Pulls, paint, gel stain are some ideas. Do you have a current picture and an idea of what you want to achieve?

Hi, these cabinets are in excellent shape, but they look like they are from the 90s. Probably maple, solid box construction, lots of storage. My style is simple, eclectic, leaning toward CLEAN rustic/farmhouse. (CLUE: I like Joanna Gaines' Fixer Upper CLEAN rustic style.) The floor is reddish terra cotta, also in excellent shape. What do you think about updating cabinets with brushed nickel or pewter pulls? I was also thinking of having a custom island built where the range is now (see photo), perhaps with a mixed wood effect that would pick up the black in the fireplace accents (in family room) or the reddish terra cotta tiles. I was thinking of removing he flying cabinets completely and replacing the range hood with a cool range hood as a focal point (so it could be unique, artsy design) and pendants lights.

I would go for some relatively inexpensive stuff before dealing with the cabinets because I think the actual color is fine.

Your accessories accentuate the old fashioned feeling - get rid of the curtains; get rid of that tambour breadbox and the plant. Change the pulls.

I would also change the paint color as it looks a bit orange at least on my monitor.

I think a less obtrusive hood would also steamline the look of the kitchen.

Wow Beth those are some wonderful inspiration photos. I agree that the cabinets look pretty good; the only thing that really speaks dated to me is the curve on the doors. ( I know there is a name for the style but it escapes me). If you changed those doors it would go a long way to being updated. The hardware, removing the valances etc as well. Lol just read a post further down and realize the word is ARCHED.

Along the lines of everything cycles back to looking fresh again, I am really loving the brass hardware in many of the inspiration photos. I do notice that it's not the brass hardware we all had before though- the color looks different and the styles are a lot sleeker.

Start by experimenting with different light bulbs to counteract the warmth in the room to brighten it up. It's amazing how much a light bulb can effect colors. The right lighting can make a huge difference.

Also, remove the dark curtains to brighten the room

Please post some more photos of the kitchen walls & from outside kitchen looking in.

What type of cabinet material are those?

If unsure, Look closely under the wall cabinet to see if it's MDF or plywood box construction. If still unsure, take a few photos close up & post, so Houzzers can help figure it out.

Some cabinets have a logo inside drawers or a sticker hidden inside to figure out the manufacturer.

Judging by the picture, you have two fundamental issues: functionality and aesthetics. Most visible base cabinets are a shallow drawer over a door, which is only about 54% effective in terms of easily accessible ergonomic storage. In terms of aesthetics, the arched doors give it a dated look which no amount of stain or paint can change. If your cabinets are structurally sound, which can only be determined on site, your best option IMO is to hire a skilled refacing company that can convert base cabinets to drawers, change door and drawer fronts to an updated style, and change the finish. This won’t be cheap. Neither would pro painting which would do nothing for functionality and the dated door style.

Take a good look at the Kitchen Magic page. You may not be in their service area but they do a lot of refacing and you can see some huge transformations in their galleries.

I would not invest much into this kitchen as is. There's just too much potential for a better layout, better style cabinets, countertop, etc.

Suggest just simple cost effective steps like, paint walls, better curtains, better lighting then save up for a remodel with new floorplan, new cabinets, new countertop, etc.

Ask 2 local kitchen designers & 2 contractors for a consultation with estimate, to prepare for a future new kitchen. It would get the best results in this situation.

I painted cabs white w/black pulls. What a difference!
Brightened up the whole place.

Hi, Hal! Great ideas, thank you so much. I'm in the Nashville area. These cabinets are in excellent shape, but I'm open to refacing. I like a clean look (think Joanna Gaines' Fixer Upper), but these are in such good shape (probably maple with solid box construction), I'm thinking I can make them work with a change of pulls (pewter?) and replacing countertops (neutral or black?). Here's another view of the kitchen through the family room (which shows the BACK of flying cabinets, stove and range hood overlooking the family room). I'm thinking of removing the flying cabinets and replacing the range with an island that incorporates the stove and maybe three stools. Considering an island with a rustic look, maybe a mixed wood look that incorporates the natural colors of the room (maple, red, teal). Also installing a cool range hood to add a modern punctuation mark to this space. House has some great range hoods -- maybe black (to pick up black accents in fireplace) or copper (picking up

color in red terra-cotta cotta tile floor).

And a beautiful backsplash brought a touch of elegance.

My understanding is refacing would be fairly expensive especially if one then retrofits to drawers in the lower cabinets at which point I would think it would be less costly to just get all new cabinets.

The kitchen actually seems to go with the rest of the decor and the furnishings so I'm not sure why the need to spend a large amount of money on a cosmetic fix.

Drawers might be better but you can retrofit lower cabinets with pullouts for a relatively small amount of money and have the same basic functionality - i.e. not have to unload everything to get at stuff stored in the bottom of a back cabinet.

A disclaimer though as I would rather invest $30,000 than spend it on to revamp a kitchen that is functionally fine and just "dated" in terms of door styles.

Professional opaque coating from a Pro-7-9K

New hardware, 1K.

Add under cabinet lighting, additional lighting. 2K.

New quartz counters, 5-8K.

New faucet and sink 1K.

New backsplash, $2K.

Paint, window treatment, rug. 2K.

There’s your 20-25K kitchen refresher.

Or you can just put on new hardware yourself and save to do a full remodel that fixes the actual issues instead of just putting on lipstick.