kitchen remodeling

My parents have very generously offered to pay for a kitchen remodel for me.

My kitchen is very dark and dreary. and stuck in the 70's. I've lived with this kitchen for 15 years, and done what I could to brighten it up. but I really hate these dark cabinets.

this is my kitchen. dont let the camera flash fool you, it is NEVER that light or bright in there.


view from the other end


this is more what the lighting looks like at its very best, with everything i've done to brighten it.


view from the other end


i got the house at a great deal because of its stuck-in-the-70's decor. it came with this lovely wallpaper in the kitchen


orange and brown and green stripe


and this lovely wallpaper in the dining room. and the orange curtain for the porch door. and the ceiling fan that looked like it was going to take off from the ceiling when turned on.


wallpaper removal revealed yellow walls to match the yellow countertops




I fixed that. the walls are painted 'ultra white', in my never ending quest to brighten it up.


there was carpet in the kitchen. my dog Puppy is about a year old in that photo and fell asleep with his tennis ball in his mouth.


my linoleum 'throw rug' in front of the sink. another day, another ball for Puppy.


under the carpet, yellow linoleum


dad and I fixed that with laminate flooring


I replaced the flying ceiling fan in the dining room with a chandelier. I wanted the lights pointing upwards so I would never have to stare at bare bulbs. (pet peeve)


I replaced the 2-bulb kitchen light fixture with a new 3-bulb one trying to add more light. it helped, but nowhere near enough.


I picked a fixture that wouldnt require me having to take a cover off to replace the bulbs


when I got a new fridge I didnt pay attention to height and it was about 2 inches too tall to fit


I asked dad come out and cut the bottom off the cabinet over the fridge to make it fit. I couldnt reach the cabinets up there anyway and never used them so I didnt care about destroying them.


orange and green shelf paper. I covered it up with white. it was so old it would NOT peel off.


green and yellow and orange shelf paper


the porcelain sink is impossible to keep clean. I have to keep bleaching it out.


and the light switch for the kitchen? its at the back of the kitchen next to the fridge and the door to the computer/tortoise room. there is no light switch in the kitchen by the door to living room. its a pain in the ass. for a while I used a special battery operated switch linked to the original switch, but it made the light bulbs burn out every 2-3 months! it worried me and my dad so I took it out and now the bulbs last a year or more again like they're supposed to. I want to wire a second light switch near the door to the living room.


so thats it, thats my old dark kitchen. and all I've done to it in the 15 years I've lived here.