Is it an actual inlay or just something that is applied to the door?

Very interesting cabinets!

Can you open a door & show the back side of door? Can’t be actual granite - way too heavy. The rest of cabinet is very pretty wood. Have you already checked replacing only the doors?

Have you thought about changing the granite backsplash and the turquoise wall color? you might be able to play them down.

KW, did not take a photo of the backside of the door. If my memory serves right it was the finished maple and went all the way to the edge of the door. Your question made me realize I can probably turn the panel around just have some of this ugliness on the inside of the cabinet.

Sasha dog, I would definitely paint the walls and I think the granite backsplash needs to come down and be replaced with tile. Do you all agree?

Cubby, it is applied to the door and island I think. There is trim around it that is on top of it to keep it in place. Do you think I could take the trim off and pull off the granite on the island? I think I solved the cabs and could just turn panel around.

I agree to paint and change the backsplash.

You may not be able to flip the doors because of the hinges. My cabinet hinges are counter-sunk into the back of the door.

If the details are glued on the front, you may be able to hire a woodworker to remive the detail and refinish th door.

I am not thinking of flipping the entire door but flipping the center panel in the middle of the door.

I would look into what SashaDog is saying about hiring someone to remove the details and refinish doors and panel on island or at least take off the applied molding and see what damage is done by removing it.

Don't think we have seen anything like that here before! They certainly are interesting ... like they were going for a Victorian-Moroccan theme!

Good luck with the project!

I actually think they are very nice.and unique.

@Blake L just to help me visualize, I checked the backside of my wood cabinet doors. They are indeed finished just like the outside but I see no way to take the panel out of the frame. If the design on your doors isn’t a real inlay but is attached to top, glued etc., my bet is it’ll be less labor intensive (less$) to have a cabinet maker / wood work person remove the design & repair the finish if necessary. Clever that the inlay shape matches the door pulls. Kidding! Sounds like you don’t own this house yet? I didn’t realize the inlay matched the backsplash until read the other comments. I do agree that the dark backsplash matching counter is a finish I’d replace but, before committing to that I’d replace frig with SS to match the built in ovens I see. It might be that there’s just too much dark along the wall we see with stretch of backsplash, big black box frig & upper cabinet design. Get rid of design & lighten frig color & reassess. Oh, and change wall paint!

ETA - i’d change island pendants too.

Wow, wasn't someone being creative. Too bad they spoiled their kitchen for someone else to enjoy as the cabinets otherwise seem fine.

Great idea to see if you can "turn" the center panel front to back.

No side splash when you redo the backsplash.

New s/s fridge would help. Perhaps paint the wood trim at ceiling same color as new wall color so you eye doesn't go to it or white.

Um, I see on one picture it has already been replaced and is white. Good idea.

@KW Completely agree with all that you said. We are trying to decide if the house just needs to much work and is worth the asking price and all the headaches of doing all the work. Painting is easy but I am trying to work out the harder stuff. The inside of the house feels like it is from the tv show “Golden Girls”. They have Ugly trim around all of the doors, under all of the windows, and at the floor boards. I cannot decide if it should be painted or torn off and replaced. There is tile in most of the downstairs but right in the middle of the combined breakfast and living room there are 2 different patterns. It goes from gray wood tile to tan travertine in the middle of the room. The gray tile continues to the downstairs master bedroom and a sunroom. Basically if I want the tile to all match I have to rip it up everywhere and replace it. the owners do not have hardly any of either tile and matching tile (even with the brand and mfg) is not easy. I am just thinking the house will be a lot of work and it is 1 hr away from where we live now. It will be very hard to coordinate bids and people to do the work.

More photos of trim

If you are just looking at this house, I think there are too many details about it that you do not like and unless you have a large additional budget and a lot of patience to go through a renovation, I would just pass.

Looks like a carpenter owns/owned the house and loved to show his workmanship.

What do you like about the house that makes you want to buy it and put up with all the headaches?

I think I would walk away from buying the house unless there is something amazing about the property — beautiful lot, pool — or unless you have all the money and desire to gut every finished surface and redo

I agree all the detail in trims is a bit much for my taste. Is this home on the water in a warm weather locale? If yes, I’m guessing high value attached to property? Are the major issues for you the millwork finishes? The flooring is the highest cost fix you’ve mentioned. If you like this home, replacing or just repainting all the wood trim, repainting walls & replacing a few light fixtures are not a huge expense in the overall scheme of new home fixes. From your pics, it looks like a nice open floor plan. As Angel asks, what are the things you like about this house?

Flipping the center panel likely will not work. Cabinet doors typically are designed to not come apart, ever, and if you take a door apart, you will likely damage the joinery at the corners beyond repair. The joinery is mitered (angled), so there is certainly glue and likely either a biscuit, dowel, or some sort of interlocking joint at the mitered corners that will tear apart if you try to remove the center panel (which would require disassembling the joinery).

As someone else suggested, the best option is 1) see if you can remove the wood trim and granite and then have the panel refinished, or 2) replace all the doors in their entirety.

A clever kitchen designer suggested this, which worked like a charm: rout out the panel and glue in glass with silicone. I think that would be an easier fix than flipping the panels.

You know, not my style -- but I gotta give 'em props for doing something visually interesting and unique. I kind of like them, actually! Get rid of foo-foo crown work and hood and I don't think it's half-bad.