I photoshopped it white but in my old salt box, I am not sure if painting would be a good plan.

Also a cool fireplace in kitchen

I'm not sure where you added the lighting, but also undercabinet lighting would be great to add, too!

I might paint your cabinets, but I wouldn't paint them white. You could maybe just do the uppers in a cream.

But I would maybe think of a soft midtone color that might better go with the overall theme of the house. Definitely also choose a lighter countertop and backsplash.

Dune View · More Info

Blue Grey Kitchen · More Info

Chesapeake Bay waterfront Log Home · More Info

Another vote for under-cabinet lighting and: Are you determined to keep that colonial light fixture?

Mitzi Fern 10 Light Chandelier H427810-AGB/BK - Aged Brass & Black · More Info

Multi-Arm Style Chandelier Decarlo I · More Info

Hudson Valley Jervis 2-LT Pendant 8722-AGB - Aged Brass · More Info

WAC Lighting Corso 32in LED Pendant in Brushed Aluminum · More Info

Moxie 9-Light Chandelier, Aged Brass, Black and White Shade · More Info

Colette 16-Light Chandelier, Aged Brass/Black · More Info

Prato Collection 4 Light Bronze With Antique Brass Accents Chandelier (41384-07) · More Info

I am normally not a fan of unpainted knotty wood in abundance but in the case of your kitchen I would think long and hard about painting it. Consider removing the cabinets on the window wall and tiling that wall in glossy light colored tile up to the ceiling, painting the window trim white. If that’s too pricey, do light glossy paint on the walls and open shelves, filled with white bowls and silver or copper canisters — that sort of thing.

I hope you are opting for a dining table and chairs rather than a central island with stools. But get a white or pastel table top. If that is your table, consider painting the table instead of the cabinetry.

Period home or built to look such? I would certainly paint cabinets but probably not white. Then the pine floors and beams become the star. What’s happening with the island that comes and goes?

No I would not paint. If you can, I'd remove cabs both left and right of window. If you need a spot for plates [hi turn around things-no dust..just put a shelf -one on each side] . I find the light fixture kind of distracting. is there a simpler.."close to ceiling fixture" you could replace that with. With the window area cleared /a better light fixture..maybe even a snake shape trac fixture]... this might make a difference. Other lighting plans can be performed here to assist as well. The window is not small..there is vegetation. If you have a north or northeast exposure with tree canopy you may not be getting benefit of light.

Painting pine is a huge job and for sure not a DIY one IMO. But first address the lighting all the bulbs in all the fixtures need to be LEDs 4000K that will automatically brighten the whole space . Under cabinet lighting will help for sure . IMO the cabinets are very dated with hardly any base drawers so I would save for new cabinets and for now just address the lighting.

What is your budget range for changes?

Here are some ideas to lighten it up.

1- Paint the beams white to match the ceiling. Test by covering a couple beams with white shelf paper or even paper towels.

2-Prune the trees outside to let in more light.

3- Paint the cabinets light blue

4- Add undercabinet lighting.

5. Replace countertops with lighter surfaces.

6. Refinish the floors with a clear, no-stain finish.

I would paint all the beams (include the one that runs along the wall on the top of the cabinets) the color of the ceiling. Remove cabinets on the window wall. Remove the 4" backsplash, and use a glossy, creamy white (one that looks good with your countertop) to do all of the walls - tile up to the ceiling on the window wall. Change out the light fixture for one that provides lots of downlight.

Wow!! Such great ideas! I will lose the painting of the beams fight but hubby hopes to find a way to lighten them in some way to bring them back to a more original/natural color. Removing cabinets crossed my mind as well. If we go with tile to ceiling, that could work. My fear was ruining walls and causing a lot more money. Interesting! Anyone have a light blue color that might work well? Or another idea?

The home is built in the 70s by a builder who built about 15 homes next door to each other in the neighborhood to look like older homes. All cedar outsides with wood gutters down to the square head nails. Most others have painted cabinets by this point.

Island was there when we bought house. We thought it may feel more airy if we put a table in. I took the top off the island and built my own table. But we have the island base in the basement knowing we may want to go back to it. While I love the table the most, having a big surface to work off of would be nice to have back. We shall see.

We have substituted a new chandelier a year ago. Then we decided this year we needed more lighting after spending a year at home. So we added four recessed lights and under cabinet lighting.

It’s a southwest exposure. No real trees to speak of close by windows.

Trees are really far away AND most were chopped down by a neighbor building a house. Light just doesn’t really get in the room most of the day.

your inspo pic has light counters and light backsplash which I think would help. so do you have new pics with the new lighting?

and are you wanting to paint cabinets?

It is a special problem to be true to the style of your house. I love your concern. I also understand the darkness issue. When we bought our house and before we moved in, I was convinced I would have white. However, after we lived in the house and planned our remodel, I knew white wouldn’t work. My kitchen told it wanted something else-no white. Winter skies here are just different shades of grey. I needed color. Have you looked at David T Smith kitchens? He is a good example of color in a kitchen and there are several other cabinet makers who understand old houses. Look online at Bucks County Soapstone Co for cabinet ideas. I used BM Dorset Gold on the painted cabinets, BM Hadley Red on the fireplace, and a dark blue on the island. I do hate the thought of painting that pine. Maybe changing wall color and counters, painting island would cheer your room? I use 3open shelves to display my collection of antiques so there is visual interest. Could you remove an upper cabinet and replace with open shelves. Maybe you could replace one or two uppers with an antique glass-fronted cabinet? How much recessed lighting did you add? We have 11 of those tiny LED lights spaced around the kitchen, two over the island. This is the first time we have installed under cabinet lighting and it’s wonderful. We used the more expensive type we found at a very good lighting store, not the puck lights.

fifty yr old cabs ....have the neighbors with similar, painted updated cabs kept the original..as you seem to imply??? . there are so many updates with picking new cabinetry which always creates the question about keeping the old and paying for the paint project. You can do solid color on base and white uppers with your size space . The correct navy on the lowers with champagne bronze hardware then the white uppers would be a new feel for certain. Adding some glass doors would be nice. Things can be done but are the cabinets ready for another span of life in your opinion. Maybe at least pull out the base section left of fridge and insert a couple stacks of drawers...or skooch fridge to the left and get a tall pantry cab to place right of fridge..... might satisfy as an improvement .

A color configuration like this for your central furniture will trick the eye into seeing more light in the room. If the chairs aren’t precious you can paint them blue as well as the base of table or island, whichever you end up with. Most important is a pure white top. (Other colors than blue for the base will work —- like biscuit or shell pink — but they need to be light emitting not absorbing)

West Chester Kitchen featuring Dura Supreme Craftsman Panel Door · More Info

Can you post a picture of your cool fireplace?

Don’t suggest painting

I’d strip and restain cupboards and beams lighter, which will have a huge impact. Could even paint window frame white to highlight vs it fading into cabinetry.

Light counter and rustic subway tiles.

A pendent that filters light downward/stronger bulbs.

You could strip the table to match cupboards and paint chairs white

I would remove the Cabinets around the windows.
See if you can have the hinges place inside the cabinets.
White countertops white backsplash. Or even a blue backsplash if you like that. ( I’m obsessed with blues :)
New hardware.
I wouldn’t paint these cabinets. Sand and stain if anything.
I’d probably paint the window trim and stain the beams a lighter color.
I happen to like the island. Do you have a dining room?
And yes, please show us the cool fireplace

I'd paint the ceiling beams, window trim, and soffits the same color as the walls/ceiling (hard to tell from the photos if they are white or cream). I'd also add a light-colored rug under the table to bounce light back up and perhaps even paint the table and chairs a lighter shade if they are not precious.

It's hard to tell from your photos if the soffits are actually soffits or beams that run around the perimeter of the room. If your husband disagrees with painting the ceiling beams, perhaps he'll compromise and agree to paint just the perimeter. That alone would make a huge difference, I think.

Just here to say that I happen to not be a huge fan of subway tile so I would get a couple of samples of honeycomb-hexagon tiles in high gloss white to see if that worked for me

Wow! Love your kitchen but understand the need for light. I'd change the countertops to white solid surface and keep everything else... unless it's a single level and you can add skylights, in which case, skylights are awesome :)

Also, extra bright white paint between the beautiful beams. More lighting.

So pretty:)

Since much of the house exterior is cedar, the beams may also be light reddish cedar. You can test the look of refinishing the dark beams by scraping off a dime-size spot in an unobtrusive location. In my area, those 1970's dark beams were often simply painted with dark paint or stained with an opaque stain. If they are painted now, the sample will show the underlying wood color.

If you are comfortable talking to your neighbors about their kitchens, you can ask them about their beams, too.

Keep the pine. Here's some ways in which it's been redone on walls and ceiling. I sanded an entire 1945 knotty pine den once. Turned out great. Wish I had a picture.

Farmhouse Staircase · More Info

Beach House Renovation · More Info

Knotty pine paneling staircase landing · More Info

Garland Home Interior Knotty Pine Paneling · More Info

Some cabinets

Knotty Pine Home Office · More Info

The beams and floor are dark. I would paint the cabinets. I wouldnt do white but a green. The cabinets are not antique just old. The pine wood is nothing special IMO. If u are on a tight budget dyi can do a good job on cabinets. Example if u like country cottage style