contemporary tends to be sleek, clean, without a lot of foo-foo (like your appliance garage). Some quick things you could do, update the hardware to a more modern pull.stainless steel or matte black bars. The backsplash is traditional. If you have some DIY skills you could remove it and replace w/ a larger glass tile or something similar. The faucet is more traditional so that could also be replaced. your countertop and cabinets are fine. you don't need to paint. at some point you could replace the flooring w/a sleek type of porcelain tile. A black slate would look nice w/your cabs/countertop. Changing the paint color to something a bit more blue/gray might look nice

similar cabs w/more contemporary feel

Hello

Updating the pulls can really improve the look Below are links to handles that would look nice .Please contact us if you have more questions.

https://www.topknobs.com/tk704bsn-ascendra-pull-5-1-16-inch-c-c.html

https://www.topknobs.com/products/knobs-pulls/tk793bsn-lydia-pull-3-3-4-inch-c-c.html

http://emtek.com/cabinet-pulls/westwood-pull

Thank you

Nyh Team

Info@nyhardware.com

Sage green would look lovely on these cabinets. You could also remove the appliance garage (very dated) and replace the cabinet hardware. Also consider replacing the refrigerator - the paneling did not help conceal it as paneling is intended to do. Removing the wavy wooden valance that connects the cabinets between the gap and installing a modern window treatment, such as roman shades, would also help.

Best of Luck,

Melissa, Interior Designer at The Architects

I think the floor should be addressed first. Anything you do to the cabinets will still not look dated with that floor all around it. Then then your next step can be the cabinets. They look to be good wood, so use a semi-transparent stain to change the color while still allowing the grain to show through. Exterior wood stains can be tinted in almost any color. They are low-odor, water-base, water-proofing, and a much more economical option than all the primer and paint needed to actually paint the cabinets. Just remember you would need to find a piece of existing finished wood to test your options on. But...floor first!

agree with a lot of the previous comments. Remove the appliance garage, update hardware, remove the decorative trim over the window between to upper cabinets. I think you should start with updating your floor and then decide if the cabinets should be painted. The panels on your fridge are very dated. If that's a sub zero, I think you may be able to order a stainless panel kit to replace the wood panels that attempted to "hide" the fridge. Do a few of the less labor intensive and costly changes at a time until you get the look you are going for. After all that you are still unhappy you may want to address your cabinets. But I think the light color already gives them a more contemporary look.

In addition to all of the above great ideas, think of your needs, do you love to cook? have you a lot of cook books? do you love wines and entertaining? then sub out one or two of your cupboards, remove the doors build a few shelves include a wine rack or chiller to upgrade the look of your kitchen. You can also replace your overhead cupboard doors with glass doors, tinted, plain, frosted, wood trimmed, your overhead look to be approx. 42" high? When installing the the glass doors you can divide some of them in two and use hydraulic hinges so the doors open up as opposed to side to side, for variety, the list is endless. This will give a more modern feel to your kitchen. From the last picture you seem to have the space, so why not include a moveable island or even a large one that can accommodate seating, you can cook and entertain at the same time, if this is your preference. Kitchens are no longer just a place to prepare meals, they've become wonderful spots for entertaining. Happy designing!

You just purchased this place. I'm not loving the floors especially or the backsplash tile but there's nothing really awful about this kitchen.

I'd give it some time. Move in and live with the place. Get your furniture in and get a real feel for what bothers you about the kitchen.

You can't just slap a coat of paint on the cabinets--that's a big undertaking. Lots of steps if you want it done right.

The cabinets are one of the nicest features of that kitchen. Don't ruin the cabinets with paint until you're sure which direction to take. That's from someone who has painted cabinets.

The knobs work well with the counters. They have only one hole drilled. To replace them with pulls you'll have to drill another hole. The knobs aren't what's wrong with the kitchen, imo. Usually, it's the pulls that are placed on drawers. You can't undrill the hole in the middle. That's an option only if you decide to paint the cabinets.

Appliance garages aren't a chic modern look but they're handy to hide the mixer, blender, food processor, etc. Think before you go ripping it out.

I'm with Leelee and Beth H. Get in and see what works and what is driving you mad. I would do the floor and get new countertops even if I had to live with the backsplash for a while. But to do the new countertops you will probably have to remove the backsplash as well. But you could paint that area until you could do the backsplash. I think a darker countertop would really move the kitchen to a more modern look, along with new hardware and new lighting. DO NOT PAINT THOSE CABINETS. That would be a huge mistake unless they are in worse shape than it seems.

The floor, backsplash, and hardware are the things that make this kitchen dated. What you could do is update the hardware, take out the backsplash (and just paint for now), and add a runner until you can update more. That will give it an updated look on a budget.

Kings Road Guest House · More Info

I love to soften up the lines of the cabinets with fabric shades or valances over the sink!

Fall 2014 · More Info

Spring 2014 · More Info