Hi dutchgirl, I see a super pale green with a yellow base and I think I'd prefer a truer white, like BM china white, which is warm white that is not too yellow, not too pink and not too blue. I love, love, love, lighter cabinets on the uppers and darker cabinets on the lowers. That's going to make your ceilings look higher too. What are your thoughts for the darker color? May I suggest BM glacial till (from the affinity colors)? It's a warm taupe. On my own island, it's BM meditation (also an affinity color), that is a darker combo of warm gray and olive green. My kitchen has warm traditional (but not super oxblood dark) cherry perimeter cabinets and Farrow and Ball String on my walls. I've got cool eastern light so I went with a warm palette. I think F&B light blue on the walls, BM China White on the uppers and BM Glacial till will work great together with your existing flooring, countertops and backsplash. And it would bring some of the feeling and palette to your new kitchen that you loved so much from old kitchen.

Would love to know how this all turns out!

You do not have to replace the dishwasher, only the panel. I slowly started to replace my appliances with stainless steel but my dishwasher was fairly new. I ordered a stainless steel panel at my appliance parts store and replaced the exixting black panel. If I recall, when I removed the black panel, the reverse was already white.

I don't think you're stuck with the green countertops - what about painting them? Rustoleum has a product specifically for this: http://www.rustoleum.com/CBGProduct.asp?pid=208

In my last house we had an exposed brick fire place like yours. It did not match the rest of the house and style. We were going to box it in, but decided instead to paint it cream to match the rest of the we were adding to the room. We worked it into the crown moldings. And we found an antique mantle piece that we fit the space well and attahced it to the wood. Good luck!

Yes! Paint the kitchen cabinets! I did what someone else suggested and painted the upper cabinets white and refinished the lower cabinets with a darker stain. I love the look of that, but not everyone likes the mix of cabinet finishes.

Get rid of the wavy wood valance, add some crown molding to the tops of the upper cabinets, and add some molding to the bottom of the upper cabinets to tie in the piece at the bottom that's hiding the under cabinet lights.

You can paint the line of green tile on the backsplash...Prime it, and then get a high gloss paint in any color you want to get rid of the green. I did this in a house I used to have, and it worked just fine. I did it as a temporary fix, and then ended up never changing it.

The floor is not going to look as ugly once the cabinets have an updated look... Some nice rugs would take care of them as a temporary fix if they still bother you after the cabinets are painted.

Some people cringe at the idea of doing anything to brick. IMHO, I don't think brick or any other material (such as oak) is sacred, and that you should do whatever makes a place feel like a welcoming home to you.

Personally, I'd probably live with the brick on the fireplace for a while just to decide if I really hated it after I got my own furniture in the room. One thing I would do immediately, though, is remove the track lighting from the ceiling in front of the fireplace. That little change alone might make a huge difference.

Hillary, love the fire place. you did a great job with that!
Deidrem, do you think I should paint the "appliance" cabinet wall china White as well?

and i thought about painting the counter top but i looked into it and seems like a really huge task....Im now thinking of replacing them with a cheaper counter top.....(guess that means laminate ) OR i just save the money and wait a while ....a long while....

loribeth..thanks.
I agree totally!
All the light fixtures are going! ugh theyre so ugly. I really hate that GOLD look. I would love to try to find a way to keep the red brick fireplace. ...just because....BUT i'm also not afraid of changing it either.. My husband wants to put the TV above the mantel...Hmmm? not sure about that though....thoughts? I'm really excited to move in 5 weeks but I know i'll get there and feel so over-whelmed with all the changes i want to make. I will refuse to put my stuff on the walls and get it all decorated unless the walls are painted, light fixtures changed, and hopefully the kitchen changed up. Wish all you people could come over and have a look in person..! LOL

Forgot to add... I used Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations in my kitchen, and I love the stuff. It comes in a kit with everything you need except paint brushes. No sanding, and the final finish is incredibly durable. I painted my cabinets in almost six months ago, and I was afraid the paint would scratch off because I didn't sand. NOT! They still look perfect.

You can also get the Rustoleum for countertops, but I've never tried that.

Here's a before and after of my cabinets, just so you can see how well they turned out. I kept the wood valance thing, but only because I haven't decided what light fixture I want. Two before pictures, then one after picture and a close up of the upper cabinet, so you can see the finish detail.

BTW, I am not getting paid to promote Rustoleum, I just REALLY love their Transformations product. It made painting a lot easier.

We just installed a fireplace insert in our basement. I wanted to mount the TV above the fireplace but you need a substantial mantle to block the heat that will rise. Some TV manufacturers even void the warranty if you mount the TV above the fireplace. It is best to check with your TV manufacturer and local fireplace shop before you do this.

loribeth it looks great. Did you use rustoleum on the top as well? at least you had a decent floor to start with! LOL the knobs are cute too.

Thanks! The uppers are what I used the rustoleum on. The lowers I used a little darker stain on. I switched out the knobs. They originally had brass handles, which installed where we never used them. The floors a linoleum and in good shape, so we lucked out with those. Eventually, they'll be pulled up because there's hardwood under them.

Like you, it's a process and will be a few years before we can do everything we'd really like to do.

I didn't know putting the tv over the mantle might void the warranty. I'd check into that first... The five weeks are going to fly! I hope you post pictures of what you end up doing, because I really like the ideas you've been given.

Hi Dutchgirl- yes I'd paint the appliance wall China White too. Painting the countertop sounds like more trouble than its worth. Unless you can go to the slab yard and get a good deal on some remnants I'd leave it alone for at least 6 months then re evaluate replacing it. I don't know where you live, but in the northeast there is a company called Green Demolitions that recycles and sell entire kitchens, countertop slabs, fixtures,etc. many times these items are excellent and very good deals.

We had a similar feel of kitchen, a little more updated since our house was originally built in 1997... because we had to put so much money into the soul of the house, we had less to use for remodeling - so began to DIY. We used Rustoleum Cabinet Transformation over our tired old oak cabinets - used the distressed black technique and made such a huge difference! We still have our countertops to do, we haven't decided what to do for sure, want to live in it for a bit - one idea I have is to replace our island countertop with IKEA's same dimension stainless steel top for 129$ I also did the countertop transformation in our mudroom/laundry room with similar issues and it turned out FAB.

Just curious - even though I see you have fabulous taste and your old kitchen is stunning, would you think about doing something a little outside the box and remove all the upper cabinets and replace them with some really cool shelving and places to hang your pots and utensils, also some artwork. Repaint the the lower cabinets slate gray and change the hardware to a style that suits your taste ( a real cheap change ) . This will rally open up the kitchen and you can show off all your beautiful kitchenware. Good luck!

zanzi1 YES i have thought of removing some of the cabinets. I haven't (yet) considered removing ALL of them though?!?! I love that look for sure!! I also thought of replacing the upper cabinets on the appliance wall with glass doors ... I wish I could see what it would look like first before i did it ...whether it be painting both upper and lower cabinets OR removing all uppers and replacing them with cool shelving.

I NEED TO LET EVERYONE KNOW THIS!!!>>>>> wow! i just found out that all the flooring that you see...yes,....in the house we are moving to, in just under 5 weeks....IS ALL LESS THAN ONE YEAR OLD!! can you believe it!?!? I can't!!!! well, at least it's new and in good shape; it's just NOT what i would have picked out! LOL
New kitchen, family room, dining room and hall way...and they're all flipping DIFFERENT!! WOW so funny!

Here are the before and afters of our kitchen and mudroom/laundry room. YES, I painted the vinyl!! Did it all myself for $500! Used Rustoleum Countertop Transformation in mudroom - left countertops for right now in the kitchen.. TBD! Good luck!

More pics of the painted vinyl floors...

Here are pics of the Rustoleum Countertop Transformation, before and after

looks great Debbie!
What colour did you paint the cabinets and what is the colour of your wall in the kitchen area? I like it! It looks blue/grey

We painted the kitchen cabinets black with the Rustoleum Cabinet product, then sanded it to distress it - really turned out fab on a dime - but after painting our entire house, we decided to just prep, prime and paint our cabinets in mudroom instead of the cabinet transformation kit and the results are just as good for less $. You do have to remove your cabinet fronts but that is easy and will only take you about 30 min total. The cabinets in the mudroom are Simply White from Ben Moore and our wall color in kitchen is Wales Grey Ben Moore...

Regarding the big bank of cabinets with the fridge/etc...paint it all white and the appliances will disappear! It was done that way in one of those links I posted earlier about mixing dark base cabinets with white uppers. Love the idea of doing floating shelves instead of uppers but that is a personal choice in regards to storage needs.

Crown molding would do a lot for the character, I would remove the bridge over the sink when adding the molding. Once you paint the cabinets that will change things a lot. They look like stock cabinets, but the crown molding if it is better stuff will add more than you know. Also it would not cost much to stagger the wall cabinets like at your other home, you could add cabinets over the tops or extra things like appliance garage so they don't seem so short when they are raised.The floor is an easy fix and paint for the fireplace also. Also once you paint the cabinets you may not want to change them out. Good luck.

If you don't like the flooring, it doesn't matter if it's new or not, it needs to be changed. You shouldn't have to be stuck with something you don't like forever just because it's new...change it when it's in the budget.

Our floors are not new and they actually look in better shape in the pictures than they actually are. However, we know there are hardwood floors under them, so eventually, we will be ripping them up to reveal the hardwood. Everything takes time when the budget is in charge.

You've gotten a lot of good suggestions and comments. I would just like to add a couple of things: first, although I like the dark color, I think that this kitchen doesn't have enough natural light to go so dark on all the cabs. I think that a white/cream on the top or specifically placed, with dark base cabinets would work, though, and look very sophisticated. I know a lot of people have recommended the Rustoleum paint for cabinets, but Benjamin Moore has one as well, and it is available in ANY color. You do not have to prime your cabinets. It runs about $50/gal. and is fantastic. I had to get it through a BM dealer, but it is also available special order at Home Depot.

I would also, as has been suggested, both remove some doors for open shelving as well as add glass. You need to visually break up the long swaths of upper cabs especially. Yes, paint the ref. wall white.

Have you considered replacing the counters with granite tile? It is very inexpensive. You would probably need a new substrate, since it looks like your counter edges are post-formed, but that's no big deal. It may not be too much more expensive than painting the existing, and would certainly look and wear better. At the very least, I would paint out those tile stripes - they only accentuate the dated linear feel. I would seriously consider replacing the backsplash if that is at all feasible; even 5 years is a long time to live with something you hate. Do you have a good tile distributor/store nearby? There are some beautiful things out there that only cost a few dollar/sq.ft. and you could install it yourself.

Good luck, and congratulations on the new house!
Kathryn

Kathryn, I didn't know BM had a kit to paint cabinets. The rustoleum one includes a degloser, base coat, glaze, top coat, and cheese cloth rags. What's included in the BM, because I haven't found anything about it. I'd seriously consider get the BM product if nothing needs to be sanded or primed like the rustoleum product. Do you remember what the BM product is called?

It's called Cabinet Coat. It is owned by Benjamin Moore. Here is one link, which unfortunately does not tell you a lot http://www.insl-x.com/viewProd.asp?prodID=180. I see they now have it available in a kit, but it's just basic painting supplies and I'm sure it's much cheaper to buy those separately. I have been using a foam roller and the finish is coming out fantastically - it looks like a factory cabinet finish. I have done about 10 feet of very old cabinets in a cottage, which has taken me about a 1/2 gallon so far. The dealer told me not to "work" the paint too much so that you don't get streaks. I think it dries in about 12 hours, too, so there isn't a lot of downtime, and it is self-leveling, if I remember correctly. The hardest part is figuring out how heavily to load your roller so that you don't get drips, but that's minor. I think this stuff is fabulous! I don't have any of my cabinets finished as of yet - and I'm not sure that the photos I have would tell you much - but it has worked so well for me. I had the problem of having old cabinets which had been oil-based, but at some point, painted over with latex, which meant I would practically have had to strip them to repaint. This stuff adheres like iron. Here is the HOme Depot link, which gives a bit more info http://www.homedepot.com/buy/paint/interior-paint-stain/cabinetcoat/1-gal-white-trim-and-cabinet-enamel-55083.html Good luck. Let me know if I can provide any further info., In the meantime, I'll go through my photos to see if they would be helpful to you.

I was in a similar situation. Bought a vacation house and had hardly any funds left over to renovate. You can see the before pictures. I bought new cabinet doors off EBay, painted everything white, added moldings, counters are still formica, new dent and scratch appliances, recessed refrig into opposite wall and built a pantry(these spaces were taken from adjoining bedroom).
You can do alot with some imagination and little $$!

Just another thought - check under the new floor to see what is there. You might like it much better or it might be easier to redo. Also, you know what they always say, don't make too many changes until you live in the house for awhile. Your taste and needs might change. If you do decide to take down the top cabinets, do save them, you never know what you might need them for. I have the tiniest kitchen you've ever seen with awful cabinets and I did take off the doors on the top ones to have open shelving for now. It would be even nicer if I had frameless cabinets but these are from the early 60's. I should post a picture and then you would see how lucky you are.

Thanks everyone! Again, I really love all of your ideas. The before and after photo's are great!!
I have some good news!!!
My husband and I came to the conclusion that a "total" reno of the kitchen and the rest of the ajoining space is just going to be so expensive that we are putting it out of our minds indefinately. Which means, we will invest in a new counter top (probably laminate or something cheaper than granite) and we will also put in a new back splash. SO>>>>>
This is what i've decided to do:
*new counter
*new backsplash
*paint upper and lower cabinets
*thinking of going with "BM China White for uppers" and BM Glacial Till" for the lowers. This is just a "maybe" but i do really like these colours
* new light fixtures
* take down the piece of wood above sink
*new hard ware
*eventually (sooner than later) new appliances
*most likely going to take some of the upper cabinets off and replace with open shelving ...just don't know what kind of shelving?...wood? painted to match lower cabinets? or match uppers? or wood?
* now to decide on the counter top and back slpash? Light counter and light back splash? hmmm?

So atleast the green counter is going !! and so it the back splash!! YEAH!!

the floor is staying...BOO But oh well..hopefully the other changes will help a lot.

Wow, I am in the same dilemma. I hate my kitchen in my country house too, but unfortunately we don't have the funds to really transform it right now until we sell our other home. We have to add an addition and make some other big changes before we move into the house, so the funds just aren't there for the kitchen. I like your ideas and I think I'm going to do something similar. Best of luck! (BTW, your new house has a lot going for it and I'm sure will be wonderful when you're done).

Dytecture, What you did is really cool! What program did you use? I would love to experiment with doing lighter cabinets on top with some open shelving, and a darker shade on the bottom cabinets. Thanks!!

Thanks, Kathryn. The only thing I can see that I wouldn't like about the BM product is that you have to sand everything. With the Rustoleum, I didn't have to sand anything and that's why I chose it. But the BM product sounds like a great product for someone who has the patience to do the sanding. :)

Would love to see some pictures. I bet it looks fantastic!

Your kitchen is looking dated but it's not horrible, honestly. But agree, some minor, affordable fixes are needed to make things bareable until you're ready for a complete overhaul. Yes, paint the cabinets white but suggest it be done professionally. Not that you're not talented, just that I've seen well-meaning people do this themselves & all you can say is, "Oh, you painted your cabinets... how nice..." Definitely get rid of the scalloped valance & black pencil trim tile. Too retro. (Chisel it out or paint over it w/ tile paint.) But keep the countertops, they're not that bad. I even like your floor. (But the photo might be hiding things.) Sell the black appliances & replace them with w/ white or stainless. Looks clean & bright w/ white cabinets, agree. Your white tile is fine & very neutral. I'd keep it for now but paint your walls a darker, earthy gray/stone color to inexpensively warm things up & mimic the mosaic stone tile in your lovely favorite kitchen pic. Just until you're ready to re-tile 100%. To open up the narrow sink end of the room consider replacing the window with a small greenhouse or bay/bow window. I think one would add much needed depth & expansion. And a place to grow herbs & flowers. And they're not too expensive. (vs tearing down or opening a wall.) Re your living room, it looks like two rooms, not one. And tight. The electronics eat up a lot of floor space. If possible hang the TV over the fireplace or move it out of that area altogether. Maybe then turn this alcove room into a library or den? Lots of nice reading light available. (A nice place for a window seat, too.) Install three inexpensive RTA bookcases along the left wall (eg. IKEA) & place your two recliners in front of those. Add a nice large round ottoman to offset all the square angles & you now have a semi-private cozy place to settle. (Another thought, don't know what's outside those four windows, but in the future maybe you could replace them w/ french doors that lead to a deck balcony or patio area?)

Hi Dutchgirl, can't wait to see your changes - best of luck with everything !

thanks 2leftsocks. Your ideas are great too. Fortunately the furniture you see is NOT mine. It's the current owners. We get the house in 4 weeks. eeee so excited~! we have warm brown leather that we will be bringing. as well as a couple of black chairs. Yep, trends suck, because we bought that furniture 6 years ago when everyone wanted brown leather. LOL! We will be stuck with it forever. I will add different cushions and pillows to accent them. We also decided to keep a TV out of this entire living space, and putting it in another room. I have 3 kids and we visit with family often so i need lots of seating for everyone. Do you think both upper and lower cabinets should be white (i'm pretty sure im going with "china White, BM" Thanks for all the awesome advice!

Hi Flyingdutchgirl. Thank you for your compliment! So many great ideas posted here, esp the photoshop pics. People are so wonderfully creative. Very happy for you re your home purchase - feels great, agree! Also glad you have nicer furniture. Wanted to suggest that but didn't want to hurt your feelings. And don't worry about your brown leather furniture. It's classic & will always be in style. (It's colors like butterscotch flesh-tone that creates problems. My folks have it, bought on clearance. Big surprise, ha ha.) You have the right idea though; a few pillows & a throw & will still look great regardless. Re your kitchen cabinets being two different colors. Well, honestly, not a fan of the look myself. May be another short-lived trend. But does not mean mixed cabinetry doesn't look nice. I just prefer a more cohesive, less broken up look - esp if it's a smaller space. But totally understand you wanting some visual interest. I'd probably add a nice contrasting wood furniture piece, maybe something antique looking. A small rolling island, buffet, upright cupboard or a desk for mail, bill paying or laptop/computer. Adds practical & pretty umph. I just updated my tiny, dreary 1995 galley kitchen very cheaply. Using only paint, tile, open storage & some decorative accents. My budget did not allow for a much needed overhaul. (Replacing boxy, chipped, rusted black & white appliances & the worn beige vinyl flooring. Luckily the white countertops & cabinets are in very good condition. They stayed.) Still, I was able to dramatically changed the room's look with inexpensive cosmetics & by sticking to just 3-4 colors. The space looks so much better now vs. the crazy quilt, previously. Got some much needed visual relief. Brighter, less cluttered & is more efficient to use. Many cabinets in a small area can look very busy & claustraphobic. I toned things down significantly by simplifying the room's color palette & adding some open storage. (Painted the walls a medium spring-green & installed a white tile backsplash w/ a few neutral sage green accent tiles. Also added a large white marble cutting board & some white shelving. For color contrast I created a dark walnut counter top work area w/ fabric panels below (hides washer& dryer) & hung matching bamboo window blinds. Added similar storage baskets, too, to hold kitchen gadgets.
(The jury is still out re my walnut wood choice. Antique pine might look better.) Also used neutral brushed nickel cabinet pulls, shelf brackets & stainless cookware for additional sparkle & brightness. Last, placed a brown & red oriential wool runner on the floor for balance & color. Not exactly original ideas, or my friend's taste, but very suitable for the space. Although the the room is still dated; needing new appliances & flooring, it's now a much more cheerful place to be. :)

If you plan on painting your cabinets check out a product called Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations. I have been working on my base cabinets for the past few weeks with this product. For no more than $200 it can totally change the look of your cabinets. I was suprised how well they came out. Beware, it is time consuming and you need to take your time and follow all the instructions, but wow! We had just invested a lot of money in hard wood flooring so I did not want to spend a fortune on new cabinets. I figured I would give this a whirl and see if I could make do with the current cabinets in a different color.

You must be getting close to moving by now. Can't WAIT to see all the updates as they happen!

Any updates on the move? Can you tell I'm living vicariously through your kitchen plans? :)

HI!! Well, the move went well. so far we've changed the hardware to a nice stainless simple pull. new stainless fridge and dishwasher and microwave. we haven't painted yet but that will be soon!! i love this place and have been busy with all the gardening here....Hosta business ( i have over 750 different varieties!! who would have thought there were so many different hostas?!?!...) I'm getting ready to open up for business in 2013 and have been very busy splitting and planting over 600 hostas so far....SO needless to say, the kitchen reno's are on the back burner for a little while. Amazing though, what 2 new light fixtures, as well as hardware and appliances can do. I still don't love the floor, but that's ok...I'm still thinking of painting the cabinets "china white". the natural coloured maple is growing on me! LOL it's actually not as orange as the pictures show. I will post some pictures soon. in the mean time, check out and "like" my facebook page i created for my hostas...Look up "windmill woods hostas" if you would like to "creep" the outside of my new place. LOL
PICTURES TO COME SOON!!

Here are some of the family room (just off the kitchen) i haven't painted yet...this is just my furniture in place....
check out what it looked like before though ...

oh and mind the mess ...i see a t-shirt on the back of the chair ! LOL as well as Mother's Day cards and gifts on the fire place! I would like to paint the walls "BM Innukshuk"

Glad to hear the move has gone so well! Love the family room so far! Btw, I am positive I have that exact same tablecloth. ha.

Have enjoyed following this thread :) and looked up Windmill Woods Hostas.... you are in my mom's neck of the woods!!! We're moving in the summer and will be looking to add some hosta's so send me a "grand opening" invite!!

I think you could add a sisal or other run in there, just scotch guard it so it is easier to clean. But I love that someone said you can paint vinyl. So creative. I love all these wonderful ideas. I am sure your kitchen will be beautiful. Have fun! You won't believe the difference painting the cabs will have.

Determine the type of wood the floor is. Sand them, they may be lighter under the varnish. Check out ideas for white washing then light stain, seal with polyurethane.

i Was wondering what brand do cabinets you used in your first home? They’re gorgeous! I have bought my dream home and need to refinish the kitchen. Thank you!

loribeth it looks great.