Point me the right direction for kitchen inspiration

[SidandAndyssextoy]

Planning a new kitchen - and I am so bored by the options. Can anyone suggest sites for some inspiration? It’s a decent sized rectangular kitchen with room for a largish island in it at the moment, and lacking in natural light, so I’m looking to inject lightness through colour. And a period house which I’d like to keep the sense of. Link me up to some ideas?

Have a dislike list then.
There are thousands if not millions of images of different and bespoke kitchens. I struggle to believe that you are not drawn to at least a few of them.

Also on Houzz, you can find articles (in ‘stories’) on kitchens without island, how to plan the design etc.

Yes a dislike list is really helpful! Have a storybook of things you don’t want - it really focuses your design.

I see kitchens that look okay but they all turn out to be three times the size of mine!

I see kitchens I think objectively look lovely, but wouldn’t work in my home at all (eg fairly modern dark wood) and also see kitchens styled in ways I like, which I’m trying to draw inspiration from. My biggest issue I think is a giant meh about the sort of kitchens that would probably work best in our house.

I have decided that a mustard yellow kitchen would be worth exploring - houzz so far dislikes my search terms!

You could have some simple hydroponics style growing bits for salad and herbs so you can grow them in the kitchen if you have space? It something I wish I had thought of when we did our kitchen.

You seem obsessed about the kitchen matching with the house - I was thinking you must live in a really old / listed / quirky house. Personally I think you should be in keeping with the style of the house if you have significant architectural features.

From what you have described, I would have thought you could have any sort of kitchen in your home. Do you like everything matching?

If this is your biggest barrier? Why don't you post a picture of a house which is like yours and ask - do you think you can have any sort of kitchen in this house?

It sounds like you are self imposing style rules when there aren't any. You can do what you like within your budget.

I’m not imposing rules! I just don’t think something very modern will go with the way we have the house, and some of the touches I do like won’t work, say, with the lowish ceiling. And dark wood would be way too dark for a kitchen with limited natural light. So I’m looking for things that will fit, I don’t know, the general ‘vibe’ of our house, that I like - and that’s my sticking point. Not that my house is staggeringly unusual, just that I am yet to find anything that sets my heart alight that would also work in the space and style that we have. The current kitchen is oak shaker with black granite surfaces and it is unexceptionable but I would like, if possible, to find something we love.

I’m really grateful for the pointers on here and have definitely started to move towards some actual ideas.

Put in yellow plywood kitchen which leads to all sorts of interesting results

could also try terms like melamine, Formica,

I love the looks of plywood kitchens, but they are surprisingly expensive- plywood isn’t cheap.

I have a curry yellow scullery which I got from DIY kitchens, and it’s very jolly. Yellow works great in a small, dark room.

If the current kitchen was made by a joiner or similar and good quality you could consider just handpainting the oak units, joiner can get this done and then get new worktop, sink etc and add plant features like shelves or troughs with herb plants in or whatever plants you want. And get better lighting. Mustard yellow I would be cautious of if trying to sell but if not go for what you like best though definitely worth going on a visualiser site to test out whole look. The look of your kitchen can change a lot like that.

From Houzz

See also https://www.uncommonprojects.co.uk/

We have a mixed materials kitchen that we love. It’s not the one in the picture but it’s the same idea.

https://hawkkb.co.uk/mixing-materials-in-the-kitchen/

https://www.germankitchenstore.co.uk/german-kitchens/handleless/?gbraid=0AAAAADHQyqzyLy29jW97pjD9rKDSdqquK&gclid=CjwKCAjw7c2pBhAZEiwA88pOF29EjSLJ8JzA0zHPrPj0O1hDbDd6i6Bxj1X1kMqlvoI-BHc_UmZfrhoCoKIQAvD_BwE

Thanks - I do like handles over handleless but happy to play around with ideas. I’d probably go in frame over the plywood modern look, although in frame feels a bit like it wastes space to me. (So many things that stop me falling in love!)

I’d just paint and tweak like a shot if the current kitchen worked but the cupboards are pants and badly laid out, and I loathe the island. The previous owners also built a fake chimney breast and put an Aga in it, which we’d like to remove, and will open the kitchen up hugely. So we do need to start from scratch unfortunately.

I’m definitely feeling like very plain units and some excellent tiles might be the way to make it feel interesting. I have a passionate love of tiles.