Jan and I joke that we have a knack for choosing the best houses with the worst kitchens. Our house in Manchester had an absolutely awful kitchen which was cheap, nasty and the cupboards were literally falling off the walls.
The kitchen in our new home isn’t much better.
I think it was probably a good quality kitchen when it was originally installed but it’s now old. very worn and the cupboard doors are ugly with a textured plastic front.
Basically, it’s got to go!
We have big plans for the whole layout of the apartment which ultimately revolve around us moving the kitchen from it’s current position to the front of the house. (You can read all about the 3 options we’re considering and can’t seem to make a decision on here).
Having the kitchen at the front of the house will allow a better flow between the kitchen, dining and living areas of the apartment but there are still a few plumbing issues to sort before we’re a 100% certain that our plans will actually work.
One of the best things about moving the kitchen to another room in the apartment, is that we’ll be able to install and completely finish all work on the new kitchen before we even have to think about removing the existing kitchen which means that we won’t have to deal with a transitional phase where we have no kitchen and have to live off takeaways!
These are obviously long term plans but in the meantime, we’d like to give our kitchen and the pantry a quick makeover.
Here’s what we’re planning.
- Paint & decorate pantry
- Paint cupboard doors
- Change door handles
- Paint/ refinish tiles
- Strip, sand & restore antique fridge
As much as I’d love to change or update the worktop in some kind of way, we’ve decided against it. This makeover is only meant to be very temporary and we’re hoping to be able to install a new kitchen as soon as possible so we want to keep the work and more importantly any expense to an absolute minimum.
Because this is only a temporary solution we’re going to have some fun with this project!
At the moment, we’re really indecisive and it feels like we’re overthinking every decision we’re making. So, we thought we’d have some fun and let you guys decide on which option we should go for!
There’s a poll at the end of this post and whichever option gets the most votes is the one we’ll do! This way we can also blame you if it all goes wrong! ;)
Here are our top 5 options.
1. Two-tone kitchen
I love the two-tone kitchens that seem to be everywhere on Pinterest at the moment. I’m thinking something along the lines of a dark grey-blue for the base cabinets and a soft light grey for the hanging cupboards.
I’d also love to replace the dinky little cupboard knobs with something prettier. Maybe some copper or brass handles which I think would work really well with the dark blue colour of the cupboards.
2. Colour!
This is definitely the most daring option but as it’s only temporary we figured why not go for something really bold.
I love the colour and the overall feel but I can’t help wondering if I would get sick of looking at a bright yellow kitchen really quickly! It’s definitely fun and different, though!
3. All White With A Colourful Backsplash
When buying the kitchen for our first ever home together over 10 years ago I wanted a white kitchen. It wasn’t in fashion or particularly trendy at the time and everyone told us we shouldn’t buy a white kitchen (even people that now have white kitchens). In the end, we opted for a cream coloured one and it’s something I always regretted.
To this day, I still love white kitchens. They have a really bright and clean feel which is something you’re going to want in a kitchen!
To inject a bit of personality into this room we love to paint the tile backsplash a really fun colour. Maybe a bright yellow or turquoise?
4. Classy Soft Grey
The by far safest and also most classic option. I love muted grey colours and it’s something I’d choose for our new long-term kitchen but I can’t help wondering if it’s just a bit too safe. Especially as it’s only a temporary solution where we should possibly having some fun!
5. Go Green!
I seem to be seeing green interiors everywhere at the moment and I obviously can’t help being influenced by them. I’m not usually a huge fan of green but the kitchen is probably a great place to try something new. Maybe a lovely subtle sage green? A petrol colour like in the picture? Or something more vibrant?
At the end of the day it’s only a temporary kitchen but for us, temporary it’ll probably still mean a couple of years so it’s still something we want to get right!
So let us know what you think! Which option should we go for? Get voting!
Create your own user feedback survey
We’ll share the results of the survey in a couple of weeks! Can’t wait to see what you decide!
Lucy says
I’ve voted option 2!! As you say given it’s temporary it’s a great opportunity to try something new and see what you learn from doing it. Plus I love colour, so there’s that, ha! Could you use your vibrant dining room chairs as a clue to see which colour you lean towards more than others? X
Christine says
I totally agree with your logic, Lucy! It’s not ever something I would choose for a long term kitchen that I’m paying a lot of money for but as a temporary solution, I think it would be worth taking a risk on!
I’d not thought about the dining room chairs – great idea to take colour inspiration from them!
Cx
Lo says
Two tone!!! Perhaps not as stark at the dark grey, but I think you could really have some fun with it!
Lo
http://www.themixtures.com
Christine says
I love the two-tone kitchen, too. It’s actually something I’ve been considering for our new kitchen so trying it here might be a good way to see how much I really like it in real life.
Cx