Help! What to do with kitchen?

LilTuffGirl · 09-13-2011, 06:52 AM

I'm just renting this house but i'll be here for a while and i've already discussed doing small upgrades to the place with my landlord. He has discounted my rent for this as well!

This kitchen drives me nuts but I can't pin point what it is.. I think it's the cabinets but i'm not sure how to fix them lol I thought sanding them down and staining them a different color but i'm thinking it's the way they are designed.

I know the appliances are old and that doesn't help but I can't do anything about that.

Any help would be appreciated!

Windows · 09-13-2011, 01:28 PM

THe cabinets and the appliances look pretty good to me. You might be able to give them a new look relatively easily with new hardware. I would definitely change out the window drapery and if I wanted to tackle a bigger project I would replace that awful backsplash. YOu could also paint the wall above the cabinets.

DrHicks · 09-13-2011, 02:10 PM

Looks like a pretty well laid-out kitchen to me. You've got the triangle thing going, and room to move & work. And there's actually a pretty decent amount of counter space.

One thing I'm seeing is that it "feels" dark. If your landlord will work with you on it, you might want to sand & paint the cabinets and cupboards a fairly light color. As Windows said, maybe different hardware. Make sure you go with a good quality primer and paint. A nice, more modern, backsplash would make it look much better too.

Under cupboard lights would brighten it up. Also, a countertop-height portable table, that you could roll in and out of there, would provide extra counter space when you're in heavy duty cooking mode.

LilTuffGirl · 09-13-2011, 08:10 PM

I thought about just painting them white but I think that may bee too much... Do you think I could sand them down and stain them a lighter color or is that hard to do once they are dark?
Bad thing is the upstairs bathroom matches these as well...
Curtain is for sure going!
Not sure i'll be able to tackle the backsplash. May be more than I can handle. And looking at it all today it is very cheaply done as is. It doesn't go to the counter top and there is actually a gap between the wall and the counter... so I guess i'll be applying some caulk there.

Already planning on laying new cheap floor in the bathroom since it's tile vinyl that actually has gaps in it. And above the already dark shower looks nasty!! I may paint above there white for some brighter color and probably change the wall color to a medium grey... it's currently light brown like the rest of the house....
Doors are all still dark wood color too other than the front door and that drives me nuts lol
I think i'm going to tell them i'm just going to paint stuff but to trust me it can't look any worse than it already does! Not only are the doors still dark wood color but they are all scratched and the door frames have paint all over them. They will look MUCH better white!!!

Brushjockey · 09-13-2011, 08:44 PM

For rental prop that is not yours, I really would forget anything real major like painting the cabs or redoing the tile. Both are much bigger projects than you think, particularly if you've never done anything like that.
Do the little touches- the curtains, maybe better lighting to brighten it up.
If you could invent a way to cover up the checkerboard tile- maybe formica cut to height and painted, I see that as the biggest item that could be "modified".

Brushjockey · 09-13-2011, 08:46 PM

If you do any woodwork ( or any for that matter) painting, hang out here and read through some threads on the subject. If you're going to do it, do it right.

LilTuffGirl · 09-13-2011, 08:46 PM

I will redo the bathroom floor since i'll just be putting down new vinyl squares and will only cost me about $30 since it's a small area. The stuff there now makes me feel ick. lol don't want to walk barefoot on that stuff.

I'll look into the other idea!! Thanks!