Aaargh - bewildered with kitchen choices - please help!

[angeloaf79]

My mind is completely befuddled with choices - please help!

I need to decide on units and flooring for a new kitchen in our 1970's house where we are knocking through to an already extended L-shaped dining/sitting room.

There's a dark grey Welsh slate floor in the extension, which is our sitting area (that area can't be seen in the graphic). The dining table area has the original wooden polished floorboards, with a light oak dining table and chairs, and I had been thinking to put the same dark grey slate as the sitting area in the new kitchen, once we have knocked down the wall.

I'd like to keep black granite worktops in the new kitchen, so that the floor would then go slate-wood-slate iyswim.

But, I've scoured Houzz and Pinterest to find what a modern look with that sort of combination might look like, and can only find heavy American kitchens. I'm now thinking black granite and slate might be too heavy - it's not a huge area - but if we change the flooring away from slate, there'd then be 3 types of flooring in what will effectively be one big room. There will already have to be a small change in level between the dining area and the kitchen.

I like 'slab' designs - something like the top pictures on this page:
www.homebase.co.uk/en/static/brand-shops/odina-kitchens

But, we want to move in about 5 years so want something that will be attractive, or at least not offputting, to potential buyers, so would consider a shaker-style kitchen but nothing too traditional.

We haven't decided which supplier to choose - the design is drawn up by Homebase from their German Odina range, but we're going to see another British-based company tomorrow morning to compare quality and cost.

All of your thoughts about what would work re: cabinets, flooring and worktops would be very, very welcome, thanks.

We are currently sorting our kitchen out having removed a wall and there is so much choice I do know what you mean. We have a period house with lots or original features, which has made it easier to narrow things down.

I can't quite picture the set up - is the dining table in the image in the dining/sitting room you mention? Is your sitting area in the extension another area at the far end of the kitchen? No matter -
my first thoughts are that the graphic makes it all look pretty dark, with the low ceiling. I would look at lightening it all up to give a better sense of space.

This means I would choose lighter worktops and look at lighter flooring than dark slate. Wood throughout would look great.

Looking at the design I would lose the breakfast bar and end with a base unit on the wall beside the door on the right instead of protruding into the kitchen space and narrowing the kitchen access down. That breakfast bar also splits the kitchen from the dining table area and if that's where you plan to remove the wall, it doesn't integrate the two areas, it divides them. If you need the additional cupboard space that gives you, could you add a unit/units to the dining area as a kind of side board and tie the two areas together? Or even go for high level bridging units at the top of the wall instead of the usual wall units which you have none of. That would reflect the age of the house too with a nod to a 70s feel.

Once you have your design finalised and have decided what type of unit to have where, have a look at DIY Kitchens online and price up the units with them. It might not be identical but you probably get something very similar for less than the Homebase kitchen will cost. The units come made up too which saves on fitting costs.

We visited there showroom in W Yorks and were impressed by the quality. There's no sales pressure either or messing about with pricing - it's all there online.

'Their' showroom obviously and I mean consider bridging units in the kitchen area for additional storage or a sideboard kind of set up in the dining room.

Thank you - yes, the dining table is in the sitting area, and the sofas are behind that - behind the 'photographer' if this was a photo rather than a graphic.

Cost isn't so much of a factor at this stage, it's more about choice - there are loads of kitchen companies around where we live and my brain is spinning to choose between the different cabinets on offer. I may turn to DIY kitchens once we decide on the 'look'. I have followed the kitchen threads on here for some time and can see they have a great reputation, but we are a long way from Yorkshire.

Name change fail there, will ask MN to sort that out!

We only went to the showroom as DP needed convincing they were as good as I had read and we can get there fairly easily. Fwiw, we can get a solid wood painted kitchen from them for less than other kitchen suppliers can provide an MDF one. The kitchen fitter we are in touch with rates them too.

As long as you don't go for red or black gloss, I doubt you will put future buyers off!

I've seen some nice shaker bespoke painted kitchens in some of my friends' houses. diy kitchens have some good choices and you can choose your own colour to have them painted in.

I like the colours on the Farrow and Ball colour chart and if you go to their website you can request a colour swatch book to be sent out to you.

We've got slate floors, black star galaxy worktop with very pale blue units (F&B borrowed light) and it works really well.

Thanks again everyone.

Cashmere cardigan- what style of kitchen do you have, please, and how big is it? If I could be really cheeky and ask, could you send me some pictures? (I can pm you with my email address). I won't be offended if you're not happy to do that, though.

I just looked at DIY kitchens - they have an impressive range. I'm now veering back to the idea of a light-coloured gloss, but in 10 minutes more will probably be taken with the idea of Shaker again!

And this is why my kitchen still isn't done. I'm at my wits end with it.

Just had my kitchen done and we had grey painted units with solid wood worktops. It was a tricky decision as there are so many choices. I'm really pleased with it though.