SFGate

morticia9 Tuscan style kitchens are so homey and welcoming; a warm color palette of yellow, salmon, terracotta or soft dusty looking red works well for this style. Definitely new cupboard doors with rustic black iron hardware, and a farmhouse sink would a be nice touches. If you can afford a tile floor that is, (or mimics), Mexican terracotta, or stone, go for it. There are many floor tiles out there that look like limestone and have rounded off edges which are very attractive. How about your countertops? If granite or marble is too pricey, try 12" square stone tiles set with just a tiny grout line in the same color. Youd'e be surprised how nice they look. Any home improvement store carrys these. The backsplash could be tiled up to the upper cabinets with glazed Mexican tile (4x4 or 6x6) in a white with blue decoration; very appropriate; look online for sources. To round things out, old baskets, and crocks to hold fruit, onions and garlic, even cooking utensils, look nice on the counter. And glass jars filled with pasta add interest to a windowsill. A gathered valance over the window in the dining area in a "country" themed fabric with matching seat cushions adds cohesion to the room. Just keep everything warm hued and a bit rustic. Have fun!

The Virtual Designer- Kitchens & Bathrooms Hello- your cheapest option is to simply use paint to enhance this space. I've had a quick look at your ideasbooks and like the painted cabinets of the kitchens you have collected. Remember when painting over timber like this you will need to use a very good stain blocker as an undercoat.
The breakfast bar area is dating the kitchen so I'd lose that as well and re-do this area....perhaps just make it wider, thinner or blend it into the lower bench. New chairs will be required to get the look.
I hope this is helpful.

robynrs thanks so much! Yes the chairs stayed with the house. Thank you Annie Vance I'm not sure what you are suggesting about the breakfast bar, Blending it into lower bench?? We use it all the time because it's what seperates the kitchen and living room. We were going to remove the cabinets and (bulk head i think it's called?) over the breakfast bar to open it up. Also the ones over the stove so we can add a pretty vent hood. What is the best order to do these kinds of things? I would think the floors should be last? Thanks!

Kris I would start w/removing any wallpaper, and then removing the bulkhead and cabinets. When all the demo is done, then move to painting, plumbing, and do flooring last. However if you are not doing the floors yourself, and the installers have certain timeframes, you may have to work on new floors that are covered w/the construction paper to protect them. It certainly is in need of an update and taking out the upper cabinets is a great idea, you will be surprised at how much more roomy it feels with that one thing. Will you have enough storage space after taking down the upper cabinets?

As for the stools, I would paint them a great color to compliment your new kitchen and only replace as you have funds for or keep if you really like. In the dining area, I would put in banquette seating to conserve space. Install some wonderful pendant lighting and you will love your new space. Good luck.

robynrs thanks for your response! Yes this house has a massive pantry connected to the wash room. That is what is to the left of the kitchen. I wish I could open the whole thing up! But I'm afraid that would be really pricey. I would love to do granite counter tops but I'm trying to stay around $4000 and really I have no idea how much any of this cost! (i'm south of Houston) I have someone coming next week to give me some sort of estimate. Because I really don't know what we can do ourselves. I know we can take down the wall paper, but I'm afraid of damaging the cabinets we are keeping when we try to remove the ones we want to get rid of. I wasn't sure if painting them alone would work. It is just sooooo dated it is very hard for me to invision changes in there! Thanks so much for the replies. Also hubby plans on doing floors.

A Kitchen That Works LLC For your health and safety, test the popcorn for asbestos before you touch it. You can buy a simple to use test kit at the hardware store that includes a kit and a mailer to a testing agency.

sjkingston While ambitious, everything is doable and I second the advice to get a professional to check out the ceiling for asbestos. If your ceiling has it, bite the dust and get it professionally removed. Beyond that, work from the top down. Start with the ceiling. Then the wallpaper, then remove the cabinet over the bulkhead and make any other adjustments to cabinets needed for the new appliances. Stop, take a deep breath and decide what to do about the lighting placement and hire an electrician to do the rewiring. Next decide what to do about the cabinet doors. You can buy new, make new, turn current ones over to get a flat side to work with (and possibly retrim them) or just repaint what you have depending on desired look, budget and skills. After you've painted the cabinets, install the counter and then the backsplash. Finally the floors. The new appliances can go in anytime, but delaying as late as possible is a plus because so you don't have to pull out too many times. Finally, paint!

gingerclaire I think in your case, even though you are concerned about the cost of moving key services into you kitchen, you should give it some more thought. Careful moves can still work. If you are planning to spend a good wodge of money making it into your dream kitchen, you don't want to regret not going for a more practical layout in years to come.

Whatever you decide, the bulkheads should go. I think a painted finish with an inexpensive wooden work surface would help to bring a more rustic look without costing an arm and a leg. So much of this is possible for you to do yourselves, be brave and go for it. You will probably be more careful about things like damaging remaining cabinetry when you take things out, so if you damage damage them, the builder probably would have done as well, so you would still have been paying for it.

I caveat that by saying I know nothing about how likely you are to have asbestos in your ceilings... Good luck and show us your pictures when you're done!

rinqreation sjkingston says it all, one step at a time (no going back when demolishing) and a little forward planning concerning budget