I agree to paint the cabinets a lighter color; white or even a light grey. Both white or grey will work with your dark counter tops.

I would encourage you to change the floor. Good that you are changing the chandelier; you might look at Hudson Valley Lighting for some nice transitional fixtures.

I would paint the trim throughout the house and leave the cabinets. That way you would lighten the whole house and keep your beautiful cabinets. Also, replace the countertops with white or light countertops. The painted cabinets will not be as nice as the wood.

I agree a removal of that pot rack monstrosity and some better lighting would be the first step and also the light over the dining table has to go.If you decide to paint I would choose a warm white maybe even on the cream side to go with the copper and the flooring and to tie that hood in you will need to add some copper accessories . I would also look at changing the backsplash with not accents behind the stove. I do agree dark is best fixed with lighting but IMO this kitchen would take on a whole lot brighter look with the cabinets painted

once the pot rack is removed and the light replaced, live with the rest a while, you could potentially be satisfied with how it is until you know how the space works for you and what else you may really want to do. painting cabinets would be a waste if you decide you dont like how they are laid out anyway.

In my last house our kitchen needed some updating and although the sellers had installed nice granite and stainless appliances it looked dark. Some of the best advice I got on Houzz was to address the lighting problems first and then figure out other updates from there. For me adding a different chandelier in the eat in area, pendants over the peninsula bar top, and over and under cabinet lights dramatically changed the look of the kitchen. The cabinet lighting made me like my backsplash much more and all the light helped me to see that I didn't need to paint the oak cabinets the bright white I had been planning on and could do a different color instead.

Address the pot-rack / lighting first as said. Then, you could consider painting the trim only - leaving doors and cabinets. This combines the brightness of the white with the warmth of the wood. You do not ever want to paint the wood paneled doors. Wood doors have more value than pressed MDF white paneled doors. Wood moves with changes in temp and humidity which causes hairline cracks at the joints. Paneled doors have lots of joints - which is why MDF is used for painted doors.

You can have wood trim with white cabinets - I would only do this if you are absolutely pining for a white kitchen. Your kitchen is charming and will be fine with the changes in lighting recommended. White cabinets with the tile floor could be a bit cool and lacking in warmth.

I would also leave the cabinets alone and paint the trim. Consider spending a bit of money to change the countertops and you will have more bang for your buck. If you do paint the cabinets I suggest you get a professional to do them

I just noticed those countertops might be granite so disregard above post. Just removing the light fixture will make a huge difference. I had a giant light fixture like that and when I did my kitchen Renno it was the first thing we pull down. We scale back the Renno because the kitchen was so much brighter without it

The easy thing to do is change the light bulbs in the recessed lighting to the maximum listed on the label. If they are not LED already, use warm white LED bulbs. It'll make a huge difference. Once the over-sink pendant and chandelier have been replaced, and the pot rack (the sellers must have loved it) is gone, it will look far different. It's quite an attractive kitchen with lovely wood cabinets, beautiful counters and a neutral tile floor.

Another thing to do once you move in is look at the shrubs and trees near the windows to see if they've overgrown and are shading the sunlight too much.

Maybe change the floors and forget about painting the cabinets?

I agree with others, remove that pot rack and update the light over the table. You seem to have plenty of storage, maybe consider removing the 2 upper cabinets next to the copper hood and update the back splash so that the hood becomes a focal point in the room?

Take down the pot rack and whatever that brown square is on the ceiling above it. Your own table (maybe a cream-painted top with upholstered chairs) and new light fixture will help immensely. It appears you have tons of storage, consider removing the upper cabinets on each side of the stove? And replace with bright framed art. Also, some of the accessories are rustic/country (paper towel holder, towel rack) and could be replaced. I think it has tons of potential.

LOL. Breeze Blocks We think alike! This is a sink, but it looks bright and happy and has nice wood cabinets.

I agree with all the suggestions made by gustaviatex. I would also get new updated counter stools (metal or material-no wood) and I would paint the island only. Maybe in a colour that matches/coordinates with your own table and chairs.

My thoughts are to spend the money on new countertops. You could go with something lighter and brighten up the space. Painting the pine and doing it right will probably be more. If you wanted to paint something, try the island, although again, I'm not sure the pine is going to end up looking like you'd like with paint. Lighting and removing the pot rack will be a huge help.

The cabinets look nice to me.

And the counter tops look fine too.

The floor is really busy.

And the backsplash looks drab.

What if the chairs were either painted or replaced by brighter ones?

Maybe white?

Only paint them white if you're changing the floor and backsplash. The room will look off with beige tile and white cabinets. You could do a more tan or greige paint with the tile, but I agree that you need to address the lighting first, then think about changing the fixed elements. You will end up with an expensive remodel before you know it.

Robin - not knowing your budget I see two approaches in incremental steps. I would leave the replacement of the countertop as a last resort. It is probably a good $5k by itself. If you can afford that kind of investment do yourself a favor and do NOT put a brand new pricey CT on old painted cabinets.

You have beautiful cabinetry so if you try to make them stand out by contrasting with all other surfaces it might have a totally different look that you may like. If you are only concerned about the dark color scheme keep what you must (e.g.counter, cabinets) and brighten up whatever else you can (e.g. walls, flooring, backsplash, lights etc.)

So the two suggested options are:

1) Replace floor and back splash with lighter colors, remove the pot rack of course, paint only the pantry door white, replace window trims with white, leave the cabinets. Painting the cabinets is a big an messy job and and it will not last as long as the original.

2.) All of option 1) but paint the cabinets.

Good luck. Cheers***

The pot rack is an abomination. Paint the cabinets AND the doors AND all the trim. Otherwise you'll always look like the set for Bonanza.

Thanks for all the great feedback! Our budget is very limited until we can completely overhaul the kitchen. We're going to change the lighting/fixtures, ditch the pot rack and not paint. We will change out the backsplash, though. Any suggestions on backsplashes that will help brighten it up? We're thinking of something that would pull focus to the copper hood, but we're open to other ideas.

Since you are budget minded think about cream subway tile. My neighbor is having one put in right now in a herringbone pattern and it is subtly lovely.

Wood cabinets have movement due to the grain / knots in them. You may need to go light and simple for the backsplash. If the backsplash and cabinets both have a lot of movement, even if both are lovely, the effect can be too busy.

Here is my very simple cream backsplash:

https://www.houzz.com/photos/my-pics-work-in-progress-phvw-vp~57088087

Here is cream with a black countertop:

YES -remove the light and pot hanger!

The cabinetry is beautiful! The elements that date and darken the kitchen are the flooring and possibly the countertop. I would change out the floor before I'd do anything and add lighting. If it still feels too dark, then I'd look into a new lighter countertop and different style of backsplash (which just feels dated and drab).

Also, LOVE Breeze Blocks' idea to remove the cabinets flanking the hood. Such a great way to highlight that amazing hood.