gut the kitchen when it is all out look at the space and decide. i think the door casing and windows are nice in oak, but the crown.. not so much

If you're gutting the kitchen then you're mainly worried about the trim like around the crown molding and the baseboards and the door + window frames? I say go for it. A bit of the grain may show but that's not a biggie in my thinking.

I like wood but I do not mind painted trim. A wood and white combination can work well - give the warmth of wood with the brightness of white.

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Good luck, ampagliari. I think you'll be pleased. I know I am!

Paint cabinets, but please....not any original trim.

I'd certainly try paint before just "gutting" everything! That is a serious mess & some serious cash.

Use what you save for a nice warm vacation savings pot!!

I am also a person who usually wants to throttle anyone who paints oak trim, but in this case I understand. First, the crown is not original to the house as it was installed with the kitchen or even afterwards. I'm also an old-house person and old house kitchens were often distinct rooms with different flooring and trim work than seen elsewhere. If it looks right to paint it, go ahead

I would not replace the crown molding unless you redo the layout and remove the soffits in the kitchen. What you choose to do with the molding should have some coordination with your other decisions in the room...painted cabinets? paint the crown. Dark cabinets? Dark gel stain on the crown might look nice.

One nice aspect of crown molding is that the surface gets no wear so you don't have to worry about paint chipping or wearing through. Plus, you aren't going to be seeing at eye level...what's the closest you will ever get? Three feet away at an angle? However, the aspect I most notice about crown molding is the surface texture and light reflection so caulk the joints as needed and make sure all the nail holes are filled extremely neatly (Redi-Patch is wonderful stuff!) as surface imperfections are more easily seen with paint than stained wood.

We did a paint job on one house where we painted the crown a slightly darker, off-white semi-gloss against the flat white ceiling. Just enough distinction between the surfaces to make the crown visually interesting without being such a noticeable line where the ceiling meets the walls.

There are plenty of grain fill products such as Aqua Coat that will fill the grain. You can also brush on a thinned out drywall mud. Lots of sanding but the fill will sand easily. Don't see the issue with the grain showing it is wood.

It is probably cheaper and easier to just put some MDF molding up especially the door casings. Maybe $15 a door opening vs a day or two worth of work.

You will hardly notice the wood grain through the paint. What you do see of the wood grain is very attractive and is much more interesting than a flat-surfaced cabinet (all in the eye of the beholder, of course). The cheapest way to go with the least amount of work is to use Benjamin Moore Advance paint. You don't even need to use primer. I would suggest hiring a professional painter and have him/her apply 3 coats of paint. Good luck, ampagliari! Would love to see "after" pictures when you're done.

You're very welcome! Glad to help.