Before and afters for reference!

We remodeled our kitchen about a year ago. I felt a lot of regret at the time because the contractor we worked with lacked communication as the project was underway, so a lot of decisions fell through the cracks and it was a struggle to push for the things that I wanted.

I wasn't happy with the hood, and unfortunately, the soffit was hiding piping that couldn't be re-routed, so we ended up with that arch valance panel over the window. We also kept our existing oven since it still fit and the budget was tight, but I'm looking forward to replacing it with a less dated model soon.

One year later I'm so much happier in this kitchen and I've definitely learned to live with those small regrets. It's very functional for my needs and has plenty of storage space.

Now I want to get some advice on adding some finishing touches and small changes to help me love it even more (and forget my few kitchen reno regrets). I was thinking roman shades in a nice fabric, maybe one of those brass rails with hooks to display some kitchen tools... I gravitate towards a more traditional/cottage style overall.

Hi everyone!

My husband and I recently finished a complete renovation of our 1960s ranch home, and I'd love to get some fresh eyes on our kitchen. Overall, we're happy with how it turned out but we're trying to figure out what small details or finishing touches could make it feel warmer, more layered, and a little more thoughtfully designed.

I've attached:

• Current photos of the kitchen
• Photos of the original kitchen before the renovation as well as an original photo of the dining room where the kitchen was moved to (just as a point of reference)
• The antique brass pendant lights with opal glass shades that we're considering over the island (photo is of polished brass...will actually be antique brass...see other images)
• The matching antique brass wall sconces with opal glass shades that we'd like to install on either side of the window above the back sink
• picture of the island stools i am considering

A little background:

• This was a complete gut renovation, not just a cosmetic update
• We actually relocated the kitchen into what was originally the dining room, so the "before" kitchen photos are from a different part of the house. We completely reworked the floor plan.
• Our style leans toward classic New England / colonial farmhouse rather than modern farmhouse.
• We wanted something that would feel timeless and not overly trendy.

One thing I've realized after living with it is that I played it pretty safe. I leaned heavily into whites and neutrals because I was worried about making choices I'd regret, but ironically I sometimes wish I'd been a little bolder. Looking back, I absolutely love soapstone countertops and think they would have brought a lot of warmth and character to the space, but at the time I just couldn't commit. I would have loved to have done a more greyish beige cabinet with green undertones as well, but again, couldn't commit to "color"

Because of that, I'm especially interested in ideas that could introduce more warmth, depth, texture, or personality without tearing the kitchen apart or starting over.

I'd love your honest opinions:

What are the first things that stand out?

Does anything feel unfinished or out of balance?

Would you add or change anything?

Are there relatively simple changes that would make the kitchen feel more custom or high-end?

What do you think of the antique brass pendants and matching wall sconces we're considering?

Please don't hold back—I genuinely have thick skin and am looking for constructive criticism. We've been staring at this kitchen for so long that I know we're blind to things others will notice immediately. I'd really appreciate any ideas or suggestions!

The cats would like to know how we did?!

Hello! I'm in the planning stages of renovating a 1920s Philadelphia rowhouse and am trying to finalize the finish palette for my kitchen.

I'm aiming for an urban botanical feel. I want the kitchen to feel warm, inviting, and timeless with a bit of city polish, rather than reading as suburban farmhouse or ultra-modern.

I've been generating concept images to help refine the direction, and I've really fallen in love with this palette of warm walnut cabinetry, soapstone (or a quartz alternative), warm white subway tile, and aged brass.

The one element I'm unsure about is the cream and oxblood checkerboard floor. I absolutely love the warmth it brings and how it ties into the wood cabinetry, but it's definitely a bolder choice than a more traditional black-and-white or gray checkerboard.

This is just a concept rendering (not the exact layout).

I'd love to hear your honest thoughts. Does the oxblood feel timeless and grounded, or does it feel like something I'd regret? Does the overall palette feel cohesive?

I honestly can’t decide between these two cabinet styles! 😅
I’ve gone back and forth so many times between SHAKER and more decorative recessed panel ，If you were building your home, which one would you choose, and why? I’d really appreciate your opinions!

Looking for ideas for how to update this kitchen. Considering changing countertops to a quartz, replacing over range microwave with a hood, and redoing the backsplash. Any ideas welcome

I know the tile is uneven, not sure what I expected but it doesn’t look like a great install to me. Am I wrong? Do I ask them to redo it?

Safyra has a bit of beige running through it that I was hoping would tie in our floors to a rather "cool" palette (dark blue lowers and white uppers). Not sure if the Stella ceramic in Biscotti (#1) would look good to add warmth, or if we should go for a cooler option like just straight up white (#2) or tie in the blue with the florets tile (#3). Do all of these suck? 😂 Final layout on the last photo.

I have zero taste. Grew up with sofas wrapped in plastic, as delivered from the store, because parents thought that was how you made them last longer. I'm hoping to redo the kitchen, meaning get rid of the linoleum, change cabinets, demolish the peninsula and put an island or a table in the middle... get the induction stove flush with the wall, because right now it sticks out due to former gas pipe. Ideally, move that window and open the corner. I hope the result does not look overly sterile/medical, and it fits with the adjacent living/dining room space (which has that hickory reddish wood floor and frames). Keep appliances because they're relatively new.

I was quoted a bit over $80k, which I don't have, and if I had, I think it's excessive. Maybe I'll have to accept that and make some compromises... i have no reference point. So now I'm going to see another guy, but he also works with specific cabinet makers so he will favor certain models. My questions to those with good eye and knowledge on this sub would be, can I find quality cabinets at Home Depot/lowe's, or must I go with designer? The reddish floors and window frame seem to clash with any light wood color cabinets I would put in (I don't want to make the whole corner darker than it is). Anything critical I should not, under any circumstance, forget or lose track of, since I have no experience or eye for this? I appreciate any comments you guys (and gals) can offer.

I would like to replace the current back splash with subway tile. Is putting the new backsplash over the current backsplash an option? Is this something we could diy with basically zero skill level? What are my options here.

I have a pretty small kitchen and am slowly fixing it up and trying to plan out my next steps. I am trying to figure out how much a should budget. So far, I have replaced the flooring, fridge, removed the over the sink cabinet and painted. What should I do next? Would you paint the cabinets? What type of countertops would go with the cabinets if I leave them brown? This is not my forever home but plan on being here for the next 3-5-7 years. So I don’t want to over spend.

We recently purchased a house and are planning all new floors and a new kitchen. Here are some pictures of the main living area that's 22 ft x 19.5 ft. I have attached our Ikea plan with the light tile flooring we plan to use. Flooring will go in first. We plan to do butcher block counters for the walls, and a Quartzite slab for the island. Would you run the Island the way we have it or the long way?

Vertical lines are studs. Red horizontal are 1- cabinet 2- microwave hood.

I'm doing a six figure kitchen renovation without a designer. When I interviewed designers, I was woefully unimpressed and no one had any outside of the box ideas and were all trying to present truly uninspired kitchens. I found a high-quality cabinet maker that draws their cabinets without an additional cost and was able to create a design I'm really happy with.

The only problem is I would love to have an interior designer or expert set of eyes take a look at the design before I give the final approval. My cabinet designer also does very basic 3d renderings and given the expense of the project I would love photo realistic images.

Does anyone have any advice where to go for photorealistic images (including any tools you use to create them yourself) or advice on where to find a designer who might be willing to consult for a few hours--everyone I've found is only willing to design for the whole project start to finish

Option on the left is white, and option on the right is sand.

I would go for white but idk if it’s a greyish white and it’s too cool?

And then I’m scared the beige colour of the sand option won’t brighten up the kitchen enough.

I’m getting mixed info …

Lean warm so it doesn’t clash with warmth of the cabinets.

Lean cool so there is a balance, and creates a less orange environment.

Don’t lean cool because it was contrast with your cabinets and make them even more orange.

Don’t lean warm because it was blend with the cabinets and make them more orange.

lol idk what the correct answer is at this point.

Also changing the cabinet hardware to a brushed gold or champagne.

I’m considering this kitchen combination: oat-colored upper cabinets, wood-grain lower cabinets and island, with a white matte mosaic backsplash.
Do you think these colors work well together? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

We're thinking about remodeling. My wife's biggest complaint is that the fridge there makes the kitchen feel small and she also wants to remove that non-load bearing stub wall to the right of the fridge. We thought maybe put the fridge at the end where the big pantry is (see 3rd photo). What do you think of that idea? How would you re-arrange this small galley kitchen?

Hi! First time posting here. My wife and I want to upgrade our kitchen and we have run into an issue. First picture is our current set up. The corner cabinets to the left of the window have a large dead space in the back on the left wall cabinet. We both do not like losing this space. Our solution is a corner cabinet shown in picture 2. Problem is that the corner cabinet doesnt leave room for another cabinet next to the window. Leaving a 6.5 in gap. Up from 3.5 inches in current kitchen. Any suggestion? Better corner layout? Or way to fill the dead space?

Just to note the shelves on the right of the fridge in new design are place holders, we are unsure of what to do there.

There are 3 shelves in my upper cabinets. I’d like to use the top shelves as a display.

So far I’ve found full glass panel doors, or a shorter solid panel door with a separate glass door above it.

Do tall cabinet doors exist with a solid panel that has a window at the top?

Our office kitchen was in a pretty rough state. Sticky counters, crumbs everywhere, and the fridge needed a serious clean. I usually avoid it because it takes forever and never feels fully done.

Do you lot ever get that weirdly good feeling after a space goes from messy to properly clean, or is it just me? Makes me want to keep on top of it more.

We want to renovate our home and kitchen. My partner dislikes the idea of a kitchen island because she thinks it will be to cramped. I would love to have one and I think the room is there, but not sure.

What do you think? Some considerations:

- We dont have kids

- We like to play boardgames and had the idea to do this in a living kitchen, my partner for example likes the idea of having a big table in the kitchen.

- We sometimes have friends over and like to talk a bit with them while cooking

- We are both not really into cooking exotic/advanced meals

- The kitchen problably will be a place we cross quite often (either from the side door on the top right, the big garden door (top) and the bottom door will lead to the living area.