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Property/DIY

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Original poster

Beautiful brand new kitchen...but not to our taste...

59 replies

OUB1974 · 13/04/2021 17:12

We are buying a house that is slightly more "done" than we would have hoped for. The majority of it is fairly neutral, but the kitchen is very trendy and dark grey, but not my cup of tea at all! It's nice quality and looks lovely and new and it seems quite wasteful to change it, as well as an unnecessary expense.

Does anyone have any ideas about how to make it more ours without spending a fortune? The doors are all dark grey, and floor pale grey and the splash back black and white patterned. I suppose my taste would be lighter and fresher, whites and pastel blue or turquoise. Possibly a light wood floor.

We did consider replacing just the top doors with lighter ones, would this look ok? I think to replace all of them would be too much.

We saw another house just before this one that had my dream kitchen! But this house is so much more perfect in every other way. I'm worried it's going to feel dark.

OP posts:

OneKeyAtATime · 13/04/2021 19:27

I can see why you dont like it! I would start off by changing the doors.

RadioSilienced · 13/04/2021 19:28

I love it - it’s stunning.
However you could get it wrapped a paler colour?

RubyFowler · 13/04/2021 19:30

If you really don't like it and it is good quality you could try selling it? That way its not really wasteful at all and you get a bit of money towards a new one.

Otherwise I second changing the doors of the top cabinets, change the tiles to something brighter and then you can probably live with the rest.

Original poster

OUB1974 · 13/04/2021 19:40

Thanks, yes it doesnt have to be perfect, maybe a few tweaks would make it feel more like ours. I'm quite concerned about it being dark as it's not an especially light room.

Selling it is a good idea, even if we got a buy back it's helpful and less wasteful!

OP posts:

Changingwiththetimes · 13/04/2021 19:53

I bought a house which had a glossy dark burgundy kitchen just a year old. I sold it.
I happen to like your kitchen but not the floor or tiles. I think changing the tiles and floor would make a big difference.

ElizabethTudor · 13/04/2021 20:07

I actually quite like the one you’ve posted, and the tiles!
But if you prefer pastels then yes, it’s going to take some getting used to.
I agree, live with it for a bit.
Plus as a PP said can you change the lighting and put some pastel accessories in to soften it?

CovidCorvid · 13/04/2021 20:28

I really like the tiles.

1frenchfoodie · 13/04/2021 20:34

Another vote here for living with it. I like all but the grey wood (/wood look) floor and woukd be tempted to put a rug down for a more homey look. Once you get some of your own stuff out and about that may soften it.

MaryLennoxsScowl · 13/04/2021 21:33

You could take the top cabinets down and put up wood or white or glass shelves and have plenty of pretty, colourful things on the shelves - plants and useful kitchenware in pastel colours, a radio, scales, teapot, cookbooks. I have a dark grey kitchen and I only did the bottom half so it wouldn’t look dark, and it doesn’t!

LittleOverwhelmed · 13/04/2021 22:19

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

MargosKaftan · 13/04/2021 22:41

I think you need to stop thinking about if its wasteful or not. If you can afford to replace it and would it it was older but the house cost you the same, then its ok to do.

Bur definitely live with it a while. I know the layout I'd have for a kitchen now is different to what I think id want when we first moved in from a much smaller kitchen in our old flat. Spend some time in this house and think about how you use it, what annoys you.

mellicauli · 13/04/2021 23:01

I agree with those saying live with it for a bit.

We moved in 12 years ago , vowing to change the pink kitchen which is really not "me". But I learned to like the kitchen: tons of storage space, good lay out and after a while I just didn't see the pink.

Probably time for me to change the pink kitchen now but we had a couple amazing holidays with the money we would have spent replacing a perfectly OK kitchen. No regrets - they are some of the best memories of my life. Which is more than you can say about any kitchen.

Redsquirrel5 · 13/04/2021 23:23

It is a nice kitchen but not what I would chose either. Ask the vendors about it. If it is a bespoke hand painted kitchen you could get it re-painted. I think if you change the top doors it would look better. It isn’t too difficult to have the tiles changed. Do ask around for a tiler rather than a plumber.
Accessories in your chosen colour with brighten it up. Lucky that the worktops are light. Have a table for children. When they are a bit older the breakfast bar will be fine. Good luck with the move.

Kamma89 · 14/04/2021 08:01

Please ignore all the posters saying if you can afford a new one it's not wasteful! It really is, all the production costs environmentally.

There are some great suggestions on this thread, I'd see about respraying or trying to sell on, but agree, if you live with it for a while you'll get a better idea of what really needs to change to make you happy. I think interiors are important for our mood so not saying just put up with something you don't like.

yikesanotherbooboo · 14/04/2021 08:11

I would move in and see if I could live with it if the whole package of the property suited. I would really struggle to justify the waste of the kitchen just for the sake of appearance. As a back up plan I would paint the units. You can sell kitchens if you really can't live with it .

marmiteloversunite · 14/04/2021 08:16

We have a very modern kitchen in a new post build. We have painted the walls in Lavender quartz by Dulux. It has softened the whole look.

Bluesheep8 · 14/04/2021 09:50

This is brilliant advice and definitely what I would do op.

Callmecordelia · 14/04/2021 09:56

I'd live with it for a while, if only because when you move into a house there are always surprises, and you might find you need the cash elsewhere.

Once it has your stuff in it, it might feel more like home too.

steppemum · 14/04/2021 10:02

I moved in to a wooden kitchen.
I sanded and repainted the doors myself. Cost was literally the pot of paint.
You have to do it carefully, as you need to do sides of the carcass on some and the facing edge etc. I took the doors off and did them outside.

Totally transformed the room, unrecognisble.

So I would say, live with it, and then think about the doors.
This tiles could be really pretty with different accessories

FreeButtonBee · 14/04/2021 11:09

I think the idea above of removing the upper cabinets and replacing with shelves is really clever. I would go with that. Also see if you could get the lower cupboards repainted - a nice soft green would be lovely and tone with the grey (I think pink and grey is very popular and will be out of fashion in about 18 months).

That said, live with it for a year. I hated my kitchen when I moved in. Externally it's okay-ish but bad quality and the cupboards are all tiny inside. I've tweaked a few bits, got rid of the twee shelves and plate rack and replaced the crappy oven extra with decent ones and put in a proper extractor fan and then bought a big vintage glass fronted cabinet for extra storage and here I am 8 years later!

LondonStone · 14/04/2021 12:31

I think this is the problem when people put in new kitchen and bathrooms purely for selling the house and/or buying houses to flip them.

I think I’ve mentioned this before but the woman directly opposite me had really long term neighbours (I think they lived there for about 18 years!) and when they put their house up for sale they made some modernisations, including a new kitchen, to push for a higher price. A young couple bought it and ripped literally everything out - including said kitchen. They built an extension and put in really glossy stylish kitchen and bathrooms and sold it for about £90,000 more within 12 months. A young family then moved in and didn’t like all the high gloss items and just as we were moving away they were taking everything out.

I honestly can’t say whether they were selling the kitchens on or scrapping them or whatever but three new kitchens in the space of two years seems so wasteful to me!

Sorry you don’t like your kitchen OP, I’m not saying you would be wrong to change it etc etc. I just think it says more about the market right now that people can’t see past a house in its current state and want everything to look like a showroom. (My sister is VERY guilty of this!)

I always find it strange that you can add value because you’ve put in a new bathroom* - even if the person buying it doesn’t like it?! When I’m looking at property I’m focusing on the size of the house, the local, parking, storage, garden, [insert whatever is important to you here]. Not whether Diane and John have stuck a new bath in.

(*Unless you’re buying a house for it’s ~aesthetic and it’s your dream home and you’re changing nothing. I totally get that!)

LondonStone · 14/04/2021 12:33

That should be the local area (although a good local pub wouldn’t go amiss!)

PresentingPercy · 14/04/2021 12:45

I would live with it. It’s not really a kitchen designed for open shelves. You would be forever cleaning the shelves and they get greasy if you cook. Inevitable.

I think accessories would make a huge difference. Respirating the doors is naff frankly. It’s a shame it has wall tiles. I might take them off and replace with something else if I didn’t want grey. Or just take them off, get it plastered and then paint it. If there is en upstand, that’s fine. If there isn’t, get one. Plus a splash back if necessary. This could be coloured glass .

Ripping it out is wasteful so live with it fir a bit and make it yours. In the USA this is the top colour for kitchens right now! Apparently!

QuentinWinters · 14/04/2021 12:51

I reckon paint the walls an actual colour first and that will probably transform the room. Maybe a duck egg colour?

Grimbelina · 14/04/2021 13:32

A good idea to repaint the walls and put up a blind etc... but just try and live with it for a few months. At the the very least you will know exactly how your new kitchen could work in the space, where the light falls etc. It would be a mistake to change it straight away.

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