The cabinets can be made to look like they belong there, but the floating shelves are the real problem.

If it was my place I would remove the floating shelves and have a local woodworker finish off the top of the cabinets with white "built-in" shelves to tie it all together.

The shelves look weird but can easily be removed. The cabinets are “glaringly white” but can be painted. These should not be deal breakers for buying a home. Once you’ve decided, if you buy it, repost as a dilemma to get help.

Your furniture and rugs will also warm up the place. Looks kind of barren right now, so it’s hard to judge.

" I suppose the family room cabinets are supposed to complement the kitchen cabinets….but they look a little odd "

Tough to say if they truly compliment the kitchen cabinets or not ithout seeing the kitchen cabinets. However I agree with the above, the shelves are what throws it all off. The cabinets in a different color with some "built-in" shelving above painted the same color would look much better.

I'd paint the cabinets a midtone of the stonework.

It doesn't look great but the cabinets and the shelves are relatively easy to fix. Wouldn't be a deal breaker for me.

Look with built-in bookcases...

If the cabinets are useful, then keep them. They could easily be painted. I'd probably upgrade the countertops on them - hard to tell what is there now but it all looks a little bland in colouring. Maybe some black soapstone style counters would pull in the black on the fireplace.

I'd consider more of a "bulit in" look with some upper cupboards, maybe with glass doors on them over the shelving.

At the very least, shelves that run the entire width of the cupboards on both sides so everything is symmetrical.

The fireplace on its own is quite nice and the colours in the stone are not disagreeable (at least to me).

LIke others said above, it wouldn't be a deal breaker if you like other features of the home but it could certainly be improved.

Hi, it’s Judy the author. Thanks for all your comments and suggestions.
I should have mentioned this is a brand new home, so instead of remodeling the fireplace area, I think we’re just going to pass.
You’ve helped confirm that yes, this is a bit odd. Many thanks.

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

The fireplace cabinets/shelves are a relatively small and easy fix, if you had really liked everything else about the house and lot/location.

Sounds like you are seeking perfection. You probably wouldn't even notice anything about this area if there were furniture in the room and books and objects on the shelves. It looks like they painted the cabinets the same color as the trim, which is certainly a valid choice. I cannot imagine this being a deal breaker.

You could look at painting the shelves and the cabinets the same as the wall color. It might help things blend better and not take away too much attention from the fireplace. See this design we did for a client:

Anamosa Family-Centric Remodel · More Info