Come and be brutally honest about my kitchen

[Namechangeforakitchen]

Hi. We moved into our house 8years ago and the builders put us under huge pressure to get the kitchen fitted. Consequently feel I rushed the choice of kitchen and I’ve never really loved it. I think the tiles (shiny tiles) and doors are dated. I would love a contemporary Shaker style kitchen with wooden parquet floors but obviously can’t afford to put a whole new kitchen in.
We are about to change things with our mortgage which means we’ll have some spare cash to update the kitchen but I don’t want to rush things this time!
I’ve attached some photos of the kitchen this morning and thought I would ask you all to be brutally honest and give me advice on how you would update the kitchen. I’m thinking new floor, new table and breakfast bar stools, new lighting above the island??? What do you think?

I have a kitchen almost exactly like the one you love in your post OP. I actually like your kitchen. If I were you I would find some much funkier over island lights. Changing the floor would be great but not worth doing unless you are ripping out the kitchen - you really would have to take the island up and floor under it etc. You could, if you're feeling brave change the splash back to a much brighter colour. But you can add interest with accessories.

I'm sure this is really a stealth boost in disguise ..... l love your kitchen

I think your current kitchen is fine. It’s very neutral but there’s nothing wrong with that. It feels slightly European to me with the shiny floor. If you’re going to change it then think about the rest of your house and how it would all fit together. My kitchen is much smaller - long and thin - so I have colours flowing through the downstairs to tie all the rooms together and give it a sense of unity. Except the playroom. That’s a tip. Pen on the walls. The works.

Demo I’m dreading getting rid of those tiles as they will need to be smashed to bits to allow the laying of a new floor. They’re easy to keep clean though. If you’re getting similar I would recommend under floor heating if you can. We’ve got it and it’s lovely and cosy

Looks gorgeous to me. I can only dream of a kitchen like that 😍

Same

Looks lovely. Does not look dated at all.
Perhaps add a wooden fruit bowl or platter on the island to break it up. Change lights over island.

It is a bit plain everywhere but apart from that it looks good

Trying not a stealth boast honest! I just feel it’s a lovely big space and I haven’t done it justice by putting in a nice kitchen as we were so rushed at the time we picked it. We also just used our old furniture from our old house and haven’t got round to changing anything in the years we’ve been in the house.

It's a bit plain and looks like a show room kitchen. Where's all your stuff?! Get rid of the screen, add more colour, pictures, plants!

The wooden bar stools provide a link to the wooden furniture. I think you can add some wood bowls /platters.
Nice kitchen. Looks very practical.

I much prefer style wise the later kitchen but yours is too good to junk!
a main difference is the depth of colour and the shininess...
I wouldnt trash the tiles especially with underfloor heating - just in case that got damaged but could you change the doors in the kitchen
to matt rather than gloss?
then darken the colour of the walls/lighting its all very pale and bright could do with 'grounding' even if its just the paint ....

Well, the wine fridge is in the right place 🤷🏼‍♀️

I would want to add softness and some natural materials in.

Plants, wooden fruit bowl, wooden butcher's block...

Fabric somewhere- I wouldn't lose the pelmets, but I'd try and put some similar coloured fabric accessories in. Maybe cushions on the stools, or fabric placemats/surface protectors.

It's a great kitchen. I wouldn't change the tiles- much too much like hard work. What about rag rugs? You can fling 'em in the wash when you want.

Love the layout, fittings .... but it is rather clinical looking in terms of lack of colour, flooring etc.

As others have said some pops of colour - funky blinds, would make a huge difference rather than just white. I think the other changes you are suggesting - warmer (wooden) flooring and new lights would probably do it.

I wouldn’t pick a modern kitchen myself, but I really like yours OP. I actually wouldn’t make any big changes.

I would keep the floor, but change the table to something a lot bigger, and possibly a more natural looking wood. Something more rustic, rather than with perfectly straight edges. You could even do industrial style black hair pin legs on it. It’s that end of the room that isn’t doing it for me, I think.

Would you also change the console table? Or remove it completely if you have a larger dining table.

I think I’d almost be tempted to paint the skirtings and door frames the same colour as the splashback, but that’s a brave choice.

Perhaps a big rug under the table too?

I'd go for the wood effect tiles that are out now. Wood floor in a kitchen would not seem right to me. That picture you posted looks more like the wood-tiles than real wood to me.

We have old 100% oak flooring which has been brilliant. When we recently had to refloor an area, we couldn't source any solid oak, only engineered with oak veneer. It hasn't been great, has swelled with light water spillage & also changed colour!

A friend recently used the wood tiles in a bathroom & they look fantastic

I think if you changed the floor to wood or wood effect, and painted the walls a darker muted colour - maybe sage green or a dusky blue you'd get a lot of the effect that you are after, but keeping the modern units.

Op

Are you theee Jenny falconer

Ha ha no I'm not Jenny Falconer! Wouldn't mind looking like her though.
Yes we would lose the sideboard Gin The table we currently have was really cheap so I'm not bothered about changing if. And agree it needs to be bigger. I think darker walls would look fab too.
I hear you Fontella about the blinds but colour scares me! The rest of the house is decorated in shades of grey, mink/mushroom neutral colours. I don't know if I'm brave enough to go for bright blinds.

It’s not the blinds that need to go then, it’s the pelmets.

If you put your finger over the pelmet the kitchen immediately looks better.

My DH hates those pelmets Coper He'll be more than happy to get rid of them

I don’t think you should add bright colours if that’s not your style. If the rest of your house is neutrals, it will look odd having random bright colours in one room. Stick with the colour schemes you like.

Get rid of pelmets, new blinds, change lights and add rugs. Be a bit daring with colour. Add plants . It'll be lovely, it already is and will be grand for little disruption and manageable outlay.