Kitchen Remodelling!!!!

[Cookiebaker]

I am getting so excited as we are gearing up to do an entire kitchen remodel. Everything is getting gutted out and put up fresh.

So far, we have a general design, cabinets picked out, and have interviewed contractors. We are waiting for quote to be returned.

Meanwhile, I am moving on to more specifics -- like color schemes, tiling for backsplash, specific flooring, countertop etc. And I have NO CLUE where to start!!

Do I pick out a general color scheme, and try to match tiles and counter to that?? I went to a tiling place, and everything that I like is not within what I generally think is a good color scheme. I just have no clue :confused: how or where to start on the specifics. How do you take a 2"x2" square and know how it is going to look when you get it all over the room????

So does anybody have any good tips on this?? I should be excited about this part, but now I have started feeling overwhelmed and dreading making a final decision on anything!!

[CamCamPup33]

We are remodeling our bathrooms.. Ugh, it's alot of work.. I wake up to pounding on the walls, and my walls shaking.. We have just about the same size tiles going up around the walls.. It looks great so far.. Good luck!

[Miss Meow]

The kitchen in our house is a good example of when small colour swatches go bad in a bigger area ;) The woman who designed the kitchen works at our local bank, and she even apologised to me about the colour, 13 years after her mistake!

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid63/paee67428a4eb00a27bb0549ddead6d00/fc16fdff.jpg

I would be conservative with the larger areas, and more daring with things you can easily change with trends, like the paint.

[Edwina's Secretary]

When we gutted and remodeled our kitchen the contractor we used was very helpful in deciding on things like tile and flooring. We did spend alot of time going to places like The Great Indoors or Expo where they have model kitchens to get ideas of our own. So instead of pink, I went with plaid...:D :D :D

[lizbud]

Originally posted by Edwina's Secretary
We did spend alot of time going to places like The Great Indoors or Expo where they have model kitchens to get ideas of our own. So instead of pink, I went with plaid...:D :D :D


Plaid ? You did not, did you ? :D :D

I've had a simple floor remodeling in the "planning stage" for
over a year now & just cannot manage to make a decision on
when to start it. :rolleyes:

I cannot imagine doing the whole kitchen at once.:eek:

[Edwina's Secretary]

I really did plaid...but I tend to be a bit garish. It's only wallpaper! Everything else is relatively neutral.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid112/p0f1ae682a202b7dc8d12bfd8ea7e4b9d/f8f7b964.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid112/p9baaf5755149806d22362582ca0c3de3/f8f7b967.jpg

[Rottieluver45]

Originally posted by Miss Meow
The kitchen in our house is a good example of when small colour swatches go bad in a bigger area ;) The woman who designed the kitchen works at our local bank, and she even apologised to me about the colour, 13 years after her mistake!

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid63/paee67428a4eb00a27bb0549ddead6d00/fc16fdff.jpg

I would be conservative with the larger areas, and more daring with things you can easily change with trends, like the paint.

I like your pink kitchen!!!

[Barbara]

I like the pink. Mine is lavender blue:D

[sasvermont]

Well, I have white walls and beige trim and white floor.....dark wood cabinets....I rather like colors in some rooms but prefer white in kitchens and baths. I like the lightness in color and the ability to hang many different colored pictures, towels etc. I also have an area run in my kitchen, which I love.

I would go neutral with the floors and cabinets and do what you really want with the walls....since you can always repaint/paper the walls.

I have a friend who just redid her kitchen floor with a beige ceramic tile and loves it. It looks great.....and is easy to keep clean....it is sorta a speckled beige green.....doesn't show the dirt.

One must also think about re-sale-ability too, when it comes to floors etc. You may be staying in the house forever....or not.....

Keep us posted on your progress. I know it can be exhausting having repair/remodeling people in your home for weeks on end!

Ugh!

[Cookiebaker]

Here are the "before" pictures of my god-awful UGLY kitchen.

http://www2.innevi.com/~emenay/kitchen1.JPG



http://www2.innevi.com/~emenay/kitchen2.JPG

And this is done in just a cheap designer program. The colors are NOT correct, and this is a BASIC layout design.


http://www2.innevi.com/~emenay/kitchen3.JPG

Also, you can't see it, but across from the washer/dryer, we are putting in a half bathroom.

[Cookiebaker]

Originally posted by sasvermont
I would go neutral with the floors and cabinets and do what you really want with the walls....since you can always repaint/paper the walls.

I have a friend who just redid her kitchen floor with a beige ceramic tile and loves it. It looks great.....and is easy to keep clean....it is sorta a speckled beige green.....doesn't show the dirt.



That tiling sounds so pretty! That sounds similar to what I have in mind. :)

[Miss Meow]

Oh my god, Cookiebaker, that wallpaper has to go! You should have a wallpaper-ripping-down party with your friends to say goodbye :D I like your new layout much better. It'll make better use of the space and make your kitchen a much more inviting place to sit and eat ice cream!

[lizbud]

Cookiebaker,

Your new kitchen layout looks great.:D Will you keep the two
bigger windows or will they be replaced by the "picture" window?

Isn't it funny how trends & fashions change? Some woman once
looked at your old print walls & was thrilled.LOL. :D

[lizbud]

Originally posted by Edwina's Secretary
I really did plaid...but I tend to be a bit garish. It's only wallpaper! Everything else is relatively neutral.




Sara, It isn't garish at all, it's very tastefully done & looks
beautiful.:)

When I thought plaid, I guess I was thinking bold red ,green
and blue patterns.:D

[catland]

The first place to start is research:

I would recommend going through magazines and showrooms to start to get ideas and when you see something that appeals to you, make a note of it. Also, does your area have times when they showcase new homes or newly remodeled homes?

Another idea - this would be a freebie, would be to go around to homes for sale on open house day just to take a peak at their kitchens. It would be a great way to get ideas.

Then decide what works for you. I'm not the greatest housekeeper so when we replace our kitchen floor (which I hope will be soon), I plan to go with something that will be very low maintenance and a color or pattern that hides dirt. ;)

finally, remember that when it comes to home remodeling, plan to spend half again as much money and have it take twice as long to finish as planned.

[Cookiebaker]

Originally posted by Miss Meow
Oh my god, Cookiebaker, that wallpaper has to go! You should have a wallpaper-ripping-down party with your friends to say goodbye :D I like your new layout much better. It'll make better use of the space and make your kitchen a much more inviting place to sit and eat ice cream!

I know, I KNOW!!! :eek: Isn't that wallpaper the WORST?? It actually has gold glitter in it! :rolleyes: This project has been my #1 goal since we bought the house almost 5 years ago. BUT, I have refused to touch it!! Because I maintained that if we did a half-decent job, we would never get the inspiration to do it again the right way. So we have been saving $$ this whole time, and waiting, waiting....




Your new kitchen layout looks great. Will you keep the two
bigger windows or will they be replaced by the "picture" window?

Isn't it funny how trends & fashions change? Some woman once
looked at your old print walls & was thrilled.LOL.

The windows will be replaced with a triple wide picture window. :D We have a gorgeous view of Mount Ascutney and of the Sugar River from that window so we want to maximize on the view.


The first place to start is research:

I would recommend going through magazines and showrooms to start to get ideas and when you see something that appeals to you, make a note of it. Also, does your area have times when they showcase new homes or newly remodeled homes?

Another idea - this would be a freebie, would be to go around to homes for sale on open house day just to take a peak at their kitchens. It would be a great way to get ideas.

Then decide what works for you. I'm not the greatest housekeeper so when we replace our kitchen floor (which I hope will be soon), I plan to go with something that will be very low maintenance and a color or pattern that hides dirt.

finally, remember that when it comes to home remodeling, plan to spend half again as much money and have it take twice as long to finish as planned.

Thanks for the ideas, Catland. I like the idea of going around to houses that are for sale and getting ideas from "real" kitchens. I have a hard time looking at a magazine picture, and then visualizing what it would like in "real life", but it's different in real kitchens.

I am also looking for something low maintenance. With the 2 dogs that like to play rough & tumble in the middle of the kitchen, I don't want something that will scratch real easily either. I am thinking of going with a vinyl tile.

Thanks for the suggestions!!

Oh, and Edwina's Sec., I don't think I have ever seen a plaid room before. But I rather like it!

And Miss Meow, I was looking at different corrianne (sp?) countertops and I had picked out a light, almost dusty rose pink as one of my favorites. :D Mark quickly taboo'ed it though. :p

[Lillycat]

i really like the idea of visiting open houses......i love houses and think i would enjoy doing that to gain ideas...thank you for the idea!...i want to do some work on my kitchen....but have heard it is an expensive project! still fun to dream tho

[Ally Cat's Mommy]

Our holiday place in South Africa has a great kitchen. The cupboards are a sort of lime-wash beige, the floow is dark-beige ceramics and the counter-tops are black granite.

The combination of light and dark colours works very well, and the tiles on the floor really don't show dirt (we had 20 people staying over Christmas and it never really looked messy and I only mopped once per day).

The only thing I would change is all the stainless-steel applicances - they pick up finger-marks etc, and require constant cleaning to look nice!

I am attaching a photo - it's not a very good one, but you can see the cabinets, tiles, counter and fridge etc.

[Fallon]

yeah remodeling, that's always fun, i need to remodel my whole house!

[Cataholic]

CB- your kitchen is HUGE! I think my whole house would fit in there. You do have a lovely view out the back. I tend to like nuetrals- that can be accented with lots of different stuff, to change the look easily.

MM- how do you manuever with that blow up styled princess in your kitchen? Or, was that you? HE HE HE. I love your pink kitchen, I really do. I would make the most of it, until you change it.

ACM- is that your husband in that shot? Does he know you labelled him as a 'not very good picture'? HEHEH HEHEH..

ES- It just goes to show you that plaid does work sometimes. Your kitchen looks very lovely. I may visit you one day to check it out in person. HEHEHEHEH

I am hysterical today, aren't I?

[Ally Cat's Mommy]

Originally posted by Cataholic

ACM- is that your husband in that shot? Does he know you labelled him as a 'not very good picture'? HEHEH HEHEH..


I am hysterical today, aren't I?

Yes it is my husband - he was goofing around opening champagne on Christmas day!!!

[mruffruff]

We have been in the middle of a kitchen remodeling at my daughter's house since mid-February. I say we, but I have been the contractor, sub-contractor and head Laborer. My daughter works when & if the spirit moves her.

We tore the walls out and replace the wallboard, creating a partial wall in the process. We had an electrician add some outlets and a plumber relocated the drain. We glued cream colored formica sheets to the walls between the upper and lower cabinets and then installed the cabinets. The oven cabinets had to be reworked to accomodate the wall oven and microwave. Then all of the woodwork was replaced with new, stained trim.

The walls were painted the exact same cream as the formica. The cabinets are from Lowes, light oak. The ovens and dishwasher are black, the sink and electric stove top are cream colored. The floor is a mottled brown (dirt hiding) tile and the counter tops are tan-brown-black.

We thought the counter tops would be here for installation this weekend, but ........Someone at the factory didn't get the message. So we wait another week or two.

In the meantime the room looks like a war zone. It's been three months that seems like 12.

I chose the colors so we could live with it for many years, using accessories to change the looks cheaply. Also, if my daughter moves, I'll be renting it out.

This is the fourth time I've typed this out only to lose the whole thingby trying to add pictures. So I'll try to add the pictures in the next reply.

Mary

[mruffruff]

Before:

[mruffruff]

Another before:

[mruffruff]

And one more before:

[mruffruff]

And the new look:
The peninsula that sticks out will have the stove top, with the ovens to the right. New pics when I finish.

[mruffruff]

Counter tops came in!

They were installed Saturday---a looooong Saturday. I'll take pictures tonight.

Mary

[lv4dogs]

You can purchase colored paper & pin or tape a bunch of one color all over one wall that will give you a general idea of what it would look like with that color over a large area.
And yes most contractors are very helpful with helping you decide on a sceme to use!

Good luck & when your done you come by my place, my kitchen is in dire need of repair!

[popcornbird]

Anna, you're going to have one BEAUTIFUL kitchen once its remodelled!!! I just *love* new kitchens! I'm sure your's will be beautiful, because its quite large and you have a lot of room to design a beautiful, large kitchen! Be sure to share the end results with us! I agree.........that wallpaper needs to GO! :D

[mruffruff]

Finally finished!

[mruffruff]

Another view.

[mruffruff]

Last one.

[Cookiebaker]

I'm bumping this thread back up because.......it's ACTUALLY happening!!! It's only been 2 years, and finally, finally, finally, our kitchen is ripped up!! They got the new sliding glass door in today, and progress has started! :D

[anna_66]

LOL! Anna I've never heard someone be so happy their kitchen is ripped up;):p

I'm very happy for you, can't wait to see what it looks like finished!!!


And Mary, it all looks terrific...you did a wonderful job:)

[mruffruff]

Thanks.

The kitchen has been in use for quite a while now and it works very well. Unfortunately, it's hard to see much of it since my daughter doesn't believe in putting anything IN the cupboards.

I used a sheet of formica on the wall next to the cooktop so it would be easy to clean. Wish I had done that at my house between upper and lower cupboards.

I can't wait to see your progress. Unfortunately, I can't see your pictures.

Mary

[Daisy and Delilah]

Have fun with the re-model. It's a blast. I just remodeled the tv room and kitchen in my house. I can't see the pics now either so I hope you re-post them after the job is done :)

[elizabethann]

Oh my god, Cookiebaker, that wallpaper has to go! You should have a wallpaper-ripping-down party with your friends to say goodbye :D I like your new layout much better. It'll make better use of the space and make your kitchen a much more inviting place to sit and eat ice cream!

I must confess...I kind of like that wallpaper. :)

[Edwina's Secretary]

This thread has made me so homesick for my plaid kitchen.... :( :( and Barbie's....I mean Miss Meow's pink one...... :)

[RobiLee]

I loved your plaid kitchen!

Anna, I can't wait to see pics of your new kitchen and I hope you show before and after ones.

You guys are making me want to get started on mine. I need MONEY!!! :D