Cancork Floor Inc. You have two themes going on here - rustic antique and 80's oak kitchen. I would suggest you choose 1 theme and change the other to match. Your table and sideboard are rustic (and are probably valuable/sentimental in that respect). I would suggest you distress your kitchen cabinetry to match the rustic furniture. You may want to do the same with the stools. They are a bit too modern/streamlined to mix well with the table and sideboard. There are plenty of ways to produce the distressed wood look to finished wood/cabinetry.
Michelle Mink As Cancork said above, you have two styles competing.
I suspect that rustic is actually your preference, but the cabinets came with the house so there you are. It seems that you really enjoy the blackboard above the hutch as you have given it a place of prominence. (It looks great, by the way!)
Going with the left half of the picture as your design preference, I would suggest that you consider painting your cabinets black (as well as the counter stools.) I know it sounds scary and daring, but it might go a long way towards making the kitchen and dining areas feel more cohesive. Distressing the black cabinets would give them an even more 'rustic' feel.
Mary OToole Very cool. Painting cabinets black is intimidating, but it looks great in the pics. How come those rooms don't come off as too dark. My home is 100 years old and has lots of oak, tends toward the dark side, will the kitchen look really dark if all cabinets are black? Maybe I leave the cabinets ecru around the fridge?
Carolina Photo To Go LLC If you are happy with your kitchen and dining area, that is all that matters. I like it. I am sure not every designer agrees with others. It is a matter of personal preference. Have a Merry Christmas!
Carolyn Albert-Kincl Design I like your combination of stained uppers and white lower cabinets. And I think the colors of your dining room table and buffet are fine together. It's your dining chairs and barstools that I believe would look good in black.
Carolyn Albert-Kincl, ASID
Michelle Mink Aha! It's amazing what a difference another few pictures make. I, too, like the combination of your white lower cabinets with the upper cabinets in wood tones. Knowing that the lowers are white, I think Carolyn gave you an excellent suggestion of painting just your chairs and stools black.
The other thing would be to look for some rustic accessories in black for your counters: maybe a metal wire fruit basket or some black tins or country-styled crocks. Don't go overboard with it. I like it that your counters are uncluttered - just a few things to pull the kitchen and dining areas together.
If the original reason you were thinking of painting the uppers ecru is because you feel the kitchen is too dark, consider adding some more lighting to your kitchen. Under-the-cabinet lighting could brighten up the space.
decoenthusiaste I see three glass-doored cabinets where interior lighting would be a real plus. Then some LED's under them to light the countertop would make a big change.
Interiors International, Inc. Ecru? Really that would not be a good color for resale but if your not leaving go for it. I personally would hate it but I do not have to live there.
which can make a big difference in how dark a kitchen can feel and also make it easier to work on the counters with light directly on your work space. If you ever decide to replace the upper cabinets, you can look in to direct wired under-cabinet lights but I don't think you need to worry about that for a while. Those white subway tile are classic, timeless and look perfect in your kitchen.
I like your combination of white and wood and agree with Carolyn and Michelle above. At least black counter stools, and a very few scattered black items - maybe replace the utensil holders?
Your kitchen looks inviting and comfortable to work in, and I really like the much-loved dining table, sideboard and chalkboard arrangement - very nicely done.
Carolyn Albert-Kincl Design If you really feel you must paint the uppers, then I'd use the same white as you have on the lower cabinets. I also like artichoke green cabinets.
jendavin Love your big blackboard!! So cute!
I think black barstools would look great and if you are into the rustic look, add some cute fabric cushions to tone down the modern look of their style. Very cool kitchen. If you don't want to paint the top cabinets, you can add just the stain-type effect by following directions on many DIY websites-sort of puts the distressed look to things without totally changing the color. You are lucky to live in an old, beautiful house! Bet it has tons of character and a good "soul".
I suspect that rustic is actually your preference, but the cabinets came with the house so there you are. It seems that you really enjoy the blackboard above the hutch as you have given it a place of prominence. (It looks great, by the way!)
Going with the left half of the picture as your design preference, I would suggest that you consider painting your cabinets black (as well as the counter stools.) I know it sounds scary and daring, but it might go a long way towards making the kitchen and dining areas feel more cohesive. Distressing the black cabinets would give them an even more 'rustic' feel.
[houzz=Heather Garrett]
[houzz=No 2]
[houzz=Shaker Kitchen Cabinets | Rockford Door Style | CliqStudios]
[houzz=Lettered Cottage kitchen]
What color is the base of your table? What color are your base cabinets? Do they match the uppers?
[houzz=
Carolyn Albert-Kincl, ASID
The other thing would be to look for some rustic accessories in black for your counters: maybe a metal wire fruit basket or some black tins or country-styled crocks. Don't go overboard with it. I like it that your counters are uncluttered - just a few things to pull the kitchen and dining areas together.
If the original reason you were thinking of painting the uppers ecru is because you feel the kitchen is too dark, consider adding some more lighting to your kitchen. Under-the-cabinet lighting could brighten up the space.
which can make a big difference in how dark a kitchen can feel and also make it easier to work on the counters with light directly on your work space. If you ever decide to replace the upper cabinets, you can look in to direct wired under-cabinet lights but I don't think you need to worry about that for a while. Those white subway tile are classic, timeless and look perfect in your kitchen.
I like your combination of white and wood and agree with Carolyn and Michelle above. At least black counter stools, and a very few scattered black items - maybe replace the utensil holders?
Your kitchen looks inviting and comfortable to work in, and I really like the much-loved dining table, sideboard and chalkboard arrangement - very nicely done.
I think black barstools would look great and if you are into the rustic look, add some cute fabric cushions to tone down the modern look of their style. Very cool kitchen. If you don't want to paint the top cabinets, you can add just the stain-type effect by following directions on many DIY websites-sort of puts the distressed look to things without totally changing the color. You are lucky to live in an old, beautiful house! Bet it has tons of character and a good "soul".