Thank you all for your feedback. A couple of questions:

1. Yes, we have thought about painting le kitchen cabinets white. Does this last? Any advice on do's and don'ts?

2. Yes, i definitely agree with changing light fixtures everywhere. My only hesitation has been the impact it would have if we'd go for a distressed/old black look. What about the espresso colour of from some pieces of furniture we may end up keeping? Wouldn't clash?

Overall, I think you are looking at changes to the matching living room suite, the counters, backsplash, paint colours, and overhead lighting. I'd choose a budget for the project first, as there is more than one way to go about this -dark furnishings can be incorporated into a farmhouse look, but all of your ideabooks suggest you would prefer replacement of everything you have described. If that is the reality, and the budget is low, prioritize the living room, and take the project in steps. Willingness to accept some dark tones in the house, will make your budget go farther, and the cabs and occasional tables sound as though they are providing some continuity, and so might wait.

At least from the photo, the living room looks like there's space to add some things, so I would start there - add some blankets, find some fun antique items, change the pillows to something like burlap or linen, and maybe some rustic looking shelves. Wall art will do a lot of heavy lifting here. I would consider changing the tv stand as well, and maybe the coffee table. Maybe pick a color that's prominent in your favorite inspiration rooms and add it in the living room and kitchen for consistency.

As others have noted, the living room furniture needs to be changed. White kitchen cabinets would give it a farmhouse feel, but dark cabinets can work. Would be nice to add a farmhouse sink.

List on a piece of paper the features you think make a space "farmhouse style". Look through Houzz and magazines and add to the list the feature you see that make a space "farmhouse style". After you have completed the list, write "To Do List" at the top of the piece of paper. Go!

I wouldn't paint nice kitchen cabinets, the paint doesn't stay looking nice for long. I'd trim out the bulk head above your cabinets to make your upper cabinets look taller and paint it same color as cabinets).
Something like this:


You could make a wood hood above your stove or paint it black like the picture above. Then I'd focus on making your living room into the style you want by switching out your couches and adding farmhouse decor. If you were really invested in making it farmhouse, you might want to consider a different back splash.

Your kitchen is very nice, but if you are truly wanting a "farm house" feel then there are some things that you can do to achieve the overall look. The first thing you should do is determine what you would like to spend and be realistic about your budget. Keeping your existing counter tops and cabinetry can save you a lot of money. Glass linear mosaic tile is more a contemporary/transitional look. Your backsplash is nice, but I would change it to either a ceramic subway or a tumbled marble/travertine. If you do not want to paint all of your cabinetry, consider painting at least the upper cabinets a soft white to soften all of the dark cabinetry. Painted cabinets do wear some, but they can be touched up and the upper wall cabinets should not get as much abuse. Changing light fixtures is a good way to create the look that you want when combining it with other changes in finishes. Adding a few glass door fronts can also soften the look of your kitchen cabinets and give it more of the farm house look. You may want to also consider changing out your flooring as it has a more a contemporary look with the stacked straight orientation. On hardware - add some cup pulls or cabinet latches.

Textures can go a long way to softening the look and feel of both rooms...so much shine everywhere isn't conducive to a warmer farmhouse feel. Try wicker in the kitchen, and a piece or two of non-shiny crockery/pottery and a largish wooden storage box/bowl for your apples. Drawer pulls with more character, and a much softer overhead light fixture will help a lot. Don't think you need to paint the cabinets, but a slightly more contrasting but soft color would work on the walls. If you can afford to, change the backsplash tile for something less modern.

In the living room, warmer textures - lots of throws and pillows, standard and table lamps with fabric shades, a warm soft colored area rug. Bigger stuff would be to add crown moldings, even around the doorway, and built-in bookcases and cupboards painted a soft color or white. Here's an example of how you can dress the fireplace:

I'll be honest, everything from the kitchen and fireplace mantle to your furniture is modern. It will take work. Yes painting kitchen cabinets works, and it will last if you do the prep work correctly. You want to clean the surfaces to be painted. You need to decide if you want a perfectly smooth finish (no woodgrain) or if you don't care about wood grain. If you don't want woodgrain and there is already heavy grain showing (common with older oak cabinets) you may need to fill in the grain as a part of the prep work or do more layers of paint and sanding. When I have painted cabinets I haven't worried about the woodgrain and the end results were great and received a lot of complements. DO NOT USE SPONGE BRUSHES no matter what you read or see. Quickest and smoothest finish is to use a paint sprayer according to a lot of websites. I've always used a brush and received good results. You want to get a quality brush, paint with the grain, take the doors off and lay them flat. Do the crevices first, then the flat areas. Watch for drips/puddles (go back after a few minutes to ensure that paint hasn't collected into a drip after a few minutes, either inside the panels or at the edges. I do the back of the door first, then the front. That way I can sand any drips from the back and if there is a drip on the edge when I paint the front it is hidden. Light sanding in between coats. Minimum 3 coats (1 of primer, two top coat). You'll definitely want primer if you are lightening up the cabinets - primer is also cheaper than finish paint so if there is a lot of unevenness in the color after one coat of primer, put on a second coat before you start your top coat. It will save you money and some time. There are a lot of videos and articles on painting cabinets. If you have to keep the leather furniture, add in wood or stone tables and accessories - the idea is organic materials. I'd change the mantle at a minimum. If you can afford it, changing out the slick modern tile for either a wood paneled surround or a stone tile to the ceiling with a chunky wood mantle would add to the rustic feel.

Paint/strip and lighten cabinets, new backspash, concrete counters. Can you add some some half beams to ceiling? New lighting. This can be done!

Looking at your cabinets again, you don't have any face frame showing. It's all doors and drawers. I'd get some quotes from painters to spray your doors - they could easily be removed along with the drawer fronts so the painter could do them in their workspace without needing to tape off and tarp your kitchen. It also means you have the option of changing just your doors/drawer fronts and getting a couple face sheets to glue on the ends that are showing. There are a lot of places on the internet you could use to price out that option. Much easier/faster/cleaner than painting yourself. Change the hardware. If it still looks too modern, try a different backsplash.

Spraying cabinets is a smoother look but is harder for a home owner to touch up later.

if you spray those cabinets many of us would cry.

Might be easier just to move. Can't envision how you can get farmhouse from what you have.

Paint everything with Annie Sloan chalk paint!!!

I don't know your budget or why you are so "desperate" to have farmhouse, but there are other choices you should consider if you don't want to throw out a lot of very nice existing work. A good kitchen designer could help get you thinking. The present kitchen does not look remotely farmhouse so a major renovation would be required to get that, very costly. We did just that and are very happy, but we were prepared for a hefty budget. In a former house we kept everything except hardware, lighting, and backspash and for not too much got a very nice update. Here I would get a lighter and much simpler backspash, but the counters and cabinets could be left as is possibly with new hardware. Your floor is nice. You need good lighting however. Find a book by DeLuca on Kitchen and Bathroom lighting. It is out of date but filled with really useful information on how to light a kitchen. Fine Homebuilding magazine also has regular articles on both recessed lighting and how to position it to avoid shadows etc. and also under-the-counter lighting of which there are some terrific new options. Your appliances look quite new and if they are working well I would not change them either. A simple sisal rug or a used oriental from a tag sale could look fabulous with that dark cabinetry. Good luck

Definitely would replace lighting with recessed lighting. We did that on our recent kitchen remodel and wondered why we waited thirty years to do so.

As previously said, you have a lot of modern in your home. Are you prepared to get rid of many things, and have a hefty budget? For the kitchen I would at minimum change sink, faucets, lighting, backsplash, and pot rack. I have a picture that shows a farmhouse remodel. I don't care for backsplash in this one, prefer subway tile, or the granite as I find it too busy. But I do think the farmhouse sink and faucet give the farmhouse feel.

I would install antique whit or French country whit cabinets.

I now live in a 1914 farmhouse, grew up in a 1888 farmhouse, and I don't know why you would want to change what you have into what it is not. You have to listen to what your house IS, and work with that or it just won't work. I cannot make my house sleek and modern, or Frank Lloyd Wright functional, or cottage cozy. It is what it is, and that is all I have to work with. Do you want your house to feel different or reflect a different lifestyle than you have? Do you want more togetherness, less television, more family mealtimes? What does a farmhouse have that your present house lacks? It truly would be easier to move than to change what you have. It would be like forcing Sheldon Cooper to be a politician.

Celestial hit the nail on the head....

I also don't understand why everyone believes apron sinks represent "farmstyle" nowadays. Truly, I grew up in a farming community, visited lots of homes, and NEVER saw one until a few years ago, online on a housing blog. A true farm sink would have 2 compartments and be filled with vegetables, dead chickens, or dishes almost all the time.

Having dead chickens in a sink for effect is probably taking 'styling' a little too far though! ;)

Farmhouse sinks -- quite the misnomer, but good to know. I stand corrected. Thanks!

I'd add a stone veneer to the fireplace from floor to ceiling with a nice chunky wood mantle.

True, vintage farmhouse sinks:

They look nothing like the rectangle sinks of today.

The green sink and the thing under it are interesting.
But if you go white with the cabinets and put in a weathered wood floor with checkerboard edge detail, with marble subway backsplash, you go in this direction:

Nothing about your home says "farmhouse". Not the 60 inch flatscreen or the mosaic backsplash or the overstuffed black leather furniture. Adding a farmhouse sink will not work in your kitchen. You're going for too much. Snap back to reality.

I believe the "thing" under the green sink was probably a waste bin to feed the chickens. ch_lavoi 1, I hope you don't think we are disparaging you in any way. I am trying to understand how and why you are approaching the whole redoing of your house because it seems to be an overwhelming task from so many angles. I'm not saying it is not doable, but getting from here to there will be immensely difficult. When I was 8, I wanted to be a ballet dancer in the worst way. As I grew up, I began to realize the obstacles; I lived in the country where there was no access to dance lessons, I could not walk across a room without tripping and falling, I was 5'2" and built like a plug horse, and I had no sense of rhythm. It just wasn't practical for me to pursue that dream when there were many others for which I was better suited.

Thank you all for your feedback! Wow! Lots of great ideas! :)

I have a question about paint colour. Most of the photos are showing white (ish) colour. Does it have to be that bare to still create a farmhouse look?

Absolutely not. Farmhouse style as seen on the site is a highly gentrified version of the look - there is no rulebook involved, and you can choose whatever colours you like.

Many versions of the style:
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I think you are me six months ago. I just completed a project like this. The former owners of my home were into modern. I'm currently in my rustic phase. Some of the things (like the kitchen counters), I have to keep because I can't afford to get them replaced. I still found that I was able to get more of a farmhouse feel by being creative in choosing decor items that captured the farmhouse feel to me. For example, I have some stoneware displayed, some big wooden cutting boards, etc. in my kitchen (sitting prettily on top of the modern counter). The person who posted about the light fixture has a good idea. It's pretty amazing what doing something like changing light fixtures and curtains, or changing out paint and artwork can do.

Some of my furniture is like yours - very much not farmhouse/country. I learned I could hide it (pillows and homemade-style quilts/afghans help with couches and beds - you don't have to handmake it yourself; you can find great stuff on craft sites like Etsy) or repaint it (for example, I had a black modern entertainment unit from when I went through my black phase that I repainted this spring). What I did with my dining room set might work for yours so you don't even have to repaint. I was able to find several great tablecloths that I felt captured the country feel I wanted, and simply covered the table with them, then added a simple centerpiece. No one can tell that the table underneath isn't country-style. Depending on the style of your chairs, you might also be able to add pillows to them.

I believe your kitchen is lovely, and you could incorporate the farmhouse look with an updated twist, minimizing major costly changes in the already done kitchen, tweaking a few things here and there. Then, focus the rest of the changes in the living room.

I'd leave the cabinets for the sake of cost, unless you really have a large budget. In that case, I'd remove the uppers and replace with cream (espresso distressing also to tie in the bottoms) cabinets, some with glass fronts, and some open shelving. The open shelving should be bulky thick wood beams that you can fill with the farm house goodies you love. Then, I'd remove that fabulous backsplash (someone will buy it from you used, I guarantee) and replace with a copper tin backsplash that will provide warmth. It's easy to put up. It might even go over the glass tile backsplash if your carpenter is careful. Then, I'd remove the range hood, and add a wood hood with copper accents. Look for some awesome ones on houzz! Then, change the stainless sink for a big single bowl deep sink. Either in copper or white cast iron. Add a huge bronze faucet with bridge. It will look old and awesome! Add a pot filler over the stove if possible.

Exchange the contemporary fixture for a couple of old looking ones. You need more light in your kitchen, anyway. :)

Exchange the pot rack for wood or copper. I'd go copper, myself!

Then, add a huge butcher block board on the countertop, making the gray recede, and wood to take center stage. Add a sisal rug or two, and the kitchen is done!

For the living room, I'd definitely get a chesterfield leather sofa in saddle. They're warm, but not new looking. Add a couple of soft barn red wingback chairs or swivel rockers with the same farm country charm. Ground them with another sisal rug that has the edges bound in a barn red.

Add that massive beam someone spoke of earlier, to tie in the kitchen cabinet shelving. Be sure to create one really large piece of antique wood, like an old Victrola, or old door turned into a coffee table, or even an industrial cart coffee table. It will help blend your old and new.

Get a large farmhouse dining table. Old, big, chunky. It needs to be reclaimed wood if possible. THen, add some copper chairs at the sides, and upholstered country fabric on the end arm chairs.

Good luck! Add a huge rooster or two! lol. they always scream farmhouse! :)

Here are a few more ideas :)

Oh Lord...don't get me started on the rooster! My friend bought a summer vinyl table cloth with roosters on it a couple years ago. It has been an ongoing joke about the c's on her table. I see them in shops...send her texts. The best was the clock. We're so silly!

I think you could keep the dark cabinets. There's no sense in changing them when they are in good condition.
Change the lighting, put in a large farmhouse sink, and change the handles and knobs on the cabinets. That would be a good start.

I would try to decorate more eclectic. I'd replace the sink with an apron sink. Maybe make change your upper cabinets to white and add in a few farmhouse styled elements to them like a plate rack. I would also add a large living room rug that has farmhouse style and replace the coffee table with something with a more rustic or antique look.

If you plan to paint your cabinets, DO NOT DIY. Leave it to a professional other wise you will get nicks, and wear and tear that will show. It is quite common for people who painted their cabinets themselves to have to purchase all new cabinetry after a few years due to the finish job getting easily damaged and hard to repair. Also, you could look into replacing just the wall cabinets with a contrasted finish, that will give you an eclectic look and would save costs in purchasing all new cabinetry.

Here some photos that could give you some inspiration...

If you'd like to replace the sink with an apron sink, your contractor maybe able to alter your same cabinet. If not, you could contrast the sink base cabinet and replace it and the cabinets above to create emphasis on your sink area, like these ideas...

This kitchen is beautiful! If you have to change something to make it more your taste I would agree with light fixtures & copper pots. Maybe a little paint? A dark red could look nice in small amounts. You could also add a plaid valance over the window. A jug of sunflowers would go a long way for a more country feel.

I love DuraSupreme's suggestion of exchanging the sink base cabinet to match the light uppers. The picture I had in my mind (and what I suggested to you is what DuraSupreme has in their first photo...except the added the contrasting base kitchen cabinet. Because your kitchen is smaller, I'd still place uppers with mostly glass fronts and open shelving. LOVE!

You want farmhouse? Go big or go home, I say!

Linoleum floor!

Couldn't resist!

What's funny...the more I look at that photo, the more things I see that I actually like! The architectural details...the stove...the built-in cabinet....dinette set.

I swear, I was born in the wrong era....

Yep! That is farm house style. :-)

Ok...so I was still looking through a ton of Google images for farmhouse kitchen, and what do I find?? The other side of that room!

Seriously...what are the chances.

ch_lavoie1...please forgive me if I have momentarily hijacked this section of your post... I just had to share the other half!

Farmhouses were all about farm function. Period. I personally hAte the modern porcelain apron on the sinks. Won't the belly get cold leaning on it? Love the "dead chicken" remark. Yuck!

We have nearly completed our remodel of our kitchen. We reused the cabinets and made a couple of additional cabinets, relocated the appliances hand made the barn wood counter tops and re purposed some old barn lights that needed a lot of work.

looks incredible. great job!

I like the counter tops.