What an interesting table! Now I have to think about what I’d put with it

Turned legs below. Is this what your butcher block had?

Never rely on gifts. Omg. Let me tell y’all about the time I asked my parents for a pair of Starck Ghost chairs. These people who lived together couldn’t get me two chairs in the same colour! Omg. I’ve lived with this situation for over two decades (because it’s part of my decorating philosophy, but... omg!).

I'd take my clues of warm yellow color from the floor in the room adjoining the kitchen to integrate the two spaces together. I agree with putting some accessories (esp. wood more "warm" and yellow toned) in the room and see how it goes from there.

RL, yes of course, but instead of normal turned leg dimensions, these were very fat. The table top itself was also much thicker than expected. It’s sitting in their attic still, because I “couldn’t fit it in” the next (20) time(s) i moved.

Texstyle, what a good point about the wood in the living room, and tying them all together!

Cjh, why did I think I should hide the fact that it’s a long, skinny room? Thanks for the link to that rug

I came here to post exactly what CJH suggested. Put in a nice colorful polypropylene runner in there. I love the white and wood kitchens with Persian rugs.

I customized the plain white closet fronts in a rental with contact paper. It held up very well for over 4 years.

As a landlord, I’m breaking out in hives thinking of a tenant painting walls black.

Also remembering the tenant we had at a house my parents rented out (many years back when my mom was still alive but I think my dad had already passed away). The tenant moved out and I walked in to assess what needed to be done before we got another tenant in there, and was mystified at first when I saw these two-tone walls that were primarily yellow but with green rectangles here and there. Then I realized it was because the tenant painted AROUND THE FURNITURE. Too bad it was before the era of cell phones, much less ones with cameras, so I could document the insanity.

I would try to match the gray to something that you can take with you to the paint shop. Do you have some magazines that have a lot of photos in them? Maybe one of the photos would have something in the exact shade of gray that is your kitchen, and then you could take that swatch to the paint store and ask for suggestions.

That is hilarious, Janet, painting around the furniture!

Altho, I have to admit, I’d be tempted to do that in my closet. Not take down all the shelving...

Janet, lol, now I see why you shudder at the idea of tenants who paint!

RL, some people do the opposite—paint or wallpaper a backdrop behind the shelves.

Epigal, white & wood sounds wonderful! There are so many temporary products out there these days. I just went looking for a round-up of them and came across this nifty set of ideas https://www.apartmenttherapy.c.....ens-245302
I can’t find the exact article I’m looking for. This is an older version of it. I want to try paisley temp wallpaper in the living room, which will be our hippie hangout. But the reason I want a kitchen without upper cabinets is that i don’t like the way they take so much space and make the room feel smaller, right at eye level. Even in a big kitchen, they are just boxed-up & uptight looking (to my eye—I know not everyone sees it that way). The good thing about this wall of cabinets is that they do not intrude, and the lack of color might help them recede. If I have to have cabinets, this is probably the best way to do them (although I do wish there was one above the sink with a dish-drainer bottom). But I might use your idea, or a variation on it like in the article, to tart up that backsplash.

Gigi, I’m beginning to think, from the hardware, that they might be Ikea. Totally didn’t occur to me at first, and if they are, there are a ton of solutions available.

Go play on roomstyler for ideas I like all your bright happy colors!

Thanks for the suggestion, Suntiger!

Would love to see some pictures once you’ve finished! My new kitchen is going to be white too, but more like the budget version of yours, LOL. Cheap and it looks like it too. Definitely feels like a fall back to my student days, although I’m going to have a dishwasher, so YAY. (But no oven, so there’s that.) I have ugly grey PVC flooring in mine, so I’ll also do a carpet and cover up as much as possible. I’m also going to paint, probably a dark grey to make the backsplash look less odd and a light grey on the rest of the walls. I’ve decided to embrace the grey, white and brushed metal and work with the color scheme that’s there. And then add in some pops of color with accessories and some art.

I like my new flat, good floorplan, good neighbourhood and good price, but it’s not very stylish or all that up to date. The previous tenant had no eye for interior design at all though, I’m curious how it ends up looking with a bit of love.