Oh gosh Ted, just saw what you meant about the big blank white space! Doesn't show up on my phone ! How embarrassing! Can't seem to remove it either. I had no idea what you were talking about! Clueless:o

I agree - Amy should first decide whether or not she really wants to repaint the cabinets, and the Houzzers can take it from there :)

I feel terrible that I have missed all this discussion! I am going to admit something shocking to all of you..... I do have another chalk wall in our house :). It isn't in the kitchen though.....I will attach a picture of it. I painted it a year ago in a large room that we use for our kids. This room is used for them to do homework, it has several bookshelves as well and a couple large beanbags. The color is Benjamin Moore Dill Pickle. Very bright but we love the color for what the room is used for. Green is supposed to stimulate learning :)!

Just charming!!!!

You really are a treasure:)

Now that I have confessed about my obsession of chalkboards, I wanted to post some pictures that my husband and I found that we like. I will post each pic separately and then what we liked about each pic. We definitely want to paint our cabinets again and thought we could re- face them, which would give us more of the look we are looking for as far as design on front of each cabinet. I very much dislike the look of our cabinet faces and would like something more streamlined.....and square. We also are thinking about having open shelving on the two connecting walls by the kitchen sink and stove. On the opposite side of the kitchen, there is a very awkward wall that has a door to a bathroom on it and then about four feet of blank wall space and then an opening where the refrigerator is for right now. We would like to have an island built for the center of the kitchen and add a cooktop to it. This will enable us to put our refrigerator where our stove is now, which would free up our wall with the bathroom door. On this wall, we would like to have a carpenter fill in the door to the bathroom, as this bathroom has two doors and it drives us crazy. The other door to the bathroom is through a den area on the other side of our kitchen. I can send some pictures tomorrow which would help make this easier to understand. We would then like to use this wall for upper and lower cabinets. The pictures I send tomorrow will help this all make sense.

There is dry erase board paint too, in case white matches the decor better:)

Now, my kids' schools all have smart boards. Hmmm....wonder what that would look like as decor!

Love the chalkboards. One of my friends has the lower portion of her dining room below the chair rail in chalk board - problem is her kids are in high school now:)

We love the colors in this picture. We have beams on the ceiling of our living room that connects to our kitchen. The issue is that the beams don't go into the kitchen.....we are trying to figure out how to correct this. It will probably mean waiting and eventually adding beams to the kitchen ceiling? Not sure. These two rooms are so awkward together. We would like them to be one space and look great together.

We love these base cabinets and would like to copy the look as close as we can to all of our base cabinets and to our island. My husband is wondering if we could do the upper cabinets on the one wall we are going to have like these upper cabinets? They would be distressed also. That is why, in my original set of pictures, there was one white antiqued cabinet front...we were testing out this idea and trying to see how the two toned cabinets looked. It was really too hard for us to tell, with only one cabinet face painted....

This picture shows what I mean about streamlined...at least, what I tend to think of as streamlined. :) With a large family like ours, it seems like there is always so much going on. This is why I would like a simple look, like this picture shows. Everything has a place and there is open shelving but it isn't crazy looking. Organized and neat.

So you can tell, our thoughts are sort of everywhere...this house just has been a huge challenge because it has a crazy layout. We have taken out the walls that we structurally could but now, have to figure the rest out. The kitchen has baseboards and trim that are different....one area has a wood trim and the other part has a very rough trim and baseboard, much like barnsiding. It makes us feel crazy....we can't figure out why this house has had so many odd things done to it.

We found this picture and we just wondered how these colors match?? I think they need a chalk wall !

That's it. Sorry so long!

Thank you lynartist! I wasn't sure what the response would be when I showed you all another chalk wall :).

Jhmarie, I will post a picture of the large dry erase board in our large kids room :). You can't imagine how useful it is when the kids have trouble with a math problem or something....

And thank you for sharing about your friends chalk area and also about dry erase paint :). I honestly didn't know they made that!

Amy I love your kitchen & how it seems so welcoming for your family, especially the chalk wall! I agree with a lighter colour like your first picture which is a lovely & soft colour palette for a warm inviting space.

Your brilliant attitude & effort for your family is humbling so please take care of yourself, you have an awesome soul <3

Louie T

Wanted you all to "meet" my family! As they are the heart of why I am trying so hard to make this a great space for them :) ❤️.

Thank you, LouieT! I think the first picture does look like our style and we love how light, yet warm the room in the picture looks! Thank u for your kind words, too :). I'd better get moving to bed...trying to stop moving furniture and painting in my dreams ;).

Wow Amy, thank you so much for sharing your special family with all of us...beautiful in every way! They look like a formidable team & even on this silly pc there is so much evidence of your love <3

Good morning Amy! I loved your pics of you and your very lovely family! They must bring you so much joy! Thank you for sharing! I think we all now have a much better idea of what you are trying to achieve with this space now!

I can see you are an artist at heart with the wonderful renderings on your chalk wall! I took a lot of heat yesterday by suggesting we reduce it, but I didn't mean to take it away completely! Anyway, looking at your inspiration photos I see that you have a definite style! Conveying that style in the constraints of your space and budget will depend on making decisions . You mentioned that you are thinking of changing the doors of your cabinets to a shaker style. I like the look of kitchen three for your space in that it is clean and streamlined. While the other kitchens scream personality they are very large open spaces. The two toned kitchen has very large scale cabinetry in a large space. A look like this would overwhelm your kitchen. I noticed that all these spaces seem bright and light though. I know that is something that is on your wish list.

You did mention that there is a god posher of material in your house and perhaps that is what I was reacting to yesterday. This is another decision that you will have to make. I'm sure the rest of the house will dictate what trim goes in here as you will want a cohesive look. If you look closely at these inspiration pics you will notice that although they are filled with personality there are really only about three different types of materials and colors in each. This keeps these rooms from being overly busy.

Darn spell check! Meant hod podge.

I could not for the life of me figure out what spell check meant by "god posher" :)

Amy, thank you for showing us your lovely family! I've thought more than once that it would be a great idea for Houzz to sponsor a virtual "meet and greet" for the posters.

If you are thinking of refacing your cabinets, perhaps you could look into the cost of replacing them? I understand that refacing can often cost almost as much, and you don't appear to have a large number of cabinets. You could also replace the granite with a budget conscious laminate, and use the same material on your table top.... or, being as creative and industrious as you are, paint the top a color found in the laminate to help make the overall look more cohesive.

lynartist - You had me cracking up after school today! I was walking out the door when I saw your post this morning and I was thinking while driving, what in the world is a god posher

Well, it didn't post all I said. I will have to re-post in a bit. Helping our oldest son with his research paper.

I may keep God posher in my repertoire! Yikes,I know I spelt it right, hit the submit button and buzzinga ! There it is:)

Well....I almost googled it, thinking it must be some fancy design term that I wasn't aware of ;)!

Robin701, thanks for your suggestions! We may have to look into the cabinet option, just to see how much it would be. I had no idea that it would re-facing would even come close to new cabinets, good to know :). I will also look into countertop options...wish I liked our granite more! A virtual meet and greet would be great!! I felt a little cheesy, posting pics of us but since you've all been "in" our kitchen, I figured, why not??

If the boxes of your cabinets are in good condition and are plywood construction then I would consider keeping them , especially if you are going to stay within the same configuration that they are now in. It will save you money in material and time. I don't think there is anything wrong with your granite, it is a neutral color that will go with many style cabinets. With a simpler shaker style door you may like it better; it also looks nice with your wood. If you want pullout drawers in your lower cabinets those can be added to your existing boxes too. I have done this to mine and for clients. I know you are on a budget here and have other things to do, a complete kitchen Reno is costly and expensive.

Lynartist, that would save Amy time AND money! And I'll leave this one up to the pro's :)

Amy, here are some before and after pics of a kitchen I did last year. We kept the existing boxes and footprint of this kitchen. We added all pullout drawers on the bottom, removed the soffits and raised the upper cabinets. I won't tell you this was inexpensive as it was a custom job but we did save a lot by leaving the boxes and not moving anything. I did upgrade the lighting! A big expense but the single best thing I did here apart from the cabinets. Price out both options and see what works for you.

An other view

White is the way to go in a kitchen that is as dark as this one.

I think your kitchen is really cute and homey! You have interesting elements (in a good way) and you should let your cabinets become the focal point, allowing them to pop. I agree to go light and neutral on the walls to allow this to happen.

One option to consider would be to paint everything from the counter up a cream or ivory shade. Upper cabinets, ceiling and walls. Leave lower cabinets as they are, for now. Get rid of the valance over the sink. I know you are partial to the chalkboard, but what about replacing with a couple of clotheslines and clip smaller drawings and photos on that. If still want a chalkboard, maybe smaller with an attached frame mounted on the wall. I see you have a dish drain in one side of the sink; any chance you can get rid of the one also on the counter? Clearing items from the counter will help a lot. Regarding space in an older home. I recently ruthlessly culled my cabinets, using the thought of "how much did I really need, that wouldn't fit in one dishwasher load". When did I need 20+ advertising mugs?! Look at what you use on a weekly basis and try to keep just those items handy. If just used for special entertaining or seasonal, see if you can find another spot to pack away and store. But it all comes down to what you like and how you can best use your space for your life. Good luck! My favorite postings are real people making do and using what they have!

Your kitchen is charming. Not perfect. Not "designer". Full of personality and full of YOU. Stop worrying about whether those painstakingly painted and distressed cabinets are "in" or "out" , whether they're authentically farmhouse, whether they go with the granite. Every time your husband and children enter that kitchen, you'll be there - it's a lovely and comforting gift to them. My sister went to heaven 10 years ago and she felt the same need to leave part of herself behind in a lovingly decorated home that reflected her taste - it's like a warm hug from her. God bless and comfort you Amy, and may He welcome you and dry your tears when you are called home.

Amy, not sure what you are considering here. If truth be told, it really isn't that important to have everything perfect! Finish some of the little things that bug you and don't stress the rest. When all is said and done it's the time we spend together that counts not the " perfect " room.

Thank you all, again! I am not sure what exactly we will do...today was one of those wake up call kind of days. I have to go back to Mayo soon or maybe somewhere much closer, like Northwestern. Stem cell therapy may be an option but won't be covered by insurance so we need to save our pennies. I know that I really enjoy decorating and it makes me feel good....it is a distraction from reality but also fun for me. I just need to learn more from all of you so I can do it better :).

Be sure and stay in contact; whatever you decide we will be here to help in any way we can! We will keep you in our thoughts and prayers till then; God bless.

Thank you so much! You are all so kind and I can't tell you how much I have appreciated your help :) and well wishes, too. My disease is difficult. I had a horribly messed up surgery when I was twenty that left me with only 180 cm of intestines. I have crohns and it has been very aggressive. I am now struggling to absorb nutrients because I am missing so much and what I do have is very inflamed so doesn't absorb well. I have been everywhere and tried so many natural options too. Very scared. Thankful for all of you and your advice :). If you were all doctors, I think I would be cured ;)!

I also want you all to know your time hasn't been wasted. Please know that I have read and re-read all of your posts and advice. I won't give up on getting some of this kitchen done. One of my thoughts is that I also want this house to be in the condition where my husband can sell if he would need/want to. I'm sure I will be back to ask more questions and get more advice :).

We will look forward to it Amy:) !!!!

Sorry to hear you have had a set back Amy :(

I hope you can find the treatment that you need & wishing so hard there was a magic wand! For all of your hard work it is surely stressing you out that you're still not happy with it. Try not to stress as I'm sure it doesn't help.

Is the green on the cabinets one of your favourite colours? I read that you also want a few changes in layout & doors closed off, along with making a new upper & lower wall of cabinets when that is done. It's a lot of work in my mind to redo the cupboard painting & I wondered if you did the walls & ceiling a warm white first that it could make a big difference to the brightening of the room. I'm not fussed on the upper cabinets being solid cream & maybe if those doors were changed for cream wood framed glass like this picture...

That could be a good place to start the refresh?? Take care Amy!

This may sound generic but. On Pintrest type In specific words such as kitchen cabnet color and you'll be amazed at what ideas you get.

look for a light paint like white, cream or beige. Don’t
forget the lighting system too. If you wish to have a brighter ambience then go
for cold colored lights.

Sorry to hear about your setback, too, Amy. You have been in my thoughts, and I'm sure all of us are hoping for the best for you!