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Home Kitchen Design: Beginners Questions

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janinegirly

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I know many of you have put in new kitchens or are design professionals or enjoy it as a hobby, so thought I''d see if you have any advice for a beginner. We are creating a whole new kitchen so it''s a bit overwhelming (just in magazine browsing stage right now). It will be open plan meaning island in the middle of the kitchen which leads directly into family room with no walls.

I have previously loved white kitchens (white cabinets, granite counters, stainless, tile back splash), but I''m not sure this works with open plan to family room which will likely have more warm colors and browns. Hardwood floors will be carried through from the rest of the house and are natural/oak and there will be ample windows. Other cabinet types I like are hickory or maple (mocha, etc) but I''m not a fan of super dark cabinets (cherry etc). I''m really new to this so prob being way too general.

Any thoughts, guidance or pictures?

PS Just saw Kelly Ripas kitchen on her show this morning, really nice (white cabinets, marble counters--led to dark dining area with reds, but was not open space).
 
I think it could work, but I''d want to bring some of the colors from the other space into the kitchen through accents, etc. Also, what are you thinking for the wall color? The same as the other room?
 
yes thinking of same wall color (a warm, neutral beige that can work in both spaces). I also am considering doing the island in a darker wood (vs white) below the counter so it''s not all so monochromatic. I''ve see that in a few mags..
 
The contrasting island seems to be the rage right now. I''m not sure if that''s a trend though or will stick around...
 
My in-laws have a contrasting island and I think it looks really nice. As an interior design student, I''ll give my opinion that I don''t think it is any more of a trend than any other part of the kitchen. Most kitchens look dated eventually but thats just the nature of the beast. I certainly don''t think of contrasting islands as a "trend" though.

What about off-white or cream cabinets with the darker wood island? That way you get a similar effect but the "white" will be a little warmer and tie in with the family room better. Same with the granite and backsplash... just choose warmer shades. That may be what you were picturing anyway but when someone says white, stainless, and granite I just usually see cooler colors.
 
I think you can totally achieve a warm space with white cabinets.

This picture is from my "dream house" files, I think they manage to keep the space warm while having white cabinetry. I know it isn''t exactly what you''re looking for, but the warm wood floors with the sunlight really keep the space warm, in my opinion. The ceiling beams don''t hurt, either. When DH and I add on to the house, we are stealing this vision!

HOUSETHEdreamKitchen.jpg
 
I think the warm woods are the key to keeping the space feeling warm, at least in my opinion.

Check out the ceiling and butcher block island top in this kitchen:

ETA: Sorry about the huge size! I don't know how to remove the photo!

KitchenAWESOMEislandandwindows.jpg
 
You are describing something very similar to what I would like in my forever house... Here are a few pics that I have collected.

1kitchen%201-02.jpg
 
I love this one and it looks like they use darker woods on the other side of the picture based on that armoir/hutch on the left.

Kitchen305.jpg
 
This might help tie things together because the inside of the glass cabinets is a warmer color and I also like how they went with dark granite on the island and kept the cabinets the same throughout. Something a little different than the mismatched island (which I also like)

Kitchen313.jpg
 
You'll want to think about bringing warmth in the kitchen through materials like warm wood(not necessarily dark) and Soapstone counters to a cream colored white paint on the cabinets. In this very famous kitchen from the movie, "Something's Gotta Give,"they use creamy whites and bring warm colors through the artwork, accessories and cookbooks.

btw, they painted the countertop to simulate soapstone. It would look even better with the real deal.

sgg kitcheb.jpg
 
If you want to do granite countetops, I would suggest a contrasting island as well. Either the base can be wood or the top be wood. Not only would this visually break up all of the granite but would help the space feel warmer.

It might date the kitchen a little but I agree that kitchens usually do look dated after a while. Jury is still out whether a white kitchen is classic or trendy anyways. Therefore, put in what you like.
 
I am just swooning over some of these pictures!!

I looked at remodeling a kitchen for a short while and found that when a kitchen has wood floors, I prefer white or ivorry cabinets. I think these photos show how great white can look in an open living space--I''d say to make it a little warmer, ivory would look perfect. Such an exciting project! I have no doubt it will look fabulous once completed!
 
I''m mid-kitchen renovation at the moment...

I''ve gone for painted oak cabinets (Farrow & Ball''s ''Pointing'' which is a slightly pinkish white), a solid oak floor, green walls (Farrow & Ball''s ''Breakfast Room Green'') which are a very strong shade but the space is small so it needed something bold, a white ceramic double-Belfast sink, stainless steel appliances (for those that aren''t built in) and grey marble work surfaces and tiles.

My cabinets came from IKEA, although now they are painted you would never guess - and I don''t know anywhere else I could get a solid oak kitchen for the price!

Our house is 1840''s Georgian pastiche, so I have tried to respect the Georgian elements while keeping it a modern kitchen. Our sitting-room is right off the kitchen and while it isn''t open-plan, the doors are rarely shut so they needed to harmonise. Our sitting-room has oak floors, walls in a taupey colour (Farrow & Ball''s ''Clunch'') and white ceilings and white painted bookshelving etc.

Can you tell I like Farrow & Ball paints???

I would start by looking for pictures of kitchens you like - either in magazines or on the Internet. Think of the mood you want to create - homely, clinical, traditional, ultra-modern etc? Is this a room for cooking like a chef or cooking like a family?

Good luck!
 
Thanks and love the pics! In most of the houses I''ve visited, the cherry cabinets w/orange & brown speckled granite tops (w/SS appliances) are all the rage, so I always thought a bright kitchen was more traditional than popular/trendy. Although w/open plans I can see how the darker cabinets blend better with other living spaces.

Right now I''m loving the white cabinets w/island in darker wood to create transition to the next room. I love hearing others'' ideas though and esp the great photos!

did anyone else watch regis and kelly this morning?
 
You should totally check out the project titled "The White Kitchen" here. It''s GORGEOUS, and I love that double farmhouse sink!
 
Had Thansgiving at SIL''s who just remodeled her kitchen. Guess what--it was cream cabinets with island in dark wood (dark wood floors leading to family room). Counters were all matte black granite. Appliances were Wolf...with red accents. Wow, it was a dream kitchen for sure, but now I''ll look like I''m copying not to mention hers is a bit out of our reach.

And in our case it won''t be just a remodel, we''re actually digging a hole to expand, so picking out cabinets is while off, but I can still educate myself and dream right?

Keep the pics coming!! :)
 

it would def. work!! Look in any design book right now...all the rage is a white or off-white cabinetry with wood floors to ground the look.



I personally love a white/cream kitchen (yes, harder to keep clean but i think it is sophisticated and classic looking)



I am building a home right now and we have an open concept kitchen with breakfast nook that all transitions into our living area (which will be more casual). We will be going with hardwood and cream colored kitchen.



As far as design, make sure it is really user-friendly. Google "kitched triangles" to get a breakdown for the best designs. I went with a galley layout, only b/c i cook tons and like the flow of it. It's part personal and part space limitations etc. I am lucky, my mom is a kitchen designer so she did a lot of the work for me. You can go to place like Home Depot and they'll design something quickly on the computer for you when you bring in your dimensions so you can start getting ideas.



ETA: I would say that cherry and many wood cabinets are out of style right now. Not that they aren't beautiful in their own right, just not "hot". trends just come and go. DH is in trades and sees it all the time. One day regular brick was out and replaced by big stones, now ppl are coming around to traditional brick again. it's all nice, but something has to be popular or else we would never renovate

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Oh this is a subject near and dear to my heart!
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We started our kitchen remodel one year ago, and it took us only 3 months to complete. It was a 90% DIY job, too, (and we both have day jobs!) so I am pretty proud.

Here's the thread:
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/yay-kitchen-renovation-is-done.111700/
(The link to my thread on the Garden Web kitchen forum was removed by the moderators so I had to upload the pics later in the [PS] thread, and those start on page 3).

BTW, if you haven't found the Garden Web forums yet, you. must! The kitchen forum is awesome and those people are really knowledgable and helpful. I really appreciated that throughout the entire remodel, but especially while we were in the planning and decision-making stages. An awesome resource!
 
The white kitchen is somewhat of a trend, but it''s not trendy in a bad way. If you carefully plan it, you''re going to have a timeless space. I think the key is having a balance.

This is my approach to designing a white kitchen:

Place glass fronted doors strategically.
No shiny granite. Have it honed, and better yet, get soapstone.
No fancy finishes on the hardware (oil rubbed bronze, etc). I think the hardware should ideally be nickel. When I say hardware, I mean: pulls, nobs, handles, and faucets. It''s the jewelry of the kitchen honestly.
I like a nice deep white farmhouse sink. I think you have a traditional house and that would be so appropriate.
No excessive moldings and corbels, those things put a time stamp on the kitchen.
Have a relatively simple door style. I think Shaker works the best. I could also see a recessed door with a bit of rope detailing or something, but nothing really fancy and ornate.
I like stainless appliances, but one of the most trendy things I see in the white kitchens are the huge 8 burner Wolf or Viking ranges. If you cook a lot, by all means, that''s appropriate, but I don''t get people who spend 10K on a stove they barely use. I think I have 6 burners on my cooktop and I only use all six when I have a lot of cooking.


Janine, this is kind of what I came up with for you:

white upper cabinets
dark base cabinets w/ carrara marble counters
white island w/either honed black granite (or something in the brown family) or soapstone

That''s kind of it, for now, but I think your walls are probably going to need to stay very light in order for the space to have that cohesion. You don''t want it to look like you stuck a white kitchen in a brown room.
 
In case you didn''t know, honing granite gives it a matte appearance.
 
I have white cabinets with burgundy/brownish granite and a green/blue tile backsplash in my house. The floors are a light greyish tile. The kitchen was already renovated when we bought the place but I really love the combo overall. I''m not crazy about the floors (I think they should be a lot darker) so we might change them, but it''ll be a big pain because the cabinets and granite will have to be taken out of the kitchen to redo the floor. I think the floors should contrast more, so if you have wood floors in your kitchen I bet the white cabinets would look great with them.

Also, what''s your living room furniture like? If you have any lighter/white furniture maybe that could help pull the two rooms together a bit more? My kitchen isn''t open at all (I have a rowhouse that was built in 1920) so I didn''t have to worry about the kitchen being cohesive with the dining room and living room.

A friend of mine did white cabinets with darker grey soapstone and I really loved that combo, too. I think darker granite/soapstone with white cabinets is a great combo. But I like Lynn''s lighter granite, too, so I guess it just depends on your colors and the overall scheme of the house.
 
We have a white kitchen and I love it. Our kitchen is open to the family room and we have stainless appliances, white marble/glass tile backsplash and gray speckled corian countertops. I think it is "warm" looking. My kitchen table is a very dark wood. Almost black so I like the contrast it gives. We also have hardwood floors which I think gives the space warmth. My kitchen and family room is painted the same shade of grayish taupe (I am more of a gray girl than a beige). Our family room also has the same kind of cabs as a built in which also ties the two rooms together.
 
I LOVE white kitchens! My parents have a white kitchen and it''s really pretty. They opted for white appliances though, not stainless. Like Tacori, they have corian counter tops. If I were doing a white kitchen, I''d choose one like Tacori''s. I haven''t seen it but I love the contrast and combination of dark/white/stainless.
 
We renovated our kitchen when moved to new house. We both love a white kitchen. Everything was mismatched very old appliances, counter surfaces, faux finish walls and wall paper. We gutted it, and DH has construction background so we did work ourselves. Took forever, but not as long as the bathroom reno which is still going on! The only thing we had outside contractors do was the counter tops, marble - need real old school stone people for that -, but thats another story, etches and shows stains, but I LOVE it.. we had to sign a waiver for the stone guys to install it. We''ll its etched for sure but still looks great. Its great to do your own reno, feels really good.

renokitchenbny.jpg
 
White can be warm, we mixed in some dark cabinets, wood floors offset the white.... another pic - the infamous, etched and honed marble countertops, I guess I watch too much home decoratingTV.

renokitbny2.jpg
 
I must have been away from PS when some of these responses were posted!

Penn: thank you!!! Those are amazing suggestions. I like the idea of dark top on island (whether honed granite or soapstone). That way I can have some of the lighter counter in the rest of the kitchen. Marble looks amazing but doesn''t it stain? I do still like granite, but will explore the marble. We''ll keep the lighter walls for sure but our family room does have brown couches/leather chair, but at least the hardwood floors are consistent and more in "natural family". Kelly Ripa''s kitchen had the deep white sink and marble tops..looked amazing. Thanks again, you''re the best!

jas12: can''t wait to see pics of the kitchen.

lynn: you guys did a great job!

tacori: another kitchen I wish I could see pics of!

gardenglove: I love your kitchen. Love the marble! does it stain more than granite do you think?
 
Date: 12/16/2009 2:53:25 PM
Author: janinegirly
I must have been away from PS when some of these responses were posted!


Penn: thank you!!! Those are amazing suggestions. I like the idea of dark top on island (whether honed granite or soapstone). That way I can have some of the lighter counter in the rest of the kitchen. Marble looks amazing but doesn''t it stain? I do still like granite, but will explore the marble. We''ll keep the lighter walls for sure but our family room does have brown couches/leather chair, but at least the hardwood floors are consistent and more in ''natural family''. Kelly Ripa''s kitchen had the deep white sink and marble tops..looked amazing. Thanks again, you''re the best!


jas12: can''t wait to see pics of the kitchen.


lynn: you guys did a great job!


tacori: another kitchen I wish I could see pics of!


gardenglove: I love your kitchen. Love the marble! does it stain more than granite do you think?
Click to expand...

Yes, marble countertops stains far more than granite. Stone industry does not recommend it for kitchen. It is super porous, absorbs water, lemon juice, oil, wine, tomato, vinegar, just everything. We treat it every six months but it still absorbs- that''s marble- Granite can take normal kitchen wear and tear and still shine, but the polish on marble gets etched. Many recommend honed marble, a matte surface bakers have used for centuries, but that is expensive. Ours is aging and etching its way to a honed surface, but I expected and accepted that. I still love it. Thanks for the kind comments.
 
Marble countertops are my favorite--sooo beautiful! I am way to clutzy in the kitchen to warrant getting them, but aesthetically they're perfect! I was reading through my consumer reports kitchens magazine the other day and saw that they ranked quartz as #1 in kitchen countertop surfaces terms of value and usability. It isn't as porous as marble or granite so it doesn't need to be sealed, though I think they mentioned it can wear on sharp edges. I've been loving local soapstone as a countertop option lately--ugh, too many options!
 
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