I have the ugliest 60s/70s kitchen! help!!?

Question

Well I live in a flat and the kitchen is down right ugly. The problem with it is the counter tops/cabinets. They are the cheap things that you see in low income apartments built in the 70s. It has the white gold speckled plastic counter tops, with real ugly dull poop brown cabinets. The cabinets are in good shape but my landlord has told me that I cannot paint them :(. My appliances are new, but they are white and kind of dull cheap looking ones as well. The flooring is completely bad, its real cheap plastic flooring that I think was meant to look like rock flooring, but it went way wrong. What the hell can I do to make my kitchen appear to be more..modern? Attractive? Anything? I can paint the walls if that helps. I am willing to do almost anything I have spent 4 months with this kitchen and I just cant take another day of it!

Answer 1

I love the white/gold speckled from that era. I would play up the original design. Depending on how detailed you wouldn't mind getting...I would get a small can of the brown, a small can of gold, small can of white, and a larger container for the base in a nice neutral beige color that would play up the rock floors. Paint the walls beige, let it dry, then take the brown and with a thin line start putting a grid pattern (or a stencil, any pattern that you like really) on the wall. Use a ruler and put a thin pencil line to follow if your steady, or use painters tape if you want it perfect. Then with the white put a layer over the brown grid a little bit over so the beige will show through then repeat the same process with the gold. Just make sure each step is dry before moving on to the next. Then put down a neutral colored rug in the middle like sisal, or put down something similar in a smaller version if you just want something in front of the stove/refrigerator. This will allow you to play up the design with a couple good 70's decor pieces like a wooden fruit basket or canister set.

Answer 2

Well since you can't change your cabinets, you'll just have to work with them. If you can, try and change your counter tops. There are all sorts of different colors of granit or fake granit. I guess the best color to use with your cabinets is black or some really dark color because black goes with everything. It will give your kitchen more of a modern look rather than your old counter top. If you don't like your appliances, stainless steel always works and it looks awsome. For your walls in my opinoin would look great in a darker or toned down red. Tie all of these things together and your kitchen will look brand new.

Answer 3

Too bad you can't paint the cupboards! There is a great variety of wall coverings available these days. you should check out a paint& paper department to see if there is anything that you could cover the cupboards with. They even have different coloured wood grains. There are floor coverings that you can "loose lay" down. there is vinyl or wood panels that just click together. Painting the walls should be the first thing you do . I don't think you can do much about the counters if you can't change or paint them. try looking at decorating books at the library to see what is "in" and go for it!

Answer 4

you just described my apt!!!! My old apt had really nice new kitchen everything.. so going to this was kind of a drag. I chose an "italian" theme and used a lot of wall art with golds and maroonish red colors.. adding the color really seems to help. Other than that I dont keep much on my counter tops cuz it seems like it makes the ugly speckly counter tops more "dirty" looking. I guess i cant complain since i lived in an apt with an olive green stove and dark brown "paneling" looking cabinets.... lol

Answer 5

changing the hardware is the easiest way to freshen up cabinets that wont risk doing any damage. you can get hardware form anywhere around $0.89 and up at lowes or home depot. you could always do what everyone else is saying use poster board or something of the sort and use a goo gone to clean anything off of them before you leave, but if the landlord is really big on not touching them i wouldn't try it for chance something would go wrong. plus if they come in to the place to do any form of work and see that you glued stuff down, that might not go well.

Answer 6

1] find some fabric in a pretty print, and cover the doors with it. Staple fabric to itself, so landlord can't claim damages.
2] get some kitchen rugs or washable area rugs for the floor
in one of the darker colors from the print.
3] paint walls the color you like best in the print.
4] add a valence in the print or color from the print
5] get a flowering plant.
[ poop brown - hehehehehe.....]

Answer 7

Consider Contact Paper to cover the cabinets. There are lots of designs to choose from and it peels off when you want. Be SURE to get "movable". Use colored tape on the edges of, and bathroom decals on, the countertops.