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 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!



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...

[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...

Plaid ? You did not, did you ?

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.

I cannot imagine doing the whole kitchen at once.

[Edwina's Secretary]

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

[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!



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

[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.







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




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 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. 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.

[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.

[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.