Asked on Feb 11, 2013

My boring kitchen is due for a make over...asking for some ideas

Jayme
by Jayme
My house was built (manufactured) in 1970 or 1972. We have lived here for 27 years and most of the house has undergone transformations of some sort or another....except my kitchen. I have never had a mudroom, hence the coats hanging all over the chairs and shoes/boots laying all over the floor. We plan on knocking the wall out that our table sits up against, thus allowing us to expand into a corner of our garage.. this will give us our mudroom. I would like to redo or replaceout cupboards and expand my pantry. I love the rug that we have in the middle of the kithen and am shooting to somehow use those colors. My kitchen table and counter tops are "butcher block" style...but I am real tired of that. Thought maybe I could replicate the look of the rug on the top of my table, or just paint the table top using some of the colors in the rug. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I am a "crafty" person, so I am looking to so most of the work myself (or hubby's help).
Love this rug - both colors and design.
Different shot of rug.
Standing in doorway leading from living room. I am going to eventually replace my appliances (as needed) with black front. So that will tie in the black.
Standing in front of my sliding glass door looking towards stairway. Microwave cart area I am thinking about expanding my pantry to this area
Standing in front of my stove looking to entry from garage and entry into living room. The entry door leading from the garage will be relocated.
Standing in front of my stove looking straight out towards table. That is the wall that I want to remove and expand about 4 ft into the garage
Standing in entry way from living room looking straight towards the sliding glass doors and out onto the deck. I would love to someday put a sun porch out there.
I found this light online. I want 3 of these hanging over my kitchen table (post renovation)
  18 answers
  • Lesley Hinton Lesley Hinton on Feb 12, 2013
    I WOULD TRY TO PAINT THE TABLETOP OR CHAIRS THAT COLOR THAT WOULD LOOK DIFFERENT AND CRAFTY
  • Lana Davis-Norris Lana Davis-Norris on Feb 12, 2013
    I posted a few comments at some of your pics. :)
  • Sherrie Sherrie on Feb 12, 2013
    I would paint the paneling a light color, then I would antique the cabinets. Paint the new door and the trim white. I might even paint the door black since I am on a black kick. Since you have several rugs I would use a smaller one in the room. The table which I love I would stain the top walnut and paint the bottom a dark color and distress it. I like black or red because that is what's in your rug. But any color in your rug would look nice. It sounds like your going to have a lot fun! We also replaced all our appliances with black. I love stainless steel but I have cleaned hundreds of them and can never getting them perfectly smear free for long then 5 minutes. So I wanted black. I am absolutely not a interior decorator so if I commented on something you don't like please don't be offended. Everyone see's things the way they would like things and my way might not be your way! Have fun and enjoy!
  • Jayme Jayme on Feb 12, 2013
    Sherrie ....I can't be offended by anything since I am openly asking for ideas. I definitely want the walls a lighter color. My whole house came with this dark paneling (1970's) and this is the only room left with it in and I hate how dark it is. I figured if I do a little bit at a time it will all come together. I will post the transformation pictures as they happen. Thanks for you your input.
  • Not knowing anything about your tastes other than your rug...here goes my opinion(s) from a non-decorator as well. I also have a lovely early 70s kitchen complete with popcorn ceilings which is on the to-do someday list. I am personally partial to blue, so my favorite color in your rug is blue, and if it were me, I'd paint the paneling that color (which I actually did in my kitchen). So I'd take your favorite color from the rug and paint the walls that, or even the cabinets (and my opinion is that blue can be a neutral, depending on the shade). I have that exact same dining table and what I did was strip the top and stain it a dark espresso with a white bottom (the exact opposite of what Sherrie suggested above, so obviously you have to go with what you like.). Curtains for sliding door, new light fixture?
  • Jayme Jayme on Feb 12, 2013
    My thought is the same as yours for the table.....dark top, leave the legs as is. Paint chairs to match. Absolutely new updated light fixtures. Curtain for sliding door.....I have thought about that too....the vertical blinds that are there are a "country" blue like my entry door...I use to like this color but am quite sick of it as well. But the blue/gray in the rug I do like, so maybe just tweak the color a bit, but the blinds I am thinking about changing to a light color. Since I do not have a "style"....I was wondering about one of those swag thingies that looks like a piece of fabric just kind of looped/draped over the curtain rod???? I don't know.....I have so many ideas swimming around in my head.
  • Linda B Linda B on Feb 12, 2013
    My daughter had dark paneling in the living room when she bought her house last year. She Bin (fabulous alcohol based primer) primed it two coats and then two coats of white semi gloss paint. Now her living room has the look of a beach cottage. I don't know what you should do with the rest of the room but you wouldn't believe the change in my daughter's house! It's so light and beautiful now. Best wishes, Linda
  • Z Z on Feb 13, 2013
    This sounds like a fun make over Jayme. As for wall color, since you mentioned liking the blue gray in the rug, I'd take the smallest rug with you to the paint store and grab all the color strips that look anywhere near a match. Take them home and pick the closest match and then go at least two shades lighter for the wall color. This should be a nice match for your current cabinet stain color. I like your idea for changing your dining table, and think if the rug currently in the kitchen fits than I'd move it under the table and use the runner in the kitchen. As for your blinds... If they are vinyl, I'd remove the vertical slats and spray paint them an creamy beige from the rug. You could probably spray the mini blinds over the sink to match. A cornice over the top of the verticals would be nice.
  • JoEllen McCartney JoEllen McCartney on Feb 13, 2013
    Looks like a lot of fun. I would paint all your walls a gray color (just used this in my kitchen, the color I used was a Sherwin Wms Potters Clay). Use a bright white high gloss on all your trim. I love the look of a table with painted black legs and then a darker top. If you want to lighten things up a bit, I'd sand the top of the table to a lighter shade and then paint one of the "square" designs on the top of the table (in muted/washed out tones) and then finish it with a urethane.You could also paint each one of your chairs a separate color (pull your favorite colors from the rug) to add color but the light gray walls would keep things neutral enough with the table and chairs adding some pop/color. I'd get rid of all the rugs except the largest one and put it under your kitchen table and I'd put it at an angle to add some uniqueness to it. Kitchen cabinets: I used a product called RECLAIM on my bathroom vanity cabinets and my cabinet looks brand new. I'd use the RECLAIM and paint all your cabinets a bright white. Use black hardware or oil rubbed bronze. Replace the ceiling fixture with a ceiling fan. Mudroom I'd paint the cabinets black and then distress them and use white ceramic handles. Good luck, sounds like a lot of fun.
  • Jayme Jayme on Feb 13, 2013
    WOW!!!! I Love all the great ideas coming my way on this project. I have somewhat of an update.....I went "shopping" today for items to use in the kitchen. My first stop (on a whim) was at Goodwill. I feel that I got lucky...found a black valance and a red panel curtain. The valance will go over the sliding door and the red curtain - not intended to cover the sliding glass door- but to hang on the non-opening end for a splash of color. My current blinds are fabric and I intend to replace those with a light color vinyl blind. I did not even think to get pics of the possibilities (duh!). I took one of the rugs with me,like Becky suggested, so that I could match paint and counter tops. I had a preconceived color scheme in mind and when I could not make that work to my liking....I started getting frustrated and then really started looking what would work. I did not realize how much "greens and taupes" were in the rug. Little did I know, until I got back home, that the rug that I took had more green than the other rugs. Oh well!!! Below I have included some pics of the stuff and samples that I brought home....oh yeah and a cool treasure to hang on the wall in the kithcen (when the project is done). I don't think that my phone camera has properly depicted the actual coloring of the paint chips. :(
  • Becky P Becky P on Feb 13, 2013
    Jayme, does your countertop samples have a brand name/color on the back? They match well with the tile.
  • Jayme Jayme on Feb 13, 2013
    Becky J the color is Madras Indian Slate. I am not sure if Formica is the brand, but there is a #3688-58 on the back also.
  • Z Z on Feb 13, 2013
    Wow Jayme, you did good! It's hard to get lighting just right to show true colors sometimes, but by what I can see and what you said I think you have a great start. Now the hard part... the work to get it done. I love the first back splash you picked. The one tile looks like a perfect match the counter material you picked. Just like they were made for each other.
  • Jayme Jayme on Feb 14, 2013
    I agree Becky that the tile and the counter top were almost a perfect match. I should have bought the tile (may go back and do that tomorrow) because if I wait, I know that I will probably not find it again or it will have been discontinued....just my luck!!!
  • Z Z on Feb 14, 2013
    I hate when that happens.
  • Renata Renata on Jan 17, 2015
    Am new to seeing this site but would like to know what you did?
  • Susan Susan on Apr 19, 2017

    Hi, I have helped all my friends decorate their homes! My advice is to go with neutral walls, and use accessories for color. Here is why: you have waited a very long time to redo your kitchen. Don't get in a hurry. You can make decisions in layers. I love the idea of the lighter wall color for your paneling, because you will use this area so much, and it is bright and cheerful! Colors like blue, you can incorporate, later as accents after the walls, back splash, counters are done. I wouldn't do a design on your table top. But I like the suggestion of the dining table, black legs, dark top, or black legs, with a medium stained top, with no painted design to match your area rug. Simply because you will tire of the painted design in a year or two. Or, wait and do your table painting, staining for last, leave it as is for a while, while your room develops. You will need the table top anyway for a work top space for your projects. I like the white legs of your table as is, with the lighter top.

    As your project evolves, your tastes and ideas will adjust and change. So, you also could make either a hand-painted on cloth art piece or on foam core to frame, a "look a like" squares from your rug. The squares could be smaller, or you could do a wall hanging with burlap as a background, and then find cloth remnants in the blue square you like. You could hang it on a dowel, with brown twine. (Available at dollar stores.)

    You could shop thrift shops, for a tray w/handles: If you want to do your rug design, you could paint it inside the tray for your table! It could serve the same purpose, but not be permanent, and later, you could always paint the tray differently, or hang it on the wall with your square design feature.

    You are making great choices! Take your time! Happy Decorating!!! Have lots of fun and don't stress.


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    The leaves on my Knockout Roses are curling up and even the flowers are shriveling. Any Advice ?