. In the meantime, I'd look to add color to the wall and backsplash as I think the contrast between the wall color and the wood is too stark.

While I usually prefer a counter-height island, if the cooktop is in the island, the bi level may actually be safer and more useful. My preference would be not to add a range hood above unless it was really attractive and special ... best makes some that are quite interesting. But so many of them just remind me of commercial kitchens. Otherwise, they do make pop ups that can work effectively too. Friend of ours has a pop up that is vented to the outside and the motor is located remotely so inside the kitchen it is almost silent.

The only thing I would do immediately is take down the shelves over the windows (dust collectors) and put nice valances/romans in or cafe curtains if you need privacy. Maybe give the cabinets a good cleaning and polishing first, before spending the $ to have them painted. I don't like the idea of a hood in the island--to me it is just a big obstruction in the middle of the room. The pendants don't bother me, but you could replace those inexpensively enough for a different look. The element I like the least is the fireplace....that would be the first thing I would reface/replace.

ECCO Ecco ecco...funny, funny, funny (and hard to do on an iPad that keeps trying to correct it. iPads just don't get humor.)

Not that you're actively considering it but, I dislike the feeling of the Corian in my husband's bathroom. It feels so plastic and cheap when I clean it. And this is from a person with laminate kitchen counters so it's not like I'm a "granite is the only way" person. I have quartz in my bathroom and don't mind the feel of that.

Are you going to make changes before you move in or while living there? Is there enough room to move the middle cabinets to where the open bookshelf cabinet is now? It looks like that cabinet might not be a double wide.

Will it get too busy having an exhaust vent and pendant lighting in the same area? Maybe you need recessed lights there? They sure have a lot of recessed lights along the windows.

Speaking of windows, do you need light (and heat) control there, is that why they have blinds? I like Mtn's idea of roman shades.

I'm on the fence about the shelves. I don't think I'd like standing at the sink with a heavy load of books over my head, pressing down on me. But if you're the type with a few interesting display pieces and a step stool, I could see keeping them and cleaning them once in awhile. But I also think a pretty window treatment would fill the space in a nice way. (And collect as much dust as the shelves.)

You could look for a hood like this, which comes with a light. It's by Franke and was revealed at the recent kitchen exhibition in Germany. About 2.4K.

I third or fifth or whatever the windows suggestions. If you want lots of light I suggest using the ones I plan to buy for my kitchen, they are called horizontal sheer blinds.

I love the look of shelves over the window, however, much like a box valence, they are going to reduce the amount of light that gets into the kitchen by preventing light from bouncing off your ceiling. So my vote would be to remove.

The cabinets look like a nice quality wood (?) from the photo. If you don't mind the cabinet color TOO much I wouldn't paint them, or depending on your style you could paint just the uppers cream.

Here are a couple of inspiration pics:

[Contemporary Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2103) by Brentwood Kitchen & Bath Designers Precision Cabinets & Trim

With painted uppers:

[Contemporary Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2103) by Hopkins Architects & Designers Kuhl Design Build LLC

Change out the lighting over the island. Keep the shelves but line them with paper and put displayable stuff up there like pottery or colored glass peices. If there is room I would add some molding to the top of the cabs for a more finished look and do something with that bland wall beside the island. Is that a walk threw area?

If there is no range hood, then definitely that's something to install :-) I think once it's in place, then the cabinet between the two windows won't seem so odd because it won't be as exposed. It's really nice to have closed storage, especially near the range.

I agree w/the window suggestions; we had a garden window in the kitchen and I found it to be more annoying than anything b/c it faced out to the backyard patio and it faced East (so I couldn't grow plants well and it intruded on the patio space, which is already small). If/when you change the windows, I think having them be the same size/height will improve the look (it looks like the one over the sink is taller than the other one)

Otherwise, IDK, I wouldn't change much unless it was really awful. The granite seems okay to me.

Part of what I'd do depends on the budget -- if it were us then the budget would be teeny. I'd paint that fireplace and call it good. How often are people over there tapping the faux stone? LOL!

I'd also remove the handles from the cabinet doors that are under the island, or change them to something very low profile so people don't knock their knees against them.

For the open shelving on the left, if you paint it the wall color that can help it disappear. Then it won't seem like the window is interrupting the cabinets :-) It's nice to have a display area for storage; I put all my vases on a display shelf in the kitchen, so it ends up being pretty storage.

Looks great in pictures already.

Where are the appliances hiding?

In the far future renovation -- I would remove the two upper cabinets between the windows -- and re-do that middle section with three matching windows.

As for the present -- I love the shelves -- and the greenhouse window -- fill it with matching clay pots (lovely match to your cabinet color) of fresh herbs! Lovely to see! And fill the shelves with cookbooks ...

As for the fireplace -- for NOW (until you can renovate it) -- paint the whole thing white to match the fresh new paint. Paint the ceiling moldings to do the exact same thing and match the walls -- and the whole room will appear to be much taller to the viewers eye.

Mtnrdredux, Love the Roman shade idea and am going to do that. And, yes, I cannot live with the dark trim. I think IâÂÂm going to live with the dark doors and surrounds for a bit though.

Jujubean, thank you for sharing but sorry I like my fake stone better lol.

Marti, As usual itâÂÂs so helpful here! I am going to eliminate those upper window shelves. The microwave will be countertop and at the end near corner about a half a mile down the kitchen back side.

Faux, my taste can adjust to the space to a point. IâÂÂm a bit eclectic. I will do a follow up post with pictures of my previous living room and furnishings that I hope to use.

Gooster, the cabinets are all slab. Please see my follow up on this thread to answer lighting. I need help.

Aktillery, yes this seems to be a shared opinion here and IâÂÂm giving it some serious thought.

Annie, yes those pendants are going but I would like some help with that (see follow up post on this thread for more pictures). I am going to investigate your suggestions on vent. About the backsplash, IâÂÂm not in the right mindset right now as I do not like the granite. In the future I want a calm light-ish quartz.

Ellendi, I could not bring myself to paint all the cabinetry but might consider (down the road) painting the uppers.

Oldbat, yes, IâÂÂm thinking those upper window shelves are gone.

Nosoccer, the kitchen floor is the same throughout. See more pictures below.

Joanie, it was suggested that I cut the stone mantel height, add a mantle and remove stone above that. Maybe just have drywall, paint and a nice picture hanging up there. What do you think?

Hhireno, I say no to Corian as well. We will be doing a bunch of stuff before we move in but somethingâÂÂs like a new countertop will be down the road. IâÂÂm 2nd guessing the exhaust fan. Doing something with the uppers seems a common theme (that I like).

Nosoccermom, LOVE that! However, husband would have a heart attack over the price. It seems reasonable to me for being so cool. I am 2nd guessing the hood.

Victoria, thank you!

Robotropo, IâÂÂm a big fan of two tone and might consider that down the road.

Madeyne, yes, the wall area is a walk through.

Melle, I think the garden window stays. For some reason my husband loves it.

Lee, more pictures to follow!

Teacats, Could painting those sticky out-y stones work? See my not to Joanie, what do you think of that?

.

More pictures! You have all been tremendously helpful! So, I think IâÂÂm going to eliminate the above window shelves and put some cool roman shades up there. We are going to either switch the wall open shelve cabinet with the cabinet between the windows or, put the cabinet that is between the windows where the open cabinet is and just have shelves where the between the windows cabinets was (confused lol?) I think IâÂÂm going to nix the above the range island hood to keep it open.
Now what to do about that pendant area for lighting or the dining light (that fan is going). There is also a covered electric disk panel sort of right behind the range where something could go. See pictures below. What would you do if you had my stuff? I am a bit overwhelmed with that decision with all the rest right now. IâÂÂm hoping to make my stuff work in this space.

Please help me sort out the lighting that would jive with the space and my stuff.

Edited to include: To make matters even more difficult I can't spend more than $750 on the dining light (room with fireplace). I really do not want to spend that much but well...

Do you think any of these will work? IâÂÂm thinking it will be easier to find the chandelier first.

(A) This is in my price range. Sonneman puri

(B) Love this Auburn chandelier but itâÂÂs over my price range. Maybe I can find something close but cheaper.

(C) Rittenhouse chandelier. Not sure about this one, I kind of like it.

PREVIOUS OWNERS setup and furniture.

Doors throughout the house.

Another view of the kitchen.

IâÂÂm hoping to use my old furniture in the new house but have lighter walls in maybe cream or off white something (?) Not those drapes though.

I have this very large area rug for living room

This post was edited by jterrilynn on Thu, Dec 5, 13 at 18:01

I rather like your new kitchen! Congratulations. I think the wood looks quite lovely and I really like the pulls on the cabinets. While the 2 level island isn't quite what you want, it does look functional, so I think you're smart to not rip it out until you've lived there a while. I think adding a vent hood and replacing ceiling texture sounds great. I also agree that different paint could probably make the cabinets and the granite look better. I would remove the shelves above the windows because they do seem to decrease the sunniness of the kitchen and I would be bothered by their differing heights. I like the idea of turning the left open cabinets into bookshelves (or potentially decorative item storage). I like your idea of roman blinds and if you can mount them outside of the window (if that's considered ok), you could mount them at the same height so that the windows appear to be the same height.

Pricklypear, I always liked what was in your head with the design around that âÂÂkitchenâ threads. Seeing what I have to work with do you think IâÂÂm close on any of the lighting pictures above? IâÂÂm not sure of the last one. Maybe an all glass something? IâÂÂm just not feeling the right light. I canâÂÂt seem to get an image in my head.

Yes -- indeed -- if it is in the budget -- cut the stone and add the drywall and the mantel (try to add a mantel that goes the full width of the fireplace)

But I do stand by my idea to paint out the ceiling molding -- in your additional photos -- the dark line of the ceiling molding really chops the height of the room ....

I'm still pushing that DIY Lindsey Adelman chandelier. Or rmaybe I have to be the first one from GW to make one....

{{!gwi}}
{{!gwi}}

Download instructions and/or link to the kit below.

There are also sconces, etc. Click on You Make it, then on the picture of the fixture.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lindsey Adelman DIY

You might want to prioritize what you can live with and what you absolutely have to change. When we moved we had a lot of repairs to do. I never was drawn to cherry cabinets or staggered cabinets--I strongly disliked them. We couldn't afford to redo them. So, I needed to figure out how to live with them. I went to work at houzz. I would type in cherry cabinets and keywords that describe my style. I would see what the experts did with staggered cherry cabinets and I got so many ideas. Now I don't have a problem with the cabinets because I merged them into my style and the "cherry ness" has disappeared. I only see my style now and before I only saw cherry. So, take a look at houzz and see what the experts have done with what you don't like about your kitchen and see if there is a way for you to work with it. I don't think you will regret it.

A funny sidenote . . . I couldn't stand the granite and couldn't afford new countertops. We had redone the kitchen in our previous home 3 years ago and loved loved the granite. The only person that ever loved them as much as my husband and I was my sister. No one really commented on it (maybe they disappeared because of the other things going on?) The granite in my new house gets so many compliments. I guess I was wrong? The granite isn't as hideous as I thought? Apparently it is a good thing that I didn't spend a lot of money changing something that was perfectly good. I spent so many nights awake before we moved trying to figure out how I was going to live with cabinets and granite that I didn't choose. Instead I think I needed to work on accepting what I had and getting creative. And, also, be aware that in a empty kitchen many things that stand out will blend and even disappear after you add your style and decorate.

Hopefully this helps. I don't want to see you spend a lot of money redoing a kitchen that you can make beautiful without breaking the bank.

Having recently moved, I understand how overwhelming this can be. It's like every decision creates another!

Some things to consider.

We painted all of the doors, trim, built-ins, woodwork, and cabinets in our house. They were similar stained wood tone to yours from late 1980s, and in great condition. Our kitchen cabinets are oak and substantial. It was a lot of work on the part we did, and a good chunk of change for the parts the painters did. But probably the best thing we could have done to update the house and make it seem fresh. We used the new SW trim paint that is an alkyd acrylic. Soap and water clean up but hard and scrubbable after it cures. The hard part? It is an All In decision. In fact, once everything was done but the kitchen, and I was tired, my DD and her friend did those for us this summer. I can't now imagine living with the world of wood that was there before.

Next area, wood tones as a color. Our very nice quality dining room set is a traditional cherry wood. Not what I would select now, but would not be replaced. To make it blend in better, we selected a rhubarb color as the accent color in the living/dining area, and for the kitchen walls. Using this saturated color with orange/red tones helps to blend the wood color into the color scheme instead of having it be an uninvited and distracting pop of color. So if you decide to keep the kitchen cabinets as the are, I recommend using a similar "color" as an accent in the adjoining room.

Teacats, the molding and base boards will be painted the same color as the walls but in a semi-gloss. I cannot live with the rooms being outlined. We are going to live with the stained doors for a bit though. The kitchen is so alive that I may like it better spread around. We will see.
Nosoccermom, how cool is that! I love making things but do not see there being enough time in the beginning. However, who knows. I am taking one of the bedrooms and turning it into an art studio. Right now I really would like more of a lighting instant gratification.

Faux, Thank you! I get exactly what you are talking about. IâÂÂm going into this project with a $60,000 or less budget. The cement roof will take up around 27 to 28 grand of that and there are a few other things that must be done, not outrageous expensive but it is adding up. I will be doing a lot of DIY as well just to stay on track. IâÂÂm still hoping to squeeze out some new windows in front and a new garage doorâ¦itâÂÂs going to be tight.

Julie, your changes sound wonderful! I am going to explore your color ideas.

IâÂÂm so glad I posted the kitchen because you have all helped me come up with an arrangement that I can easily live with and costs very little. Ignore the color of this mock-up as the colors are not settled on yet. In my mock-up I also decided I did not like that side panel to the refrigerator Cherry wood and will make it the wall color (I think). IâÂÂm also not sure if I have the shelving right but LOVE the shelving there. The extra cabinet will go into the utility room where there is no storage and will get painted.

(((((((((((Still need some lighting ideas please.)))))))))))))))))

BEFORE

AFTER - NOT THE PAINT COLOR though. I am still undecided.

This post was edited by jterrilynn on Fri, Dec 6, 13 at 21:43

That looks good. The people who suggested hanging the shades at the same level to play down the different window sizes are brilliant!!

If you don't have plans for those cabinets that you are pulling you you might consider using them in the laundry room or garage. Also, put that picture on craigslist and sell the lights. Get a few extra bucks for some cool candles or something.

Lighting: I like the sonneman and I have been drawn to that style--I have seen it in lamps too. I always talk myself out of it because I am concerned with how it will clean up.

Take a look at Macy's clearance. There are a few that I LOVE. That ET2 is super cool. There are more that I could "live with" if i had to. LOL

Here is a link that might be useful: Some bargains at Macys

To my eyes the cabinet between the windows is not an issue but the different levels of the shelves over the windows is very disturbing. (because they don't "balance") So I would be inclined to remove those first, put the microwave in the open cabinet to the left of sink .....and then see if that cabinet in the middle of the windows still bothers you. Those are very pretty cabinets with a nice "neutral" wood (cherry?) that could go with dark or light accents.

The green wall color feels like its out of place with the granite and for that reason you might want to try more of a greige color.

Anyway, good luck. It will be beautiful when it's finished. It has great "bones" already for you to work with!

Faux, I know the advice is good here. The lighting is driving me mad. I know I do not want silver tone anything. I do not want gold. I wouldnâÂÂt mind some antique brass but want contemporary lines that arenâÂÂt too harsh or to frilly. WouldnâÂÂt mind some glass but not too much (canâÂÂt see too much bling in the dining room). I like shades but not sure if I want a big contemporary shade thing. So, I know what I donâÂÂt want. There are things I do like in the $2000 and over category lol. Thanks for the link IâÂÂll check it out.

Hi ship, Yes the cabinets are cherry and the doors fairly thick slab. IâÂÂm thinking IâÂÂm going to go ahead and take the middle cabinet down once I figure out the shelves. That cabinet will go in the utility room. The kitchen has a million cabinets. At the end there is four Large Lazy Susans, one in each corner on the uppers and one in each corner lowers. The uppers are huge, didnâÂÂt know they made them that big. There are pull-outs everywhere as well. Sorry I do not have the wall colors picked yet, I just cut and pasted the existing wall color up for now. Picking a wall color would be easy if not for the floor color. IâÂÂm getting close.