Orange/antique pine kitchen - would it put you off?

[greenlotus]

I'm wondering whether to update our kitchen before putting the house on the market.

The kitchen is from about 1998, MFI style, full-on deep orange antique pine, ornate mouldings, blue Rangemaster, multicoloured tiles, terracotta floor, cheap speckly laminate worktop. The overall effect is a bit too country-theme-pub.

It's fairly sound and the layout is reasonable but I think it looks so horribly dated it drags the rest of the house down.

I think for about £1k I could paint the units a nice heritage colour, replace the doors with Shaker ones and put on a wood style worktop and at least it would then look light and contemporary if not brand new.

What do you think? Any other ideas? Would wall to wall pine put you off?

I think the doors would look fine if painted in a dull, matt colour. Are they solid wood?

DO think the handles are a bit naff, but I dont think you need to spend lots to replace them.

No reason why you can't re-use your old sink.

I recently had to refurbish our London house, currently let out, and went for cream walls, and a replaced the floortiles with charcoal tiles (insurance job due to burst water main in the floor). I opted NOT to repaint the honey pine kitchen units, but re-varnish them to bring out the colour of the wood better. It actually looks fab. I bought a new swanky kitchen table and chairs to set it off.

The doors are good quality and would look great painted - almost (almost) like a Smallbone type kitchen. I would leave the tiles, I think they would actually look pretty nice with painted doors. If the tap is a boring little 1990s mixer get that changed - we had a big swan neck mixer put in (£100) and it looks so much better, really modern and classic at the same time.

On reflection maybe the tiles would look fine with a different finish on the doors, I think its the combined effect of the pine plus the tiles which is very dated. If you change one you prob dont need to address the other as well.

Leave the tiles, I think they will look good with plain cabinets. I think if you take your time with the paint job on the cupboards then it will look good.

Sink, think that is OK, not something to spend money on.

Yes the unit fronts are solid pine. I am quite handy at decorating, have painted a kitchen before and it did indeed take many evenings. And we have mates who are plumbers and carpenters. It is an old house though, not too convinced about white tiles and brushed steel.

I couldn't paint the tiles, they are handmade and very rustic, Fired-Earth style. They might have to stay, or be tiled over.

Handles are ok.I would tile over and get a wooden bead for teh edge and wax to match worktop.i have done a lot of kitchen make overs to sell and that one is not a horror by any means.Change the blind for a plain white/calico roman from ebay.That was my dream kitchen in the 80s!

I would not bother. You either love or loathe kitchens. Most people are prepared to update a kitchen, they know they most likely will.

You can try do something if the house is not selling. I fear what you do will be too little too late, and you pay money, and spend time doing it, YET they may still replace it.

Agree no steel it wouldn't look right and mixing styles is messy in a kitchen and never works.Don't deviate too far from the trad feel just spruce it up a bit.cream units and tiles with navy accessories could look quite french and elegant.

hey you know I like your kitchen - its homely- wouldnt put me off at all.

The more I look at it the more I like it Nostalgia i think

take out the belfast sink and this is what I think you should go for

That plain english/devol look is v easy to achieve with good paint,tiles and spartan accesories and shelving.

It IS homely , it's pants to use (that's why I have a chopping board on the cooker), I would reverse the sink while I'm at it, it just doesn't photograph well.

The Devol kitchen will have to wait for the new house

OK since everyone is being so kind, what colour for units if existing walls are Farrow's Cream which is practically a yellow.

If you must paint the units, you must go for Vert De Terre

I would leave it be

No, I like your kitchen, it looks homely. If people comment just say the price reflects the fact that some people may want to update / replace the kitchen.

I painted my oak kitchen units in F&B's lime white which looks good with Pale Hound walls. Lime White is a sort of chalky white, the colour of a ball of string.

I agree on Lime White, it would look good with Farrows Cream I think.

I do think painting the doors would make the whole kitchen look much better, fresher and also far lighter. Dark pine units are very light sapping.

I think id put ivy and stuff on the top of the units -go real-country.

I do like it.

It wouldn't pot me off.

I very rarely like the kitchens in houses we've been looking at, but some are obviously newly done so would feel guilty about ripping it out and starting again. I love obviously outdated kitchens as then there's no negotiating with DH and he agrees to a refit!

put!

Painted tiles can look great IMO - it doesn't last but can freshen up a kitchen quickly looks much better than grim tiles. You have to paint them properly though.

What do you mean by properly, Fiddledee? With a good primer?

In all the viewings I have done - I have never fallen in love with a kitchen. I think leave it - as it's functional and fairly presentable and the new owners will want to change it in the distant future when they've recovered from the house move.

However if houses are not selling in your area I think you may need to reconsider.