SFGate

sandkshouse You're asking about cupboards, floor, benchtops, backsplash, and talking about removing walls . . . so you are really looking at gutting this kitchen. If that's the case, the sky's the limit, and it's just up to what you like. Click on the photos link at the top and look at kitchens for ideas. I could give recommendations, but your style and mine might be completely different. I wish we could gut our kitchen; have fun!

Samantha Belfield it's very outdated for me, and i'm not a fan of the brown. I'm thinking a very modern look white kitchen, what colour benchtops? and even what type should i go for?
I'll be getting a free standing oven/stove top also, i've had some problems with the wall oven and i'm not a fan of the gas stove top.
Any ideas are very welcome :)

inkwitch Removing those vertical blinds would be a great start.

First, you need to decide what you want. Tuscan? Early American country? Uber-Euro modern? B/W & Stainless? (Don't get the fascination with stainless. Stains, shows EVERY fingerprint, and use the wrong cleaner and you ruin it. It only looks good brand new and in photos.) White cabinets nad black countertops doesn't tell me much.

Search houzz for kitchens you love, ideas you would like to use, and when you've compiled a thorough understanding of what you want, consult several kitchen experts. Listen. You have a lot to decide: heated floors? Natural wood floors? Tile? Stone? What kind of cabinets? Hardware? Island? built-ins? Where is the fridge going? DOes it have to be there? Windows. Paint, Lights, backsplash, under-counterlighting? The list is endless.

Start to finish, this should take a minimum of 6 mos on the fast track, can take a year to acheive. It can be done in a couple of weeks, but preparation is everything. GOod luck!

Samantha Belfield to be honest, i removed the blinds last weekend :) it was a perfect start!! opened up the kitchen to the backyard very nicely.
my fridge is stainless steel as will my new stove/oven be.
i want to achieve that new modern black/white look with maybe a pop of red, but i don't want to go over the top with a colour, i want it to be quite neutral and clean looking. Straight lines of simplicity.
Inkwitch, my fridge is next to the stove top, this kitchen is quite small and closed in and i want to open it up. the counter at the bottom is raised up with a piece of jarrah on top, but it's brick and closes the space in, i want to get rid of this and make it a breakfast bar for 2 barstools by extending out the bench (behind the stools is the family room). I'll definitely take my time planning but i plan on doing it all myself apart from the electiral and plumbing (if need be)
The floors are currently a tile that i really don't like, i'm going with white oak in my lounge/dining area and thought of carrying it through? what are your thoughts on wood floors in a kitchen?

simplify52 Personally I like the brick. It adds character to the space. I'd work it into whatever you decide to do.

Samantha Belfield it's the only brick inside the house, all the other walls have been gyprocked.
Can you put a splashback over brick?

Darzy I have wood in my kitchen/family room and I'll be replacing with wood look tile. The kitchen traffic and inevitable water spills has made the floors look like "too much character!".

Samantha Belfield btw, this is not my furniture in these pictures, these pictures were taken before i moved in

simplify52 I would also paint out the dark brown trim around door (and possibly window - can't tell if it's really there) the same paint as the crown molding. I like quartz over granite these days for countertops. Oh, and update the kitchen lighting. Get undermount sink and new, modern faucet! Flooring? . . . hummm, I like carrying the same flooring throughout the home instead of one room one thing, another room another thing. Yes, you can use wood in kitchens. Have fun and post your "after" pictures.

Darzy Here is a lovely black/white modern kitchen. I like just a touch of red in the bar stools. If you tire of red, you can easily switch up.

camillealbert Yes you can use wood in the kitchen but you will be slave to it esp. If you have children. There are so many other options. And I think stainless is a "phase". Shows every mark and fingerprint. Searching Houzz is the way to go. We did our bathroom from ideas I got on that site nd now are planning a basement Reno the same way. Good luck and have fun. Don't stress !!

inkwitch Wood floors in the kitchen - to die for! And that brick certainly makes the kitchen look ponderous and weighed down. If you can't get rid of it, cover it up.

Your aim sounds Euro modern, which is sleek and uncluttered (a challenge in any kitchen!). How much red are you thinking? The bay window would be dramatic and stunning if the alcove were painted red. It would be easy to change 10 yrs. down the road when you get tired of it.

Granite counter tops in a medium-to-dark gray with some interesting graining. It will anchor all the light tones in cabinets and floor. I'd avoid black in anything unchangable as well. Love black anything, but that's a relatively small kitchen, so keeping it light will enlarge it. Good luck! I'm in the middle of the same project. I know what you're going through!

feeny Personally, I'd keep the brick as it would add character, but it sounds like you want a more contemporary kitchen so I suspect it won't quite fit the look you are going for. But I agree with inkwitch that continuing your hardwood floors into the kitchen would look great. I'm not sure what kind of wood floors Darzy has had trouble with, but our quarter sawn white oak floors in the kitchen (and throughout the house) are 90 years old and still going strong.

Laurie Miller I'm in the planning stages of a total remodel for my kitchen, den, and dining room. Walls coming down in one space (between kitchen and diningroom)... walls going up between den and kitchen (need some sound dampening as our formal living room is dropped 3 feet below the dining room). ANYWAY, I'd suggest you start looking through magazines and on here. THEN go to home depot and get their kitchen planning guide (whether you use them or another big box store or even a custom cabinet maker).

I made the mistake of buying my appliances first. I negotiated a fantastic price on my appliance pkg... BUT I wish I'd held off on buying the fridge. Turns out the depth is REALLY deep. During the planning stage, I discovered that most free standing ranges are typically 30" wide and many dishwashers are 24" wide... keep size in mind when purchasing appliances. I wish I'd gone with a counter depth fridge as I now have a fridge that was an amazing deal and looks great, but sticks WAY out (35").

Make a list of what you like about the space and what you don't. You MIGHT want to live in the space for a while to get a feel of your work patterns. The biggest hurdle I'm coming up with is finding a kitchen designer who listens to what I want. This is NOT our forever home so, I also have to think resale which means compromises.

Hope I've given you some ideas where to get started in the planning phase. All I can say is... don't be in a hurry. Kitchens are expensive and unless you have unlimited funds to change things you dislike, you want to be sure about placement.

Have fun!!!!

By Design EK Tear out the brick! I had this in a kitchen i rented very dated. If for some reason you can't you may be able to tile over it but would probably have to put durock ( hardybacker) over it and will lose an inch or so. I would take out the pantry and oven wall, but put tall cupboards in both spaces, since as you said there is not a lot of storage. Outfit these with organizers for maximum storage and this should make up for no other upper cabinets! I can see the white flat panel acrylic style cabinets, lots of drawer banks again to maximize storage and you would have a fresh, modern kitchen. You could also go with painted white flat panel or shaker style if you would like a little less modern. I am assuming this is a ranch style home based on the brick and interior pics which in my opinion would lend itself well to a mod makeover. Also for the floors there is a great new product that looks like wood but is actually tile! they are large pieces and I love it, although I am not usually a fan of imitations, this is a great modern and low maintenance look while still having the warm look of wood, and you could put heated floor mat underneath if you like. For the countertops, i love benchtops by the way never heard that before!, I like Cambria quartz. It is not the cheapest option but has a great modern look and you can choose from a plain black to one with more color. Granite is a great choice also and I like the black and white idea. Always works. You could use a nice glass mosaic to add some sparkle for the backsplash, in shades of white, or keep it more classic with subway tile. I would tile to the ceiling where there is no upper cabinets, very in with modern design right now. Add a few red small appliances or accessories on the counterop for accent. Also I would put a stainless hood and stainless shelves either side of your new stove if you have space! Even if it is small it looks like an interesting space. Good Luck!
http://s7d4.scene7.com/is/image/MohawkResidential/RMT16000?$RoomScene$
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The green kitchen could come in white. The brown kitchen has the "wood" tile available at Daltile, and Mohawk tile makes one. I hope this helps!

camillealbert I've seen the "wood" tile. It's awesome and so much easier to maintain.

Lori Potts Paint the brick white or your trim color, it will add great texture to the space, but still achieve the brightness and modern look you are looking for. Easy solution, especially if you can't remove the brick.

Lori Potts Also, concerning the wood floors, it depends on what kind of foundation system you have. If your floors are concrete, opt for the wood look tile, and if you have wood floors with a crawl space under your home, then go for real wood. I would imagine feeny has a crawl space flooring system and this is why there have not been issues with the wood floors. Good luck!

victorianbungalowranch With a major redo, you probably would benefit from going to a professional for the kitchen space planning with your ideas, or maybe an interior designer or architect, for at least get a second opinion before you spend the big bucks. With the amount of money you will be spending, the design fee is relatively modest and could save you money in the long run. Do all the measuring and draw up a rough to save a few bucks, and be accurate to the fraction of the inch.

I wouldn't rely just on the contractor--they aren't always into the aesthetic side of things, especially if you are doing something quite different than what they are used to. Even Home Depot has kitchen design programs.

One thing about opening up a small kitchen is that you will lose a lot of cabinet space. Plus, everyone gets to see your cooking clutter. I like to cook, so that is a problem--always a pot or something on the counter in use or in the dishrack. Maybe just a breakfast bar and the rest enclosed would be a compromise. and you save money if you leave plumbing and major electric where it is. So maybe keep the built-in ovens and microwave iwhere they are and paint or reface the brick.

Is a benchtop the same as a countertop?

lovettbayne Open up the kitchen completely to the family room, move the fridge to where the wall oven is, moved a stove/cooktop to the right of the sink which would overlook the family room and there add a bar height counter with stools. Remove the pantry and just had a long countertop/bar to serve from for large parties.

Carolina Photo To Go LLC I don't know where you are located or your budget. But, I would shop around before I decided on cabinets and go to different home design places. You want to love it! By the way just for more info, Lowes also has someone that assists with designing kitchens if you decide on something in their store.

Wood in kitchen- I am with Darzy. We have one. It looks nice but if you have a dog they will scratch it or ruin it in other ways. I am going with tile when we get around to it.

One thing you do not see too much of are trash compactors - they are worth the money and last. You do not have to use trash compactor bags really; I use reg. trash bags (heaviest)

Carolina Photo To Go LLC I don't know where you are located or your budget. But, I would shop around before I decided on cabinets and go to different home design places. You want to love it! By the way just for more info, Lowes also has someone that assists with designing kitchens if you decide on something in their store.

Wood in kitchen- I am with Darzy. We have one. It looks nice but if you have a dog they will scratch it or ruin it in other ways. I am going with tile when we get around to it.

One thing you do not see too much of are trash compactors - they are worth the money and last. You do not have to use trash compactor bags really; I use reg. trash bags (heaviest)

Samantha Belfield thankyou so much for the ideas!!! :)
I am from Perth, Australia and yeah benchtops are the countertops ;)

I want to save money by not moving any plumbing, removing the wall over isn't a huge deal, although i will have to get gas connected where the existing stove top is (i'm prepared for this)
i want to extend the bench out to fit 2 bar stools underneath, i'm not a fan of having a high "bar" on the end, it closes it in for me and the kitchen really doesn't need to be more closed in.

I am thinking of white oak floorboards (maybe the click together kind?) We are on a concrete pad, so these would be okay?

I was thinking about putting overhead cabinets above the new stove/oven from the pantry edge and across the op of the fridge? with glass panel door fronts.

I have a dog, a golden labrador, but she rarely comes inside, only really in winter when it's cold and wet outside. i'm a very clean person, so white is what i'm after to make it look extra clean. Also why i think less is more, so the modern look is definitely what i like.

The outside of the house is a darker brick with cream/maroon colour fence, with cottage style gardens. so i want the inside to be very modern.

Dan Roy 1 As someone else suggested, leave the brick, BUT, whitewash it, giving a period feel, definitely maintaining character. The existing brick COLOUR, in my opinion, is ugly. But the attractive brick texture can be maintained, and the space given patina and brightness, through whitewashing.

little01jk keep the brick. just paint the trim around the oven to match the crown molding that way you have cohesiveness. paint the cabinets white as well and get your counters that cool black glossy. itll look fab

Samantha Belfield my kitchen cabinets are made of chipboard, and are actually swallen (the shelves are very bad) so i do need to replace the cabinets themselves.
I'm in Perth, Australia, is there anywhere you know of that would be good places to look at here?
My hubby's uncle is a gyprocker by trade, so covering up the brick is a no brainer, it'll be cheap and soo worth it for me anyways, personally i really dislike the bricks texture and colour, so covering them is what i'll be doing.

I've never heard of the wooden tiles? are they expensive or around the same price as click together floorboards?

victorianbungalowranch So nice to have a guy who is handy in the family!

I think IKEA is everywhere and they do have things that fit in smaller spaces and have a design consultation service. The leveling adjustments on the legs is nice for older homes too--beats messing around with shimms and whatnot, and I like their unfitted options and inexpensive countertops, and built-in drainboards and Euro styling.

I like cork as an alternative to wood in a kitchen--similar mellow tones and cushy, as well as mold and moisture resistant.

Samantha Belfield thankyou victorianbungalowranch, i'll have a look at ikea, they have a website too (the closest one for me is about and hour and a half from my house, so i'll take a squiz on their website first :)

i'm so greatful for all the ideas, thankyou!
I'll upload pictures once i'm done :)

camillealbert Samantha B.....they now make tile that "looks" like wood. Don't know about the price. I think it is installed like tile not floorboards. Don't know if Home Depot or Lowes carries it. I've seen it in Garden State Tile which is located in Pa. And N.J.