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I heard it said the other day the entire stainless steel, granite countertop, furniture quality cabinets, hardwood floor combination has become the symbol of the entire excessive housing bubble mess and people are looking to move away from these hugely expensive, and not very useful kitchens. I don't really care much for it myself as a lot of cooking in one of these things means a lot of extra work. I find these kitchens for the most part to be impersonal and stiffing despite the grand appearance.
To the OP, I recommend that you look around some at places that don't cater to this look and search the internet to look at kitchen designs sold in Europe & the modern parts of Asia. There you will get some ideas for a really nice kitchen, that is very functional, doesn't look like it was dumped out of a box from Lowes, easy to clean, and which doesn't bust the budget.
Actually, that shows that you: A. don't cook, so you don't understand the work triangle in a kitchen, and B. don't understand the popular style of a functional kitchen, and C. don't know anything about real estate and return on kitchen and bathroom investments.
Why would it create extra work? You make the same mess, no matter how small your kitchen or what types of materials it contains.
Chuckles, I do take offense, because you meant it offensively. I know it's my kitchen you think "looks like a morgue" and not the other poster's. Please note that in the picture not only is the project still going (the outlet plates aren't even back on, for pete's sake), but there's not even anything on the counter or any light to add warmth. Also please note the changes we made after adding the backsplash so that it doesn't look stark or morgue-like.
We have several friends who are designers and they, along with every other person who has walked into our kitchen, have not stopped commenting on how clean, warm, and inviting our kitchen is. Please, if you have no eye for design, keep your nasty comments to yourself.
Im trying to do some things to my kitchen and i keep coming across a problem: Every website I visit, or magazine that I reach for, has tons of pics of upscale, $10k and up kitchen remodels!
I just want to get new tile and a backsplash installed in my home!!! My neighborhood has $150k-$200k homes, and my development is 6 years old. We all have pretty modern kitchens, but our development isn't a "luxury" development.
My question to you all is: What websites can you all recommend that would allow me to look at "normal" or modest kitchen updates? If you all have done any new backsplashes, please share pics! Thanks!
Don't pay that much....Granite Countertops, Tile Backsplash, New Sink, New Fixtures...$4800....Granite was most of that cost.
Bought backsplash at Lowes..$400...paid $400 for installation....sink was $325...fixtrures...$100...came out very nice.
Granite was purchased in Pineville...forgot name...that place on 51 heading to mall....great selection....excellent pricing.
Here are a couple more pictures of our morgue. Next up is adding valances to the windows in the breakfast area. We like our corpses to be surrounded by great design.
If you are happy then it doesn't matter what other people think. You have to live with the kitchen on a daily basis. There are different styles for a reason. Not everyone likes every style.
If you are happy then it doesn't matter what other people think. You have to live with the kitchen on a daily basis. There are different styles for a reason. Not everyone likes every style.
I agree, but I am also thankful that every single person who has been in our kitchen has loved it. I took offense because he meant it to be offensive, plain and simple.
You are 100% correct that not everyone likes every style. I don't care for the warmer style in RelevantRenovation's kitchen, but I do have enough of an eye to know that it is a tastefully done kitchen with beautiful finishes.
Actually, that shows that you: A. don't cook, so you don't understand the work triangle in a kitchen, and B. don't understand the popular style of a functional kitchen, and C. don't know anything about real estate and return on kitchen and bathroom investments. ...
A: In fact I do cook a lot and I completely agree about the triangle. It's irrelevant to what I posted as it is not required to have expensive trappings for a functional kitchen. Often it's counter productive. Recently "This Old House" brought in Christopher Kimbal from America's Test Kitchen and asked him to evaluate one of these granite and stainless monsters and he wasn't very complementary of it. Basically his point is that it is so impersonal that it loses it's appeal as a place to be. Kitchen's are meant to be places of organized clutter, not showrooms and museum pieces. I am sure there are different opinions of this especially if one doesn't cook much, but the point remains you don't need to have an expensive McMansion style kitchen.
B: Sure. McMansions were popular. We see where that went.
C: Return on real estate: haha. There are millions of these homes with these kinds of kitchens that are worth far far less than what was paid for them.
Bottom line, I agree with the OP's question. That is how to produce a functional working kitchen that also looks good that doesn't look like one of these dinosaurs. I will stress again, go look at some websites that cater to European and Asian househoulds and you will find some very nice examples.
A: In fact I do cook a lot and I completely agree about the triangle. It's irrelevant to what I posted as it is not required to have expensive trappings for a functional kitchen. Often it's counter productive. Recently "This Old House" brought in Christopher Kimbal from America's Test Kitchen and asked him to evaluate one of these granite and stainless monsters and he wasn't very complementary of it. Basically his point is that it is so impersonal that it loses it's appeal as a place to be. Kitchen's are meant to be places of organized clutter, not showrooms and museum pieces. I am sure there are different opinions of this especially if one doesn't cook much, but the point remains you don't need to have an expensive McMansion style kitchen.
B: Sure. McMansions were popular. We see where that went.
C: Return on real estate: haha. There are millions of these homes with these kinds of kitchens that are worth far far less than what was paid for them.
Bottom line, I agree with the OP's question. That is how to produce a functional working kitchen that also looks good that doesn't look like one of these dinosaurs. I will stress again, go look at some websites that cater to European and Asian househoulds and you will find some very nice examples.
Try to sell a house with an outdated or cheaply done, poorly designed kitchen, and you will see less return, housing bubble or not. The warm kitchen posted by RR looks very functional and hardly impersonal.
Chris Kimball is the founder and editor of Cooks Illustrated, as well as hosting ATK and Cook's Country. His kitchens are way more fancy than either of the kitchens posted here!
You commented on a pretty modest-sized kitchen. It doesn't look anything like a "McMansion" kitchen. The OP said she wanted a modest update, not a Viking range and marble countertops. If you think an updated, modestly sized kitchen is monstrous and sterile, I'd hate to see the messy cracker box you supposedly cook in.
Coastalgirl you totally misunderstood. I was referring to the photograph that the guy who is obviously using this site to drum up business posted. I like your kitchen! Mine looks a lot like it!
And the extra pictures of your morgue that you posted are fantastic! Congratualtions on a job well done! It really looks pretty and I'm extremely jealous.
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