A Better Fit Open Floor Plan Kitchen

ciel411pi · 2025-05-07T15:50:43+00:00

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I was really not happy with the science lab-like cold vibes of my original kitchen so the first step I have taken is to swap out the 4000k ceiling light with a cheap temporary fixture that supports bulbs of warmer temperatures. I feel like the floor tile compliments the adjacent cherry oak floors but then everything else in the kitchen does not agree with the tile floor and I am stumped how to fix it so that it goes well with my living room.

kitchen slightly better but still feels wrong.jpg

The new light fixture is more relaxing on the eyes but I still dislike the way the cabinets, speckled black granite counter, and floor tile look together and I am not a fan of any of them individually.

My living room, which I am very happy with, is more of a collection of things I love individually rather than a particular style:

I am somewhat design-challenged and wondering if maybe if part of my kitchen troubles is that it is a mistake to keep matching the original wall paint color from the previous owner. Any tips for paint for the open floor plan or design direction for the kitchen are greatly appreciated. Thank you!

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Comments

ciel411pi

Two more photos for perspective. My kitchen looks okay up-close when using it and passable from far away but it looks uncoordinated when walking near it. The cat shelves wall that I installed myself is not on the table for removal. My only idea for the kitchen is refacing the cabinet with Wenge wood grain thermofoil to match the wood color of the cat shelves but I'd love at least one other opinion for taking another design step greater than a few hundred dollars.

DanielaAraya

I love what you said about your living room being a collection of things you love rather than a specific style—that's truly what home is about! I know you mentioned disliking specific things in your kitchen, but what would your dream kitchen look like? What would it feel like? Is color involved? Sometimes I think it's helpful to look at spaces you do love (even if the home or style is different) and pull apart the characteristics that you enjoy to see how to adapt them in your own space. Because your kitchen is closed into its own little square, I think it's a great candidate for peel and stick floor tiles! Your tiles look like a standard size so it would be easier to just plop them on top. Is painting the kitchen cabinets an option? Whether you paint or stain, you want to take the other surrounding colors into consideration so I would first determine what the end goal/vision is before doing something more permanent and costly like that. The new light looks so much better, btw! Great job!

foracle8194

You could add lighting under the wall cabinets to bring the kitchen to life and make food preparation easier.

Judyjudyjudy

I like your living room very much, and I think the counter tops coordinate well with it. Could it be that the kitchen is missing wood tones - to try it perhaps you could add a deep wood toned backsplash, then add some things similar to the things you love in either shape, tone, or concept. I agree with adding the peel and stick tiles to the flooring. Perhaps then, you can make decisions on additional changes you would like. Maybe a strong blue pot on the stove, removing a cupboard door, or replacing with a glass door - and having blue china or glasswear showing.

ciel411pi

Thanks for the various tips! My dream kitchen features are a waterfall countertop and pendants. I like these kitchens that achieve the waterfall look without sacrificing the two-level splash-mitigating countertop:

36d25b92b8df26da0d29c6d3d78075ec (1).jpg

Using snippets from some google images, I have a rough idea of how'd it play out in my kitchen space:

Waterfall counter with dark wood cabinets and island seating backer.jpg

On Amazon I found this cool pendant light style that reminds me of lava lamps but I'm not sure if they make the air space too busy or don't pair well with the other fixtures. I only have 8'-3" under the kitchen drop ceiling and was looking for the smallest pendants possible.

ciel411pi

Thank you for the kind commentary and creative suggestion! Although there appears to be a trend of painting over wood cabinets, I feel wood tones elevate most spaces if stained/bleached to the right shade and a wood-look backsplash is an interesting idea that could definitely improve my space in the short term while I save up for a more complete kitchen reno. I'll look into it more next weekend when I have more time to make a rough mockup in Photoshop. Thanks again 👍

cindy54536

I love the kitchen except for the floor.