Help--Indecision has delayed my needed kitchen by 2 years!
I have made some key decisions re renovating our kitchen, but a few others have kept me stuck for 2 years. The current layout is very functional--great work triangle and lots of counter space. However, I have 3 dead corner cupboards, no pantry, and would like a built-in small wine fridge. One kitchen designer insists we get rid of the peninsula and have a long island instead. I like having the 3 separate counters, plus I am concerned that a long island will just emphasize the bowling alley from the back door to the powder room. I am leaning toward keeping the peninsula but pushing it back 18 inches and getting rid of the overhang (for the stools which are not used very often). This way the island could be made another 18" longer.
The second big dilemma is the flooring. We are going with a classic bone white cupboard and dark quartz counters. I want to change to a gas range with a stylish large hood. My favourite kitchen look is white cupboards and medium brown wood floors, but we have a pool and I don't want to worry about people dripping on the wood when they run to the bathroom. When we redo the kitchen floor, we will also do the mudroom, powder room and front entrance floors (all connected) in the same material. I haven't found any tiles that I like! (The rest of the house is medium brown oak flooring and my style is classic with a twist.)
My third dilemma is colour scheme. We used to have a blue and yellow kitchen/family room, which I loved. We switched to red and yellow, which coordinates with the decor in the rest of the main level, but I don't like is as well.
Any and all suggestions would be most appreciated! My husband would be most grateful if you could solve these dilemmas so we can actually move forward with the reno, as we have gaps in flooring in 3 places where we took down walls and have been waiting to decide on the kitchen flooring before we could redo the flooring in the other rooms.
Melodie--a huge Houzz fan!
The second big dilemma is the flooring. We are going with a classic bone white cupboard and dark quartz counters. I want to change to a gas range with a stylish large hood. My favourite kitchen look is white cupboards and medium brown wood floors, but we have a pool and I don't want to worry about people dripping on the wood when they run to the bathroom. When we redo the kitchen floor, we will also do the mudroom, powder room and front entrance floors (all connected) in the same material. I haven't found any tiles that I like! (The rest of the house is medium brown oak flooring and my style is classic with a twist.)
My third dilemma is colour scheme. We used to have a blue and yellow kitchen/family room, which I loved. We switched to red and yellow, which coordinates with the decor in the rest of the main level, but I don't like is as well.
Any and all suggestions would be most appreciated! My husband would be most grateful if you could solve these dilemmas so we can actually move forward with the reno, as we have gaps in flooring in 3 places where we took down walls and have been waiting to decide on the kitchen flooring before we could redo the flooring in the other rooms.
Melodie--a huge Houzz fan!
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If you sketched something with dimensions, it would be easier to help you with the floor scheme.
I see two dead corners. One to the left of the sink and one to the right of the sink. Where is the other?
There is a ceramic tile that looks like wood and there are many colors and styles to choose from. Here is a medium colored wood look:
I love the print hanging to the right of the fireplace and would like to see it hung on the breakfast room wall, vertically. The colors are so great! Then I would remove the textile piece from the left of the fireplace. You'll need to find some more art with the red, yellow and blue colors to flank the fireplace. Look, please, for vertical pieces as 3 horizontals all lined up is not working well.
For your tile floor, if you must have tile, I suggest you start looking at 12 x 24" porcelain tiles and select one in a neutral color. But I'd actually prefer that you continue the wood flooring into the kitchen and place big doormats and towels at the door where people come in wet from the pool can use them before entering. Give dire warnings about wet feet! But, wood finishes today seem pretty tough and could probably survive nicely some abuse by wet children.
Carolyn Albert-Kincl, ASID
I have considered wood-look tiles, as suggested by @eagledzines, but I was concerned that they would not look good right up against the real hardwood floors. What do you think?
Thanks again for your advice! It is much appreciated!
Tile that looks like wood should not be used adjacent to real wood. You'll see the difference. If it's in a different location, it's fine to use.
I liked Ironwood's suggestion of using tile in the mudroom, laundry, powder room area to avoid wet feet on hardwood flooring. If there is currently no entrance from the pool into the garage and the powder room area, then I think you should consider adding one unless it's way out of the way to come there from the pool. We don't know where your pool is located.
Daily care in the kitchen is just sweeping and wiping up the spills -- like any other floor. When you think it looks dirty enough to bug you, mop with one of the products designed for wood floors. Now and then, spruce up the shine by applying one of the products sold for that purpose -- my current favorite is made by MinWax. Really, no harder to live with in the kitchen than vinyl -- and much more durable. More forgiving than tile.
To protect both swimmers and floor between the pool and bathroom, consider a non-skid runner in whatever style and colors you love.
Without access to the powder room from the pool, except through the kitchen, I'd tough it out and put hardwood flooring in the kitchen anyway and be firm with the kids about no dripping on the floor. If that seems impossible, then look at 12 x 24" porcelain tile.
Adding red should have been an exercise in adding one fabric that had blue and yellow and a bit of red to tie these back to another area, not taking over your color scheme. Go back to blue and yellow, period and keep the chairs. Recover the couch, select 10 -14 blue and yellow and white things with one or two fabrics that have red too. Keep one piece of art with but change the rest.
Flooring, go hardwood and you won't be sorry. Options for secondary areas that will help the budget but be high end enough would be cork. People who have it say they love it.
Thank you for posting the layout pictures. That’s very helpful. Pushing the counter 18” will give you the 18” needed for the wine cooler. Is that what you were thinking—along with the extra counter space? That’s a good idea.
I agree with you about not making the island. They are fashionable now but with the space you have, the peninsula seems practical and forces traffic to go around the work area instead of into it. However, that won’t fix the problem of the dead corner spaces. Instead of removing them maybe it would work better for you to incorporate a better way to use them. The appliance below pulls everyone out within reach. The one in the picture has a light installed on the cabinet door so that when the door opens the light comes on. That’s cool. These appliances come in left or right-handed corners.
Another option for the corner on the peninsula end, since you would be taking out the overhang, is to face the corner cabinet toward the dining room and use it for other purposes, unless you felt you couldn’t spare the cabinet in the kitchen.
Unless you really need more drawer space, I would recommend not doing the drawers in the corner. They fit the bill when that is the case but otherwise they are a waste of space. Think of it as a rectangular cabinet that sits on a diagonal within a corner cabinet. The space on either side is wasted.
Dilemma 2:
As pgeis stated, the polyurethanes of today are much more durable than the finishes that used to be used. The real killer of wood floors is sand and dirt. Have them resealed occasionally and they will be fine. When they start to scratch up and the wood underneath is not protected anymore is when they are vulnerable to damage. So if you decided to put wood in the dining room and kitchen, hallway and entry, what would you think of tile in the mudroom and powder room? I would suggest not butting a simulated wood ceramic with a natural wood floor. If you decide to go with tile in the kitchen, the hunt is on for the right tile that would go with the countertops for starters. Since you know you want dark quartz countertops then that is a given that you can work with. If you pick out the exact countertop, that will make your tile choice easier.
Dilemma 3:
Color choices for accessories, drapes, chairs, valances and other, should follow color choice in countertops and flooring. Let us know the choices you make in countertop and flooring and other recommendations can follow.
If you were to move the peninsula down the 18” that would also give you some comfort space from the sink to the dishwasher. It’s difficult to tell in the picture how close to the corner that it is but it looks like it might be possible to move it away from the corner, to the left, to give you more room there as well.
You might consider adding another cabinet, counter to top of wall cabinets on the wall to the left of the sink to replace at least some of the cabinet space lost in removing the cabinets hung from the ceiling. Also, it looks like there is under-cabinet lighting there that you might want to replace with drop lights.
Is the under the staircase not accessible from the living room area? If it's not then it may well be just unused space, waiting like buried treasure, for you to discover and use as your pantry! Whooppy!