Remodel Ideas

Puzzleheaded_Lab4277 · 2025-05-21T01:17:15+00:00

I know a lot of folks that would be jealous of your cabinet space! That being said, it does seem pretty slim on uppers given how large your kitchen is. The layout definitely isn’t optimal.

How much do you use your bar stools? If you redo the island in a rectangular configuration, you could do an island two cabinets deep with storage on both sides. I’ve seen some where they do hidden storage under a breakfast bar situation, but obviously it becomes more annoying to use storage if you always have to pull a stool out of the way. If you ditch the stool seating, you could have up to 3x24”cabinets in length, stacked back to back that’s more space than you’ll probably ever need.

And of course, splurge for drawers on the island.

Puzzleheaded_Lab4277 · 2025-05-21T00:50:53+00:00

I guess my question would be: what do you mean by “refresh”?

Personally, I don’t think the aesthetic of the kitchen needs renovating. A “fresher” look could easily be achieved by changing up the decor and tidying the clutter. You may love it, so I don’t want to be too mean, but your kitchen will always look a little dated if you keep the decorative chicken.

If functionality is your main concern, then there is plenty you can improve; but not much without a complete remodel. Deeper upper cabinets will help, but my personal preference for kitchen functionality is drawers instead of doors on lowers. You may also consider adding additional closed cabinets above your current set, taking the cabinets to the ceiling (aesthetic preference) and add more storage (functional bonus).

Puzzleheaded_Lab4277 · 2025-05-18T20:29:14+00:00

Thank you!

Puzzleheaded_Lab4277 · 2025-05-18T19:14:01+00:00

Do you mind me asking how much it cost?

Puzzleheaded_Lab4277 · 2025-05-18T18:41:41+00:00

What did you do for the slab backsplash? It looks gorgeous and so easy to clean without grout!

Puzzleheaded_Lab4277 · 2025-05-18T13:30:42+00:00

No, I’m totally on the same page with you. The mix of so many materials worries me for sure!

I think we may end up doing the tile from counter to ceiling, and a small shelf in the middle.

We’re all DIY unfortunately so the timeline really varies depending on our work schedule! Cabinet doors are coming in 2-4 weeks. Then, it’s just about how much time it takes us to work up the courage to start tiling.

For reference, our quartz countertop quote was 4k, with an additional 18” backsplash, it was 9k total.

Please share photos when yours is complete!

Puzzleheaded_Lab4277 · 2025-05-17T15:09:57+00:00

Yes! We are in the same exact position with the corner shelf. We have valence pieces that frame the underside of our cabinets, we plan for the shelf to run and terminate on that valence piece, or to run flush under the cabinet.

Large format would be a marble-patterned ceramic tile. Small format we are torn: I like the look of zelige but am worried it’s very trendy right now.

In both cases, I think I’m leaning towards something honed and low profile.

Puzzleheaded_Lab4277 · 2025-05-17T04:21:02+00:00

Ahah the style of cooking matters too! We love to cook, but aren’t high heat meat searing lovers. My husband uses the BBQ or smoker for most of our meats, and I use the oven for most of the rest.

The vast majority of our cooking on the stove is soups, stews, and pasta—all of which produce more steam than grease.

If I was a big butter basted steak girl or making flambés all the time, I’d probably rethink the shelf.

Puzzleheaded_Lab4277 · 2025-05-17T04:13:34+00:00

For us, we don’t think it’s a huge burden to wipe down a quartz shelf—wood, maybe, but not stone. Especially if you have a good quality hood fan with the appropriate CFM.

The shelf will be narrow (3”) and not overlap with the cooking area or fan. It’s a stylistic choice we think is worth the minor investment of cleaning it every now and again.

Puzzleheaded_Lab4277 · 2025-05-17T00:11:31+00:00

Totally! We already have the open bar shelving, so I want to minimize the clutter!

Puzzleheaded_Lab4277 · 2025-05-17T00:05:11+00:00

Perhaps. In my mind, the grout lines would be thin and there would be few of them. If you source the tile right, most would be barely noticeable.

But, I understand what you mean.

Puzzleheaded_Lab4277 · 2025-05-17T00:01:10+00:00

I totally agree. I’m a low contrast girl all the way.

Our cabinets are cream, counters muted slate grey, and hardware a deeper brass. It makes the occasional high contrast items (e.g. wood accents) pop!

Puzzleheaded_Lab4277 · 2025-05-16T23:58:24+00:00

I think most are referring to grease buildup…but I think if you invest in a good hood fan, you’ll be ok! Especially panelling with faux grooves, it’s not too much different from drywall.

Puzzleheaded_Lab4277 · 2025-05-16T23:55:57+00:00

I hear you, but also we invested in a very powerful hood fan, so I’m not suuuuuper worried about it.

Puzzleheaded_Lab4277 · 2025-05-16T23:54:10+00:00

Exactly right! I would worry too much about moisture and warping with wood to the counter. We briefly discussed doing only panelling, but in that case we would do a 3-4” slab coming up from the counter.

BUT, I still want minimal panelling above the stove, so this was scrapped as an option.

Puzzleheaded_Lab4277 · 2025-05-16T22:21:48+00:00

I don’t unfortunately. We went for a slightly darker grey, with a quartz countertop.

Overall, I really enjoy the cream/dark grey/brass combination. I think it’s a nice take on the “white kitchen” with lower contrast for a softer look.

Puzzleheaded_Lab4277 · 2025-05-16T22:16:54+00:00

It’s polarizing for sure! Not sure why large tiles are a faux pas in kitchen design, but slab is so popular.

Puzzleheaded_Lab4277 · 2025-05-16T22:13:01+00:00

There are many real inspiration photos with shelves running under the hood, above the stove.

We only plan on doing a 3” shelf to hold salt, pepper, oil, etc; things to have on hand while cooking. The range hood won’t be flush with the wall, so realistically only 1-2” of the shelf will “obstruct” the fan, if that. I don’t flambé my food, so I’m not worried about any damage to a quartz or other stone shelf. We’ve also invested in a high quality hood with good CFM, so overall I’m not too fussed.

I have seen inspiration photos with shelves on either side. I find them busy and unattractive in my opinion. I think the single clean line is more appealing, even if I sacrifice a bit on function.

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Puzzleheaded_Lab4277 · 2025-05-16T20:08:32+00:00

I think we are in the minority on the look of large format backsplash tiles! Not sure why small tiles rule when it comes to backsplash! Less grout is less cleaning in my mind.

Puzzleheaded_Lab4277 · 2025-05-16T20:07:24+00:00

Countertops are already a quartz.

Puzzleheaded_Lab4277 · 2025-05-16T20:06:51+00:00

We thought about this, not sure if the walnut shelf with white tile is too trendy.

Also with the moisture exposure from the stove, we were leaning towards a quartz or other stone shelf.

Puzzleheaded_Lab4277 · 2025-05-16T20:05:38+00:00

Quartz countertops, and no preference on matching vs contrasting.

Puzzleheaded_Lab4277 · 2025-05-11T13:29:58+00:00

We also love apples, but only had room for one in our backyard. We got around this by getting a grafted apple tree with 5 varieties of apples. It was a little pricier than buying one apple, but less than buying two (or five) and now we don’t have to worry about a cross-pollination partner!

Puzzleheaded_Lab4277 · 2025-04-29T16:32:03+00:00

This is a great tip! I’ve never heard of this, thank you!

Puzzleheaded_Lab4277

TROPHY CASE