Additional pics

I'd pick this one for the uppers & I do like the "greige" you've tabbed already.

Have you thought of raising the upper cabinets to draw the eye allll the way up to the ceiling?

I have thought of extending the cabinets all the way to ceiling. I’m gonna see how much that would be. Painting would be a big update - I hope.

For sure! Painting and that new backsplash with 100% brighten and open the space! I can't wait to see your progress on this

your tile should come dead last.

pick the color you want for cabinets and wait and see how they look in your lighting. (which,btw, you should have 4000K bulbs. anything lower and you'll get yellow hued light)

Read this before getting paint samples.

https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/category/the-best-paint-colours/neutral-gray-greige-cream-and-white/

since you're painting, (love the visitor on the counter !) why not consider doing some boxes on top?

example. this was a poster on here who wanted to paint and get quartz. I showed her how to add the boxes.

The painting company you hire usually has a carpenter on hand to do some modifications.

So they built her some simple boxes and got doors for them

Looks so much better.

you have those taller ceilings, I'd do this. And since you only have a few doors on the upper w/the arches, get those refaced, like they did w/this one.

(you could prob find 2nd hand oak cabinet doors in the shaker style, like these:

Lowers were painted Gaulet Gray.

or, see how much to reface just the doors w/the arches. shouldn't be that much.

similar granite tones, so all of these will work. I would not use those whites you've mentioned. they're too dingy. Go with Alabaster, Or, BM Simply White (it's a neutral but a warm neutral)

If you want more of a beige, try some of the ones I've listed in then pics

This one is Revere Pewter. BM Pale Oak is similar to this, but a tad lighter.

you could also add some glass to a few of the uppers

one more suggestion. build out the cabinet over the fridge so you can actually reach it.

Or, if getting a new fridge, get a counter depth model.

I'd also remove the hardware and get something that matches upper and lower. since you're painting, have the holes filled in so you get something new. those bar handles do not work w/the cup pulls on the lower.

trying to find a similar angled countertop so you can compare the uppers

Thank you Beth. Great suggestions, checking out adding the uppers and will look into building out fridge cabinet. I have a sample of alabaster thought it was too bright against my warmer brown tone granite but will reconsider. Also have a sample of revere pewter, seemed too gray. Love the color though!

Wonder if I could do a darker color like iron ore or urban bronze on lowers. Was afraid to ho too dark. I’m in paint color hell at the moment lol. I’ve read tons of Kylies paint reviews as well as others. So confused. Appreciate all your suggestions.

I also have a walk-in pantry next to cabinets. Oak door - should that be painted to match cabinets?

Paint pantry door also?

if this were mine, I'd do some serious editing of the wall cabinets. You have pretty good storage. and a pantry. I'd remove some wall cabinets and put in a few shelves w good looking brackets. the remaining wall cabinets could be stacked as you mentionned , and easily source new doors without the arch. Maybe a glass door or two. then I think the stained cabinetry could remain and with new backsplash be great ,and quite different. Your counter and sink and everything below is really nice. Painting while keeping all the arches and the heavy volume of uppers isn't the best route. The cabinet stain color w floor and counters is quite nice. Edit your walls.

I hear ya Hern about removing some of the uppers and using shelves. That’s a battle I’m not gonna win - hubs like the cabinets. I’m lucky he’s letting me paint. Secondly I’m not sure where to begin on that- which cabs get removed? Not sure that’s gonna be functional w/ a cat who loves to climb EVERYWHERE lol.

the 27 or 30 inches to right of glass doored cabinet is where I'd remove wall cabs . Shelves w interesting brackets. this area is seen from certain angles of your living space. Nice ceramic ware/bowls/ small plates///etc. If he likes the cabinets he'll like them even more if you can source the same fronts w the square pattern as in lowers......you are getting a more cohesive and up to date transitional look. And if you show him that successful search, proceed and insert a couple w some glass fronts. All the while avoiding expensive painting.

So the next question - if I got new fronts they all have to be restrained to all match if not painted. I see what you’re saying but not sure that’s gonna save any money. Plus I couldn’t fit those cabinets up above they were cut down?? I’d still have to have more made or ordered.

Can I ask where you got the wavey subway tile? I am in Canada and found them at the Home Depot but now they do not have any stock.

rephrase your question about fitting w a cut down??? not understanding that. You have framed basic oak cabinets in a standard stain. You can obtain door fronts all finished, quite easily. Scherrs' or similar. I believe you can send them a door front from above the fridge for example. I would seriously get this quoted as opposed to a complete paint over. Paint over leaves you w what is going to look even more outdated over time . GOOD LUCK!!!!!

Pamela- check Lowe’s, saw some there but they were white. this particular one was from a local tile house it’s called Wateecolor - color is desert BF56WPGD.

Herb- the cabinets you suggest moving are 30” high. The space above measures 21”. I was thinking you were suggesting taking those and using them above to fill in the wall and go all the way up. I will look into your suggestions. Thanks

@Tabitha Bishop - I agree with Beth to look into using new refaced doors, going up to the ceiling and leaving the doors. Open shelving is controversial- some people love it, others hate the visual clutter (and potential cleaning issues). Pick your inter-family battles. Refacing and adding cabinets above will get you a whole new kitchen. Get pricing on that. (Painting your current door style will still read “80’s kitchen”. )

how many running inches of wall cabinets do you have? 27-30 in of open shelving will be a small percentage. Some people do 24 inches of an open floating shelf or two and find it invigorates the space. Details matter. It need not be all open shelving just as you probably don't need all the inches of cabinetry you currently have , along w pantry, and even want to add more to an interior windowless kitchen ???? think improving the aesthetic/ diffferent materials like glass doors /shelves/ and tile up the wall somewhere more than just backsplash area/ a different approach w tile than what the arabesque will allow will give different, better emphasis. If you go back and search for inspiration " interior kitchen w beautiful wall tile and angled wall light fixture" or similar I think you might see the possibilities a little differently .

Pamela Lamothe, where are you in Canada? If you are in the Toronto area, I've seen similar at the following stores:

Olympia tiles (nearby to Yorkdale)

Factory Tile Depot (several locations)

Dragona Tile & Flooring

I actually think the one shown in the picture is the one from Dragona. It also comes in the Arabesque.

It is 3 X 6" Marlow Glossy Cloud (white). They retail at Dragona for $4.68 sq ft, but they priced it for me at just over $3. They also have a 3 X 12 - actually that's the one they priced at $3 for me, not the smaller one.

It's very nice, we just felt we wanted something a bit smaller.

We found a 2.5 X 10 at Olympia - Oceani White Glossy. They show it at $6.81/sq ft. If you have a contractor, ask them to get a price as they have different pricing for contractors.

I don't think you'll have any trouble finding a wavy finish, there are lots of options if you venture to tile stores rather than the big box stores.

The Ottawa area.

So we are about an hour outside of Ottawa and with the lockdown trying to stay close by that is why I have been looking at the big boxes and using curb side. I actually decided to wait until I can get the tile I wanted instead of settling.
I had also tried Wayfair but they were 4x what HD was selling them for and the shade of white was more grey. Remodelling through lockdown has been interesting lol.
But you are locked down so you might as well be effective. :)

Pamela Lamothe, I hear you completely on lock down and staying home and trying to use that time to do improvements. I think likely you've got a lot more snow there than we do in Toronto. Good luck with your renovations and hopefully we'll all get through lock down and stay healthy and come out of all of this with better homes than we started with.

Big improvement! so much lighter. what tile did you do? I cant see it

Beth- it is a cream tile with a crackle glass finish, it’s really pretty but subtle. Found it at a local tile shop. I had to keep it simple since granite was so busy and I was not changing that. Can’t believe it only took me 8-1/2 years to get around to this. On to the next project!