What would you do with an anonymous kitchen?

[HeyletsgoTotoro]

Ive just moved into our new house which we are planning to be a long term/forever home, and am really keen to do some decoration and make the place more 'ours'.

One of the things I would like to do is a quick makeover of the kitchen. The house is 1920s, and very starkly decorated black and white.
The kitchen is quite new and we are not planning on replacing it any time soon, its well done/high quality but its not really what I would have picked out myself. Floors black granite tiles, units high gloss white, mostly drawers and work surfaces black corian/quartz type stuff with a rainbow fleck.
The photo is from before we moved in and the last owners have removed the wall cupboard with glass doors, and the white hanging lights. So I have a neutral black and white shiny kitchen with no lighting, no wall units and none of the sort of practical/handy type stuff eg place to hang a dishtowel etc

We dont really need more storage, its very well laid out and theres a larder so was thinking more of shelving/hanging storage/display than cupboards. Im keen to put some sort of splashback/tiles in for practical purposes and add some colour to the room, and make it a bit less monochrome.

Anyone got any inspiration or ideas for colour and lighting to make things a bit more interesting and practical? I have a vague plan for what we can quickly and easily do ourselves but am not really sure whether it will look good

It needs a ‘natural’ touch. So wood and plants/herbs. Use muted natural colours like blue and green and perhaps some oversized decorative light bulbs to replace the white.
Look at ‘Tala’

I would be pretty happy with that kitchen as a fairly blank canvas to start with. You can add loads of your personality.

I agree on nature and colour needed. Wooden shelves on the walls and wooden stuff like chunky, quality butchers block and bread bin etc. Plants everywhere including hanging, trailing ones. Loads of books and colourful ceramics. I would also get a massive washable rug to tone down and soften the shiny black floor. Maybe coloured blinds too.

Congratulations on your new home!

Gosh those floor tiles 🤦🏻‍♀️ they look far too shiny for me and would be awful with water on them

So places for replacement work surfaces and doors which is a cheaper option than replacing the whole lot but I agree I think green plants to add interest

I would either paint the walls s vivid colour or hang colourful blinds up at the windows.

You could paint the walls a soft warm pink, something like F&B setting plaster. If that doesn't appeal try a soft grey-green (but be careful if the room is north facing not to choose too cool a shade). Definitely get a rug for that shiny floor, but obviously make sure you have a good underlay or it will slip all over the place. A jute one would be hard-wearing and visually warm up the space too (Dunelm have loads).

Get a wood-framed glass door cabinet to replace the white one the vendors took with them, or as pp suggests put up some wooden shelves on that wall. Don't go with bright contrasting colours, it will be too harsh, you want to soften the stark black and white rather than accentuate it.

Find some nice pendant lights in a copper or brass finish, or embrace the monochrome and go for oversized black ones (not too huge though as your ceilings aren't that high) and I'll add my voice to the call for plants! Can you add a towel rail or hook to the wall to the right of the sink? You can put up some pictures on that wall too.

The other thing I'd do is tile a splashback up to around where the bottom of the cabinet was, or up to shelf height if you put some up on that far wall. If you're feeling bold you could tile up to the ceiling, that can look very cool. Search for "industrial monochrome kitchen" on Pinterest, even a classic white subway or square tile would give you more texture.

Thanks so much everyone for ideas, and Im reassured that lots of elements of my plan for the place has been suggested by other people so it cant be too off the mark!

The kitchen is really growing on me, its very well designed space wise and the standard of workmanship/finish of things like the surfaces is perfect - so Im not planning on changing the basic elements, or painting the drawer fronts. The shiny floor is a bit misleading in the photos, up close it more textured and pretty and is also the heat source (underfloor) so its warm and any spills are easily wiped up/ dry quickly. The whole thing is well thought through with bins, microwave etc concealed which make me want to not clutter it up too much

Im planning on painting the walls above the units, cant quite make up my mind on colour but am putting up tester patches tonight. Am thinking a clear bright warmish turquoise-blue or a light fresh green, not mint but warmer. Was also thinking a splash back of white (or possibly turquoise) metro tile but white is probably more versatile in letting me change things later, though agree to the ceiling might work well (need to consider this!). Metro tile would echo the offset floor tile and also fit with the style of the house and tie into the fireplace in the next room

I thought wooden shelves too but when we mocked some up with some oak boards we are using for shelving in another room it looks really odd, like you are trying to put 'country style' details in a very shiny metro kitchen, so I was thinking of putting up 2-3 plain white shelves with brushed chrome brackets on the wall by the sink window for display and then softening them with color and details - eg herbs plants/hanging plants, bright accessories, and adding a couple of hanging bars in chrome underneath for utensils etc.
From the motley collection of kitchenwear we have anything with bamboo seems to look better than wood so was thinking bamboo chopping block, plant pots etc amongst the accessories.
I have bought some black light fittings, a bar with 3 pendants for over each window, and was planning to get some oversized, eccentric bulbs (like the Tala ones Kintsugi suggested!) or potentially coloured glass downlighters for that, plus some small concealed downlights under the lowest shelf

The last thing is the fridge, which you only see the edge of in the pictures - its one of those american style ones with double doors and is plumbed in - so again, not a priority to change it. But I thought of getting a vinyl fridge wrap - something brighter and eccentric to make it less of a monster and more of a quirky feature.

Are kitchen rugs a thing? I cant help but thinking they are a bit impractical - get messy, collect crumbs/spills and slither about. At the moment I was just going to leave the shiny floor the way it was, but am open to flooring suggestions if anyone can link to any.

Any criticism or suggestions of this plan are very much welcomed!

Natural wood table in the middle ? Large natural wood chopping board on the side ? I have a couple of lamps on my kitchen sides ....feels so cosy in the evenings

Light green walls with bamboo/light wood and some plants.

Pale wood open shelves, not rustic or country. Preferably floating so no fixings visible.
I have a very modern plain white kitchen, and touches of wood softens it.
My salt pepper and oil sit beside hob on shallow wooden square tray.
Ditto tea and coffee sugar on tray beside kettle. It also means I only move one thing (the tray) when wiping surfaces.

Not really practical to have a table in the middle, the photos give a bit of a stretch distortion of size but due to doors/drawers and fridges theres not the space for (or need for) a table in the kitchen. Having said that, kitchen opens onto a lounge/dining area which has white soaped wood floors, and (when it arrives) a light wood table.

Like the idea of bamboo/ wood trays, that could be quite practical. I think my problem with the shelves might have been that all the wood got concentrated in one area so it looked a bit weird, but I think spreading out accessories, touches of wood rather than one wall of it would soften things.
Thanks everyone, this thread is really helping me think things through.

I love your plan! If you feel comfortable please post a pic when it's done!

I wouldn't add too much myself. I'd put a softer colour on the wall but I would be adding much else. The kitchen will look cluttered and fussy if you do and that's really missing the point of that style of kitchen. I don't love black and white kitchens and I find them dated but I think yours looks nice. It's bright an airy and looks practical. I'd leave it alone apart from some paint and
see how I feel in a few months.
I'd chose a light soft colour with warmth in it.

Put some art up on the walls.

As an aside my mum has a simikar kitchen but much snaller and the bamboo does go well.

Still a work in progress
I'll post a photo but am a bit more nervous of it now, as the place is starting to lose its anonymity

Paint, lights and shelves done, with some plants and practical stuff on the walls. Not managed to get the tiles yet, and I am not entirely happy with the paint shade, it came out too dark when it dried, but repainting right now is not a priority. The whole place now feels like a kitschy high-end icecream parlour and I am sure many of the posters who were so kind to suggest stuff might have much higher expectations than this!
Its not subtle but suits our style quite well. The hardness of the units and sparkly surfaces works with the edison bulbs and Ive managed to do a bit of practical zoning of stuff that leaves most of the place clear and gives good work space
Still waiting on a few things I ordered from a company here that makes bamboo kitchen stuff, and probably should rearrange some books and more plants in when we have unpacked more, but this is the bare bones

The white bits on the counters are reflected glitter - I did clean up before the photo, honest!

I love the colour on the walls!

Now I need to go and check the Naff things thread and see how many boxes I have ticked....

Looks loads better already!

Personalised and still really smart! Fab

I really like what you have have done. The wall colour looks perfect to me.

@HeyletsgoTotoro

Still a work in progress I'll post a photo but am a bit more nervous of it now, as the place is starting to lose its anonymity

Paint, lights and shelves done, with some plants and practical stuff on the walls. Not managed to get the tiles yet, and I am not entirely happy with the paint shade, it came out too dark when it dried, but repainting right now is not a priority. The whole place now feels like a kitschy high-end icecream parlour and I am sure many of the posters who were so kind to suggest stuff might have much higher expectations than this!
Its not subtle but suits our style quite well. The hardness of the units and sparkly surfaces works with the edison bulbs and Ive managed to do a bit of practical zoning of stuff that leaves most of the place clear and gives good work space
Still waiting on a few things I ordered from a company here that makes bamboo kitchen stuff, and probably should rearrange some books and more plants in when we have unpacked more, but this is the bare bones

Looks gorgeous OP!