Need suggestions for the kitchen
Trying to finalize window valances, table/chairs and barstools in kitchen as we just finished family room. Valance over big window wilI Schumacher Westbourne Grove in Mineral. Do I need a valance over the kitchen sink too? Wooded lot so privacy is not an issue. Next, we would like to lighten up the furniture in the kitchen as everything is so dark!! The floors are brazillian cherry yet I don't want to put a rug under the table due to kids!! Suggestions on style and color? Bar stools -- should I go with an upholstered stool or just something simpler? I know I need some color on that side of the kitchen . . . please help!! Kitchen opens up into family room thus I've included those pictures too.
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So, here are some thoughts, answering your questions!
Kitchen window, you could do an inside mounted roman, with a small fold depth. It would provide a bit of colour and would tie the two spaces together. It would be a beautiful addition.
Next, table style, do you like the tressle type style that I have linked below? This could be a beautiful addition. You can add two benches and two captain chairs accordingly.
http://www.ballarddesigns.com/chianni-trestle-table/tables/dining-tables/10440?defattrib=&defattribvalue=&listIndex=4
Barstools, I would keep them backless for anything more than 2. What is the width of your island? Is it 54" wide? Are you thinking 2 or 3 stools? Two stools, you could have back on them. Once your dining set is determined, then we can choose the barstools. At that point, we know what style we are tying into.
I hope that this makes sense!
Should you want to discuss in further detail, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Cheers!
m.
You are fortunate not to have to worry about privacy. With that in mind, I would leave the kitchen window and dining windows as they are -- no valances. They always look fussy to me. And yes, lose the plant!
You mentioned you didn't want to put a rug under the table because of the kids. Don't the chairs wear the floor? An inexpensive oriental rug (check Overstock.com) with lots of color and pattern would camouflage spots, protect your floor, and cut down on noise as well.
As you contemplate what to do with your kitchen windows/ways to add color to your kitchen, I would focus on things that would also help those two rooms transition better between each other.
Consider:
-Valences in off-white / linen that have clean look
-2 Cream rugs to be put down infront of two perimeter sides (brighten/break up the floor the floor), or paint Island cream (rugs are cheaper to try first)
-Wood counterstools that are black or espresso
-Change the chandelier. This is element is what is most different from style of living room. Adding something with a linen shade, black or ORB hardware, clean lines
-Can't see your hardware so well, make sure it is black or ORB
-Change out cans above island for 2 mini pendants
-Change out can above sink to mini pendant (not absolutely necessary if adding pendants to island)
-If you can swing it, I would change the table/chaairs, or at least change the chairs out for some ladderback (or other square back), could be in black or espresso.
-Keep area on top of cabinets clear, remove the plant and put it someplace else if it is real
-Remove things from your refrigerator and as much clutter as possible. I know this is a hard one (I have three kids ;), but it will help make things feel more clean-lined like your living room.
--Put a picture up somewhere in the room (replace piece over the door?) with something that has a black/espresso frame and pulls a lot of linen, warm tones AND the blue (just a tiny bit) from the living room.
First photo shows lighting example
Second photo shows valance and table and/or chair examples
These are all just suggestions to consider. You still have a very lovely home even if you didn't do any of them!
[houzz=Lake Michigan House]
[houzz=Mignon Road]
[houzz=Tibetan Barstool | Pottery Barn]
I feel that some black/brown is needed in your kitchen. I would personally do that with your table/chairs and counterstools. You can put some cream color chairpads on you kitchen-table chairs to add additional cream elements (besides the valances, lighting and rugs), but I would keep the counterstools simple/unadorned.
You could go with cream if you prefer it, but look at the photos below to get an idea....I suggest doing a split screen on your computer (opening an additional window with this thread) so you can see what the different tables look like right next to your space.
I just think the dark table/chairs/barstools bring more balance / ground the kitchen a bit better, while blending in. I think they bring a more transitional look where the cream leans a bit more country in a space already so traditional. And you definitiely don't want to do distressed in this instance either.
You could paint your current table legs/apron while leaving the top the way it is for now to see if that will do the trick. You can always paint the top if you're still not convinced.
If you are willing to paint, check out Craigslist and see what is currentlly being offered for kitchen / dining tables / chairs as I think the simplicity of a pedestal table (see below) would be worth considering. if you go with the drum shades (on chandelier / pendants), you could also choose a rectangular table. You could add a long cream table runner to match your chair pads (maybe even include some of your other needed colors here)
Speaking of colors.....I hesitated to mention this the first time, but I wounder what changing your yellow walls to a neutral like BM Revere Pewter (first color swatch below) would do. I think a soft neutral will help tone down some of the warmth in the cabinets/floor, read more transitional. If the Revere Pewter is too gray of a tan, look at the BM Fairway Oaks in the next photo. The last photo is another tan neutral I think could work, but I actually wanted to point out the picture on the wall. These "colors" are what you should look for in your own print, but with a dark frame.
Btw, I didn't see a link to your valances.
[houzz=French-Inspired kitchen]
[houzz=fun on location]
[houzz=Eat-in Kitchen]
[houzz=Custom classics cooper round table 60"]
[houzz=Revere Pewter HC-172 by Benjamin Moore]
[houzz=LongMeadow open floor plan]
[houzz=new project]
If you want to brighten up the kitchen, going with lighter table/chairs and barstools can help accomplish this (as well as the other suggestions of valences, rugs, lighting). This may, however, lend a more country tone to your already traditional kitchen.
If you also want to tie the two rooms together better in both color AND style, I would take a longer look at going with the dark table/chairs and barstools. With the addition of cream-toned rugs, valences, chairpads, picture and lighting, I think you can have the best of both worlds with this option.
If you can't visualize this in person or with your posted pics and insoiration pics, try things out in the space. Purchase some cream-tone rugs for perimeter from Homegoods (or even Target), a cream chair pad, and both dark and cream barstools (2 of each). These things are portable and can easily give you some real-life perspective on what will look best for what you are trying to accomplish:
Remove your current table/chairs, put rugs in place (between perimeter and island), and place a barstool by your counter and one where your table used to be (using same color). When you put the black set of stools in place, add the chairpad to the stool in the dining area. The lightness of each pad on each chair will add to your mission of lightening things up. See which you like best, and look at them in split screen with your kitchen AND your living area.
I posted examples of each wood tone. I also posted a pic of your valence material. It is very pretty, gorgeous colors. This will look more country in your kitchen, however, if you don't change out your chandelier to a more tailored one. It may also read more country with a cream table, but tailored light fixtures will help.
I coildn't find Believable Buff, but the Camelback definitely has a very warm tone to it.
http://www.potterybarn.com/shop/furniture-upholstery/tables/?cm_type=lnav
http://www.potterybarn.com/products/keaton-pedestal-round-fixed-dining-table-artisanal-black/?pkey=ctables
http://www.potterybarn.com/products/keaton-pedestal-round-fixed-dining-table-rustic-pine/?pkey=ctables
Also, after seeing your stairway, I would stain / glaze the banister a deeper brown to pick up your darker wood tones. This is a very clean / updated look, and your banister (which looks very traditional right now) is perfect for it. I see you have a second staircase, so a dark banister would help unify your overall style throughout the house. I also might move your entertainment center to the right about 6-12 inches ( if you can still watch tv) and see what your vase looks like on the left side of it. Lastly, I would add just a few branches of warmer colored twigs mixed in your vase to bring some of the cherry color up the wall a bit, further pulling the two rooms together more.
A rug in front of your kitchen door is fine, and actually very functional. Just make sure the door can clear it. Before seeing the door, my suggestion was for you to put rugs in between your perimeter cabinets (those cabinets that form the 'L' of your kitchen) and your island. This was less for function, and more for covering some of the floor / bringing some brightness into your kitchen.
Also, the suggestion by KBDesign makes sense. Seeing as you are trying to lighten the space / tie the two rooms together, however, I would first see if the valance you end up choosing ties those two cabinets together. Just a little bit of a dark color in the fabric may be enough without being as powerful as a wooden valance. I think that may do the trick!
[houzz=Conard Romano Architects]
[houzz=Cape of dreams]
As far as your valence pattern is concerned, the one you selected will definitely give you a bigger punch of your blue. It may have a harder time, however, looking 'grounded' to anything else in the kitchen. The other valence fabric would not have necessarily been my first choice either, but it had some cream in it to tie it in with your cream rugs, lights, etc. But as you know, the best way to decide on something like this would be to order a sample swatch and actiually put it up where you want it... and pay extra for a larger sample.
Another one that you may want to consider is:
http://www.estout.com/details.asp?sku=KODI-2
I attached a picture below.
I like it because it ties into the cream and blue, your wall color AND your cabinet color. I think it will tie things better, if you like it. I also actually prefer the design for what you are trying to accomplish as it is more transitional than the other pattern, which is beautiful, but more French country in your already-traditional space. The only question is if it can pull enough of the blue in for your liking. Again, I would get a sample of this as well.
Adding artwork, as mentioned before, will help bring in blue as well.
My thought on moving your vase was due to the entertainment center looking like it needed to be centered more, as the diminishing wall area (due to stairs on the left of it) makes it look out of place. It doesn't look grounded.Moving the vase to the left could help balance things on the wall, though you will not know until you actually try it out. My thoughts on warmer branches are to tie the red of your floor into the room a bit. The room is filled with cooler tones, except for the floor. Adding just a few branches (or berries if it is for the holidays) to your existing branches, wil help give a tiny splash of warmth to the room, which is all it really needs.
You can definitely choose whatever fabric fits your style and budget. If it is over budget and you like it, you can decide if it's a splurge that's worth it, or if it is something you would rather draw inspiration from.
My suggestion was about adding a few more branches/twigs, not flowers. I put some branches like the ones you have in a friend's house, but they were cherry-wood red. Adding just a few 'to' your already-existing branches/twigs will pull just a subtle bit of the red from your floor. Again, something to try in the actual space to see if you like it. Virtual design can be a great starting point, but seeing it in the actual space will be the true testament to whether it works or not, as you saw in adding dark wood (as opposed to the cream wood) in your kitchen.
Whichever valence fabric you go with in kitchen, remember that anything traditional (like those you have asked about) will help less with pulling your rooms together, compared to one that is still soft, yet more linear in design (like the one I suggested)
Tackle your kitchen first, then worry about your stairway artwork. One thing at a time, because it can change the way you feel about surrounding spaces as well.