apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Some 5" wide hickory flooring installed on the diagonal would make that room SING!

What a stunning place! The white lets the beautiful wood dominate, so I would not use too many other colors. Put a wooden table and chairs of the same hue in the cooking area, white tablecloth and wooden bowls and accessories. Touches of green might also be nice, maybe a stand with pots of herbs by the window on the left.

That ceiling is amazing. Highlight the wood by using a warm-toned paint--like an amber, gold, or sage. If you're sticking with the cabnits, paint them too--not the same color as the walls, but something contrasting (a neutral). Consider shutters for the windows instead. Also think about adding more counterspace with an island, etc.

Lighting is most important. Use warm, diffused lighting, not overhead.

WOAH- sad kitchen indeed, but with loads of potential. I would keep the lovely wooden beams in the ceiling but maybe paint out the ceiling in between in white- it looks like it might be some kind of pressboard or something, whatever it is, it doesn't coordinate. I agree with medusa12120 that some wood flooring would be gorgeous, but I would change out the clashing wood tones in the blinds and go for something a little less heavy to brighten up the space. A fresh coat of paint on the walls in the same brighter tone would work wonders too- the off white can come off a little dingy when you have bright white appliances. This is one room where bright white on white would definitely work!

Warm wood flooring would be a beautiful balance with your fabulous ceiling. The upper cabinet looks odd and off balance. Open shelves for plates and cups would be better. An island to anchor the work area - the refrigerator is in an odd place, refrigerator drawers in the island would be fab! And then you could put more wall shelves for colorful bowls, etc on that wall. Also, the island could be a raised island, (higher than your outside cabinets) - as your room expands upward in that direction. Blinds are a bit dated, but it looks like you might need the shade - try some fabric roman blinds in a punch of color! Good luck. It will be beautiful!

What great bones! You have so much to work with, here. And there are so many directions you could take. I strongly suggest that you start collecting photos of kitchens you like in order to figure out "what it is" that you like. There is a lot of inspiration out there. Take the time to educate yourself about the possibilities and your own preferences before you do anything.

Careful about wooden floor, you might feel that the ceiling is coming down on your head... Also, painting the walls anything else than white might be just too busy.

Rather than leave the refrigerator where it is next to the door, why not move it to the wall opposite the main working area and get a freestanding kitchen base unit such as IKEA's Varde (sic?) system to place next to it? Perhaps put some open wood shelves above for additional storage with some LED undercabinet lights shining down on the new workspace/counter? I might even consider removing the lone wall-cabinet from above the countertop and replace that with open wooden shelves and lighting too - That cabinet could be reused as a storage cabinet mounted low on the wall with a narrow countertop behind the kitchen door...

And is that an undercounter refrigerator too? Can you replace that with a built-in dishwasher and use the little fridge elsewhere, such as in the garage or a sheltered space for outdoor entertaining?

And if replacing the flooring isn't in the cards right now - why not consider placing an large inexpensive bamboo or sisal rug on the floor?

I would start with a long wooden table in the center of the room to act as an island and provide you with more conveniently placed work surfaces. I'm blanking on other ideas at the moment, but it would be a start.

yes I echo the island idea - with maybe a rug to go under it so it defines the kitchen spaces a bit more.

AHHHH beams!!! *drool*


That is all I have to say.

Huge potential here! I would love to see the after picture.

I am in total agreement with bepsf.

This kitchen will be amazing when you're done with it. I think that upper cabinet has to go pronto-- it breaks up the line of the windows and its placement is awkward. Either replace with an open shelf of just enjoy the extra space for artwork or a mirror.

And, yes, the fridge. I can see why someone would place it where it is, since there isn't an obvious alternative. But I think it would look good on the opposite wall if you have a work table next to it for anchoring.

Painting the wall with the door on it some bright color would make the ceiling really stand out.

I have a friend with a kitchen similar to this. I think that whatever paint you use, it should be the same as the walls in the rest of the room, or at least the adjacent walls, that way it will almost blend in and keep the feeling of more space in the room. With the vaulted ceilings, this can make it very loft-ish.

Sad kitchen. No kidding. Great bones.
Move the frig and anchor it with a work table.
The room needs color but not overwhelming color. Find one spot i.e. the door or the frig wall to add color to. Bright accessories can introduce color including fruit and veggies.
Remove the upper cabinets. Install nice open shelving. I like the idea of white pottery primarily but mix in some color pieces. The kitchen can accomodate an island. Better tables and chairs are needed. I can envison a dark walnut or ebony table. As someone who cooks and is right handed, I do not like the placement of the stove. If there is an opportunity to move the cooktop to an island so there is more appropriate prep space, that would be the #1 change I would make. Can you flip flop the stove and dishwasher? The flooring looks as though it flows throughout the home so leave it unless you plan on changing all the floor coverings. One common floor covering is better than choppy. Warm it up with fresh flowers, art work, linens and a house cat. This kitchen needs a house cat.

I agree with removing the wall cabinets and replacing with open shelving. Also an island of some sort, like Ikea's Varde free-standing system. Replace the kitchen table with a wooden table closer to the blinds' shade and some nicer modern chairs. Then add some colour! On the open shelves, some pottery or china pieces; a plant or herbs on the counter top; table runners and placemats on the table.

I think your kitchen is lovely, but it's lacking coziness. First, I'd remove the small closet and put the fridge there instead. Second, I'd paint the window and door walls one color, and the large wall opposite the window a somewhat darker, complimentary color. It'd be up to you whether you wanted to go warm or cool.

Next, I'd line the empty wall with lots of open shelving, so your dishes and cookery are visible -- you could even hang pots from hooks. I'd also add some work surfaces, either metal kitchen prep ones, or something like Ikea's Varde.

Also, and this might seem odd, but I'm a big fan of this trend: throw in a sleek yet comfortable loveseat. It would be nice seating, although you'll have to fiddle with placement.

Get yourself a a big, round or oval table, and orient it against the room -- the long side facing the door and back wall.

A new light fixture -- be sure to add one over the table -- cute curtains, and a few colorful appliances on the counter. Viola. Good luck! What fun.

It is only sad because it needs some personal touches! Your ceiling and windows are lovely and it looks bright and clean. All it needs is some soft textures. Plants, shades or curtains instead of the hard blinds, a rug, table linens, some touches of pattern and texture. I agree with the ideas that bepsf outlined, particularly removing that lone wall-mounted cabinet in favor of open shelving. You may not be able to do that if you are renting? I like the contrast of the cool gray floor with the warm reddish tone of the door. Blue and white (thinking dishes or pitchers) would look pretty in this kitchen or even some red and orangey colors if you like more ethnic-type color palettes. Fresh flowers for sure and with 2 house cats of my own, I highly recommend them for adding loads of personality.
Have fun!

One more question- do you need the door to the kitchen? Why not take off the hinges and have a nice welcoming entrance? If you did a bright pop of colour on the back wall where you have your dining set up, you would really draw the eye through your space.

There is huge potential in that kitchen, it has wonderful structure and it looks like it gets tons of light. Aside from the advice you've already gotten, I would suggest changing those blinds to roman shades- preferably linen.

Ditto ddesigner above who suggested open shelves to replace that upper cabinet.

You're going to have an AMAZING kitchen!!!=)

I am not a fan of the dark ceiling and beams. I'd paint them white. Dark ceiling beams are a feng shui energy juggernaut. I wish I knew what your style is and what your color prefs. are.
But in the name of full disclosure I am huge fan of white with very bright accessories.
And I agree with getting rid of the upper cabinets and moving the fridge. Also adding a unit next to the fridge. A beverage center perhaps.
How about an upholstered banquette with a modern oval table and a bright natural linoleum floor. Linoleum is easy to clean, eco-friendly, not too pricey and there are endless color options.
This could be an extremely fun space!

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/inspiration/colorful-victorianfrom-living-etc-080095?image_id=77671

Your kitchen has amazing potential! It definitely needs some color. I'd paint the walls with something bright, maybe a vintage-type light teal or something similar. You really need some carpet or a rug. Maybe Flor? It would be comfy, durable, and something more striking.

I think your table and chairs need to be replaced. Something more modern (if that's your thing) and sharp, maybe. They just look too out of place with the long kitchen.

I like the window coverings. I think putting them next to painted walls will really help. Also, I would choose a centering light fixture above your table.

This seems hard to explain, but I feel like your fridge is out of place or too small or something.

It's an awesome place!

I envy you that ceiling! Usually I like white ceilings, but in this case the wood is gorgeous as is.

If your budget allows a remodel, maybe you could do an "L" shaped counter to separate your kitchen and dining areas. You could move the fridge to where your dishwasher and cabinets are now, and move the dishwasher to the "L" (plumbing permitting). With the extra cupboard space in the L, you probably wouldn't miss the lost upper cabinet.

I also like the idea of breaking up the grey floor with a sisal rug or something.

Love, love, LOVE the ceiling.

The most profound improvement would be new flooring.

Second, how about an island parallel to the cabinets? (If you don't want to splurge on a built-in, you could use a big stainless steel industrial table, or something similar, from a restaurant supply company.)

Tile the floor in the rectangle between the refrigerator & cabinets, wood in the rest of the room.

1. Demolish the framed-in closet in the corner and go L-shaped for layout. The fridge then stays where it is.
It will be easy to find a basic white base cabinet to add in the corner and you'll get more storage and counter space too. You can probably find a piece of your countertop to match as well. Or if it's in the budget, splurge on quartz counters and a tiled backsplash.

-And DEFINITELY lose the wall cabinet between the windows. You might even be able to re-purpose it as your new base cabinet in the corner.

2. put open shelving on the now-open back wall next to the fridge and display some colorful crockery and art

3. as mentioned above, paint out the ceiling, maybe not the beams, but at least the "wood" between them white. walls should also be white.

4. flooring: yes, wood is good.

5. loose the blinds and go naked if you can. otherwise cafe curtains in a fun fabric would bring a pop of color.

6. Replace or recover the fabric on the dining chairs. Try a bold graphic print.

I am a kitchen designer for a living, and I can say you will be able to make a huge improvement here without spending a lot of money. All you need are a few smart tweaks and a cohesive design plan.

Have fun, and great choice on your gorgeous new home! There's lots of potential here.

I totally agree with the island idea, the open concept shelving idea, and the rug/mat idea!

Definitely take the door off.

Perhaps you could paint a cheery color quite high up on the walls, and leave the top part white.

I'd go with a fairly large light fixture; a wrought iron look chandelier or something like that. Big.

What's behind the photographer? Windows, a wall, another entrance...?

The main problem is flow there's too much of it! The stove and sink are not placed in an area that makes sense so you have all this cluster of "busy active" area at the end with all this open and dead space on the rest of the room. The blank wall opposite the counter is especially dead. Then there is all that useless space at the end of the counter that only probably gets used as a buffet for prepared foods. RIP THE WHOLE THING OUT and put the stove to the left of the sink and replace that wall cabinet with a vent hood. Move the sink over where the stove was and use the area in between as a work/prep surface. You could put open shelves for glasses and dishes on the end wall where the stove current is. If you can't do that then...

Consider moving the fridge over the opposite wall, and add a whole set of cabinets along that wall for storage (as the Europeans do). If you wanted you could also have a narrow "bar" with barstools that would bring some activity over there. I agree with ripping the cabinet out. Also, white blinds would blend in with the cabinets that much better.

Alternately to moving the fridge, Put in a round or oval butcher block island on wheels that could be moved in the middle of the room opposite the sink area. (but narrow enough so there is still room to maneuver around it ). Put in some cabinets (such as billy shelves) and a 12" wide bar with some bar stools on the opposite wall so you have more specialized active "zones" to break up the space a bit. The oval island would break up all those sharp angles. But if you can't find a round or oval island, a rectangle one will do in a jiffy. It would also give a center focus to the room.

Agree with the wood floor, then paint the current wood ceiling white to open it all up.

Other ideas - new lighter light fixtures and keep all your appliances white so that they blend in. If you can't replace the floor, get some bamboo mats or make a custom flor carpets for some bright color and texture. Use textiles (such as the seat cushions, dish towels, bright enamelware such as Le Creuset, and some bright mixing bowls or storage containers) to give the room color. I think orange and white when I look at this space, or bright green. You could also get some plants to make this space less sterile.

Finally, a different dining table and chairs and a pendant light over the table. Something glass or lighter woods, and lighter designed chairs would be nice. Once again, Ikea can be your friend here or the unfinished furniture store (at least until you can afford something else).

Good luck!

The trouble with moving the fridge to the opposite wall is that it looks like the kitchen is fairly wide. You don't want to have to hike between your fridge and your cooktop!

Valerie, if you can tear out that tall cabinet in the corner, you could create an L-shaped work area. Do you rent or own?

It is only sad because there is no sign of life in it. Open the blinds buy some fruit put up a picture is all it needs it seems a functional galley as far as I can see. The owner must be truly lacking in imagination if they can't easily sort this space.

Please please please get rid of those blinds - with the ceilng beams coming down like that, the horizontal blinds make that whole side of the room look totally squashed down by the beams.

Even if you only take the blinds down in order to then decide what else to do, the room will already look totally differently proportioned.

Hi Valerie, what an amazing space to work with! I would take out the cupboard between the windows and install floating shelves to display glassware and other pretties. The wooden blinds would do better in white if you have an awful view. I agree that the flooring should be wooden or at least a lighter lino and you could balance this with the ceiling by painting it white - it would look like a soaring sail IMHO.

You don't have very much storage space so a painted dresser or an open set of shelving would work well on the wall opposite the current cupboard set up. You could move your fridge next to it so it isn't the thing that immediately catches your eye by the door. I think you may have space for an island unit as well - a moveable one would work as well for a party house as for a family home.

If you can't afford a new table, could you cover it with a really fun oilcloth that will pop some colour into that corner. I'd also advocate painting the chairs and recovering the seat pads. Could you position it horizontally? It looks lke you have enough space.

Good luck - hope you have fun redoing it.

good bones, don't feel defeated. try changing the blinds - the wood is confusing the space and breaking up the walls too much. i would go with a large slat & white. removing the upper cabinet would be a good idea - an open shelf is a good idea. i might try to find an organic shaped table, an elongated oval or a table with a top that is not perfectly rectangular to use as an island. Rough hewn would be nice - something to play against the dominating linearness (is that even a word?) of the room. You have lots of horizontal, straight lines, so it would be nice to soften them a little bit. New flooring would be fantastic, but sounds like a huge job and I see that the floor continues out into other areas of your home, so changing it would be a huge expense. Start with rugs. Indoor/outdoor so they can take the abuse of a kitchen. The cieling is great, I'd leave it. Moving the fridge would help, along with rotating the table a half turn and if possible chaning the chairs to something a little more modern.

would it be possible to move that whole kitchen counter to the other side of the room,so there is more space for cabinets.And instead of cabinets use shelves.I would also change the floors and that table.Remove those windows and blinds and make the windows even.The countertop would be nice with a white surface against dark hardwood floors.Bring in a round table.Maybe add a kitchen island,maybe similar to the one in "Earth tone kitchens"
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/sf/earth-tones-in-the-kitchen-080551.Also that ceiling lamp has to go..I have a lot of ideas with that kitchen.

Need more context and information to give you a useful suggestion... for example...

What is the ceiling? Is it would panelling, or is it something that only looks like wood panelling?
Are the beams decorative or functional? Do they run throughout your space? How are you handling them elsewhere -- leaving them as-is or painting them?

Do you have wood floors anywhere else, or are you planning on installing them?

This space cries out to be open plan to me -- what is on the other side of the wall (opposite the kitchen line)? Is it the living room? Are you considering making it open plan?

Let's start with the easy suggestions... You seem to have a very deep porch, and so probably don't need any window coverings at all -- I'd suggest removing the blinds, and not replacing them with anything (of course, I can't see the state of the windows...).

Also, take out that awkward broom closet, which is ruining your space.

Does there have to be a door into the kitchen -- couldn't having a doorway suffice? If you remove the door, and don't remove that wall (which may be a good idea depending on what is one the other side), you could have a nice shallow pantry built against that entire wall.

A U-shaped kitchen arrangement makes sense here, with a peninsula to separate the kitchen and dining area. I think it would look even better if you had continuous cabinets under the window in the dining area. Also, if possible (and yes, this is a big suggestion), enlarge the kitchen window to be equal in size with the dining room window (the cooktop will need to move).

If the ceiling just simulates a cedar/redwood one, I would paint it all white. I would paint out the builder's beige walls with a luminous full-spectrum white paint. I'd install real wood floors (something that approximates French oak) with a wax (not varnished) finish.

I would try to make the kitchen cabinets be beautiful cabinets -- something along these lines (yes, a dream...):

http://www.hansenkitchen.com/inspiration/kitchen_american_walnut.html

As in the Hansen kitchens, there would be no upper cabinets.

And a dining table with Wegner Wish Bone chairs in soap-finished ash...

http://www.designcraft.net.au/product.asp?pID=728&iID=517

http://www.carlhansen.dk/english/chairssofas/dining-chairs/ch-24/

I think this would be a beautiful celebration of wood!