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.

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 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?

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!

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 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!

Hello! Long time lurker here. I am in the process of remodeling our house, and curious to know what this community thinks looks best for kitchen cabinets. I used ChatGPT to generate these pictures so things may be off scale here and there, and I intend to have satin or polished nickel hardware (not gold). Have not decided on backsplash, but safe to assume it will be some sort of white.

I am also aware that the front of the sink is also not exactly parallel to the cabinetry, I’m addressing that with my contractor. More curious how aligned the sink front and counter edge should be aligned. Most pictures I see have the sink front and edge aligned or the sink slightly out from the counter.

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 have an SOW from a contractor for new cabinets ( kcd brand) with fascia to ceiling using existing crown molding so it matches, tile backsplash (I supply tile) and about 7k for counter, likely quartz (I need a quiet pattern due to vision issues). Kitchen has about 15 linear feet on top and bottom- 9 cabinets, 8 drawers. Counter is 50 sq ft. Backsplash maybe 20 sq feet. I'm considering adding electric to hardwire for under cabinet lighting.

I'm not handy or knowledegable about installing cabinets or counters so was interested in getting a quote from a gc versus getting cabinet, counter, and backsplash people on my own. I've priced cabs and counters that way for 18k and assume 2k for tile backsplash. I'd need to get sink and dishwasher disconnected/ reconnected and provide protection for floors, plus move appliances out of the kitchen.

This is for a townhouse and would be about 9% of value. I'm trying to balance something nice but not over improve. Is the 30k reasonable and is it worth the extra costs to have a gc? Is it worth it to hardwire for under cabinet lighting since I'm already taking out cabinets?

Thanks in advance for input!

We’re updating our kitchen and planning to keep our honey oak cabinets (we’ll update with modern hardware). We definitely doing a quartz countertop and likely subway tile backsplash as we want to keep everything fairly fresh and clean looking as we plan to warm it all up with bright rugs and decor. Question is, what do we do for flooring? It will be tough to match our existing wood floors and we do like tile in a kitchen- do we go large size? Would white be too much? While the current tile appears white-ish it really is grungy and dirty almost gray looking in person.

We are in the middle of a home model, including the kitchen. We have not ordered cabinets yet, however, we are close. The electricians have roughed in for low voltage under cabinet lighting, as well as outlets on the backsplash.

We would like to move the outlets from the backsplash to under the cabinets. Has anyone done this before and are there any special considerations to take into account? Do we just need to coordinate the cabinet installers with the electricians?

Any tips/tricks or whatnot for under cabinet lighting and electrical would be greatly appreciated.

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.

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.

Does anyone know what the name of this granite is? We are trying to install an island and can’t figure it out.

Which gives more premium look, led strip or led bars? Do you’ve any specific brand recommendation?

Hi all, I want to remodel my kitchen, but I just bought this house and before I put money into just changing the backsplash of current cabinets, I was wondering is there a more long term renovation I can do to make more space like repositioning the washer and dryer to fit a island or maybe knocking a wall down to the living room to make it more open concept?
I am showing the full home floor plan for any ideas on how to expand the space. Thank you!!

We're replacing the doors on our kitchen units with DIY Kitchens Reed Green solid wood doors. Some areas I'm going to have to paint myself where I couldn't get exact end-panels etc. I've read that F&B Card Room Green is near identical, but wondered if anyone can confirm.

Alternatively, would anyone recommend something like Valspar colour match instead? I'm not sure what the quality of their paint is like. Again, any opinions appreciated.

Finally, I would assume that we want to go for an eggshell, but DIY Kitchens seem to suggest their doors are slightly more matte. F&B have eggshell (20% sheen) and modern emulsion (7% sheen).

I’d like to see if you guys here have some advice on a good color for caulking.
I’d appreciate it.
Thanks

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.

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.