Go Kitchens

Kitchen Remodeling Help!! (Picture Included)?

My husband and I just bought a house that was built in the 1960's. The previous owners didn't do much with the house, so we have some design challenges to solve to get the place looking nice. Here is a picture of our kitchen: http://flickr.com/photos/leighandmike/2488869281/in/set-72157603678325520/ I have no idea where to start with this kitchen. I would love to tear down that wall on the right (on the other side of the wall is the livingroom) but I have a feeling it's load bearing so that would cause problems. We have a little money to put into this room, but we can't go overboard because we have plenty of other projects to do in the house. Does anyone have any ideas that could help us make this kitchen nicer?? (if your a flickr user, feel free to make any kind suggestions on the picture :-) Thanks in advance! The cabinets actually seem to be in decent condition. My husband feels bad painting over wood, but I think it could really brighten the kitchen up. Does anyone know how much it generally costs to put an open doorway or cut a window through a load bearing wall? or even remove it completely? Thanks again for all the great answers!

Public Comments

1. It's actually a pretty cute kitchen...for the wall if load bearing you could just cut out a square or something like that in the wall to open it to the livingroom...tile the floors and paint. It would be looking good. The floor would make a huge difference. My husband and I had similar floors in our kitchen when we bought our house and re-doing the floors made a drastic change...good luck and have fun!
2. Definitely do not try to remove the wall on the right until you know for sure if it is load bearing or not. I'm not sure if you were thinking about replacing the cabinets and counter tops. If that doesn't seem feasible right now, perhaps you could paint the cabinets. Next, I would put some money into new counter tops. When I replaced the counter tops, I would remove the bit that comes out from the left which I guess is being used as a bar/eating area. By removing that piece of counter top, the kitchen will be more open giving you the appearance of a lot more space. Also, I would eliminate the cabinets on the right wall - the wall you want to tear down. In place of them, I would purchase a center island and place that in the center of the kitchen. Also, I would address the floor. You don't have to spend a lot of money to get a more updated look. You could put down an inexpensive vinyl that would make a huge impact. Then later, if you get some money and decide you want to revamp it, replacing the vinyl will be a snap. Finally, and probably the least expensive of all, I'd paint the kitchen and replace the light fixture to something more in line with today's styles Best of Luck. The kitchen isn't really that bad. I think you could update it without spending a fortune.
3. Ahhhh I know your pain - the house we just moved into looked way worse then yours and it had not been touched in 60 years! I would deffinately say to paint your cabinets a nice neutral color (white, ivory, taupe) it is easy to do and pretty cheap you can also simply replace the hardware with updated versions and that makes a world of difference. Our kitchen was on the smaller side like yours and we did remove a wall to make it bigger. Ours was a load bearing wall which made it more trickier but it is totally doable and way worth it. Just that alone would make a world of difference. I don't know the decor of the rest of your house but Benjamin Moore has this great color called Dijon which looks great in a smaller space - a little yellow, little golden - little tan a really nice in between color that can really brighten the space and make it look bigger. Good luck!
4. If I was trying to remodel the kitchen on a budget. I would add an open doorway on the right wall. That right wall looks like a load bearing wall, but I'm sure an open doorway could be added. I would replace the linoleum with a nicer flooring. I would definitely replace the light fixture. I would paint the kitchen a different color. I'd pick a color that is nice and warm. The cabinets may be able to be used as is or with new hardware. It's hard to tell their condition from the picture. But another cheap option would be to have them refaced. Then just get a nice new countertop for the cabinets and maybe a new kitchen faucet. Then focus on new appliances. I would recommend stainless steel if you are going to stick with the original cabinet color or a dark cabinet color. If you reface the cabinets, you may want to replace the leg on the breakfast bar and install something a little more modern. If you reface the cabinets, about the most expensive thing will be the new appliances. The rest should be relatively inexpensive compared to a total kitchen remodeling with brand new cabinets. You'd be surprised how much nicer it'd look with just new flooring, paint, a new light, and new appliances would make it look. For the flooring, I'd recommend a nice vinyl flooring that looks like stone. Maybe a grey or tan stone look. In some instances painting the cabinets makes sense, in some it only makes them look more tacky. I just bought a house built in 1977, it has those dark cabinets. If the cabinets weren't faded in spots, I'd probably leave them their original color and just find a nice color of paint that makes them look good then add some nice hardware to them for a really cheap fix. Since mine have faded, I'll probably paint them white, and pick a wall color to match. I don't want to spend the money to reface mine since mine are in somewhat bad condition and I plan to replace them later anyway. Thought I'd mention that in case you are encountering some of the same things.
5. I would take down the right wall but work with a knowledgeable contractor on that. Even if it is load bearing there are options to open it up. Update your cabinets by either re-staining or painting them white and invest in new hardware. Take down the scroll piece above the window. Replace the countertops and add a backsplash. Remove the little L-shaped counter and put in new flooring and add an island in the center of the kitchen. Might want to update that ceiling fixture as well.
6. It's really not a bad kitchen once it's decorated alittle. The main thing I would do is to paint it, replace the flooring and counters if you can afford it. If you can't remove that right wall, can you cut a large hole in it for a "window"?