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I thought new kitchen was supposed to be fun.

13 replies

ExConstance · 28/07/2015 12:16

But it is just a load of stress. WE are so indecisive and anxious about getting it wrong. It has been hard to find a j handle kitchen with Matt doors, but we have settled on a Chippendale Solo painted here We are having Minerva Carrera marble effect work surfaces ( it looks just like the real thing, even feels like it). Having settled 9sort of ) on light grey doors we are now troubled by our floor choice, which is Karndean opus grey The whole kitchen now seems to be heading towards being too grey. DH is troubled about Karndean in general as when you put the sample tiles down on the old kitchen floor it does just look like bits of grey plastic and I'm not sure whether to push for this and risk him saying "I told you so " forever and a day and feeling we have wasted over £2k. I wondered if anyone has this flooring or the art select slate ( too dark we think) or the volcanic effect ( too plastic we think)

if we go with the grey floor I was thinking of changing the units to sage grey instead of the present, which might help a bit.

Reassurance, ideas please? feeling totally stressed out!

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filigree2015 · 28/07/2015 13:02

It will all be fine - remember there isn't one 'perfect' way. What colour will your walls be? We've just put down Karndean Van Gough French oak in our kitchen, and it's beautiful - it's warmed up the room a bit without looking orangey yellow. I know that's probably not the look you're going for, but I thought it might help to know we're very pleased with it in general.

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fourflights · 28/07/2015 13:07

Planning a new kitchen is not fun, having it fitted is the nearest thing to hell on earth however. Smile

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ExConstance · 28/07/2015 13:12

Karndean wood would be great, but sadly we have real wood in the hall and the two would not look god next to each other. My view is that the tiles don't look like plastic when they are laid, but more like stone, DH is concerned and starting to look at Amtico which we can't really afford.

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RaisingSteam · 28/07/2015 13:14

A kitchen is full of other things - light, windows, people, walls, things on the wall - so even if the hardware is in muted colours then it can have a lot of personality when it's a finished room. Depends on the look you are going for.

If the units are that light grey, try to get the floor and worktop noticeably lighter/darker or with a contrast of pattern/texture. Dark isn't necessarily bad for a floor. Many of the wood tones look really nice with greys too.

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filigree2015 · 28/07/2015 13:24

Aaah yes I see your point re the wood look Constance. I totally agree with RaisingSteam re all the other components that make a kitchen.

It can be so hard to visualise what a floor will look like when you only have one tile! I think you probably need to take a deep breath and go with what you've chosen. If it looked that plasticy then people would presumably stop buying it - Karndean might not be Amtico but it's hardly bargain basement.

I do know what you mean though - we spent ages lining up a coaster sized piece of worktop next to a tiny square of unit, alongside a piece of printer paper painted with our sample colour! In the end you just have to go for it.

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LikeASoulWithoutAMind · 28/07/2015 18:03

We've got Karndean in our (rented) kitchen and bathroom. It doesn't look plasticky at all.

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ExConstance · 28/07/2015 19:58

We have wood effect already in our bathroom, it looks very good, I'm sure it is just the impression one tile on a very different floor gives.

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RaisingSteam · 28/07/2015 23:37

What can help rather than tiny samples is to do a bit of a mood board so you can try out your overall "look", or if you're lucky, find a colour scheme you can steal. Then you can put in your accessories etc and be a bit more comforted that you have a coherent look. This was mine. Or you can do it with picture from magazines.

I thought new kitchen was supposed to be fun.
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VeryPunny · 29/07/2015 07:35

Can you add colour through a splashback or similar? We have a primrose yellow glass splashback the whole way round our kitchen walls - we felt we needed it to give a lift as our worktop is dark grey quartz and our walls are pale grey.

FWIW, we went with Amtico precisely because the Karndean samples we had did look a bit plasticky, but we were looking at more wood look tiles. The Amtico was our budget buster but it looks amazing. However, I would suggest seeing if you can get large sample boards to compare - our flooring shop has 1m X 1m boards of Karndean etc which I found gave a much better idea of what the finished product looked like.

I also hated having to spend thousands with only a rough idea of how it would all look once it was all put together.

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swillows · 29/07/2015 09:10

OP I feel your pain! Having the same dilemma at the mo - we have chosen Benchmarx Turin matt cashmere units (pale grey / sometimes more beige) but we have gone for solid oak worktops. Benchmarx had Vusta flooring which looked fab against the units and worktop but I am also worried it will be too grey....

Flooring link

At the weekend we found lovely tiles in Topps - the white looked fabulous with everything else and we though about having a few orange ones to break up the expanse

Tiles link

Also picked out pendant lights in pale copper to go above breakfast bar

It is VERY difficult to see how everything will come together but I think you just have to trust your instincts. Plus there is just too much choice of EVERYTHING these days Confused

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Elmhouse17 · 14/03/2017 18:51

Hey ExConstance just wondering how you are getting on with your Minerva Carrara work surface? I discovered it today and fell in love as it's so realistic and far better than any of the Carrara marble-look quartz that I've found. It seems pretty reasonable cost wise too. But I can't find many reviews about it online in terms of how it shapes up over time. Does it scratch easily/ show marks/ stain/ age badly/ get water marks? Is there anything I need to know? Are you pleased with your choice? Would love to know!

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SquidgeyMidgey · 14/03/2017 20:28

I was thoroughly racked off with mine by the time we were halfway through. It's worth it though. Eyes on the prize op.

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SquidgeyMidgey · 14/03/2017 20:29

Sorry, didn't read the dates...

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