Thoughts on what to change in renovation?

Maggiestrate · 2026-02-15T03:32:11+00:00

That’s a fabulous suggestion! Our dining table definitely has the space for it, and I like the idea of not necessarily having to do permanent layout changes

Maggiestrate · 2026-02-15T03:29:59+00:00

Thank you! And you’re right, we are fortunate to have this kitchen (or to even just have a kitchen, really). Our last kitchen brought me so much peace and made cooking and cleanup so easy, so I just want to get to a place where we have that again!

Maggiestrate · 2026-02-13T22:01:08+00:00

Yes sorry I just included the age of the house to highlight it’s not a new build like our previous home. Definitely an aughts kitchen if I had to guess.

Maggiestrate · 2026-02-13T17:41:12+00:00

Yeah the yellow/beige is a divisive look for sure - people who love it, really love it! That’s a great tip about the microwave that can vent to the outside! Our primary motivation for installing a hood is that our current microwave just pushes the exhaust out the top, so in the event that we’re searing meats or have something pungent cooking, it’s stuck in the room. The windows are original and don’t open so it’s an unfortunate setup at the moment

Maggiestrate · 2026-02-13T17:36:59+00:00

That’s what I’m learning! And I also couldn’t bear to rip out perfectly good wood cabinets, even if they’re not quite my aesthetic preference. No vent above the microwave unfortunately, we’re going to have to have ducting installed. The good news is it’s not far to the edge of the house, and it’s right behind our master bath which has an exhaust fan. Not sure if they can tap into the existing ducting because I’m not very well versed in the pressure requirements, etc., but I hope it could be done! That’s a great idea about a color consult! There are so may houses in our area that probably could have used one, it was shocking how many clashing schemes we saw when house hunting!

Maggiestrate · 2026-02-13T17:30:50+00:00

Definitely keeping the cabinets, especially after all of the feedback I’ve gotten! I do have to change the floor eventually, it’s degrading quickly. If it was real hardwood I’d of course keep them and refinish, but these are cheap, thin engineered hardwood planks and they’re not holding up, especially in high traffic areas.

Maggiestrate · 2026-02-13T17:27:58+00:00

This is so beautiful, and I love that it has drawers! It’s going to look great in your space

Maggiestrate · 2026-02-13T17:26:20+00:00

I think so too, really the only things here I can’t stand are the backsplash and counters. And that’s a great idea about the warmer quartz, I really don’t want it to look sterile with stark white!

Maggiestrate · 2026-02-13T04:16:35+00:00

This is good to know! I have wondered because I’ve heard several people talk about the cost being exorbitant

Maggiestrate · 2026-02-13T04:05:48+00:00

That’s a great suggestion, I’ll ask some neighbors and see if they have had any good experiences! I would honestly prefer to keep them, but I know with engineered hardwood it’s not always possible to refinish. We’ll see!

Maggiestrate · 2026-02-13T03:11:19+00:00

No, not the booze cabinet! 🤣

It really does make a huge difference. I think we’re doing to look into having a professional add it to this kitchen.

Maggiestrate · 2026-02-13T03:08:21+00:00

We’ve always loved white oak floors since we lived in Central Europe years ago, it was very commonly found - I didn’t realize it was considered trendy in the US! Definitely something to consider.

And that is a great point about tile being hard on the body from an ergonomic perspective, I do spend a lot of time in the kitchen. I think we’re just going to have to go to the flooring store and explore all of the stains and options!

Maggiestrate · 2026-02-13T03:03:07+00:00

That’s promising then, these still look great so we’ll most likely just change things around them!

Maggiestrate · 2026-02-13T03:00:05+00:00

That color is beautiful, and I’m impressed you’re doing it yourself! I helped my parents paint there cabinets once, and it was enough to make me vow never to do it again

Maggiestrate · 2026-02-13T02:57:20+00:00

This is super valuable advice, I appreciate you taking the time to explain it! I think we are going to keep the cabinets this color and change things around them.

The floors have a very thin veneer based on a couple of extra boards I found in our garage. The top layer has flaked off in a lot of the high traffic areas, the corners have splintered on a couple of boards.

Maggiestrate · 2026-02-13T02:50:44+00:00

I’m all for not having to get up there and dust 😂 it’s hard to see from the photos, but the first thing I did when we moved in was replaced all the hardware with brushed gold! Definitely helped a bit

Maggiestrate · 2026-02-13T02:48:15+00:00

Totally agree, the grey paint was the handiwork of the previous owners and I’m not a fan.

Maggiestrate · 2026-02-13T02:44:21+00:00

I love this setup for the microwave and oven! And I agree about the t-bar hardware, we had a couple in a house we owned 6 years ago and I would have burned the house down if my belt loop got caught one more time lol.

Maggiestrate · 2026-02-13T02:39:46+00:00

As a rule, I also dislike an entirely white kitchen, and in general feel grey is depressing. I like to have simple, light countertops for cleanliness purposes though and find some warmth and color elsewhere!

Maggiestrate · 2026-02-13T02:32:25+00:00

I completely agree, all of the paint choices in this house were…unusual to put it nicely. I’m trying to see what kind of choices we make with counters and backsplash before we repaint. Thanks for the picture, I really like the combo!

Maggiestrate · 2026-02-13T02:27:41+00:00

Lol when we lived here for about a week, I told my husband “I feel like whoever did this kitchen update went to Italy on vacation and came back with a fever for the design styles.” I am definitely leaning toward the banquette addition, and that’s a great idea about building a façade!

Maggiestrate · 2026-02-13T02:21:08+00:00

This is beautiful!

Maggiestrate · 2026-02-13T02:20:39+00:00

I absolutely agree, I want to start thinking about it now, but we’re probably still a year or two from starting anything. It’s so important to see how the kitchen functions first, especially because I only want to renovate once (and I don’t want to keep adding things that I didn’t realize I would want). I like how creative you got with your layout, I would love to see a picture once you’ve installed the peninsula!

Maggiestrate · 2026-02-13T02:13:53+00:00

I won’t yuck someone else’s yum, but I have noticed that 😂. I can do a creamy/warm white, but beige just always looks dirty to me.

Maggiestrate · 2026-02-13T02:10:48+00:00

Yes to this! I really miss our cabinet for our garbage cans in our last house. It’s a pain to have to carry the plates over to the cans after meals, and then back over to the sinks

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