I know you don't care for the kitchen cabinet color, but the cabinets are not awful.

Painting cabinets is either a lot of work (if you DIY) or not as inexpensive as you hope. You don't just go to the big box store and buy a couple of gallons of paint. The prep work to do it right is quite extensive. If you skimp on the prep work, you'll be doing everything over again in a couple of years.

I did notice that you have a backsplash already. That 4 inch strip along the back is a backsplash. If you want a different backsplash, be sure to remove the existing one first.

Also, you don't have any hardware on your cabinets. That can make a difference in how the kitchen looks (and protects the cabinets from whatever might be lurking on your fingers).

I don't have any specific suggestions for you, but wish you well on this project!

A good cabinet paint job costs nearly as much as new cabinets. A DIY paint job won’t last. Plus it is hard to do on oak. I understand not liking your cabinets, but I wouldn’t ruin them far the sake of a different color.

Part of the problem is your wall color looks horrible. Maybe it is the lighting? What kind of bulbs do you have in your fixtures?

Change bulbs. Select a better wall color. Declutter your counters. No backsplash as you already have one. Remove the chair rail or paint it the same color as the walls. Get table and chairs you love. Add a green plant to your island. You can really pull off a much nicer looking kitchen without touching the cabinets.

I agree with kempek01 - start with adding hardware. You can buy (or make) a jig so that all the knobs or pulls are in the right location.

Next I would paint the walls. A warmer wall color might help to offset the wood tone (and painting walls is a LOT cheaper and easier than painting cabinets!)

Before I saw a photo of the beam, my thought was "paint the beam the same color as the ceiling". That's what you have, and still what I think looks best.

Thanks for the responses!
Current lighting is spotlight light with daylight bulbs.

I like the idea of changing the color of the wall actually. Should I go with a white? Or an off white?

All of the work is expected to be DIY but I'm optimistic.

These are the current light fixtures

there is a great angled pitch to the far wall.....use that for some impact...do browse the ceiling fan/light selections available.....isnt there a dining set to place yet? the blinds could be nicely upgraded to fabric panels or textured solar shades ..but that product assortment takes a bit of time to search through...I dont think the existing blinds are doing any favors and the end zone is a nice part of the space. the kitchen is fine.....hardware for sure!!!

we replaced some ceiling lights this summer and I noticed stylish fan fixtures

56" 4-Blade Solid Wood Ceiling Fan With LED Light and Remote Control, Gold/White · More Info

Lucci Air Bali 52" DC Ceiling Fan With Light, Oil Rubbed Bronze · More Info

52" Teana, Satin Brass With Flat Black/Mesquite Blades · More Info

do you like bold or moody? that far wall is an invitation.

Moroccan Dining Room · More Info

Welcome Home! · More Info

Dining Room · More Info

We are taught to hate everything outdated . . .

But everything outdated today comes back in a few decades. Right now you are hating the 90s oak, but in actuality, we have gone from wood to gray to white to now going warmer again and wood is the new love. . .

It looks to me like the flooring in the adjacent room is the same wood tone as the cabinets. This creates a feeling of harmony that you will lose if you paint the cabinets. You will also lose the low maintenance of the cabinet finish. Painted cabinets, even when professionally painted will only last 8-10 years before needing to be done again. Non-professionally painted will need to be done again in a much shorter time frame.

Another way to change the look without a complete demo is to buy new doors and drawer fronts and apply a veneer or laminate to the boxes. (Known as refacing and can be done DIY). I have known people who just paint the boxes and order factory finished drawer and door fronts that have finishes that will last longer than painted.

I would not change the cabinets if this were my home. I would paint the walls a different color.

Blue and orange are opposite on the color wheel. It brings out the orange of the wood and the blue in the paint. The paint is also a really clean blue color where everything else in the kitchen has muted tones. It doesn't work with the floors, counters, cabinets or ceiling. It literally makes the ceiling look dirty.

Painting the walls and ceiling may make the entire room come together and is your least expensive option.

If you would paint the cabinets white, you will still have the more muted colors in the flooring, ceiling and countertops and I would suggest that you paint the walls and ceiling with something that goes better with the counter and floors.

Always start with the colors that must stay. . . Countertops, flooring. Build your color palette from there.

I’m a fan of neutrals but for some reason I want to see a rich blue antique or deep sage green on the walls in here. There is a depth to your cabinet color and no matter the wall color, it needs to have depth as well.

“But everything outdated today comes back in a few decades”

Not everything.

And not those cabinets. Paint is a lot of work, you could try to stain them a brown you prefer, but don’t make incremental changes until you find images of kitchens you might realistically be aiming for.

First of all, clean the cabinets with a deep cleaner so you can see what the finish really is. If you are keeping the tile and counters, google images of kitchens with those elements that you like. Start there and move forward.

I suggest black hardware on the cabinets, a new ceiling fan with wood blades, bamboo/natural fibre roman shades, a washable runner in black & white, coordinated art on the wall, all with colour on the walls to highlight the nice cathedral ceiling you have in your kitchen.

There is so much that is unknown that a public forum has little chance of uncovering.

Decisions on renovations need to be done based on the amount of money that is available for renovations, the amount of time someone is planning on living in the home. What their other obligations and priorities are.

Without really understanding the financial positions and priorities it is very difficult to advise anyone on what they can do to make the home function better and bring them joy while they are living there. The decisions may be very different if you are looking at living in the home for 5 years than if you are going to be there 25 years. It may be very different if you have a 7 digit income and every time you trip you fall into a puddle of money than if you a single parent with 3 kids and modest means.

The most important part is that your home becomes a place where you can build happy memories for you and your family. Where you laugh and cry and love one another.

I grew up in an impressive MCM home. My mother often commented that her happiest days were in our previous home. It wasn't nearly as large or impressive. In fact it was a pretty modest home, but the one home where they lived where all 6 of her children were under one roof. When we moved to our new home I was only 3, but my oldest brother was 15 years older than me and shortly after we moved he went off to college, followed a year later by my 2nd oldest brother and 2 years later by my oldest sister. They still came home and we had great family dinners with everyone there, but it wasn't the same as having all her kids under one roof.

She grew up in a home that most of us would consider really modest - a simple row home. But she had wonderful memories of growing up with her sisters and her parents and having her grandparents just a few doors down the street and aunts and uncles and cousins living in other homes on the same block. Her happiness wasn't derived from her home, but from her family.

Keeping up with the Jones is a lot of needless stress. Focus on the things that matter and creating those memories that your children will cherish.

This idea that having oak cabinets is some tragedy that will ruin your happiness is just melodramatic nonsense. It isn't that important.

@herbflavor Very appreciated. 💕

Ok I just googled what an angled pitch was to see how to make use of mine.

I love the 2nd fan in your images, but would I need the cabinets color to match that?

My concern with fabric panels is that they will absorb food smell when we cook..

I'm more for bright bold colors personally, but I was thinking of doing the island sage green.

@jenniferHogan very appreciated 💕.. The flooring in the adjacent room is the same oak shade, but I also hate the flooring haha 😅 and I'm ok without that harmony. Will look into refacing! This is just for fun in my first house 🏡

@eam44 you mean THESE hammer pants?! hahaha (mine is a jumpsuit though)

I do think you are right about starting with my the colors that I can't change. Appreciate it

Consider replacing the cabinets with good but economical options (Ikea, RTA, etc) with the existing footprint, and re-using the counters (so pull the counters off then reinstall). You'd get drawer stacks for easy access among other benefits.

Alternatively, get replacement doors and drawer faces then paint the cabinet face frames to match. You could oversize the replacement doors/faces to cover the face frames i.e. a full-overlay look.

Painting the existing doors/drawers will be difficult and expensive. To prevent the grain from showing through the paint, you'd have to fill/skim coat, that's a lot of prep and need to be either an actual cabinet refinisher (not a general "painter") or a very dedicated DIY'er.

As an alternative to painting, you might consider re-staining, perhaps with a groovy colored gel stain. I think sanding or stripping off existing finish and then spraying gel stain could work.

😂🤣

@lisedv Can you make a mock up with sage walls instead of blue since @Amanda Smith mentioned using it as a color in this kitchen?

My friends just refaced their cabinets using Home Depot. They have fewer cabinets than you and it cost $26K. You mentioned this is just for fun. Redoing cabinets is not fun, nor cheap. If you want to play around with color in your kitchen, go for wall paint.

@John Liu - Economical still costs an arm and a leg. Getting new cabinets is no chunk of change even from Ikea.

Your Hammer pants are fantastic!!! Indeed they have come back. Can you dance like Hammer in them? The man has moves.

Thanks! Makes the cabinets pop in a nice way.

Good advice already - I too think the room needs some depth and character for the cabs, and leaning into warmth will go a long way

totally agree with warmer wall paint, adding hardware and definitely new window treatments, love bamboo shades in the space as @lisedv shows, other details like a nice rug, lamp on the counter, wall art etc will help to personalize the space -

FWIW I wouldn't get new cabs if I were you, there’s a lot of smaller things you can do to create a room you want to be in

This is just for fun in my first house - Most of us don't do expensive renovation projects just for fun without a care in the world on how we impact the return on our investment. Your home is often the most expensive assets most people ever own.

If you want to do something just for fun you may want to consider wrapping your cabinets. When it is time to move - pull the wrap off and sell your home without having done irreversible damage that will lower your ROI.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL_BTpF-X1E

Paint the walls/ceiling the same color and finish. Leave the beam as is, at least for now. It might look great against the walls/ceiling and relate to the counter color.

Stainless hardware.

https://www.true-design-house.com/blog/2017/7/24/the-best-hardware-to-update-oak-cabinets-in-2017