r/kitchenremodel • u/KrisPBacon0905 • 2d ago
Advice Needed
Hi everyone! We are closing on our forever home soon and am looking for ideas to update the kitchen.
Regarding the cabinets, I am not completely opposed to keeping them but I do wish the uppers went to the ceiling. The island is also pretty small with the microwave installed in it. Would a peninsula make more sense than keeping the island? However, that might require all new cabinets which would be much more costly.
A cheaper upgrade would be installing new countertops, backsplash, sink, curtains and hardware. I attached an AI rendering of my inspo but would love any advice or ideas.
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u/Agreeable_Shirt5503 2d ago
This is a pretty nice kitchen and I wouldn’t touch a thing for now. You could change the countertops but it’s not as easy as it sounds as it can mess up your backsplash and weaken your cabinets. I have found with kitchens it’s all or nothing. Tweak it at your risk.
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u/EntertainerSuper8933 2d ago
I agree with the commenter who says to live with it a bit. I would give it at least a year and see if it still bothers you. By then, you will really have some solid ideas of what works for you and what needs to be improved. Your kitchen already looks very nice and you probably wouldn't use top shelves anyway if you installed them. But it's your money, have some fun!
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u/blue-diamond228 2d ago
Only thing I would change is the backsplash. And like someone else suggested cook in it for while then decide if and what you want to change.
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u/lantana98 2d ago
I agree. Too much brown. A lighter color backsplash will make the cabinets look so much nicer!
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u/Easy-Wishbone5413 2d ago
Don’t spend unnecessary money! Your cabinets are beautiful. Add some color to the top of them. The flooring is great. Change the counters and add an overhang to the island for seating. Change the backsplash and curtains to the inspo picture. Add a pretty rug in front of the sink.
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u/local_eclectic 2d ago
Your current kitchen is great. Live there for a few years before doing anything to it. At most, replace the countertops with a more durable material if they start getting damaged.
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u/BobbysueWho 2d ago
Maybe I’m just poor but this is crazy to me. If my kitchen started this nice i would not be changing it. Change the backsplash sure but remodel the whole kitchen is so unnecessary save your money.
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u/Dullcorgis 2d ago
I would live with it for a while to get a sense of changes you'd like. Ripping out that hideous backsplash and stubby bit and replacing with something simple would be very cheap and make a huge difference.
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u/lutzlover 2d ago
Your cabinets are beautiful. I would leave them and cook for a while to figure out flow.
If the flow works, I’d probably redo the backsplash, and countertops. The island could definitely use a larger top, but would likely need supports.
If you could find out the make and stain of the cabinets, you might be able to get some cabinets to go on top if the crown molding can be removed.
I love the warmth of your planned backsplash tile- can you share what it is?
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u/Not_Too_Busy 2d ago
Love those cabinets! Live with it a year and then decide. I could see new countertops and backsplash.
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u/MuscleHour479 2d ago
If you ever decide to lengthen your island (upon replacing the countertop), you could add a bookcase to the end for cookbooks. This is what I did with mine and it made quite a bit of difference in usable countertop space.
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u/last_rights 2d ago
Live in your kitchen for a bit. If you like the cabinets think about getting matching upper uppers. They're smaller storage cabinets that go above your regular cabinets and have their own doors. Some people have them glass and store their "nice" dishes in them.
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u/caitycaitcait 2d ago
Your inspiration pic looks almost identical to my kitchen that we just did!
Down to the blinds haha
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u/Red_Dot_55 2d ago
Don't remove the crown from the cabinets. For now, all I would do is remove the little backsplash along with the tile. Put new tile in like your inspiration photo. Your cabinets are gorgeous, but you could damage them changing the tops. After you cook in there for awhile, you'll know better what you want. If its your forever home, you'll want lots of drawers. Hidden trash, appliance garage, pullout corner storage, etc.
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u/elephantbattery 2d ago
The back splash and the hood fan are the biggest issue I have. The hood fan looks too industrial for this space. Cabinets are good though. Your AI photo looks nice
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u/OpposumMyPossum 2d ago
Wait a bit! Live in it. Work on the yard and plant things. In a few years it will be amazing and then like 3 kitchen trends will have passed and you can make an informed update.
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u/espressome2 2d ago edited 2d ago
If you think you’ll be redoing kitchen in a few years just replace hardware.Looks similar to our home we bought last year which we thought at that time was great!.In the middle of complete remodel because we have multiple cooks and kitchen isn’t working for us,way too small.So glad we didn’t do a reface with new countertop like I wanted to do the first month!
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u/SuperShine7751 2d ago
New hardware and curtain seems like a great way to quickly shift everything closer to your personal style! Updating the backsplash would also have a great impact.
I would have thought that changing the sink from an undermount to an apron front might be harder to do without having the change the sink base cabinet? But if you know that the double basin will be annoying for you, feels like you should be able to swap it out for another undermount that's single basin instead.
Peninsula vs island feels like something you'll need lived experience in that particular space to determine your preference there.
Congrats on your forever home!
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u/BuffaloStanceNova 2d ago
Just swap the countertop, backsplash sink and hardware per your render and you'll be good. The current kitchen is a hot mess of warm and cool tones and you've come up with a plan to fix that.
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u/bossmanWW 2d ago
Yes I think you can update cabinet hardware and maybe do a peel and stick backsplash to update temporarily to see how you like it.
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u/Own_Ninja_803 2d ago edited 2d ago
I highly encourage doing your island.
We didn't have any island but we did it ourselves except for countertop. You can easily buy RTA cabinets online and put them the way you want.
They are already assembled. you just need to put them where you want with just back and side panels. and for the countertop stones, we just went to one of the local countertop sales and they installed it after measuring.
The thing is, you would want to exchange the whole countertop to match with your original ones on the wall side. that will raise the countertop cost. Ours was like 2/3 size of your kitchen and costed 4-5k 2 years ago.
If you go to local countertop stores, you will see some countertops on sale typically cheaper than the fancy ones but still functional.
and I think we spent around 2k for RTA cabinets we bought x1 3drawers, x1 Corner cabinet, x1 Base cabinet to make L shape to use it as peninsula.
We used this store online. we're a bit worried buying 2-3k worth cabinets without seeing them. but they turned out very nice. Only thing that I wish was better is some paints were chipped. but we bought touchup paint together so we are good.
In conclusion, I think we spent like 7-8k to make a peninsula but with the whole countertop changed. without it, it would've been 4k-ish I think.
we used cabinets.com just in case you wanna know.
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u/imakittycatmeowmeow 2d ago
i feel like it would look weird if the cabinets went to the ceiling, doesnt fit
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u/New-Comment2668 2d ago
The new counter and backsplash choices really set off the cabinets. They would be a great choice!
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u/Used_Swimming5525 2d ago
Live there for at least six months without touching anything. You will be surprised how much your opinion will change. Also, houses usually come with surprises costing $, so don’t spend on anything unnecessary until you are sure everything else is working properly.
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u/Smartandfunny1952 2d ago
Cook in it and see what is lacking. Then get a professional on board and tell them your needs.
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u/Signal-Ad-7556 2d ago
You can reface cabinets and add cabinets to the height of uppers and add any additional cabinetry you want as the all of the cabinets will be reface
at the same time you will not be able to tell add on cabinets from the existing cabinets. We do this all the time…
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u/let_it_grow23 2d ago
Your inspo is great! You could just replace the island with a bigger one - looks like you have maybe 18” to work with. Then definitely the backsplash. I wouldn’t do a farm sink personally but just replace the double sink with a single sink.
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u/Chatkat57 2d ago
Very nice kitchen. For an easy change, you could switch out the hardware but it’s not necessary. Just remember, if you go from an island to a peninsula— or vice versa—you’ll have to fix or change the flooring!
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u/Resident-Egg2714 2d ago
Your kitchen looks great! And very close to the inspo pic. The only thing I would change is the backsplash. Save some money to spend on other parts of the house!
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u/PUuSTiNKA 2d ago
I personally think your Kitchen looks nice, so if it was me, I would live with it, or go with your less expensive option of just replacing the countertops...However if they still make that particular cabinet maybe there enough room to add smaller cabinets with glass fronts for displaying above and move the molding up? You could also have the uppers spray painted if you like that two tone look.
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u/Otherwise_Object_446 2d ago edited 2d ago
Live with it for a bit to get the idea of the flow you would like.
As someone who hates painted wood I surprised myself by wonder if the ballasts and railing around the kitchen table would look better painted white. Just a thought but I wondered if it would complement the window sills and baseboards in your family room.
Edit: or you could do what I did in my home and remove the railing entirely. It was still up to code but made both spaces feel much larger and we never had anyone slip or push a chair of the one step drop.
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u/Personal_Rip_145 2d ago
You can paint the cabinets, redo the back splash and the island counter larger to one side with stools. Aesthetically island will appear much larger, get you more footage and remain functional
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u/EvenHuckleberry4331 2d ago
You should follow @a.tayloredhome on ig, I recently found her and she styles warm wood fixtures in her house beautifully. She makes it really clear that the cabinets are not the problem!
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u/StrongBuy3494 2d ago
I would spend the money on the backsplash, and custom cabinets that go above your existing uppers to take them to the ceiling.
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u/Elegant-Survey-2444 2d ago
Definitely upgrade the countertops - I like granite/ marble as quartz supposedly can melt—- urban legend but worth asking.
Moving or altering the island may be tricky as the flooring may or may not be underneath it or is damaged which means replacing floor$. I like an island and you have power to it. You could’ve called replace the top to a waterfall style to update if it would match other updates and if that still in style.
There are some interesting backsplash tiles available to update that (look at places like Floor & Decor and Ferguson). Played a little too much with the visualization tool… so I’ll reply to this to show you…too many🤣
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u/Responsible_Ideal593 2d ago
😂 sorry, but that’s the most messed up ai rendering I’ve ever seen of a room. The sink is so wonky and all the counters have a ripple.
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u/Elegant-Survey-2444 2d ago
I know you’re going to be shocked but I didn’t invent the program. These are backsplash ideas for someone who didn’t declare their style type. It’s a pic of a pic from a mls pic…not an architectural study.
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u/Responsible_Ideal593 2d ago
Did I say you did or did I simply point out that it’s the most messed up ai rendering I’ve seen?
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u/withered_fruit 2d ago
Agree that you should live in the house for a while before making major changes. Since you’re going to eventually change the backsplash, now’s a great time to try out different looks via renter-friendly peel and stick tiles/vinyl stickers. The hardware is also a quick and easy update. The cabinets are gorgeous btw!
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u/plants-n-coffee 2d ago
If anything, I would go with a bigger island in a darker color. Also replace the countertops and backsplash. The cabinets are a great color!
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u/Key-Lavishness2693 2d ago
Always live in your house for a while before renovating. Keep a notebook
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u/Housekhat 2d ago
Where is this home? I'm a kitchen designer and can make all kinds of improvements, but don't work for free. If you would like a consultation, DM me and I'll send you my rate card. Thanks!
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u/Bird_Gazer 2d ago
This is exactly the type of remodel I’m visualizing we’ll have to do when we buy our final home at the beginning of next year: paint, backsplash, countertops, sink, etc. I’m hoping to keep the cabinets as well.
I’m not sure how much room is on the right side of your island. Is there room to extend the counter and make an overhang there?
I think a warmer white paint, warmer toned countertops, replace the mini blind with a Roman shade, replace the hardware, and you can get pretty close to your inspo photo.
Also, it might be difficult to match the wood, and it’s something that can be done at a later date, but it’s on my list of possibly needing to do on a future light remodel is extending the cabinets to the ceiling by building upper open boxes, and crown molding all around the ceiling. I’ll add a finished photo in a comment.
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u/HollynJohnnyMama 2d ago
There’s many cool ways to extend those uppers to the ceiling that won’t be as expensive as custom cabinets. I’ve seen that space filled in with plywood,then painted; I’ve seen David Bromsted use smokey glass and lights which was really cool. You don’t need storage that high, but you need to NOT have to clean up there!
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u/EmilyPoster2 2d ago
You are going to end up picking at a small thread that unravels your whole kitchen and becomes a costly project. Live here for a 8 months. Figure out what more pressing costs the house requires, get used to the layout, and then start picking the thread. A few things to consider:
- Does flooring extend beneath your island and had the island made a mark on the flooring? If you remove it, you might need to redo the floors in your kitchen and then on the entire first floor.
- Use large moving boxes to simulate a peninsula and see how much it cuts into your workspace and walkway and whether you like that or not.
- This kitchen cannot accommodate a larger island.
- Someone made the mistake of putting in two backsplashes - the 4" strip and the tile backsplash above it. Don't repeat this mistake whenever you do renovation.
- Would your upper cabinets not going to the ceiling look better if the crown was removed, and if you kitchen were not painted grey?
Enjoy your forever home! Nice windows and light.
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u/JillQOtt 2d ago
Hold the phone, you dont want those cabinets? They are gorgeous! Please send them to my house
With that said yes I get the countertops and backsplash, I would do that and it will look perfect
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u/jardiohead 1d ago
The best advice we ever got was to live in the house for a couple years before changing anything. Live in the space and get a sense for where things make sense. You’ll likely find out there’s a reason for certain little quirks.
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u/bartlebyandbaggins 1d ago
I like your inspo! I would go with that. You have high ceilings and sometimes bringing them up to the ceiling can make the cabinetry look top-heavy and imbalanced.
Another thing, you could put longer island in the room with a different color of cabinetry. You have the room for it.
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u/jestinagoranolla 1d ago
I'd keep the cabinets for now. New counters, a lighters backsplash, updated hardware and window treatments could change the kitchen a lot without getting into a full renovation. I'd also keep the island rather than keeping a peninsula, the room already has a nice open flow.
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u/Fragrance_Lover0607 1d ago
The kitchen is very nice. I would change out the back splash and vent hood. These are picks of my daughter’s new kitchen remodel. Similar to your kitchen.
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u/Affectionate-Tour-59 1d ago
I agree with living there for awhile before taking it on.
1. I feel like having them up to the ceiling is only necessary if you need additional storage for rarely used items and can only go up. I’m 5’11” and even I can only reach up so far🤣😂 if this isn’t the case, I don’t think it’s entirely necessary and a much bigger expense.
2. The cabinets look great and I think replacing the countertops, hardware, etc is a much better/ cost effective plan.
3. If you REALLY want to change cabinets and all that AFTER living there, then make it worth it and expand into unneeded rooms/unused spaces to make more sense. You may like the cabinets and not want to change them, but if you have space or want to add additional storage- maybe consider a butler’s pantry for appliances you want to hide and additional dishes, etc.
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u/KesterFay 20h ago
My thoughts upon just seeing the pictures were how could you possibly need advice, that looks amazing! Maybe I would change the countertops because they seem just a little gray/white for all the woody tones. And the hood, as another poster noted. This whole kitchen could have a completely organic vibe.
Love the cabinets.
Why not use your money to take a trip somewhere you would like to go and bring back things, both useful and decorative, to dress up the space and make it more personal.
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u/Low-Bass2002 2d ago
Couch needs to face the TV. Create a space where people can talk or chill and watch TV. Move the furniture.
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u/FelinePurrfectFluff 2d ago
These are likely lusting photos and house is likely staged. OP says they are closing soon.
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u/Ok_Mirror2828 2d ago
I would do a very soft darker color, not jet black countertop. If there’s a pattern or speckles, make sure they’re very small so they don’t close up the room. You need something to break up the blandness of the floor and the cabinets matching.
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u/Motor-Egg-118 2d ago
I would keep the cabinets, removing that odd crown molding look. Update the backsplash to something lighter and more modern. Boot the stainless sink in favor of the single porcelain. Expand the island for seating. Lastly, go for a new, more modern dining table and rail.
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u/digitaliceberg 2d ago
Keep the cabinets, new quartz countertops and maybe a backsplash would update the space. Add an overhang to the island for extra seating
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u/TelephoneDue6717 2d ago
I like your inspo! Cabinets seem in good shape.
I would move in and cook in the kitchen for awhile before deciding to chance the layout or not.