Any interior design afficionados out there with some time to spare?

[Jean in Newcastle]

Dh and I are doing a DIY kitchen remodel.  I am liking a look that I've seen where wood Mission style cabinets below and painted white cabinets above.  I'm thinking perhaps with  thick butcher block counters that are protected with copious layers of polyurethane.  Do you know how I could make that look perhaps with stock cabinetry from Home Depot or Lowes? Or other places.   I'm not sure that we have the money to do custom cabinets.  Links welcome. 

Also - ideas on what kind of a floor would look good with that?  I'm wondering about a vinyl that looks like cork? 

[Catwoman]

Can you find the look you like at IKEA? They frequently run sales on their kitchen cabinets and countertops. I think they also have butcher block countertops — they used to be solid wood, but I’m not sure if that’s still the case. 

[ashfern]

Do image searches to find what you're looking for. The only thing I would worry about it having a cohesive look with the different wood (counter, lower cabinet, & floor). We got our kitchen cabinets from a local builder supply place for a fraction of the cost from Lowe's. Our Lowe's quote was just for the cabinets. Our kitchen cabinets, an additional pantry cabinet, farm sink, granite counters, lighting, faucet, & flooring all combined was less than the quote for just cabinets. Shop around!

[Jean in Newcastle]

Additional info:  I have steel appliances (stove is steel with a black ceramic stovetop).  Would that look funny with the brown wood tones?  Perhaps grey- wood lower cabinets for a grey- white color scheme?  And in that case a different flooring.  Does butcher block come in grey?  Dh is wanting formica. . . but I'm a bit resistant. 

 

[Lady Florida.]

31 minutes ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

Additional info:  I have steel appliances (stove is steel with a black ceramic stovetop).  Would that look funny with the brown wood tones? 

 

I currently have dark wood cabinets and dark wood floors with steel appliances and black top stove. It's gas but the grates are nearly black and the stove top is black. Previously I had light wood cabinets - maple - and off white ceramic floors with steel appliances. Both look good. As @Bagels McGruffikin said, the steel is pretty much neutral. 

[prairiewindmomma]

Jean, if you go onto Pinterest and type in white uppers wood lower cabinets there are a bazillion pics. (A friend recently did this with her kitchen). Notably, nearly every kitchen shown has white countertops. I am worried that the butcher block is going to get lost with wood lowers. I typically see butcher block countertops with white/colored cabinets. So....if you don’t have an inspiration photo you are working off of and love...spend some time looking at those combos on Pinterest and see if something resonates with you.

I do agree with looking at IKEA...if the Grimslov cabinet face doesn’t suit you, semi handmade also fabricates cabinet faces to fit IKEA cabinets. I particularly love their walnut options.

[EmilyGF]

5 hours ago, Catwoman said:

Can you find the look you like at IKEA? They frequently run sales on their kitchen cabinets and countertops. I think they also have butcher block countertops — they used to be solid wood, but I’m not sure if that’s still the case. 

My dad is a custom kitchen designer and builder in the SF Bay Area (so $$$) and he actually recommends IKEA kitchen cabinets (but not for homeschooling families with five children!). He has installed a number of IKEA kitchens and says they are well made. He designed and installed an IKEA laundry/storage/pantry area for me and the cabinets doing great.

The one warning about mission-paneled doors, even from super-high-end companies, is that the foil finish on them chips really easily. My dad has noticed that they chip even in homes with double-income married couples.

[Jean in Newcastle]

40 minutes ago, EmilyGF said:

My dad is a custom kitchen designer and builder in the SF Bay Area (so $$$) and he actually recommends IKEA kitchen cabinets (but not for homeschooling families with five children!). He has installed a number of IKEA kitchens and says they are well made. He designed and installed an IKEA laundry/storage/pantry area for me and the cabinets doing great.

The one warning about mission-paneled doors, even from super-high-end companies, is that the foil finish on them chips really easily. My dad has noticed that they chip even in homes with double-income married couples.

Sorry if this is a dumb question.  What is a foil finish?

[gardenmom5]

7 hours ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

Dh and I are doing a DIY kitchen remodel.  I am liking a look that I've seen where wood Mission style cabinets below and painted white cabinets above.  I'm thinking perhaps with  thick butcher block counters that are protected with copious layers of polyurethane.  Do you know how I could make that look perhaps with stock cabinetry from Home Depot or Lowes? Or other places.   I'm not sure that we have the money to do custom cabinets.  Links welcome. 

Also - ideas on what kind of a floor would look good with that?  I'm wondering about a vinyl that looks like cork? 

Don't go overboard on mixing "wood" colors - it starts to clash fast.  Right now, you're looking at three different colors.  Base cabinets, butcher block counters, and cork floors.   the vinyl wood-look are fairly durable and inexpensive, they also come in a number of colors.

You have more choice of cabinets online than what is in stock - you can still find readymade.  there are also other places and the cost savings comes in the box materials, etc. and the fronts are more standard.

[Jentrovert]

10 hours ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

Additional info:  I have steel appliances (stove is steel with a black ceramic stovetop).  Would that look funny with the brown wood tones?  Perhaps grey- wood lower cabinets for a grey- white color scheme?  And in that case a different flooring.  Does butcher block come in grey?  Dh is wanting formica. . . but I'm a bit resistant. 

 

If this is because of its appearance,  have you looked at all the edges and patterns that are available for formica now? With the right color and the right edge, it can look pretty good. 

[Carrie12345]

I have very little interior design credit, lol, but I’m starting to find my way.  I can confidently agree to suggest caution when mixing several woods, because I lived with a mish mosh for entirely too long. We had medium oak cabinets, almost blonde laminate floors, cheap, cheap wood trim on most things, and a beautiful stained beam and matching upper window trim when we moved in.  All of the other wood totally detracted from the best wood.

Our cheap-ish DIY (painted cabinets, painted and replaced all lower trim to white, LVP, and added a small raised bar stained to get as close to the beam and upper window color as I could get) made the floor and upper accents pop.

We did put in prefab laminate counters from Lowes.  I was very, very reluctant, but we don’t have a lot of counter space so it was an inexpensive experiment, lol.  I give them an 8.5 out of 10.  Don’t know that I’d automatically put them in a big, beautiful kitchen, but I think they look and work just fine.  (I do keep a marble slab on one end, where I can toss hot stuff without worry, since I did get used to tile.)

 

[BookMamaLade]

15 hours ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

Additional info:  I have steel appliances (stove is steel with a black ceramic stovetop).  Would that look funny with the brown wood tones?  Perhaps grey- wood lower cabinets for a grey- white color scheme?  And in that case a different flooring.  Does butcher block come in grey?  Dh is wanting formica. . . but I'm a bit resistant. 

 

Somebody else suggested walnut for the butcher block - that would go better with grays. You can also find grayed tones for wood finish for cabinets. 

[EmilyGF]

11 hours ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

Sorry if this is a dumb question.  What is a foil finish?

I think it is the way color is applied to cabinets. Most white cabinets (at least that I come in contact with) aren't painted but have a color cooked on. 

Emily

[Tina]

I would check with a custom cabinet business.  We got them to fit the full area we had available- and they were installed-- for less than cabinets from Menards would have been.  In fact, we used them for cabinets for the entryway, too.

[prairiewindmomma]

A foil finish on cabinets is a melamine veneer or a thermofoil put onto a MDF cabinet. It's not a wood + paint thing.

https://www.thespruce.com/ikea-kitchen-cabinets-are-made-of-1822041

[Jean in Newcastle]

19 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

A foil finish on cabinets is a melamine veneer or a thermofoil put onto a MDF cabinet. It's not a wood + paint thing.

https://www.thespruce.com/ikea-kitchen-cabinets-are-made-of-1822041

Ok - not doing that.  I want wood.  No MDF. 

[prairiewindmomma]

If you are solidly in the no-mdf camp for cabinet frames as well, I am going to steer you towards a custom cabinet maker. 🙂 

[ashfern]

22 hours ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

Additional info:  I have steel appliances (stove is steel with a black ceramic stovetop).  Would that look funny with the brown wood tones?  Perhaps grey- wood lower cabinets for a grey- white color scheme?  And in that case a different flooring.  Does butcher block come in grey?  Dh is wanting formica. . . but I'm a bit resistant. 

 

We have white cabinets, wood floors, and stainless appliances. There was paneling that we painted and may eventually do a backsplash. When I was looking at "country style" kitchens there are a lot that have a different color paint or wood lower cabinets.