The grey color you used looks pretty purple on my monitor; is it that way in real life?

What's your goal here? Is this a 'make do, because I'm going to remodel in a few years' or is this the remodel, and you want it to last 15? If it's the former, I'd go with a different grey on the lowers and call it good. If it's the latter, I don't think the finish will last, so I would stop putting the effort into them and just replace the fronts. Is it an Akurum kitchen, or Sektion?

Thanks all for your honesty. The goal is to make it as cute as possible for as little as possible so it sells quickly in the near term. So I definitely wouldn't want to replace with high quality new cabinet fronts at this point. But based on the feedback above, now I need to decide what to replace it with, and which colors. etc.

@Hillside House No - it's Rustoleum Chalked Aged Grey - it doesn't look purple in real life- but it does look awfully similar to the wall color. SW light french gray

Are those cabinets pre-2015? They look like the old line of Ikea cabinets--Akurum--not the new line--Sektion. If they were the new line you could just buy cheap replacements. I'm afraid if they're Akurum you're looking at custom doors and drawer fronts.

Cabinets are definitely pre 2015. uggggggggg. We just got the granite done, so replacing the whole cabinet boxes (I'm assuming) would be a massive pain and expense.

Have you consulted with a realtor on these "updates?" If not, you should before doing anything else. IMO, as a home buyer, granite-to-sell and everything painted is a big turn off.

I'm really not seeing anything horrible from the picture. how did you prep? just painted w/chalk paint and that's it? don't think they will last.

did you do the insides too? the color looks fine, on the cabinets, but it just melts into the wall color. kind of blah. I'd change the wall color to get more of a contrast.

if you're selling, I would not do the turq cabs. While I like them, new buyers won't, and not w/that granite. those cabinets belong w/a modern quartz, or something black and white.

Since you are doing this to sell,I would just finish the bottom cabs (black must be gone) and change the wall colour as Beth H. advised. That should give you the most return for your effort. Also,is there somewhere else to put the microwave?

I think it looks all right, but like the suggestion to paint the walls. One thing that's bothering me is the towels (?) hanging over the stove and how much of a fire hazard it is.

That's the first thing I noticed! Those towels!

thanks, everyone. I'll remove the towels, thanks for the comment! I'll finish the lower cabs (black pieces) in the same grey, and repaint the walls. Color suggestions?

Yes, the insides of the cabinets are painted, too.

Any thoughts on what to hang on those two bars besides towels and pans? little flower pots?

Any chance you have backsplash tile leftover? I feel like taking it all the way up where you have the pots and pans hanging would look really nice!

I do! good idea! so then just have blank space/ subway tiles there and no bars? put a floating shelf there instead?

I also don’t mind the pans hanging above the stove. Maybe get a few hanging cups for utensils too? So you have your pots and utensils within arms reach?

If you're selling, continue the tile up over the stove (great suggestion above), but don't put the towel bar or pans back up. Hanging the pans may be a great solution for you, but it looks a bit cluttered and may make potential buyers think there isn't enough storage space.

Do not put anything flammable within 30" of the top of the stovetop - not a shelf made of wood or towels - pans are OK because they aren't flammable (unless they have cheap plastic handles). Most home buyers have a home inspection and you don't want problems you have to fix.

Also lack of stove/oven ventilation is a problem in my world as a house buyer. Tile the backsplash to the ceiling, and then add a stainless steel vent hood.

For the bar above the stove, ladles and other cooking utensils.

For the cabinets, I think they look fine.

My first superficial reaction as a buyer would be that it's incredibly bland and would need to be changed.

My second closer look, and discovering chalk painted anything, would have me calculating the cost of gutting the whole kitchen and starting over, if I liked the rest of the house. If I didn't like it, on to the next.

My third reaction would be to look a whole lot harder at the rest of the house for similar DIY fails that would have to be replaced or fixed. It would be best if that is the only one. If it isn't, and there are more shortcuts, it's not sellable as is.

I agree about the tile behind the stove, add to it.

Either paint the lower cabinets darker, or darken the wall colour, which ever is easier at this point if you are going to sell.

Check out panyl.com.

oops, also forgot to add - if you can, install the microwave over the stove..... counters will have more work space and look less cluttered. Good luck!

I agree with the recs to paint the black band under the sink, as well as install a microwave vent over the stove.

While I think the suggestion to continue the tile up is great and would make a great visual impact, the microwave is eating up the limited counter space and you have no venting over the stove. Microwave vents are not very popular here, but they are definitely common enough in small kitchens that you should expect it not to put off potential buyers.

As for the conflicting comments about how painting killed your resale value etc. - people are really jumping to a lot of conclusions. From the pics, your finish looks good, and you say it looks great in person. I think plenty of homes advertise themselves as having "freshly painted" cabinets. Whether or not this will affect your resale is HUGELY tied to your local market. Look at houses for sale/sold near you. This gives you a good sense of what buyers expect to see. Some areas really do make their kitchen renovation money back in resale, if buyers expect to see a very updated kitchen. In other areas, it is easy to over-improve your house too much for the local market, and you can never make that money back, given what buyers are willing to pay in your neighborhood. Even the comments about granite are making a lot of assumptions about the norms in your neighborhood.

IF your market supports a more extensive rehab, you would not need to buy all new cabinet boxes due to the Akurum issue. There are several reputable online sources for Akurum doors, like Semihandmade and Scherr's. But they will run you more than Ikea, which was already an expense you didn't want. So definitely look into what kind of kitchen remodel your market demands, if resale is your priority.

it looks pretty good to me , the only mistakes that I can see is that you don't have a hood , the tea towels are a fire hazard over the stove and the frying pans should be turned facing the wall ,me I would remove the towel bars and install a hood ,leave the cabinets alone they look nice .

1) re: installing microwave above stove, don't do this unless it is designed with a vent fan. When you use the stove, the MW will heat up, and it can heat to the point that the electronics will be fried unless the heat from the stove is dissipated. I had a MW with an integral fan that automatically turned on if the stove got above a certain temperature.

2) please do NOT hang towels over the stove. This is asking for either a fire or burns or both.

Thanks again to you all for taking the time to give me feedback. I decided to paint the bottom cabinets the charcoal grey because time, resources, and skills were all limited! Thanks again!

I think it’s cute! Unless you’re selling a super high-end home which, no offense, I’m guessing you’re not ( TRULY no offense, I don’t have a high-end home either!) then I actually think a lot of buyers are gonna like your changes- and *look at your super cute hanging plants*! So fun. Go make that sale! :)

It looks clean and refreshed! I think buyers will be pleased! I agree, I don’t think buyers are *that* picky unless you are in a REALLY high end market.

Well done. Definitely the smartest choice. Looks charming and much more memorable to home buyers!