You did a wonderful job. Your elements all go together so nicely. It's amazing what a difference a few changes can make. Love the picture of the bs reflected on the countertop.

Your doggie is adorable - of course he would use those handles as a ladder!

Your kitchen looks lovely. I especially like the backsplash. I laughed with the description of the doggie ladder. And he looks so innocent. LOL.

and I read about a product here and I've tested it on a couple doors....General Finishes Gel Stain. It's AWESOME and so very easy and cheap.

Rockler stores carry it.

Love the dog too!

Trish

That's great! Very creative.

You know, those are by far the nicest 80's oak cabinets I have seen in a long time. I personally don't like oak but I think it looks great. They are simple, so the oak gets to be a star in a sleek modern way, as opposed to just busy and ugly if they were all routed with raised panels and arched tops and such. I think your choices are GREAT!!

For what it's worth, some if Ikea's higher-end cabinet doors are oak:

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I love your backsplash and with the counter really makes the kitchen look much better. I too hated tile counters - nothing is ever really level.

Your 'before' reminds me of the kitchen I grew up with and my mom still has. The flat slab cabinets and drawers update well. Clipping your 'after' to show my mom the possibilities. Enjoy the refreshed space.

We also have a "busy" counter/backsplash combo with blue pearl granite and blue mosaics, but personally I like the look.

You did a great job, and I don't think the cabinets look bad at all, especially with the upgraded hardware. LOL on your doggie using it as a ladder.

What a lovely transformation! We're doing a similar thing in our kitchen. Keeping our old oak cabinets but changing the countertops, backsplash and hardware. Eventually, we'll also do our lighting.

I think it looks great and I think it's wonderful to save materials that are still in good shape.

You did a great job. It looks wonderful...and you kept serviceable, well-built cabinets out of the landfill. So don't think of it as a "minor reno"...think of it as a "green reno."

;^)

Very nice job, and I agree, it is not a "minor reno" it IS a green reno.

Love your dog. I had a bassett when I was very little. My parents could never figure out how she kept getting out of the fenced back yard and showing up at the front door. Well, until they looked out the window and saw her climbing the snow drift and hopping over the fence. They are very smart dogs!

Enjoy that new kitchen!

i love your oak slab doors. i wish i could get doors just like them.

Thanks, all.

I like the "green reno" description, and to everyone who commented on the oak, I have to say it's growing on me. I think the green wall color helps minimize it, complementary colors and all.

That basset hound had spent a whole year trying to get a grip on those drawer edges with her massive paws--to no avail. First time she saw those handles, she must have thought they were just for her. I laughed out loud the first time I walked in and caught her "red-pawed" balancing on her back legs with a front paw on the top and second drawers.

Great basset story, beekeeperswife. Yes they are very clever dogs, with built-in snowshoes in front. I love the breed...this is my fourth. I've attached a link to a video of her playing in the snow.

Here is a link that might be useful: Not useful but cute: same dog playing in the snow outside

You really did a great job. The black counters and new backsplash make a huge difference. Good luck with the rest of your plans. Enjoy!!

What's funny, is that when we redo our cabinets, I want simple slab doors with contemporary hardware. Now I have thermofoil with contemporary hardware. I really didn't understand that slab doors were from the '50's and in this instance, from the 80's. I think they look timeless!

Good job! Great backsplash!

I think you came up with the perfect solution to your desire to change out your kitchen by switching a few elements. It looks great! Love the backsplash. Love the dog!!

Great backsplash and what a clever basset hound! We have black galaxy counters too, so of course I love your granite.

I really love kitchen re-do's with original cabinets. Well done.

Rada, I love the backsplash, new hardware on your cabinets, and new granite counters that update your kitchen making it a big improvement than what you had originally. Thanks for sharing.

Tntw, I will have to try that gel-stain you mention as well as a few others others mentioned. I took the stick on dark brown plastic coating off the bottom of my cabinets that kept coming off and many of the areas have thin plastic type of paper picture rubbed off so there is a lot of particle board showing. The worn doors in person bother me also so I am trying to enhance my kitchen and make things even nicer.

But I agree that Rada's cabinets are in good condition and it is a green renovation.

You really did a great job. The black counters and new backsplash make a huge difference. Good luck with the rest of your plans. Enjoy!!

Beachlily, I had white-painted '50s slab cab doors in our last house. I got all inspired by a DIY show on HGTV and added wood trim to give them a recessed-panel look. Big mistake: they looked good at first but I soon realized I had added two hard-to-clean corners to every door and drawer front. Slab-front doors are timeless and easy to clean.

Tntw, I appreciate the gel stain recommend. We also have oak cabs in 2 bathroom vanities and I have a green light from DH to change those, so I will give it a try and post results on the Bath forum.

Thanks again, everyone, for the support and encouraging feedback!

Beautiful green transformation. The cabinets look great with the new elements! So you added knobs and then decided you'd rather have pulls? Or are you just trying to confuse your cute pup? lol

Good for you for not throwing out perfectly good cabinets - they look fantastic! I think black hardware with the warm oak looks perfect and it ties in so nicely with your counters. Looks beautiful - great job! And I love your pooch!!

Yes judydel, I added knobs and then changed my mind. I tend to do that a lot. I might reuse them in the bathroom or garage cabs or just donate them.

Thanks gibby3000. That's how I feel about my appliances. I would have to downgrade to afford new stainless anything.

The pooch is a rescue we got her when she was 6 months old. We were her sixth home! She's a little high maintenance, but most bassets are. I honestly don't know why the previous owners didn't want to keep her. She's a sweetheart.

Rada, you did a great job! I feel for ya in regards to painting the cabinets, I'm in the same boat! It still looks wonderful though and I'm sure you'll enjoy using it alot!

I agree with stacyneil - the simple door style is well-suited to oak. I think your choices of icy blue, gray and black compliment the oak's coloring. Nicely done!

LOL about your dog's antics!

Very nice! Good idea to paint the light fixture and window trim white. The light doesn't stand out as much and it looks less busy in those areas. Better to have the focus on your backsplash and counter, where it belongs. ;)

Nice job. I'm one of the minority who actually like oak and I think those look very nice. Definitely a step up from the typical builders grade oak. I agree painting the trim white was a huge improvement.

I really like your updates and the cute story about your dog. I also kept oak cabinets when I updated my kitchen. Even though anything-but-oak seems to be the rage they were well made and I liked them and couldn't see going in to debt just to follow a trend. I have a horrible drop ceiling that hubby is going to tackle taking down this spring so maybe you'll see my kitchen if I start a thread on that subject!

BTW, my good friend has a black and white female basset. I forget the dogs "real" name because she goes by Fatty McFatso and she is just adorable!!!!

The things you changed make a HUGE difference! Looks great! I especially love your countertops and the trim around the window painted white.

Enjoy!

biochem101 and brody_miasmom and mamalynn, we painted all the trim in the house bright white right after we moved in.

A few weeks before moving day, I showed the online pics to a friend who works for an interior design firm. She saw all the stained trim and started singing, "Ring a-round the wind-ow, ring a-round the roo-oom." I didn't think it looked that bad, but I love painted trim and it wasn't like I was painting over vintage old-growth, twelve-inch hardwood baseboards, so DH painted all the trim glossy white and all the hollow core interior doors flat black.

Thanks for your remarks on the backsplash,lisa_a. It does read a soft blue-grey that somehow goes with the green walls. It's a mosaic of 5/8" glass-and-steel tiles grouted with grey grout. As you can see, it was hard for an amateur like me to install it straight when each tile had a different thickness. Yikes, this section is really crooked!

It was marketed as an accent listello in mesh-mounted strips 3 tiles wide by 18 tiles long, so installation took awhile.