Had a new microwave installed and vented outside. works perfectly. Asking for suggestiins for painting the galvanized pipe and possibly updating the knobs on cabinets since theyre not being replaced anytime soon. Thanks in advance for your input.

Remove the crown off the top of the cabinets.

Replace the shelves with a tall pantry cabinet (Trash bin inside) Paint to contrast or stain to match existing cabinets.

and replace the crown with a larger piece of crown to finish the look.

Consider building a soffit.

I thiught of that also but dont mind the pipe. was thinking of painting a soft flat black.

Paint the pipe the wall color.

Agree paint it the wall color, definitely not black!!

The thought was that painting same color as the wall made it seem like we were trying to hide the pipe vs making it a feature by painting black. Do you agree?

You don't have an industrial style space, make the pipe "disappear" matching the wall color.

I agree thats why i was conflicted between a soffit or kust hoing with the wall color. thank you

No, the pipe is not a feature! It's a utilitarian object that is usually hidden by walls, cabinetry, or whatever. It would make no sense in your kitchen with its traditional cabinets and decor, to have an exhaust pipe as a "feature". Even just visually, putting a long random black shape at the ceiling will be bad.

Build a soffit. Leaving the ductwork exposed makes it look like the builder could not afford to finish the job.

Debbi, thank you. I have considered the soffit, but that does not address the exposed pipe above the cabs.... unless we paint those black. We just finished the project and have had a couple of people over and absolutely no one has noticed the pipe - of course I notice it and know it needs something. Assuming I do the soffit - how would you address the remaining pipe? Also how can I change that moulding to update the cabs a bit. Not ready to do a full cabinet redo just yet. Thanks look forward to your suggestions.

Debbi; have def thought a soffit would be the answer, however, that doesn't address how to hide the remaining pipe on top of cabinets. Do you recommend painting them black so they dissappear?

My carpenter is a good craftsman and can build the soffit no problem, but how is that going to look when it meets the cabinet on the left? Should the soffit be the width of the cabinet - that's a pretty big box?

Also, any suggestions for different crown moulding to update the cabs - also willing to change out the minimalist hardware to something larger if that helps updae the overall appearence.

Not ready financially ready for a full cabinet redo at this point.

I would do the soffit as small as possible and run it on top of the cabinets but set back. Paint it the same color as the wall and it will just fade away. You should have the piece pf molding that was removed to put the pipe in, just shorten it and put it back up. No need to redo any of the molding.

Hi Debbi, thanks, I agree the smallest possible soffit will blend right in.

We should have that piece of moulding otherwise, Sean is going to have to get creative and get new.

The appliances are all in and they look great. Agree that the kitchen is a little dated, but it is what it is; honestly, the wood tones work really well since i'm in a forest and the view from the deck is all woods and green so I'm kinda happy with the wood; would like to change the backsplash, but a lot of work so maybe later on. For now very happy with the new appliances that should hold my enthusiasm for a while.. Here is an updated shot.

Any suggestions on cool hardware for the cabs? I see a lot of the same used everywhere and that's fine, but I'd love to see your ideas because not everything coordinates with this cabinet style. Look forward to hearing from you. Thanks a million!

The kitchen looks fine. The colors seem to work. Yes you see a lot of whites/off whites and shaker doors now a days, but the wood stains are coming back in fashion. While the designer side of me thinks, oh it might be time for an update - the logical side of me says - it's ok to like your space and not feel bad if you don't have what everyone else is doing.

A backsplash is not as hard as you think. I would however encourage you to hire a professional- although I have seen several handy folks on here go ahead and tackle it themselves.

As for the handles, first you will need to remove one so you can see if it has left a shadow of where it is placed. If so, you may have to wind up with a handle and backplate.

The 2 brands if handles that I use are Top Knobs and Hardware Resources. ALWAYS order a sample before purchasing. You want to make sure that it has enough of a rise off the cabinet to be comfortable to get your fingers into. You will also need to measure the pulls you have - center screw hole to center screw hole. Many online are listed in mm so you will need to convert that. For color, the brushed gold will blend with the cabinets more ( like they do now ) while a chrome, brushed nickel or black would contrast more. I don't think chrome really fits here. I do like contrast, so I would lean towards black or oil rubbed bronze.

That's just my opinion.

This is what a backplate looks like - it allows you to change a handle or knob when part of the cabinet needs to be hidden or the hole pattern doesn't fit todays sizing.

To be clear the suggested soffit would run ALL the way across the wall, on top of the cabinets and continuing past the cabinets to the wall, completely enclosing the pipe.