I rather like them. With the quartz countertops and backsplash, I think they will look fine. Update flooring ( maybe not wood) and getter a lighter looking dining set.

If you have an unlimited budget, then buy new cabinets.

If you have the money, definitely replace the cabinets. Do you use the trash compactor, if that’s what it is? If not, that would free up additional cabinet space. Also, if you get new cabinets….get all deep drawers. Except for one narrow base cabinet that can accommodate sheet pans stored on their side. I’ve remodeled 2 kitchens since 1999 and a designer back then talked me into the drawers. They hold much more because they are so easy to access. I wouldn’t get a new countertop until you are completely satisfied with the cabinets. I’d get an estimate from a local kitchen design firm and see what you can afford. Then if you can’t go with new cabinets, think about painting. And the backsplash and countertop choices that would go with the paint.

I think this depends on needs and budget. cabs actually look nice. i would want a range instead of wall oven for more counterspace and to get fridge out of doorway. that’s a lot of money though. if you are happy with layout i would leave cabs as is and replace counters and get undermount sink and new faucet and call it a day.

Please don't have those cabinets end up in a landfill!

Are the drawers and shelves in good working order? While my cabinet doors looked fine, I replaced my cabinets because my drawers were failing and the plastic bits holding up the shelves was breaking too. Almost broke my foot when the 20 yr old builder basic drawer broke.

**read carefully. I put in a lot of questions and suggestions, and a lot of pics**

do you like the oak color?

if not, paint them. they look to be in decent shape w/the shaker style doors.

you could also add some boxes on top to raise the height a bit (you have really tall ceilings) and offer more storage. Then paint.

you need some hardware. I prefer pulls.

I would lose the trash compactor and have addtional drawers put in.

OR, get a built in microwave and modify that spot (after removing the trash thing).

this way you could have a nice hood vent for over the stove (and they work better)

Do you have room to bring in an island or peninsula?

is that you only table that you use for eating?

You could always do a longer table like this, postion it closer in the work area, and have a table/island

Over your fridge, that cabinet sits too far back and is useless.

You could relocate it on top of the others around the sink and build some others that match it, basically like shown here (except they wouldn't touch your ceiling)

You will have to paint if you do the add-on boxes.

Or, you could add on boxes and get taller doors, then paint.

(BTW, lowes or Etsy has unfinished oak door panels in many sizes. if you wanted to reface what you have, or add on some doors to the boxes above, you can choose these)

See how they did it here? Even if you only went up 10-12" , it would still look better w/those tall ceilings.

If you do that (paint) then spend the extra $20 for some trim and trim out the side panels on the lowers

(you don't have to do the middle piece. just do the edges. looks so much better when painted.

This is what it looks like raw. fill in the holes, paint,

Without the middle piece, it would look something like these end panels.

see this one on the end? . (this is Chantilly Lace and Hale Navy, black pulls)

For your fridge, do an actual surround w/painted side panels and bring out the upper portion w/open shelving, or put on some doors. this looks way better and gives you more storage.

(look up 'DIY fridge surround" for ideas)

You can buy a fridge surround or easily make your own from some 1/2" plywood. If keeping the oak as is, make one from red oak plywood and stain it to match your current stain.

Bring in a runner to add some color to the floor.

get a new dining table (or, just get diff chairs) and pendant light

maybe something like this. (notice the add on boxes above cabs)

Are all of the white appliances staying?

what about the bar top? can that be level down?

what kind of quartz did you want?

Tile splash?

let me show you bunch of did pics and you decide what you like. Some have the natural oak, others have been painted. (and if you choose paint, make sure to hire a pro cabinet painter that explains all of the steps and offers a warranty. do not use joe blow house painter)

check out this link and how she updated her oak

https://inbetweenchaos.com/2017/09/29/updating-a-90s-kitchen-without-painting-cabinets/

I don't care for this hardware or the small white tile splash, but I do like the Leathered Gray Steel granite w/the cabinets. these are very similar to yours. (notice how the doors are taller. Maybe you could add on the boxes and look for taller doors like this to fit over them)

If you like more of a soft, coastal type of look...yours is almost like this one.

plain white quartz, white sqaure tile splash (look at Cloe or Portmore Tile) , bring in a cotton runner w/the blue/white stripes. hange a woven pendant.

Before and After.

BM, Soft Chamois. I think handles look better. and if you are painting, you'll need them to protect your paint.

your cabinet style. I think this is Alabaster. she kept her gold granite.

you could remove a few of the middle panels and replace w/glass (here they took off the doors, but you get the gist). this is a bright white paint, black knobs, a thin island (could you do this size?) quartz and gray tile splash

90's oak cabinets painted a dark green.

Take a look at this island table. this is what I meant about replacing your round table. could you fit in something like this?

Maybe you like a two tone? this one shows the add on boxes that are kept open.

you could do it like this, or add glass doors to it. the blue gray is pretty w/all of the white. also notice the micro in the island over on the end. if you did a 26" size island, (or smaller if you want a smaller micro) you could install it on the end w/open shelving below, extend it towards the other side, and have an open table on the end.

I can post more later (i have many pics and diff colors that work w/oak should you decide to keep them as is. )

let me know what you thinkg.

and post another pic showing the table area. lets see what it look likes

Wow! Thank you so much. I did briefly read through and so many ideas. I will try and post some more pictures as well to see the whole space.

i added a few more pics regarding the fridge surround and cabinet door ideas.

here are some colors that work w/oak, or, if you wanted to paint them

two-tone combos

Thank you!

I like your kitchen and dining set as it is! but new counter backsplash great... same material for both.

Beth H. said it all - what a thoughtful response. I considered replacing my cabinets, but my contractor talked me out of it. We just painted and added boxes to increase storage - see pictures:

. Painting stained cabinets, if done properly, is not cheap. But if you go this route, make sure you do it properly, or you will be disappointed. There are some nice prefab cabinets if you can't afford custom. Here in Texas, Prosource has several selections at different price points.

I don't see your pictures?

To Beth. I added some more pictures. Part of the problem with making the cabinets taller is the slope by the pantry and oven area. It comes down to much and I think it wouldn't look right to start raising them. Don't have enough room for an island and even if I do new. The wall comes out by the sink and is in the way for walk around room. Same next to the fridge there is a wall there, but it needs to be there for the door on the side you can't see. Originally I didn't mind the cabinets. But, then I wanted to update the appliances as the oven and cooktop are 28 years old. So, it opened up a can of worms. Because I want new counter tops and a undermount sink. Haven't decided on a farm house or regular yet. The kitchen measures 170 x 131

Your cabinets turned out fabulous. I wish I felt I could place a cabinet above mine, but that sloped ceiling throws it off to me.

I would just stop the cabinet box addition at the point where the oven cabinet starts/ceiling starts to slope. Just make the area below the sloped ceiling a niche. Other thoughts:

1. Replace the cabinet above the refrigerator - it won't cost much for that - make that particular cabinet as deep as the refrigerator (like the cabinet over your oven). It will eliminate that awkward dust catcher on top of the refrigerator (between the upper cabinet door and the front edge of the refrigerator). I have all of my large trays in the cabinet above the refrigerator; and all my chafing dishes in the new cabinet above the tray cabinet. Someone else brought up needing a wing wall on the right side of your refrigerator to pull this together. see pictures below.

2. take your tile backsplash up to the cabinet

That might work. What color white did you go with on your paint? It really looks so nice. I agree on the fridge cabinet, it is such a waste.

I wish I felt I could place a cabinet above mine, but that sloped ceiling throws it off to me.

Me, too. You don't have the space to stack cabinets along the entire run. Stacking part of the run is going to look not so good. Awkward.

One small subtle thing that I would change is the LED recessed lights. I prefer how this style looks:

The ceiling will look less Swiss cheesey. Granted that there is an on-going debate that the ones you have are better. Aesthetically, I prefer the more integrated look that you get with these^^.

Is there a link to those lights?

Just look for ultra thin LED recessed lights. Widely available--Lowe's, Home Depot, Amazon...

Before I would begin deciding on colors or deciding to keep or replace cabinets I would have to consider three things. . .

One - how does the space function for me as it is. Do you need more storage space? Do you like/need the wall ovens? Trash Compactor? Do you like sitting at the table in the kitchen or do you use the dining room (if you have one) or do you eat in front of the TV? Would you prefer counter height seating in the kitchen? Do you have enough storage, but the wrong type of storage? Are there any blind corner cabinets that could be made more useful? Does the microwave over the stove work for you? Do you prefer gas or electric? Do you hate the cabinet color, do you hate the flooring? Do the colors work with the rest of your home? Figure out what would be your ideal kitchen, and then prioritize and decide what things are most important.

Second - how much do I want to spend? Money can only be spent one time and knowing your budget and budgetary priorities is paramount. If you don't really like cooking or being in the kitchen and love to travel you may want to spend less on the kitchen and save toward a trip to Europe. If your idea of a vacation is to go camping in the local mountains along a stream and catch your dinner and you love baking and cooking and spend most weekends creating amazing meals you may want to spend every dime you can on your kitchen.

Third - how long am I going to live in this space? If you are going to move in a year you won't want to spend as much as you would if you plan on being in this home for 20 years. You also need to decide how important resale is to the design. I plan on leaving my current home either in a box or being forced into a nursing home. I don't care about resale at all - I will be dead when someone else sells my home. I am painting my cabinets purple. Always wanted a purple kitchen and a purple bedroom and I am not caring what anyone else likes at this point in my life.

Once you figure these things out you can balance your dreams against your budget and future plans. Try to be realistic in determining your needs. In the movie Sabrina her mentor in Paris tells Sabrina "illusions can be dangerous people, they have no flaws". I often think about this when people describe their dream home and it is completely inconsistent with their lifestyle.

I am not fancy, have never been overly sophisticated. (My sister says I am not encumbered by social graces). I like animals and at one time owned 10 cats, 4 dogs and 2 horses. I love to garden and hike and don't mind getting dirty.

When I was young and bought my first home I was in love with Scandinavian design. Painted the whole home white with white trim and light, almost white flooring and light, almost white furnishings. I envisioned having fancy wine and cheese parties in my home with sophisticated friends all dressed to the nines.

Most of my friends are much like me and seldom wear anything fancier than jeans and a decent shirt. They like barbeques and good home cooked meals with fresh veggies from their gardens. Many have keys to my home and come and go as they please. They don't need an invitation and I don't need notice that they are coming over and they may drop by after rescuing a bird from a chimney or to show me a snake they got out of someone's car engine.

The illusion didn't fit my reality. The style looked pretty on the pages of a magazine, but I apparently didn't live on those pages. My house didn't stay white on white for long and sadly, I had to spend a lot of extra money replacing all that white.

Be real, enjoy the process and make sure that you optimize the joy that each dollar you spend brings to your life.

I love what you wrote Jennifer. It is so true. Sometimes we get carried away with dreams, but in reality does everything matter once it is attained.

@Marta: Many of us can help you think this through because we’ve been there. Jennifer gave you terrific advice and Beth gave you visuals that are extremely helpful. Perhaps,the best way for us to help you is to know the answers to Jennifer’s questions.

Proper painting of a kitchen is not cheap. Get prices. If your layout is good for you, refacing is another option. Your cabinets need not be thrown away - new doors, new drawers (and changing the bottom cabinets to drawers), new countertop-sink-faucet is another way to go. Get refacing prices.

BUT, if you envision a whole new renovation of that space in the future, do nothing now and save your money.

Tell us which way you are leaning.

marta,,,ok, so here's how you do it. (of couuse the corner portion would also be white.

and it doesn't have to be a wine cubby. prob too hot. but you could design the niche for some pottery or a basket or even a plant.

I saw this one and thought it was interesting how they made use of the slope.

you could also enlarge the trim and crown on that end if it would look better

of course you would do you fridge panel and bring the cabinet forward (or, get a countert depth fridge)

for the sink area, can you extend it a bit longer? If you did, you could bring in two more chairs at the bar and use it for eating. but maybe you prefer the table?

do you want to keep the bar top

or have a flat overhang like this one

if you still need a table by the window, you could do a little floating or built in bench right under the sill, have a small table and two chairs. hang a pendant. would look similar to these

this table would work there w/a similar bench.

I realize your oven is right there so the bench couldn't go past the window. but, you could make a small L on the other side off the window

the other thing I would do for better storage is to lose the door under your stove top and replace w/two deep drawers. much better for pans and larger items. (and move a micro over to the compactor spot)

I had my cabinets painted a few years ago. I moved my mirco under my wall over, had a nice vent hood made, and had two other drawers put into my island. (not shown here). but if you did your drawers like I have under mine, I think you would really love the convenience.

the drawers aren't difficult to make and they could copy your same slab drawer fronts.