SFGate

Jayme Hobbs If I were going to demo in one year, I would not do much. Repainting walls and putting accessories would be about all I would do. Throw some hardware on the cabinets, paint, new shade..why waste time and $ if u want to rip it all out? Been there, and know how it feels, but logically I would keep it to a minimum.

Cheryl Santos Hardware for cabinets has been purchased. I know that will help bring things together a bit. I was looking at possibly painting the white countertops black?
I know that I don't want to invest a lot into the space. But I also want to enjoy my new house, I LOVE the rest of it...but the kitchen....ugh :)

Any ideas on paint color? The rest of the house is very neutral, which I like. The kitchen is a creamy white.

Chandani I agree with Jayme. If you are planning to do an overhaul of your kitchen in a year, I'd focus my energies elsewhere....or even planning out what you want to do in your kitchen. If you are planning on keeping the same layout and are planning on replacing the appliances, new appliances might be something to think about.

Jayme Hobbs If only for a year..why not go ahead and paint the counters? You will remove them before they chip. With fairly neutral things in there, u could add color to the walls. I am always paranoid of clashing tones..so whatever I am interested in I get samples and bring them home and compare...unreal how different a color can look in store vs. at home!

crchappell Congrats on your house! If you don't mind spending the time (and $35 on a can of paint), I say paint the cabinets a warm, light gray. And, this may sound crazy, but we just painted the vinyl flooring in one of our bathrooms with dark gray marine paint (that is used for painting boats) and it looks amazing. It's self-leveling, goes on really thick, and is almost indestructible. We knew it was going to be a temporary fix, but we didn't want to look at the old vinyl for a day longer than we had to. It has transformed the place. If you do this, I recommend adding some kind of grit or sand to the paint because it is really smooth, and can be slippery.

Jayme Hobbs Painting cabinets is labor intensive. Prep work necessary, etc...just figured it was a lot of work for one year of enjoying...to paint cabinets correctly it is necessary to prep or the paint could start coming off very quickly..and hence could result in an unsightly problem. I would be careful of putting a floor product on cabinets, unless it is designated to be used that way..just not to create more problems...but it is cool that someone found a product for a quick fix for their floor issue. Necessary to make sure u are putting the correct product over what is on the cabinets too or it won't stick..oil vs. latex..etc...I do know there r primers for this..but care is needed.

jagood Just a note of caution - none of us knows for sure what next year will bring. I wouldn't do anything to the kitchen of a temporary nature that may result in a worse situation in a year or two, such as counter paint that begins to peel. You may be stuck with that kitchen longer than expected, or need to sell the house, or???? I would keep the current value intact until you are for sure beginning a complete redo and concentrate your creative efforts right now on things that will still look good two or three years from now. How about a large colorful rug (that can be cleaned), and use the colors from the rug in accessories. Hang a couple of small colorful pendant lights over the sink area, and put up a shade with some color. You can hang some nicely framed and matted small prints in a back splash area. A vase of real flowers. A bowl of fruit. A few cookbooks. Get some color in there and personalize the space without cluttering it up too much and I think you'll like it a lot more.

Are there any other cabinets in this kitchen, or are we seeing the complete kitchen in the photo?

Question if anybody knows - is the counter paint food safe? Are there warnings on the can about harmful fumes?

Cheryl Santos Thank you for all of your responses! Sorry I couldn't reply sooner, I had to work.

The appliances are brand new, so replacing them wouldn't be cost efficient or needed, so while I don't love the black, they are staying.

There is more to the kitchen, I can post more pics when I take some. Over to the left of this picture is a huge window and in the corner is a pantry. The window is low, but I was hoping to buy an expedit from Ikea and throw it on its side to create a bench with more storage, which we need, then build two small bookcases to flank the window to create a more built in feel.

My fiance surprised me while I was at work today and prepped and painted the counters black! We were talking about it and he just went with it, Gotta love that man :) The good news it that it worked... It looks much better and definitely brings the kitchen together. Now I will just be focusing on picking out a paint color for the walls and figuring out what color/print to make the bench cover and figured I could throw some fun pillows in there as well. This should help make the space more comfy without spending too much money.

I won't be back to the new house until Wednesday, but I will take new pics and post asap. Thanks again for your responses and as this is my first house I'm sure I will have a TON more questions!

Cheryl Santos Here is a quick pic that he took while he was painting

anitajoyce Agree with jamye hobbs comment. I wouldn't waste time redoing a lot if I were going to demo the kitchen in a year.

lefty47 HI -- Sorry - no ideas needed , just live with it until you do your remodel . The funds would be better put into the remodel fund . The kitchen doesn't look so bad and I think you could live with it for the time being . It will be worth it in the end . But if you insist on doing something and the black counters look great for you then paint the cabinets too . A trend that looks great is having the counters and the cabinets the same color - it looks very classy !

Interiors International, Inc. Seriously ignore any advise that suggest you spend any money on that kitchen. Use nice decorative things on your counters. Keep them free from clutter and unnecessary stuff. Use the money you save and hire a designer to work with you now to start planning the big remodel. That way you will have well thought out decisions before you start your project. Good luck and have fun planning.

sirip I guess I'm not seeing the same "ugly" kitchen that you are seeing. A few small upgrades would go a long way in probably changing your mind about your "ugly" kitchen. The idea about the pendant lighting in the window is good. A new countertop, backsplash, and flooring would probably make you love your kitchen.

hmschoolmom The black counters turned out nice. I have to agree with the rest when I say save your money for the big job later. Hopefully the hardware will be a keeper. Besides decor and a colorful floor covering, you could purchase a free standing island (assuming it would fit) to add visual interest and without investing more in something slated to be demo'd.
Happy planning!

lisarom Yes new counter color makes a big difference. Maybe pick one thing you will do aspartame off next years renovation and fo it now, for example new flooring

diyjames I would say to not waste a dime on the kitchen right now since you are going to redo it. If you want new appliances that will be reused, sure, but otherwise, seems like a waste of energy. You will need the money and time on the new kitchen.

neomahlangu loose the tiles

chelseabeagle For a really cheap fix - go to Walmart and buy several rolls of drawer liners. These are self sticking sheets. You can apply this over the whole floor and the counter tops. I've done this before for an ugly kitchen and wow it worked as a quick fix.

Keep in mind - if covering the counter top, the material is plastic and not to set anything hot directly on top.

The rolls come in a variety of colours and patterns.