Is my new kitchen boring?

[YellowEllis]

After multiple threads and lots of advice/opinions we sent off our final kitchen design a few weeks ago. We ordered the last bits this morning which was just our taps. I'm not sure whether it's just nerves but I'm really doubting myself. I wanted to keep it neutral and warm with the logic we can add colour through plants and accessories, and by painting the walls.

Then I saw a gorgeous picture of a navy kitchen with oak worktops and brassy taps/handles and I loved it. I'm now worried my kitchen is really boring and meh. I really wanted to get it right. Do I phone up and see if it's too late to change and return some things? Or is it just nerves and I should leave it as is?

I'm the most indecisive person in the world, apologies if you've seen my many threads over the past few months and couldn't care less about my kitchen

You could jazz things up with different tiles - I also think metro tiles are a bit overdone and they're also a bit cold. I think a square slightly textured tile in off-white/cream would look good and add a bit of interest while still being neutral.

Something like this pin.it/1L1L4L3

Another option could be to get wooden floor but in a pattern - I think herringbone parquet would look lovely.

Also light fittings! If you don't have spotlights there's plenty you could do there to make it a bit more interesting. And as you said you can paint the walls/add pictures etc.

I've phoned and begged and they've said they can cancel parts of the order. I'm limited to what I can change. I've got the weekend to think about it. The first pic is my current kitchen and the second is what I think I want to change to?

We’ve just had our kitchen done, started with the dark navy cupboards but worried I’d get bored of them. Ended up with a very neutral kitchen (whites and Dove Grey) but brought bright accessories to add colour - similar to the tile colour in your second photo. Means when it goes out of fashion or we get bored of it we can just change it.

It's not boring. Lovely metro tiles, gorgeous floor. Nice detail on the taps. If you want a strong colour, paint the walls that aren't tiled, as that can easily be changed.

I think it looks lovely and classy OP. I like classic and neutral anyway.

We did boring kitchen and went ott with wall colour etc. Much easier to change. Our kitchen now looks anything but boring!

Your kitchen will look great! I hate trying to choose tiles, I’m always scared they’ll look too “public toilet”...Id go for a Matt tile in the same colour as your units, or metal sheet, then you can have any paint, or dark wallpaper etc.

I think you’re right to go with a more neutral cabinet, the darker ones are lovely but need to have a sleek tidy kitchen to work, and are less of a “wow” now that they’re more commonplace. I like the adage “design for the room you have, not the room you wish you have”.

... oh, and pic 1 for me! It looks more welcoming.

Sorry but it looks like every kitchen in every rental/new-build I've looked at.

I love it! Mine's almost exactly the same but cupboards are painted wood. I'll post a pic when I can, the beauty is that you can have whatever wall colour you want and change it really easily.

Sorry but it looks like every kitchen in every rental/new-build I've looked at.

I would say it's very classic/traditional. Well that's certainly how a kitchen of this type looks in my Edwardian house.

I like picture 1, the kitchen you had already picked. Like the post above, I'd put colour on the walls - easily changed if you get a bit fed up of the colour. With a chevron oak floor it would look really good, some nice framed prints or scaffolding shelves and plants and it would look great.

looks lovely (possibly because it is similar to mine...)

before you order the taps; don't, buy cheapies from Screwfix. The posh ones are fitted with aerators (for people too dumb to turn taps off) and just spray everywhere. if too late, rip out the aerator before installation.

oak worktops are for people who really love housework. Unless you have a surrendered wife, don't bother.

tiles are a great choice, much cheaper than upstands although installation costs higher if you aren't doing it.

I think it will look lovely. I'm getting my kitchen done in a few weeks and I am also incredibly indecisive, I have changed my mind a good few times. I love navy and wickes had gorgeous navy/greyish doors but the lifted company we are using only didn't have any nayvs I liked. Finally decided on charcoal grey shaker matt doors with white marble effect worktop and I am nervous but happy with decision and excited to see the outcome. Not excited to have my house put together.

I like pic 1 best. I agree with a pp about wooden work surfaces though - they are the devil.

Pic one for me too..

I think it depends on the house. I had the navy copper kitchen in my old house. Our new (to us) house feels like it wants more of a classic design so I'm thinking a very slightly green/cream cupboard with brass and marble gold worktops. I don't know if it's in fashion but in my head it'll look perfect!
Something like this!

My oak surfaces are no bother.once a year proper sand down and two coats of osmo polyx oil and they're good to go. High use areas get another coat after 6 months (sinks etc). The tops are gorgeous.

yours is perfect, so perfect because it is timeless. try selling a house with a navy kitchen in 5 years.

@Baxdream

I think it depends on the house. I had the navy copper kitchen in my old house. Our new (to us) house feels like it wants more of a classic design so I'm thinking a very slightly green/cream cupboard with brass and marble gold worktops. I don't know if it's in fashion but in my head it'll look perfect! Something like this!

I love this very much. Much rather this than a white/beige kitchen.

@GuyFawkesDay

My oak surfaces are no bother.once a year proper sand down and two coats of osmo polyx oil and they're good to go. High use areas get another coat after 6 months (sinks etc). The tops are gorgeous.

That’s too much bother for me. I don’t doubt they’re gorgeous though!

The handles and sink you've chose for both are lovely OP. I must admit prefer pic 2 (with the pale grey? units) and greeny tiles - but that is simply because I like cooler colours. BUT I probably would have "cooled down" the mussel coloured? units in pic 1 by painting a pale blue or green on the kitchen walls - so the warmer neutral colours in pic 1 would not have put me off. So If you change your order to pic 2, bear in mind you will more more limited in your choices of paint colours and accessories in order to suit that green and grey.

If it were me, I'd go for white or off-white/pale cream units with the same colour tiles if necessary (but why not just an upstand and wipeable paint? and metro tiles may date). Then I'd brighten the room with paint and accessories - whatever bright/bold colours I fancied as everything works with white or pale cream .

Like pp I also wouldn't go for wood worksurfaces personally- I find they mark too easily (although the wood you have chosen is a nice colour - would look lovely to have a similar colour floor!). If granite/quartz is too pricey, high end laminates have come on leaps and bounds - no longer so shiny plastic/fake looking as they used to be (I like the stone effect, speckled/flecked neutral colours myself but they do wood effect ones too).

The worktop is a premium laminate in an oak effect. We hope to upgrade to quartz at some point but it just wasn't in our budget.

We switched the kitchen - this is it now changed from bevelled tiled to flat white laid herringbone and an off-white/slightly greyish cupboard and we shall be painting the wall above the tiles a rich emerald green. I left all the fittings the same. It's still neutral but it just less.. beige.

Here's a pic of mine. Cupboards were dark wood and we had them painted. Worktops are light oak laminate. Metro tiles with light grey grout. Walls have been pale sage green before now.

I think it's lovely OP, very classy and it won't date - timeless.

I don't be delighted with it.