Would like your ideas for small floor plan redo.

Kathy
by Kathy
would like to do a country/rustic decor.
This is the front door. Santa is hiding a coat closet and the brick wallpaper was just put up
This is the living room wall that we just did Thursday. I like that it looks like the steps are held up by the stone.
This is the opposite wall of the steps in our living room
at the front door looking into the dining room, we plan on doing the laminate wood floor in the dining room and kitchen,
and this is the kitchen. I am thinking about painting the cabinets and redoing the countertops. It is very small area. Any ideas will be appreciated. PS on a very tight budget.
  11 answers
  • Cindy Cindy on Dec 16, 2017

    Hi Kathy, I had to look at your pictures twice. I thought that was brick. It sure looks real. The color you have on the walls works very well with the it. I think rustic decor consists of soft colors and a lot of wood. I like the furniture placement. I would not change that. And I love the glass-front cabinet in your kitchen. My advice: keep colors on walls, keep furniture placement, add throw pillows and a rug in the living room, put slip covers on the wing back chairs to go with pillows and rug. Don't paint the kitchen cabinets. I like them as is. Best of luck to you. Happy holidays.

  • Barbara Barbara on Dec 16, 2017

    Need a little more info., what room(s)?

  • Mary Mary on Dec 16, 2017

    With the brick setting the tone I would paint the cabinets. Put barn wood on the bottom of your counter. Then I would go to the store and find the lights grey color almost white and put that on the cabinets. If you want to stay closer to your floor color just a ton lighter take a piece of that flooring to the paint store and get a super light cream. Just take the doors and drawers out and sand them, primer and paint them flat. Might take more then one coat to get a smooth paint job. Allow two days between coats. This would be around 100.00. Change your light fixture and put crown molding on the cabinets and ceiling. Unless you live in Alaska like me there are numerous stores that sell these moldings really cheap (really cheap) You might have to make some phone calls but thats the savings. Also go to Houzz.com you love it for ideas.

  • Barbara Barbara on Dec 16, 2017

    Sorry Kathy, I saw pictures late..... I would start by painting all the wood on the stairs white, paint all the woodwork white also. It will pop next to the colors you have on your walls now. Add an area rug in the living room to anchor the furniture. As it is now, the furniture is just "floating" in the room. Add throw pillows using colors from your walls, rug, etc. Add neutral color slip covers to the two wingback chairs. In the kitchen, I would paint the cabinets white and the walls a light/medium grey color. As for the countertops, you can pretty cheaply, have you counters covered over with a lightweight granite. They come in and measure, then they come and just install granite over the existing counters. Not a lot of demo mess. As for the kitchen floor, there is a light grey "wood plank look" peel & stick vinyl. They are pretty durable and inexpensive. I put some in my office and love the floors. They look just like wood planks. Hope this has been helpful.

  • Diane Diane on Dec 17, 2017

    If you don’t need curtains for privacy, I would get rid of them or if you do need something for privacy you could put pleated shades that you can raise and lower. Bare or unfussy windows expand a space exponentially. I would also take everything out of the room and pit back only what you need and love getting rid of as many knickknacks as possible. Get some great throw pillows and throws for color and warmth. Walmart, Target , At Home, Homegoops all have great throw pillows and accessories at reasonable prices. One other thing that will help is to have good lighting.

    • Kathy Kathy on Dec 17, 2017

      Hi Diane. Thank you for the great ideas. I do need the curtains on the front and side windows. The back windows not so much. I will keep posting my updates. Still have to wrap all the great suggestions around my head. LOL Happy Holidays :)

  • Diane Diane on Dec 17, 2017

    sorry for the typos

  • Mow29857001 Mow29857001 on Dec 17, 2017

    You need to declutter. One less chair and the rest rearranged should make "traffic flow" easier. The round table next to the staircase should become a pie shaped corner cabinet with LED lights. Use wall shelves to show off your nic-nacs. As it is you can't see each piece you see "clutter." In the kitchen I would try to extend one set of cabinets to the counter top. Hide your canisters, cook books and small appliances behind closed doors. To keep the rustic look don't paint the cabinets, paint the moldings and/or the casings white. That should brighten the kitchen and not loose the rustic look.

    • Kathy Kathy on Dec 18, 2017

      Hi. What do you mean by "extend one set of cabinets to counter top and paint moldings or casings white? Thank you.

  • Kathy Kathy on Dec 17, 2017

    Hello to all! You all have such fantastic ideas. Thank you. I am looking into carpet so my furniture is not floating, and looking into paint colors for the walls. Now I am not sure about painting the kitchen cabinets, I am going to have to think about it. All the advice you shared is going to help me in my home improvement project. Thank you all again. A Very Merry Holiday and a Happy Healthy New Years. Keep DIYing :)

  • 17335038 17335038 on Dec 18, 2017

    Agree with everyone who has said "Don't paint the kitchen cabinets" if you are aiming for a country/rustic decor, as this means lots of wood.


  • Mow29857001 Mow29857001 on Dec 18, 2017

    The cabinets are usually 18 to 20 inches off the counter top. Extend the cabinet to reach the counter top by building a "box" with no top or bottom and with doors. Your local home improvement store should be able to help. The "box" will take up counter space but when you put your small appliances in it the counter top will look less cluttered and give the illusion of more space in your kitchen.

    The moldings and/or casings are what surround the windows and door ways. The white contrast with wood cabinets will also make the room seem larger.

    • Kathy Kathy on Dec 19, 2017

      Thank you for your ideas. I was thinking about painting the runner on the steps in picture 2 white and just cleaning up the wood and painting the luan doors on the main level 3 in the kitchen and 1 in the living room white. What do you all think?

  • Mow29857001 Mow29857001 on Dec 19, 2017

    Do you have children? If so I wouldn't paint the stair treads white. It would be very hard to keep clean. You might try just painting the part of the stairs that are perpendicular. I wouldn't use a white, white. I would use more of a cream colored white to blend in better with the wood color or even a light sand color. Use the same creamy or sand color through out. It would be too distracting to have several shades of white. Have you thought of putting decals on the luan doors? Not filled but just one on each door with something that means something to your family. Don't make it too 'busy' or very bright. Just something very simple that would blend well. You could use a western theme on the doors. Something simple like cactus scene, a road runner, a lasso, western boots, anything like this would tie in well with the rustic theme. I like the use of brick on the stairs. If you need storage space try to make a cubby hole closet under the stairs. I hope this helps.