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msjay2u

Need help with colors and other details

msjay2u
11 years ago

I am starting with basically a clean slate. My kitchen is totally gutted and I am waiting on a window and the electrician to put in some pot lights and counter top outlets and convert and move the fuse box out the kitchen. I have white appliances that I plan to keep. The window in the first photo on the right is going to be converted to a garden window. The window hole you see on the back wall is going away permanently. I have a thread going on the smaller homes forum called small small kitchen and I don't really want to hash out all the details again in case some of you already read it but below is a link to my blog and you can learn more than you may want to know.

Here is what I have to work with:



and the opposite side looks like this going out the kitchen to the hall. On the right you can not see there is another doorway

I like the layout of this kitchen and it is practically the same as mine in dimensions:

I like the brick look in this kitchen for my back wall where you see there is already a brick chimney. I could easily finish the wall to the right under the cabinets

I like the pattern of a magma gold countertop. It has black, grey, beige, gold, white, cream and brown moving throughout the slab. I can afford the laminate but the problem with that is that it comes with the backsplash and in front of the window I really wanted the coutertop material to extend into the window like this:

In laminate it looks like this :

In real granite it looks like this:

Now remembering I want to keep the white appliances how can I put this together with a brick wall and that counter top? If anything has to go its the counter top as I am not 100% sold on it...even though I looooove it. What colors would you use on the walls and what color cabinets and what kind of floor. I am creative in putting something together but I usually have to start with someone else's vision before I can get the juices flowing. Help?

Here is a link that might be useful: My blog...packed with photos...I'm a visual person what can I say.

Comments (5)

  • herbflavor
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    need a layout...too soon for style choices. Get a diagram up with the overhead configuration and dimensions.....and adjacent rooms...what do the doors lead in and out of....where is the eating/dining area???

  • Annie Deighnaugh
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    For finishes, even the pic posted of the finished kitchen with the same dimensions as yours looks way way way too busy for me. (In fact, just looking at the picture I get claustrophobic.) In a small space, the last thing you want is visual clutter. Kitchens are necessarily busy anyway as there's a lot going on with different appliances and finishes and materials and stuff on counters. The more you can unite it with color, the better off you will be. I'd go with white cabinets like the appliances and then pick one focal color which you can use on the backsplash and the flooring. Keep the counter tops as subtle as possible, and pick the secondary color from it. Or as in the picture, use just the counter top for the color point, keeping the flooring neutral.

  • msjay2u
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I really like that photo you posted. My sink is where the stove is and my stove is where the sink is. Just as small as this one. I am now thinking it would be a fantastic idea to have the counters on the side walls only. It would make the space look a lot less busy. Thank you.
    I never responded to the thread because I could not find it later. This board is busy!! Someone just found it and told me it was on page 17. LOL...Since I am in advanced stages of work maybe it is a good idea to throw some of my ideas out there and see what you think. I have also been getting some help from some of friends in the small homes group.
    the layout is such:


    on wall A (left)is where the stove is. That wall is 101",
    wall B (bottom) is approx 118" and on the far right is a doorway that is 38"w and leads to the living room, wall c (right) is 101" and has a doorway on the top of the diagram which is now also 38" wide and leads to the laundry area, back door (main doorway) and bathroom. wall D (top) is the wall with the sink. I will be putting in a 48" garden window in its spot. It was supposed to be here last Friday and no telling now when I will get it. Don't get me started on that!! It will be centered on the wall.

    Wall A has the brick and I was going to brick up the rest of the wall but I have a contractor who is going to make a fake stone wall covering it all. Wall b is a log wall. Here is a better photo.


    I am in the process of re-chinking the wall and then I am going to paint over the logs. Here is what painted logs look like

    I just brought the stain for those logs and it will be a creamy white. I believe its called Pot of Cream by Behr.
    The stone wall colors is going to be two different shades of gray and some type of rust color.
    The counter tops I have changed to do in black and have no decided on what material yet. I think I have already went over my budget. waaaaay over and not sure how I managed to do that. LOL
    . I have not made up my mind on the wall colors and it has changed so many times. I was thinking of a light gold called Pismo Dunes (Behr)
    oh and I have no seperate dining area so I ordered a brace to go on the wall to make a fold down table. It will go on wall C.
    I have not conclusively decided on the cabinets yet (where they will go. I am really up in the air on them. I wanted to do a corner cabinet in the two corners around the stove but I was not sure about that. I was also going to make them if I could not find them used for a steal but not sure about that now either. I like that layout of that white kitchen just posted with everything going on wall B and D. Thanks for your help. I also have a blog with more info.
    Ms J

    Here is a link that might be useful: A City Girls Country Dream

  • eam44
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The biggest problem with your proposed hand drawn layout is that you can't be at the stove if someone else is at the sink or needs to open the fridge door. The reason it works in the other examples is that they both have at least 24" cabinet on either side of the U. You have 10" on the fridge side, 15" on the sink side. By the way, is your fridge really 38" wide? Most are 36" wide. Also, you show the depth of your sink as 26". Most cabinets are 24" deep, sinks fit into the cabinet, and counters overhang by an inch.

    You would do better with a galley layout similar to the one you currently have (everything on walls B and D). It would also allow you to fit in a DW next to the sink (buy a used one on Craig's list), and vent your range to the outside if you want to.

    If you're running short on cash, don't brick-up or stone-up the rest of that wall. Just drywall it and paint everything the same color as the logs. The different textures will look fine together. Also, if money is an issue, go with plain black laminate counters OR your counter space is so small and will be completely rectangular with no complications. See if you can get soapstone remnants to do the job.

    Regarding cabinets, there aren't many to buy. So for wall D, 89" would be 1@36" sink base for your 32" sink, 24" void for a DW to the left of the sink, 1@15" cab to the left of the DW, and 1@12" cab to the rt of the sink. Uppers on that wall would be one@ 42" over the DW. On wall B you will want an upper cab over the fridge, and possibly a microwave vent hood with an upper over the stove. Base cab would be a single 12" cab between the stove and the wall and an upper above. You might want to wall in the fridge as in the cherry kitchen above. It just takes a little plywood, and more paint.

    If you were to buy these cabs at cliqstudios, for example, it would cost about $1026.27 for rockford cabs painted white that are really lovely.

    Best of luck. E

    Here is a link that might be useful: Cliqstudios

  • msjay2u
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow LOL, good thing I can take criticism.
    I am not understanding some of what you wrote: That white kitchen looks to have the same amount of space on either side of the u. 10" of face but 35" of cabinet. My fridge is 33" w and yes it was much wider but I have since gotten rid of it and purchased a smaller one. (remember I lost the thread and could not do any updates)
    I was showing in the drawing where the sink is and the counter there is indeed 25" plus 1" of overhang totaling 26" I just remeasured it.
    I don't like the galley layout because I will only be able to get one 18" base cabinet between the stove and fridge. That is how I have it now and it is not nearly enough cabinet space.
    If I put in a rangehood I will not be able to put any wall cabinets in that spot because I will have to have the duct in it and another cabinet to hide the duct going in front of the chimney because I will have to divert the duct to the space where the window was removed (light wood spot) You are probably thinking why not vent it out in the chimney? It is sealed on the inside of the chimney with cement LOL. I dont want to pay anyone to put a vent through the roof because I had a zillion problems with this roof and just finally after 4 years got it straight. Not messing with it.

    Major turn off is there will be no cabinet gain and all this work would have been done for nothing.

    bottom line is that I do not like the galley arraignment AT ALL even though I have to admit it is visually pleasing

    This is the layout I wanted to do and although you do not think it will work here are some of my points

    1-I can use a blind cabinet on the right side and a corner base cabinet next to it on the left. I have a narrow cabinet I can put next to the stove with a drawer on top for cooking utensils and a door on the bottom for pot tops
    3-Can put the vent and hood over the stove and vent it directly outside and the vent hood will be the focal point of the kitchen
    4-can have a total run of 46" of cabinets next to the fridge and can have the same on the wall. Major gain of cabinet space
    5 Is tight and cramped. I can stand in one spot with this arrangement and reach everything but yes with more than one person working in the kitchen it can be tight.

    Oh yeah and I have a septic tank, and its an old one and it is not a good idea to have a dishwasher with that. That is the reason I left it out of the plan.


    Thoughts?

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