I would not paint the cabinets, but would remove the valance over the corner window.

What you have mentioned doing certainly would go with what you have done elsewhere in your home and look fresh and updated. Staying five more years is a long enough time to me to go ahead. I would do it. Only one year, then no.

Don’t paint cabs. Change pendant lights, get new barstools, remove window valance, paint island base

Absolutely not ! Remove the valance from the kitchen window and replace it with a blind ,change light fixtures over island by adding fun colours , if you can , replace chandelier in dining room do so if possible .

Rethink your wall colour. By choosing carefully you can make the cabinets appear less yellow.

Nope!

I’d paint them black with an antique finish

I agree a bout the wall color , the valance and I would change backsplash if you want and leave the rest.

Leave the cabinets as is. Maybe...if you feel the need to change something....change out the backsplash and maybe the pendants.

I wouldn’t paint them. We have been considering buying a bigger home recently. When I walk into a kitchen with wood cabinets that have been painted, I know that the kitchen has to be gutted immediately in order for me to live there - which is an annoying expensive project. I could easily live with a kitchen like your.

leave it til you are closer to moving. tastes will shift by then, what you do now can appear 5 years out of date, unnecessarily.

but a year before you go you could revisit whats hot/whats not, including real estate in your area.

Don’t paint cabinets. Change wall color. Paint island.

Excellent advice! Definitely at a minimum, I will paint the wall (current walls are more of an original yellow from when we moved in), change fabric on that dark valance, and change backsplash. I think paining the island is a great idea and one I am considering as well. I am scared to have the cabinets painted as it will perhaps cheapen them and they won't look like factory cabs, just painted over cabinets. And for sure, new bar stools and pendants!

@Oana, these are not prefinished hardwoods so I'm not sure the stain on them. They are 5" white oak. We had them refinished and stained about 3 years ago but I'm not sure the color!

The cabinets are in great condition and I would not paint them. i agree with others, you can change the color of the island as seen on back in a charcoal finish and remove the corbels and replace them with ...these to support for a more updated look. If it is in your budget change the counters to a Quartz.

yes the valance goes and the hardware can be updated as well along with the backs plash and that is it.

Consider a soapstone countertop. It will bring in the grays and look fabulous with the maple.

Hi Kristen,
I wouldn’t touch the kitchen for the sake of fixing it up for someone else-I’d put that money toward items that might be nearing the end of their life instead (HVAC/water heater etc), or save the money for any updates you’d like to do in your future home. Now if you want to update it for yourself to enjoy, and you want painted cabinets, then sure, paint your cabinets. Chances the buyers will remodel anyway. However, I’ve read getting cabinets professionally painted can run several thousand dollars, so definitely do your homework. Regardless, you’ll want to weigh your pros and cons on a kitchen project before you’re at the point where the house is a product to sell instead of a home. Good luck!

Hi Kristen, if you don’t hate your cabinets, leave them and update backsplash, cabinet hardware, pendants, stools and paint the island. Nix the valance. Making these changes will really freshen up your kitchen.

No valence......it is not only the color....dated.

My kitchen was very similar with yours (maple cabinets and similar countertop and backsplash) and I was going through the same dilemmas. A designer advised me to paint the cabinets and I would never regret that decision. I painted the top BM Revere Pewter, the bottom Chelsea Gray, I changed the cabinet handles, I changed the backsplash with a light grey glass subway tile, I changed the lights with brass chandeliers. My kitchen is now totally different and we love it! We got a lot of compliments.

Kristen Goldner-Narlinger. You said it perfectly..... "I am scared to have the cabinets painted as it will perhaps cheapen them and they won't look like factory cabs, just painted over cabinets. "

I agree with your statement. I think you could paint the cabs and they might look nice but what if.. You are wise to keep them because they already look beautiful. Keep them and do all the others things you are planning from the super suggestions. In looking at the other photos you posted of the rest of your home, you have a talent for making a beautiful home. I love your living area, the choice of stain for the floors, the drapes, the dinning room wall color... all look gorgeous. Your kitchen with a few updates will look great!

I saved this photo because it is a picture of painted-over cabinetry. I blocked out a piece of identifying hardware.

I know this is kind of close up, but this is how you really see your kitchen cabinets, they are right there, inches from your face, when you are using the kitchen.

I don't think this appearance is an exception, I think it's pretty common for painted cabinets, unless they are taken out and sprayed in a dust-free booth, professionally.

I wouldn't paint the cabinets. If you want a change, I would paint the island a different color. Black, navy or charcoal and get a nice wood top for it.

If you are still aren't happy with the space I would change the backsplash.

Thank you, all! Okay, valance goes completely. We don't have any trim around our windows so I didn't know if it would look too bare but I'll take it down and go from there. @palimpset, I agree that paint job looks terrible. I definitely wouldn't do it myself but would have it professionally done. But... I think I am now talked out of it. @Cristina, I would love to see before and after photos of your kitchen if you have them!

In 5 years, you’ll be scrambling to get rid of all of that gray before listing it. It’s already on a downturn and happier jewel tones like navy, teal, wine, grass green, and topaz yellow are on the rise. If you want to get ahead of the anti gray movement, start by having the island made over professionally and maybe choosing a real color for it. None of the black, gray, or white that was the color of the Depression.

Cabinets look great and so does countertop. Actually to transition from dark/warm colors of kitchen to the rest of your beautiful rooms you could change out the valance, backsplash (lighten!), pendants, dark plates hanging, wall color-make it a lighter blend of your other rooms-griege if necessary as long as it matches countertop. Fill in the missing piece with the backsplash material and color needed. I don’t think cabinets need to be painted as they are not dated however I do disagree with the poster that showed a photo of painted cabinets. Mine were professionally sprayed with lacquer and they do not look at all like the posted photo. Doesn’t apply to yours because your cabinets are great!

@palimpsest that is not at all the “common” result for painted cabinets. That is a very sloppy job, looks like they did not strip or prime them, did not remove hardware, and just slopped on globs of paint with a brush (at best).

OP, I would leave your cabinets as is, unless you haaate them and cannot imagine living with them for five years (personally, though they are not my style, I could certainly live with them if I was selling in <5 years. As others suggested, look at updating paint, counters, etc instead to tie into rest of home.

I see a lot of DIY paint jobs that look just like that and some pro jobs onsite that look not much better.

My SO was the listing agent on a property and suggested that the more out there and scuffed up rooms be painted and the owners hired someone who painted around switch and outlet covers instead of removing them and their trim touch up looked not much better than the above. They were inexpensive I'm sure.

It was cheaper for me to remove and replace including custom duplicate the woodwork in most of my last place than prepare the existing to a good paintable surface. They had painted over spaghetti and candle wax on the baseboards and rubber bands and dust bunnies in the closets.

It's more than most people want to pay to get a really good paint job. Especially in a high labor cost area.

I've decided to invest $ in new cabinetry for the island. I will leave the perimeter cabinets alone. I will get quartz countertops for entire kitchen and of course, new backsplash.

Question... what color for island cabinets? Dark brown/charcoal or would it be crazy to do a navy island?

I love navy but will the color work well with the rest of the space? I don't really see any navy anywhere else. You have a great color on your dining room walls, would you consider using that on the island?

You could use your current island to test colors. You may decide that you don't need to replace it.

I have a dark clear-blue island which I love. But my kitchen is natural birch and almost white quartz. In your case, a clear navy probably wouldn't relate well to the rest of your house. But a greyed navy similar to your dining room walls could be gorgeous. Ask your cabinet maker if he could match a transparent stain to your dining room colour. That way you get blue, but it connects with the rest of the house.

*dramatically throws self in front of cabinets*

No.

I would not paint the cabinets.

She just wrote a post that she is only painting the island. Scroll up five posts. Calm down :)

I’d be having them professionally painted. It would freshen them up beautifully,but that’s just me. Boring old white with a contrasting island. Can’t go wrong there but it seems I am in the minority. Good luck whatever you choose!

In fact, that’s exactly what we are doing with our timber kitchen. White cabinets with a dark island and keeping the same stone tops. See below.


Existing kitchen at present, plus the antique mahogany bar we will transform (professionally) into our island.

Game changer in the middle!! So sorry I didn't read through...I will unstick myself from your cabinets... :)

Danielle I hope you have your own thread as I adore this and want to see the progress!!!!

I agree with you on getting new color just for the island.

As someone said on top, you don't have anything navy blue to "match" your island. So go for Black, and a nice lighter countertop.

If you live in South florida, feel free to pass by at our show and take a look on our quartz and granite color samples.

(954)234-2377

Excellent, excellent advice! Yeah, that Navy idea was not a good one. I got home and looked at the kitchen again and thought what a ridiculous idea that was! I will go with darker charcoal/gray. You all are wonderful, thank you!

I agree keep & paint it the char/gray walls & darker island

The kitchen is lovely, I would not touch it. I would get rid of that dark gray on the dinning room though. That looks pretty jarring on the eye.

Even though you have decided not to paint your cabs, I thought I would just throw my 2 cents in anyway. I am building and have chosen all white cabinets, but I could live very happily with the ones you have in your kitchen...I wouldn’t even consider painting them.

palimpsest

"I don't think this appearance is an exception, I think it's pretty common for painted cabinets, unless they are taken out and sprayed in a dust-free booth, professionally."

I would hope that is not the case, but if it is, thankfully mine look nothing like that. I painted my cabinets myself, and they look great. Everyone that has seen my "new" kitchen has commented on the cabinets and the finish. You don't have to be a pro to paint your cabinets and get an excellent result. But you do have to put a lot of time and effort into the process. I'm not encouraging the OP to paint, I just hate for others reading to think that it's not a DIY project. It absolutely is, but it isn't for the faint of heart. :-)

FWIW, I went into some model homes a few months ago, and the trim was all painted white. I was absolutely shocked at the crappy paint job that was in these new homes. Your picture above reminded me of those homes. I would never accept such shoddy workmanship.

I painted once & even though it was great & had my offers to do their's; it's no!

The dining room wall color is gorgeous and I think it’s a blue. OP, what color is it?

We recommend painting the walls, removing the valance, updating the lighting, updating the hardware, and stools. However we do not recommend painting the cabinets.

@Michelle Yorke Interior Design, appreciate the feedback! That is a beautiful kitchen you shared. Thank you

@traci_from_seattle, the paint color in dining room is BM Templeton Gray although it is definitely more blue/gray. Guess it's not for everyone but I like it. Oh well :)

Love it, LR paint!

I absolutely love everything about your house! I also have Bessie the cow in my house. I think your cabinets are current and you shouldn’t touch them... especially if you plan on selling in five years! Love your style!