No! The function of the new DW doesn't outweigh the loss of looks. I'd take the old. Someday the reveals will start looking like the first photo again.

Well, I like the before more than the after, but that is because I really don't care for the after. I don't like glass cabinet doors. It looks like they darkened the stain on the right side of the pic but not on the cabs to the left of the sink. And I don't like the white frames on the stained wood. However, I don't think I could have lived with the before kitchen as is either.

Ouch. I generally like modern, and glass. But the loss of the charm in the first kitchen is unfortunate. And I don't understand the window treatment change.

The first one is charming and could have been updated just a little while keeping the charm intact.

I would not want everything in my cabinets on display behind glass and what would be under the kitchen sink that you would want people to see. Oh well, different strokes for different folks. If they like it that's all that matters.

GW has taught me that the best way to reno a room is to pay attention to the character of the home and do something to fit with that. To me the "after" pic loses the feel of what I am guessing the rest of the house looks like. Just guessing though.

If I'd had the 1st kitchen I wouldn't have just spent $20k.

I would have replace the doors, though, I just don't like that look, never have.

I'm afraid I don't see any charm in the original, but I agree that it's better than the after.

The "before" is infinitely better than the "after" which I find hideous.

I hope the homeowner loves it but I really dislike the after because it's so busy looking. I suspect once they fill their cabinets it will look worse.

Don't really care for either but if I had to choose it would be # 1 with some work. #2....all I see is white rectangles....it all seems disjointed to me.

I love kitchen number one, but I would paint the cabs :)

The remodeled version is...well...pretty bad.

Disclosure: I OFTEN like the before better--in the pictures and wish at least some of the charm had been retained. :)

The reality the owners are looking at, of course, is often far less pleasant and charming than I enjoy imagining. And, the character of the neighborhood and people who live in it are often very different from my own, which IMO are just as valid style influences as the building or apartment character itself.

Deedles, right now I like to pretend that if that kitchen were right here, I'd put yellow sheet vinyl on the floor, cover everything else with creamy white paint, and have fun trying out different items on those shelves, after which I'd choose the fabric for my curtains. My old Wedgewood stove would be perfect somewhere there. But even in pretend reality that'd only be until I could put drawers and a DW in the bottom. If I could save the uppers without undue expense and effort matching, I would--but. Like not if it was too easy to imagine a few thousand generations of roaches having lived in them.

A very, very few who come to this forum are genuinely conservation minded and happily forego expensive shopping sprees for the hard work of refurbishing, happily forego modern conveniences for crawling on their knees to find stuff on shelves -- their appreciation for the original, vintage kitchen and its history making the tradeoffs...blowoffs.

But we know from the projects presented on this forum and what is done with them where 99.7% of the preferences really lie. And 95%, at least!, of those who post here would send the entire thing to the nearest landfill -- not save so much as a piece of decorative wood trim -- and happily go shopping for all new. That includes all those who want kitchens in a historic style, but not any part of the real thing.

Didn't even notice the glass front sink cab.

rosie: you're right of course. I could picture all kinds of ways to turn that into such a cute and functional kitchen. Drawers for sure and maybe retrofit a couple glass doors into the uppers even.

Maybe knobs like this?

Where was this posted? I would love to read about the homeowners. I'm always interested in why people do what they do, good or bad.

Wow, those cabinets in the "after" kitchen are just, like, screaming for attention. Lots of lost space from ditching the open shelves and the pennisula. The backsplash is overly busy, with smooth topped with accent tiles topped with subway. The built-in ironing board was replaced with . . . . . nothing.

I have an unintentionally hilarious early-1970s decorating guide book that has page after page of gorgeous rooms decked out with fittings that today would be called "mid century modern" and fetch gobs of money on eBay, all relegated to the "before" pictures showing how it used to look before all the furnishings were unsummarily trashed in favor of LOLworthy shag-carpeted avocado and harvest-gold thermofoil atrocities in the "after" photos. Like you too could have a room that looks like

I should scan it in sometime. . . . .

(that pic actually from google image searching for "atrocious '70s kitchen" and someone's blog linked to a photo already posted in the GW kitchen forum!)

I could have happily lived with the "before" kitchen ... it is neat and tidy and everything appears to be in good condition. It had a lot of life left in it, IMO.

It was posted from a home remodeling business somewhere in the States, if I remember correctly.

Yeesh, those dang 70's. I only wish I still had my favorite plaid gauze baby doll blouse. Not that it would fit. I could probably wear it on my arm just for old times sake.

I swear if 70s kitchens come back I'll throw up.

Mushrooms and frog decals in an orange and brown kitchen. Burned into my memory forever.

I can just imagine the owner of this house stumbling upon this thread aghast at our universal indictment of their taste.....

Rosie- I wish they had done your version...that sounds wonderful :)

Deedles- Umm...I have a frog, in my kitchen...

Having just torn out kitchen cabs almost identical to the before pic, I will say that 1. of the two choices, I pick option C (none of the above), and 2. with 50 year old cabinets, you get all the problems associated with that like lots of wasted space, rusty hardware, smelly interiors, misaligned tracks, etc. Ours were painted green, but I still hated them.

This post was edited by marthastoo on Sat, Nov 9, 13 at 14:06

Oh, no no no, Lav. I'm talking mushroom and frogs cut out of 70s contact paper and stuck ALL OVER THE BROWN AND ORANGE KITCHEN. All. Over.

The only thing better in there were the brown painted egg carton bottoms that were stapled to the ceiling.

My sister went a little nuts in those days with the decorating mags.

LOL! I know...I just had to tease you...sorry :)

My frog is a ceramic one my grandmother made years ago...it sits by the sink and holds sponge/scrubbers. I also have a little teaspoon set with frogs on the handles. I've got to take pictures, but AFTER I clean my kitchen....

I'm with you on the dark wood, rusty-orange and avacado green kitchens...although I'm sure there are some, who miss them...

Personally, I don't like either - but I'd take the After and replace the doors & drawer fronts (and add ROTs inside the cabinets) if I had to have one of them. I particularly dislike the cabinet doors & drawer faces in both! The lack of a DW in the Before would have been a huge issue to me!

Thankfully, we all have different likes/dislikes and tastes - we're not cookie cutter people.

In this case, it looks like they removed the peninsula & valance, refaced the cabinet boxes, and replaced the doors on the rest of the cabinets (as well as new counters, floor, sink, appliances, of course.)

Yes, I hope they're enjoying it and all their cool friends love it too. You know, if the favored styles seen here didn't bore them to death, they would have chosen one of them. After all, versions for every budget are literally found everywhere.

Perky little knob, Deedles. That alone would add some nice energy while still fitting in. Waking up tired old kitchens goes a long way with me. It'd go well with the bright gloss on my yellow floor too.

The comments on 1970s kitchens! I didn't like them then even, and certainly not now, always far preferred the old, old painted ones people are still tearing out, and yet... We were all raising our kids then, and everyone I knew could afford the usual, but we often tried to save money anyway, Creativity was "in."

Judy was an inspiration for us all. She used the considerable money she saved to travel with her family, and she always brought back a rock, or a few. Not little ones. She ended up paving most of her back yard with her mementos , and she actually made it look good--very varied pavement, solid green shrubbery background and a Judy-special kick-and-splash pool she created for her grandchildren.

Just buying that orange, brown, green carpet wasn't good enough for her. She climbed in carpet store dumpsters until she had enough scraps to carpet her 18x30 family room (anyone else remember that passing fad?) and then cut them all up smaller still to piece together in wonderful patterns that nobody else thought of. (The only problem was that it backed to the rear yard, and both definitely looked best on their own.)

Why don't I have a picture? It was far from hideous at the time, believe me. She was an immaculate housekeeper and also put brown-and-orange indoor-outdoor carpet in her little brown-cabinet kitchen that no one raised an eyebrow at. The one window was always covered for privacy from next door, and the table with 4 chairs pushed against it just wasn't big enough for all the people who wanted to relax and chat in that cozy place. Her little tchotchke's were mementos, like Lavender's frog, not whatever was in style, but I'm sure there had to have been a frog someplace. Holding a scouring pad would have been her style.

A terrific 1970s kitchen. I know. You have to have been there. :)

This post was edited by rosie on Sun, Nov 10, 13 at 10:41

great story, rosie. I guess if my sister hadn't done her decorating magic back then we'd be missing a great, funny story that we love to talk about, too.

The old kitchen is not charming it is just old.

The new kitchen is not modern it is just hideous.

Seriously? 25 hits to publicly dis someones taste... up there with "there there honey you don't really want that". .

I prefer the style of the original but we have to remember--it probably totally SUCKED to work in. No dishwasher, stinky cabinets, sticking drawers (and not many of them), water damage, finish coming off...a lot happens to kitchen cabinets in 60 years.

It may not have been salvageable.

But...are these just the same cabinets with new doors (and minor peninsula/quartermoon shelf elimination)? looks like they gained a DW but not much else.

Good message here about the possibility of missing the positive features of a design. Maybe the charm of the previous kitchen could be retained or reproduced along with improvements to space and functionality.
Although I don't see 'charm' in my kitchen, what is working, marginally, is the layout.
I am new to Gardenweb, having read the forum for about three months, and with all the outstanding Gardenweb guidance, I am converging on a plan. But where should I begin a helpful discussion about my proposed project?

Newfolkways- Oh, start a thread, right now! I'd like to read more about your new plan :)

Deedles- You know, after taking a second look...I think the homeowners kept their existing cabinets and added new doors and drawers.

I have to say...one thing I LOVE about their new kitchen is the faucet! That is exactly my style.

Newfolkways - The best way is to start your own thread.

See the Kitchens FAQ Page for various topics, including how to ask for layout help. Here are two:

FAQ: New To Kitchens? Read Me First!

FAQ: How do I ask for Layout Help and what information should I include?

[Added FAQ links]

This post was edited by buehl on Sat, Nov 9, 13 at 22:18

Thank you for the encouragement. I will follow through and will attempt to post two 'before' pix.

Deedles
I was so worried that you were having second thoughts about your new kitchen in progress!

Oops. Jakuval you're right. My Mother always said 'if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.' I didn't think about that when I started this thread. Sorry.

I can just imagine the owner of this house stumbling upon this thread aghast at our universal indictment of their taste.....

LOL! When we were 23 and 24 with a baby on the way and just moved into our house, we went to a city council meeting where they were discussing whether or not to remove some trees from the center divide so the road could be widened. A neighbor down the street spoke to object and showed some slides to illustrate what she considered to be the downward trend of the neighborhood. She got to slide #4 and DH and I looked at each other and said, "Hey, that's our house!"

Oh man, that's funny!

Someone, a few years ago, posted a thread posing the question, "Are kitchens like babies?", as in, you don't offer any criticism about a new kitchen reveal. And I think the consensus was, that's exactly right. But while that strongly applies to GWebbers and their reveals, we often pull pics or post link to other people kitchens and are freer with our criticisms, which I think is valuable, if it doesn't degenerate into nastiness.

There are times, even on GW, where I prefer the before pics to the after. I have to remind myself that appearances aren't everything and pics don't always show the unfortunate reality of the before kitchen.

In this case though, I do like the before pic MUCH better than the after. It's hard to imagine that the after pic suits the style of the home since the home has obviously been around 50 years, based on the vintage of the first kitchen.

Go back up.
The After, with solid dark doors and drawers, would be a hands-down winner over the before for most people.

It seems that the white and glass doesn't jive with the other elements. But functionally it is an improvement just to have a new sink as opposed to one with the metal edge and the gunk under it. A solid surface counter that can be kept clean, and a dishwasher. Seriously, who here would choose to not have a dishwasher. Better lighting. Lovely floor and backsplash.

So really, I think it is just the cabinet doors.

I have a sift spot for vintage kitchens--the before pic reminds me of my very first kitchen as a newlywed.

This is what the before kitchen could have looked like with some paint and a retro dinette set:

Charm galore!

I like that better than the actual remodel.

Let's hope it made the owner happy. That's what really counts. I would have been devastated had it been me.