SFGate

karen58 another view of my kitchen

house whisperer Cabinets need to be updated. Can use replace or paint and add new hardware. There r some solid surface that are honed, not shiny. Your colorful tins would pop against a soft cabinet color Like cream or soft gray blue. Floor could be much lighter and more open patterned, less busy. Looks like you like a little modern country with the tins.

cypress If you are going to replace your cabinets and flooring, I would remove the lower counter (eating bar) on your peninsula. Looks like the peninsula could be moved over about a foot or so towards the sliding glass door, that would give you much needed floor space. I would replace the one cabinet (left of sink) with some nice shelving to display your tin collection. For your countertops I would suggest a soap stone or honed finish of natural stone. I think a farm style sink would look great in your kitchen. Good luck, and post some pictures when the job is complete!

karen58 I was thinking of turning the peninsula into an island - my dishwasher is in it but I could move that over by my sink............ someone told me that soapstone is too soft for a counter but I absolutely love the look of it!

cypress Hey Karen, wow, you do have a lot of tins! Just saw your new photos you posted. I think an island would look great! Who ever you have do your cabinets, even Home Depot, can give you recommendations on your kitchen layout.

karen58 Thanks - I have even more tins on the wall not shown - I think its time to cull some of them out - its so hard to part with them - most of them came from an old shed on my parent's property........

cypress You could always store some of your favorites, then switch them out when you need a change! I know it's hard to part with sentimental items.

maybelle_joy_love Maybe you can remove the bar and add an island with stools, so you can keep the seating area and have a more open space.

karen58 Thats what I was thinking - I don't have a table in my kitchen so we are used to eating at the counter

DIAspoton yes to an island. soapstone is quite expensive. ck out less expensive,plain black granite honed to mimic soapstone. this sounds like a big job, replacing cabinets, counter, floor,etc.

probably best to stop by a few cabinet and kitchen design showrooms.find a designer whose work and style you like. for a nominal fee,a good designer can come out to see your space,talk tastes, objectives and budget so you know your options. this is usually not too expensive and may save you from making costly mistakes.

City Cabinet Center, San Diego Many cabinet lines carry Maple/ Alder/ Oak doors with a natural or light finish, so if you are trying to keep the same look, it shouldn't be hard to do. I would also suggest to get full overlay doors. Partial overlay, what you have now, is outdated. I would suggest a honed quartz counter top. That way you can pick a consistent pastel type color and the surface wont be shiny. Do you eat at the bar often? Do you want to keep the dual height counters?

karen58 We eat there all the time but I was thinking of raising the counter and just having it all the same level with the stools underneath the overhang - we were thinking of maple doors but were thinking of going a little darker - the brick in the fireplace is reddish and we were thinking of trying to get something in that tone - would that be too much? We are definitely going to have full overlay doors and no more handle in the middle of the cabinets! Thanks for the suggestion on the countertops - I have never seen any that weren't shiny!

karen58 has anyone got thoughts on concrete or wood countertops?

Twisted Minds Custom Designs karen58 I've created a discussion page listing some of concrete countertops FAQ's please check out the link and use the information to determine if concrete is a choice you may want to pursue. If you have any follow-up questions feel free to ask, I'd be glad to try and answer, and please check out my profile page for some examples of concrete countertops I've created.

http://www.houzz.com/discussions/346684/Concrete-Countertops-FAQ-s-by-Twisted-Minds

Jayme Hobbs I have read that concrete counters need floor reinforcement/bracing, etc...as they are heavy. With wood, there are maintenance and moisture issues. I am looking at wood for an island, but not the rest of my kitchen that gets heavier use.

Twisted Minds Custom Designs Jayme, I've noticed your postings in quite a few discussions and am impressed with some of your suggestions as it seems are other posters/followers. I invite you to read the FAQ's page I created also, it addresses the weight topic and as you will see concrete counters are roughly the same weight as other natural stone approx 18-20 lbs. per s.f. I believe if you educate yourself a little about this material, you can help answer questions you see when this topic comes up in other threads that many of us who work with stone or concrete counters may miss, i.e. weight issue/concerns. Thank you for your continued involvment on these topics. And on the topic of wood, I know there are professionals on here that may answer more in-depth questioning, but depending on the hardness of the wood you use you may need anywhere from an industrial strentgh thick topical sealer for softer woods, or some of the exotic species of denser woods may only require beeswax type sealers for everyday use i.e. bamboo, butcherblock, etc.

Sannene Garehime Interiors Go with the island more room for the kitchen and will ope it up. You say you don't like the quartz counters. Take a look at Cesarstone's Wild Rice http://www.caesarstoneus.com/products/color/4360/ or Blue Lagos. It looks AMAZING, like your soap stone look to a certain degree. And you don't need to seal and reseal every year. Very organic and natural, you will love it. It's better than stone, totally non porous. TIt's only thing is you have to watch is do not leave prolonged heat on it. Hot frying pans or roast directly out of the oven (if they are going to STAY on the counter) should be on a hot pad of some kind or put on the stove top.

Jayme Hobbs Twisted Minds...I took that info on the weight issue in re: concrete countertops from an article posted on Houzz...I try to pass on significant info that I have learned to in order to help others. I encourage others to look in depth into issues that involve large expenditures to help them to make an informed decision. Making specific comments on what is good or not good to purchase or use is something I do with caution unless I have directly experienced it myself.

Twisted Minds Custom Designs Jayme, I know that you use extereme care in your suggestions on anything that is more substantial than just decorating advise, that is why I responded with the request for you to read the FAQ's page, this info was assembled by experts in the field, not just my own personal affection towards concrete as a building material, I've seen a few links on houzz where people think concrete is too massive and needs all this extra support, but nobody thinks twice about natural stones weight because it unlike concrete has been used so frequently it isn't even a thought. I thouroughly respect peoples opinions on material choices and do not try to sell my product(s) to others by putting down other materials use, but when I see misinformation being written about something I have intimate knowledge of (concrete countertops or otherwise), I will post and try to educate the readers on the thread about what is fact and what is fiction. Gathering information from sites like these is a great resource, but I hope everyone will take into consideration that talking to a local professional about their project is always going to be the best option, as they have the knowledge about local laws, permits, material performance, personal style preferences, home design compatibility, etc. to make their home improvements a reality. Thank you for reading my two cents worth!

lynette7556 I think shaker cabinets would look very nice in your kitchen. You might want to consider getting them built where they go all the way to the ceiling (I think that's called European style?). Then you would have lots more storage space. You could also have a few glass front doors put in to show your collection of tins. In regards to your countertops, you could look into laminate. There are a zillion
colors and styles for whatever look you want. You can get the edges done in different styles, also,
to complement your look. They are incredibly durable, and inexpensive to replace if anything happens to them. I think you should consider redoing the peninsula with the countertop going
straight out with barstools underneath. That will give you a large surface area to work/eat on.

Jayme Hobbs Twisted Minds...I understand completely where you are coming from. When you said to "educate myself", I felt the need to respond since I didn't say anything that was misleading, untrue or meant to sway anyone either way. Just trying to give info on what I had read...and I also have read that some other counter products also require reinforcement, bracing. I have been reading about different products and the pro and cons since we are soon to remodel our own kitchen and are also in the market for countertops. I am a trouble shooter, a critical thinker and try to look at all angles. Thanks for your information.

Twisted Minds Custom Designs Jayme, sorry I didn't mean "educate yourself" to come off as an insult, my intention was to offer up the information I posted and invite you to share the information with yourself and others, so when you see a thread in the future referencing concrete counters, you can either relay the info or the link if you join in the conversation. Written word doesn't carry the context of voice inflection that verbal conversation allows for, this is one reason I hate texting (along with the massive overuse of abbreviations and typo's but that's an entirely different conversation, or maybe just one of my pet peeves). As stated, I am generally impressed with your postings and one of the reasons I choose to address my request to you.

Jayme Hobbs Thank you Twisted Minds..I am in Grand Forks, ND...do u do any business this way? Agreed that written word doesn't always convey the intended message, which is why I find myself editing my responses, and even deleting them at times.

Twisted Minds Custom Designs Jayme, if you are interested please visit my profile page, there you can find my information to contact direct by phone or e-mail. I would love to discuss your plans with you in more detail in a more private setting. As you will see I'm in WI. but I am willing to travel or ship items if desired. Thank you for your interest, I look forward to your response!

Jean Tuck I would probably paint a crean color on all wood cabinets so room feels more spacious. to show off nice flooring and yest even the tins.

Prairie Point Interiors Inc I would look at losing the peninsula and putting in a free standing island. Having access into your kitchen from either end would make a huge difference on function. Then the upper cabinets left of the sink can go through to the patio door along with the lowers minimizing storage loss from the peninsula being removed and replaced with a 3 ft smaller island

karen58 that's what we were thinking as well - thanks!