floors are a light yellow/oak

Since you recently purchased this home; do you have enough funds to redo the kitchen?

New cabinets, counters etc? It will be upwards of 40-50K.

I think the cabinets have a nice wood tone.

I think all you really need is a new back splash, new paint, and hardware for now and see how it goes.

Wood tones are slowly becoming popular again you might find that your kitchen is not so out of style as you thought.

Good luck.

Backsplash does not seem to go with countertops at all. On my monitor anyway. Painting the cabinets would be much more expensive than changing backsplas And then the backsplash and countertop still wouldn’t go together

Lighten up the paint color, get a new, shinier backsplash (not the matte finish that was the thing 20 years ago), and maybe some undercabinet lighting, it would be like night and day (literally, lol). It's kind of all dark and monochromatic right now. Can you post a pic with the new sage paint color? I wouldn't paint those cabinets.

Agree with the comment above saying it's perhaps the backsplash you may want to consider updating with something modern. And perhaps some lighting updates. The cabinets look good!

What ^^ said. Live with it for a while. They look nice to me.

We have actually been here for almost 2 years now. This is a listing photo.

We do have under cabinet lighting!

And we don't love the back splash so we are open to changing that, but didn't want to modify the entire kitchen! I am not exactly design savvy when it comes to putting different textures & patterns together (ie. granite & back splash). I appreciate the feedback! The house is about 30 years old and kitchen was remodeled about 10 years ago by a 65ish year old couple. The entire house was extremely traditional & beige. We have since added a lot more color to the walls & remodeled the fireplace completely. Now its time for kitchen, then bathrooms, then floors! It is a wonderful home with great bones and a perfect floorplan for our family. But needs more character for sure.

to @ Filipe Custom Woodwork question.

1.If we didn't have the money, we wouldn't be doing it.

2.It was clear in my original post that I don't want a complete kitchen remodel. This will not be a $50k project! Thanks though :)

@ crcollins1_gw I do hate to paint them. They are gorgeous cabinets. The true color isnt really showing up here, they are more of a red color. And we cant find furniture for the attached breakfast area that will match. I have attached a few more pictures I took with my cell phone last night. Ignore the baby & the current table that is in the picture

Professionally painted cabinets are almost as expensive as new cabinets, so unless you're going to undertake the massive DIY project you may want to consider a full remodel.

I actually think the cabinets are nice. Upgrading the countertop and backsplash would have more of an impact than painting the cabinets IMO.

I stick by my original suggestion. I'd lighten up the paint even more, get a light-colored, reflective backsplash, and USE those undercabinet lights! Beautiful cabinets. Don't get near them with paint! :)

@

Cassie Locklear

1. Then you can do the changes as per my second comment. below. and previous.

think all you really need is a new back splash, new paint, and hardware for now and see how it goes.

Wood tones are slowly becoming popular again you might find that your kitchen is not so out of style as you thought.

2. Please refer to 1.

Good luck.

I think you would regret painting those gorgeous cabinets!

(I blame HGTV for making everyone think everything has to be white or gray, lol).

haha Donna E I agree, usually. Our old house had dark cabinets, but it was big open loft. This is just a smaller enclosed space & I feel a little trapped! Plus I cant seem to find any furniture that doesn't look like my grandmother picked it out or ultra-modern in that color. Maybe If we do the backsplash & counters instead like everyone else suggested we can find something. I'm scared to add one more color or texture to this Motley Crew kitchen!

I'd be inclined to get a painted table & chairs so as not to add to the wood menagerie. Personally, I'd go toward the modern (clean lines) since the kitchen is quite traditional. Don't try to match the cabinets or floor.

I agree with crcollins. Black painted table and chairs?

I was thinking something light in color, not stark white but maybe a cream or even a lighter version of the green you like. You might have to have it painted to get it right. (Cheaper than painting cabinets! LOL)

I'm a fan of natural wood, but I wouldn't be happy with the color of those cabinets either. This re-do reminds me a bit of your kitchen and it looks terrific with the cabinets painted. I might no go this white if you intend to keep the counters, but I think light cabinets would be a big improvement.

cabinet redo

Here's a different kitchen painted SW Amazing Gray:

I wouldn't try to match your table and chairs to the cabinets. I like the idea of white, cream, or a color.

The cabinets look in good shape, better than average quality and I'd guess the finish will last another twenty or thirty years.

I've seen a lot of careful, expensive attempts to paint over cabinets with factory applied finishes. They all began to fail in three or four years.

Go with a white quartz and light white backsplash and you will have a whole new perspective on your cherry cabs.

Your cabinets and floor are beautiful. You mention feeling trapped by all the stained wood. Perhaps changing some of the doors to glass would lighten up the room. How do you think glass doors would look on the cabinets to the left of the doorway?

I like the idea of adding some glass doors as was suggested above.

My cabinets are a similar color, but a bit darker. You said you didn't want to change the countertops and backsplash, but I think it would help. I just changed my white laminate to Hanstone Kindred quartz and love the difference!

We are having a new backsplash of long white glass subway tile installed in a couple of weeks but here is a picture with the old 4x4 tile backsplash.

Problem isn't the wood cabinets. The problem is that there is no where to rest the eyes; the backsplash and counter material are just too fussy, coming off as a whole lot of tiny calico print. You try to find an eye rest space and are met with raised panels--on the end of the upper cabinet and that awful piece-work on the side of the refrigerator where just a plain side of stained wood would look much better. It's as if the kitchen designer/ cabinet vendor was interested in wringing out every last bit of profit potential in the sale.

For the room paint, I would paint the ceiling, ceiling crown and wall spaces all the same color. OR, paint the ceiling white and use a color on the walls with a painted backsplash. For unity because the wall space is so small.

Replace knobs with pulls and change lighting to a clean white. Paint the unseen tops of the upper cabinets white to help reflect light. I would also use some dimmable LED strip lighting atop the upper cabs.

I love Beth's choices and advice especially the Fusion. One of my favorite types of stone.

happy2b…gw Thank you! we love the floors, but they are original to the house and have been resurfaced too many times & unfortunately have to be replaced. The carpets in the bedrooms are also original, so we are planning on pulling up all the floors and doing hardwoods throughout sometime next year. I am a big fan of glass doors & open shelving, but my spouse is not.

Beth H. : Yes!! Thank you. This is wonderful. That quartzite is gorgeous & I loved your suggestions! With the lights, we will change those out ASAP, but we cant easily add pendant lights over the bar, we have can lights there.

ci_lantro Im not sure if I quite understand what you mean about the panels & "awful piece" but we actually really like the side of the fridge, it brings the room together when you back away. But I love the idea of painting what little wall we have above the cabinets white for light & adding LED strips to the top. Ill add that to my list as well.

With the table, I wasn't worried about matching the cabinets to the table, but I was scared to add one more color or texture to the room. We have a formal dining room, this is our daily eating table, so we want to keep it casual and comfortable.

We are going countertop & back splash shopping on Saturday as well as picking new paints & fixtures.

I appreciate the collective feedback!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!