Nice job! It looks good!

I agree! You are doing an awesome job!!

I like the grey a lot better! Less busy! It's looking amazing!!

Sie brauchen neu fliesen, Küche, aber haben nicht zu viele Geld, es giebt sate, wo die leute will geben als gratis. Das hilft Ihnen verbessern ihre Wohnung !

I was thinking it might be possible to put a small bistro table underneath that little nook, small enough for one person or two, at a push, but not so big as to interupt the space when walking to the sink or balcony? Maybe stools, or chairs that would tuck in, so as to minimise the space, or maybe a bench, with a folding table, not sure of the best options, any ideas appreciated. I just put that picture there to illustrate the size, probably need something in there as well. There was shelves originally but i took them out becasue they were not level.

You are doing a great job. How about a dropside table ? A flexible way to have a table in your space.

One, I love the grey wall! Great job. Two, I agree with @kazzh that a drop leaf table is ideal for your small space. Add two small wood chairs without arms and you have a “dining area”. How is the refinishing job coming along?

Paint the back of the niche a different color and then add the art. It will be a nice backdrop.

You may be handy enough to build something like this that fits into your recessed space.

You could mount art on the underside of the table to be displayed when the table is up. Here’s where I stole the idea from. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B9FJNHZ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=storart-20&linkId=9e57604a612a403a25c14798c3c395be&language=en_US

What a charming kitchen. I love the cabinet you picked up. And such a difference that just a bit of flooring and a wallpaper change makes!

Making a start on the cupboard

Thanks for all the updates. I feel as if I’m watching a t v show!😀

I do like the contrast of the natural wood on top with your paint!

I bought white undercoat and then added a bit of black and mixed it up to darken down the white. I'm still aiming for the navy blue as a topcoat if I can find a nice paint and colour. Didn't get anything yet though!

I couldn't remove the hardware, i tried to prize it off, but it wouldn't move. I couldn't get anything in behind it. Does anyone have any tips for how to do that?

I hope other professional with painting experience see this one and comment, but when I cannot remove hardware (especially the gorgeous stuff like yours), I coat it with a thin coat of Vaseline to protect it from paint. Once the paint is dry on your cabinet, it will be easier to wipe the paint OFF your hardware if there is Vaseline protecting the metal from the paint. Not perfect, but if you have limited access to supplies, this might work.

PS: If you ever encounter milk paint—yes, that is a thing!—on a cabinet and want to remove it…ammonia works. So if you find a table or cabinet that you like and want to strip the paint or get it down to bare wood…try ammonia before anything else.

@ptreckel Thanks very much for the vaseline tip and the milkpaint, I don't think i have ever heard of that before.

Milk paint is undergoing a revival right now, but in its original form it was milk mixed with pigment and can often be found on wood items from the nineteenth and early twentieth century in the US. France? I am not sure about….but if paint remover doesn’t work, it might be milk paint! Then…try ammonia!

Trying out a blue on the back of the cupboard, but i think it's too light. I'll have to go shopping tomorrow.

Another option is chalk paint. Not the paint you write on. This paint comes many colors, you do not need to prime and it covers anything. I have painted metal chairs with it and just finished painting a floor.

This is how it looks after drying out. The undercoat turned out quite a nice colour as well. But I'm going shopping now to see what darker blue paint i can find

Although I am a wood lover (i can't go past a deeply polished wood finish), your cabinet is coming up wonderfully. I actually like the light color, but can see that a deep blue/black toned navy will make for a rich finish.

Eagerly awaiting the polished top !

It has a slightly purple tint to it. Something a bit deeper navy might be better.

Don’t know if you have access to Benjamin Moore paint there, but Hale Navy is one of my favorite colors. My walk-in pantry is Hale Navy with walnut countertops/shelves. The dining room built-in used to be in a different house with no space between the top and bottom parts. We repurposed it, painted and added granite shelf

I added black to the existing blue paint. still have to do the top

Unfortunatley had a bit of a disaster with the cupboard top. The stain was called medium oak but it has ended up bright red. which i don't like. Any pro tips on how to get rid of it? Do i have to resand it again, or can i put something else on top of it? Quite disappointed on the cupboard top. Any ideas gratefully accepted.

It is how the old wood absorbed the stain. You can leave it and live with it or re sand and try a different stain, but I think that it will still go darker on you. Another option is to do a deep sanding of it and NOT stain it. Just clear coat/seal the top of it. That will preserve, for a while, the lighter natural color that you seem to like. Were you planning on using this unit for storage, or for food prep? That might change the recommendation on what to put on it (for health reasons).

(Actually, I like the color! But then….I liked the colored wallpaper! ;>)

Thanks @ptreckel, for your advice. i can't face another sanding, so will leave it for now, but definitely in the future will resand and then varnish it without stain.

Looks beautiful!

sorry, didn't mean to post the pictures twice, not sure how to remove them.

Lovely

It looks great! Good job!

Beautiful!

What’s next!?

I was thinking you could hang baskets as an inexpensive alternative to artwork.

Oh I love it! And I think the hardware looks great too.
If you haven’t added a poly or such to the top, you can try adding a different stain over it. Either something darker or a yellowish may change the shade a bit to something you can live with better.

This thread makes me want to buy those $1 homes in Italy and see what I can do with $500 ❣️

Wow, I love the painted cupboard, and the top looks good too--like real wood ;)

You are very talented and determined!

Beautiful!!

Ok you have won me over on painting! Good thinking on just adding black to the blue paint, it has come up such a rich deep color that looks great on the background of the grey toned wall. Have thought about sealing the top with wax and buffing? The photo's look like a deeper red, not a bright red which you describe, that appears quite attractive. I think it might be a process which requires repetition,  so it's whether you have the stamina!

On wooden top, if you didn’t use a stain with a poly, try General Finishes gel stain right over the stain you just applied.

Great job!

Very curious as to how you painted around the hardware….

Beautiful!

Well, I've had to go back to work for now. But hopefully, will see you all again in a month or two when i can finish off the kitchen. Thank you so much to everyone, it's been so much fun and a great help hearing all your fantastic ideas. REally appreciate your help. In the meantime, i painted the railings on the balcony navy blue to go with the kitchen cupboard and plan on fuschia pink for the shutters. :)