Hi, If you do not want to do any painting, you could make some simple changes that could make a difference. You could take down the cabinet that has no doors & put up some open shelving. You could add a roman shade to the window. You could remove some things from your counter tops, just keep what you use everyday & the rest you could store in the cabinets. You could bring in some color with some pretty dishtowels, a pretty bowl on the counter top, a pitcher you could put flowers in, a mat for the floor. You could also change out your back splash to something lighter. You could also add a new light fixture.

The kitchen cabinetry looks like custom work with lots of detailing. Have you thought about putting the doors back on?

Will you be replacing the dark green carpet? A new beige or tan carpet would lighten up the room.

Do you have undercabinet lighting? If not, consider adding it and also changing the central light fixture to one that is much brighter.

The T.V needs to be lower on the wall with some sort of cabinet below it I think the family room would be much better with the rocking chairs moved somewhere else . The kitchen in fact the whole space is in need of a decluttering and you obviously need more storage . The cabinets do not look bad to me (and I hate oak) but certainly put the doors back on that one cabinet. Remove the cup hooks because honestly how many cups do you need. Some new lighting would work wonders. A new carpet in the FR or better still a wood floor would be great. As mentioned remove all the stuff and then add back only what you really NEED in all the spaces . Put the rest in boxes in the basement or garage and date them and if you have not opened them in a year ship them to goodwill.

First, try to get over the notion of "dated". The idea that people can spend lots of $$$ to change out expensive surfaces every decade is absurd. You do have much nicer oak cabinets then many. HGTV exist as a marketing tool to get people to dislike what they have and buy new stuff:)

The first thing you need to do is not fun at all. You need to clean out all your cabinets. You have plenty. After cleaning out the cabinets you should have room to put some of the things out on the counters in the cabinets. If you do not use it every week, (possibly every day) it should be in a cabinet. I don't mind the baskets, but it would look best if there were 4 all the same, and that fit so as to hide the stuff in them - like the bottom ones. The open cabinet should be styled differently. I do like the idea of changing it to shelves, but if order is not something you have time for, put the doors back on. Whether open cabinet or shelves, only the bottom one should be used for dishes. The higher should be used for decor. You can convert the bottom into a plate rail if you like that look - there are kits for doing that. The cup hooks would be best to be single cup hooks with matching cups.

I cannot tell on my monitor what the kitchen wall color is. Cream, creamy beige, blues and greens look best with warm wood tones. The blues and greens can have gray undertones. However, cool grays and warm wood tones do not work well together. Neither does anything for the other and the overall look can be blah.

Is there white trim in other parts of the home? You could ask to paint window and door trim only - however, yours does not bother me. Keep in mind that real wood trim has more value than the painted MDF stuff in newer homes.

If it is in the budget, your kitchen could benefit from a new backsplash. Since backsplash are installed after countertops, consider countertops too. The dark backsplash takes away from your desire for a light kitchen. I have a very light feeling kitchen - and guess what - oak cabinets. I recently refreshed with new countertops, backsplash and farm sink. If you rearrange your stuff and can save up for some countertops, you can have a lovely, refreshed kitchen.

My oak kitchen:

https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/57579129/thumbs/my-pics-work-in-progress

I suggest painting all the interior walls AND ceilings B.M Super White…if the walls are in good shape do them in eggshell finish. It will immediately brighten your home. Do the ceilings in flat finish.

Hubby can bend on this one…he gets to keep the stained woodwork, but you get to paint the brick fireplace.

We renovated an old Farmhouse and painted only the doors white on the upper cabinets. It came out great and helped lighten up the room. This kitchen has a slightly different cabinet style and we did replace the floor cabinets; which also helped brighten things up. Also, the white trim and accents are a nice contrast to the rest of the dark colors.

I agree, they look like good oak cabinets and shouldn't be disposed of for no reason.

The backsplash behind the oven could use some brightening up too. Some white or bright tile could be nice and it would allow you to do keep the cabinets as they are.

Rolling River Farmhouse Renovation · More Info

I agree, declutter and you will feel a lot better. Totally understand about men not wanting to paint wood. White wash the fireplace and paint cupboards each side white. Do you really need all those rugs - let your beautiful floors shine,.

WOW! I'm so thankful for all of your comments - and so quickly, too! I agree about the backsplash, yes, we are able to change out the carpeting, I will clean up and then re-post pics. We never had doors for that one cabinet, hubby has promised them for a long time. We have a large family but for those of you who suggest minimizing them - I'll try to do that (AGAIN!) Many of those mugs are handpainted by the grandkids so maybe I can make a special display shelf for them?! Keep those ideas coming Houzz lovers! You're so helpful!

I think the wood wouldn't be so overwhelming if you didn't also have a wood dining set, wood rockers, brown couch, brown lamps, brown and green art....you get the idea! Once you clear the clutter, fresh paint on the walls, some colorful furniture and art, the oak will look beautiful!

Get some upholstered dining chairs in a color you love as a start.

How wonderful that you have a husband who's done so much. I agree with the posters here who say declutter first. You have a ton of cabinets in great shape. Take things out to make room for things you've been parking on the counters.

I agree with everyone saying to keep the oak cabinets in their natural state. Here are some examples:

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Get your husband to get those cabinet doors on there. Open shelves are for those people who have perfectly matched everything and don't actually seem to use their kitchens. Your kitchen looks lived in and comfy but needs to be streamlined. I would keep the cuckoo clock and hanging mugs because they have personal meaning But that's all. Take down the hearts, doodads, signs, stuff on cabinet tops, arched doodad over the window, the kitchen curtains. (Get roman shades instead if you need the privacy. Otherwise, leave the window plain except for live plants.) Put your cookbooks in the cubbies where you have the baskets so you have a little library vibe there. Once you declutter, you'll find space for whatever is in those baskets. Don't put anything in the corner that has the white pitcher and small cabinet--more visual clutter. Put the pitcher in the middle of your dining room table.

--Yes, paint everything Super White in all the adjoining spaces, including the hall, living room, dining room. I usually don't recommend painting a fireplace, but JudyG convinced me otherwise in this case. Or whitewash it in case hubby protests. (He might!) Again, keep stuff off the top of the bookshelves flanking the fireplace.

--Dining area: consider centering your chandelier over the middle of the dining space to center the table and chairs. That space will look a thousand percent more symmetrical if you do that. No rug under the dining table so you can focus on a new rug and curtains for the living room. If you have the budget upgrade your chandelier to something like this:

UP05 · More Info

--For your living room, choose a rug that picks up the gold of your floors/cabinets, cream, and an accent color. Make sure it fills the living room--nothing skimpy. Get sofa pillows in cream and the accent color. Anything curtain-wise that you do in the kitchen like roman shades should also have the accent color.

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Francesca FC-51 Blue Gold Area Rug, 5'x7'6" · More Info

--A two-tiered new coffee table that visually links to the kitchen will add a lot to the living room. You can put your books underneath and arrange your family photos or mementos inside. A glass coffee table with metal or wood trim would like a new print rug show through. Or add a pair of storage ottomans in an accent color.

Glass Top Display Coffee Table, Golden Oak · More Info

Rainbow Microfiber Storage Ottoman, Yellow Microfiber · More Info

--Find a long console table/cabinet/bookshelf system to replace your side table near the TV. One long piece with storage, painted white, will totally declutter that side of the room. Hang or place the TV above the table. What you're looking for is something streamlined to balance out the rockers. Replace your lampshades with simple white drum shades.

Living Room Media Bookcase · More Info

housegal200…I took a course in “convincing” in college and I got an A+.

Glad you agree with my suggestion to paint fireplace…cuts the wall in half visually, as is.

Thanks to your post, Judy, this was the first time I didn't try to "save" a red brick fireplace on Houzz!

Special thanks to Housegal200 for all the work and attention!