Looks terrific. And I appreciate you taking the time to share your choices.

If you spend some time here, you realize that some people give the same advice over and over.

There are people here who worship stained wood and don't want it ever changed or painted or removed. It's nice but it's not the best choice for EVERY family and EVERY house.

I’m saving this as inspiration for refinishing MY kitchen!

It looks great! I particularly love the refinished floors AND the island color. Smoke you say..... off to look at that. Just beautiful

Very trendy!

What does that light switch on the end of the island turn on?

Actually, I’d have spent my money on changing the lower cabs into all drawers, as is the norm now in modern kitchens. Drawers are much more convenient.

Drawers are preferable, but changing from cabinets to drawers is also extremely expensive ... much more expensive than painting the cabinets and changing the light fixtures.

You can't see it in the second picture but it's in a little cutout to the right which you can see in the first picture. The first picture is a listing photo so the microwave was not ours.

I was wondering too, and I didn't note it in the first picture. I like that little shelf ... as long as you're good with a small microwave (and I am), it's a great choice.

The only thing I would hve done is to eliminate the corbels on the island

I think they're necessary to support the overhang. The y're better than "table legs" because they don't prevent people from scooting in /out from the side.

There are people here who worship stained wood and don't want it ever changed or painted or removed.

Worshiped is a strong word.

Oh wow your kitchen looks fantastic - light, bright and lovely! ✨ enjoy your new space

I’m excited to see your counter chairs. Have you picked them out yet? You have a fantastic eye.

Paul, a classy horse for a classy kitchen!

Great job--enjoy!

Gorgeous! Thanks for sharing!

I love the changes that you have made and the lights add a really dramatic element.

Wow beautiful! Post more - would love to see the stools you chose. Enjoy your new kitchen

To each their own!! As long and you are happy that's all that matters. The only question is are they the cabinet style you would have chosen if you started with the pre-redone kitchen--whatever that looked like? Sooo much money is wasted 'updating' for sale!!!! NO ONE can choose for the new owner!!! Why the fan and industrial hood over the range! I prefer your pendants to the tract that was there before.

Overall, it looks great, and well done!

For others who might do this in the future, just one comment regarding this:

"They were professionally painted using BM Advance in a Satin Finish."

The major cost of painting cabinets is the labor, and proper prep is of the upmost importance. There is minimal price difference between BM Advance and the higher end 1K or 2K (with & without catalyst) paint finishes. Brand names are Milesi, ICRO, Centurion, Renner, ILVA, (et.al) - all easily attainable. (Our local BM dealer carries ILVA in stock.)

If you're planning to paint your cabinets or hire them painted, lots of info and resources here:

CABINET PAINTING & REFINISHING | Facebook

Very nice update - I like the inset lower doors and in practice retrofitting inset drawers is not that easy due to tuning the reveals (most refacers I’ve talked to in the past flat out won’t do it). You can always get pull out trays to get most of the drawers functionality with slightly reduced width.

@Beth H. : Thank you! The kitchen in my old house was "Tuscan" so this is a nice change. I'm sure your kitchen is spectacular :)

@debpicksI get it! My old house (not this one) was also designed 15 years ago so I know the look and it was very much "in" then! I'm super flattered that you're inspired by my redo!

@salonvaThank you! BM Smoke is the color. I also pained the adjoining Butler's pantry and my bathroomt he same color. Looks way darker on the walls but beautiful on cabinets!

@la_la GirlThank you so much!!! Appreciate it!

@deegwThank you for the very kind words. I got a lot of my inspriation from houzz and appreciated it when people revealed what colors/tile/hardware they used so figured that it would help some people. I find these forums to be so helpful despite the fact that some people are not so kind. Appreciate it.

@Paul F.LOL - the horse matches my hardware - it's perfect :)

@Mrs PeteThank you!! You make a lot of excellent points. The light switch on the island turns on the lights above the island! The corbels as you pointed our are functional. It wasn't worth it to replace them and add drawers as the other changes were enough. My microwave is significantly smaller than the previous owners so it works perfectly in the small space!

@Patricia Colwell Consulting Thank you! The corbels are functional as they hold the weight of the counterop. I had originally considered removing/replacing but it wasn't worth the extra $.

@Diana Bier Interiors, LLC @blfenton @Mary SMary Thank you!!! So excited with how it turned out!

kodiac23 I chose the Serena and Lily Balboa counter stools in mist - will post separate pics of the stools and adjoining eating area (not finished)

@arcy_gwThank you. Yes they are the cabinets I would have chosen as I prefer the simple shaker style. This remodel is definitly for me as I purchased the house a year ago. In my old house, we left the kitchen as is because we figured the new owners would just replace whatever we did.

@Mary ElizabethThank you! Appreciate you adding the helpful links too. Hope this post helps others as I did a lot of research before I did anything

@Diana Bier Interiors, LLCThank you again. As you pointed out, this kitchen is solely for my familiy's enjoyment and it was way more economical then a gut job. I'll post the before and after of the adjoining space as well.

@Joseph BabcockThank you! I actually prefer doors over drawers because its what I am accustomed to but great suggestion on the pull out trays!!!

More pictures:

Here's the adjoining butler's pantry

Here's a Before and After of the adjoining space which we turned into an Eat-In Area (It's not done yet - need to add decorative elements)

BEFORE

AFTER (Eat In Kitchen) - Needs artwork, rug etc....

More pics

@Kendrah Counter chairs are Serena and Lily Balboa in Gray!

Its a small thing but can you turn your pendants so they all line up the same? I want to see through all three rectangles from this angle. Also, my eye is wanting to see more touches of the brass.

You made this space serene and glam all at once. Just lovely. Smart conversion of the TV room to an eating space. LIke that you really went for it with a huge light in there. The butler's pantry is sublime.

you did a great job! It's lovely!

I can see why you wouldn't have cared for the original kitchen - or at least why I don't. There are brown cabinets, brown floors and brown in the counters (or what I see of them) and none of the browns flow. It's a really brown kitchen and the paint colour of the island did nothing for the room. I love what you have done to brighten and to liven it up the space. .

Nicely done. And the lights in both rooms are real statement pieces.

And you really need to find a horse to remind you of your time here.

I just had to go back & look at Paul’s picture with his added little brass horse - I cannot believe I missed that huge white horse looking into the window the first time or two that I looked at his picture. I should’ve known better & looked very closely the first time - that Paul is very tricky! 🤣

the easy thing is what she chose to do...but its not the only thing that could have been done. Be fair about it.....the classic cabinets in the beautiful rich stain was a good starting position for many approaches if it needed change which seems was a purely discretionary choice. its fine but the kitchen is about the same..really. its a good looking white kitchen. Whatever she feels is the improvement is what counts. Saying it was a brown kitchen and that was the necessary reason to paint wouldnt make sense if it were my kitchen. There's something for everybody these days. Various opinions ought to be encouraged as kitchen projects are not done casually or cheaply......

Fresh Off the Farm · More Info

Well Dressed Tradional · More Info

Towards Nature with a Rustic Hickory Kitchen · More Info

@KW PNW Z8 Haha... I added 3 horses!

Paul - OMG! So, now I see the horse on frig - I would say you’re messing with me but since your original post hasn’t been edited - I guess I missed that one too. This is a blow to my self esteem as I pride myself on my skills of observation! 😊 I am a fan of the daily ”Bizarro” comic panel & I always find 100% of the hidden symbols in that panel.

Haha! Yes, the 'easter eggs' as they call them. The interior design rule of three! Had to add the frig magnet. Btw, I used to work in animation. I'm in the the credits of Sponge Bob, Dora the explorer... Hey Arnold, etc.

I’m familiar with the rule of three or use of odd number of things - I apply that to my gardening - another design arena. I didn’t know about ’easter eggs’ - clever turn of phrase. I looked that up - interesting history on how the phrase was coined in software development. I’ll think of easter eggs whenever I’m looking for the Bizzaro symbols. I learned something interesting & new today - Thanks Paul! Your background in animation is serving you well and explains your eye for design and detail - I’m thinking about orange doors 😉

Very very nice job!

You deserve a pat on the back because you nailed the light and bright beachy look you were going for. Enjoy!

Absolutely beautiful redo. I'm not a stovepipe hood fan but I'm very impressed how you kept the it and made it actually look great! You've given the yin to a very yang kitchen and made it lovely. The landfill thanks you too.

The before kitchen was pretty nice but there was an overabundance of brown. The after is an improvement especially because of the lighting.

I love your inset cabinets

Thank you for sharing your beautiful and successful project. Bravo! Well done.

It’s a nice kitchen, well done! The reasons for redoing one’s kitchen obviously vary greatly, and if the OP doesn’t care for a big, brown kitchen, so be it! It’s not our kitchen and our $$, the OP is happy with it now, it definitely looks nice, so why do we care? As to the call for drawers vs lower doors: true, drawers are more convenient, but we can’t always get to the “super ideal” standard, or don’t need to. Life is all about compromises, and the OP managed to save cabs etc, so that’s a great thing. We’ve been working on improving (at least for us) our current house (the only “used” home we’ve ever bought) for the last 7 years, and we have gotten so much flak for it, I can’t even believe it! It sometimes sounds as though people begrudge us our customizations and improvements, I just don’t get it. We tore out our kitchen completely last summer, after thinking long and hard about whether we should keep our current cabinets (an orange-looking maple) and just have them painted. Ultimately we decided it wasn’t worth it because they weren’t great cabinets, didn’t go to the ceiling, had almost ZERO drawers in lower cabs and the layout was odd (such as the mixer lift being right across from the oven with only a few inches in between!), so they all got replaced. I’m sure many a person would find this or that wrong with it, but we love it, and it’s a huge improvement (for US!), and that’s all that matters, really. Here an example of our change (white cabs are new, “orange” maple are old):

Beautiful kitchen! Love the light fixtures and your counters are gorgeous! We did Cloe as well. The herringbone above your range looks lovely and now I wish we would have done that lol! The adjoining space is great. You may have to find a fabulous horse painting for that wall! I only saw the horse on the counter that Paul added. Had to go back and find the others!

Previous kitchen was obviously nice, but just not your style. No harm in making your kitchen exactly what you want. Some of these comments are just odd.

Enjoy your new kitchen!

Your kitchen is also amazing, Coray! Love the wood countertops and vent covering!

Thank you, Diana! We are very happy with it, though we know (realized this from the start) that our microwave/conv/speed oven is very high. We are on the tall side so it’s ok, and for my shorter DIL we have a stool hidden in the cabinet across from MW. As I always say, we can all strive for perfection, if that even exists, but sometimes we must compromise. Our “

backsplash windows” are nice and give us lots of light, but they take up all the wall space so we only have the fridge/mic/breakfast station area. The mic is high because I insisted on the appliance garage, and the door lifts up and slides back. (We have 10’ ceilings so in the photo it doesn’t look particularly high.) Not ideal, but no regrets. 🤷‍♀(No idea why the photo ended up in the middle….🤔)

@coray! Your kitchen is lovely. @jyyanks - yours is as well. Both are an obvious improvement in terms of looking lighter, brighter and more modern.

The most important part of any kitchen redo is that YOU’RE happy, not posters on Houzz. Everyone is going to give their opinion and (in some cases) professional advice. But no one is going to live there but the owner.

Just an FYI- It is possible to change lower doors to drawers when you reface. Most professional refacing companies can provide that service. I redid all my lower doors, except the one at my sink, and happily paid for the extra carpentry work.

Thank you, RedRyder! I’ve seen yours, and yours is also very lovely and well done! You’re so right about kitchen redos being personal and specific to who uses them, and it obviously must be the homeowner’s decision to figure out what’s best for them.

@Paul F.I missed the horse on the fridge - lol - very clever! It's a small world as I worked at Nickelodeon for many years and then at Cartoon Network so I know the talent that the animators have :)

@herbflavornice pics. Those pictures show great options for people who prefer not to paint

@blfentonThank you!!! Yes, the kitchen was too brown for my liking. I havd a brown kitchen in my old house and it was time for a change. I'm going to add a horse too but rest assured, it won't be brown :)

@rebunkyThank you! Modern, coastal, beachy is the vibe I was going for!

@tozmo1Thank you! I wanted to replace the stovepipe hood but the one that was there was in great condition and I didn't want to waste it. Besides, the one I wanted was way too expensive!

@steveetheridgeThank you! Too much brown in my opinion as well and I'm a sucker for statement lighting

@coray Well said!!! THANK YOU! Love how your kitchen turned out. The color of the cabinets, the lighting and the island is stunning! Our microwave is a little high too but to your point, there will always be compromises. We are fortunate that we had the means to make the changes we made. The changes may not be for everyone but we're thrilled with the final product.

@RedRyder Thank you!! So true that people's homes are personal. It's nice to be able to share - some poeple may love and some people may hate but in the end, we're the ones who have to live with it. Good to know about changing lower doors - something to think about for the future.

@Lynn LouThank you for the kind words! We love the Chloe tile,so much so that I'm thinking of using in my primary bath as well. it was my contractor who suggested the herringbone pattern and I'm so glad he did as I didn't even think of it. I'm definitely adding a horse somewhere in the finished space.....

@eandhl2Thank you. I give credit to the original owners for choosing the inset cabinets but I'm glad they did!

@Greg P. , @Sally TAppreciate the kind words! Thank you.

@KW PNW Z8 If you want Nickelodeon orange, it's PMS 021 - I have that permanently embedded in my brain from when I worked there :)

@jyyanks That's crazy you also worked at Nickelodeon! I started there back before they built the big Burbank studio. We were in a small office building on Vineland. Comedienne Maria Bamford was our receptionist before she hit it big... or semi-big.

I've moved on from Nickelodeon orange. I had this color matched if anyone wants the formula!

Paul F. & @jyyanks Small world thing, yes? @jyyanks - my orange reference was to Paul F. & seems he got it. I have to say that Nickelodeon orange is a mystery to me. You are so gracious to respond to all those who commented on your beautiful custom kitchen redo!

I had originally considered removing/replacing but it wasn't worth the extra $.

I don't think you can go wrong by sticking with something strong and supportive.
Also, my eye is wanting to see more touches of the brass.
Agree about the brass.

There are brown cabinets, brown floors and brown in the counters ... I love what you have done to brighten and to liven it up the space.

Getting in on the wood tones /white discussion: In general, I like warm tones and wood tones, and they're practical because (as the OP shows us), they can always be re-done into a painted kitchen, giving the cabinets a second life. BUT you always have to consider the particular room in which these cabinets are place. In this case, the window is on the far side, and it just wasn't enough natural light for those fairly dark cabinets. In this particular installation, the white cabinets just work better.

As to the call for drawers vs lower doors: true, drawers are more convenient, but we can’t always get to the “super ideal” standard, or don’t need to. Life is all about compromises, and the OP managed to save cabs etc, so that’s a great thing.

Yes, if we were talking about a new build, we'd all chime in with "Mostly drawers" -- it's one of the few things upon which this board is united. However, when you're renovating, the same rules don't apply. Changing the lower cabinets would've been a huge cost /effort, and when the cabinets are still in good condition, it's not a worthwhile spend.

Also, the OP is to be commended for NOT sending these cabinets to the landfill.

Modern, coastal, beachy is the vibe I was going for!

I see modern and trendy, but it doesn't read coastal or beachy to me.