Agree about the fan. The existing cabinets are quite dark, so think painting is an option. If you like the green in your inspiration photo, go for it, though it looks quite dark as well. Maybe a lighter green? Not a fan of the rug in the prep area; for safety and hygienic reasons. I would like the microwave on the counter on top of the range, but would entail a new outlet. Then I would use the area where the microwave was for a coffee/beverage area.

How about adding a splash of color behind the glass doors at the back of the cabinets, then carry that color out in accessories. You can put some wallpaper or fabric in there. Inexpensive and if you don't hate it, toss it.

here are some examples of some fun outdoor rugs........then look for pendants and barstools to match the rug of choice. You could even paint your barstools that you have now if they are comfortable your green color you like and put a fun fabric on the seats!

one more

Is this a new-to-you home? The kitchen is lovely, but I agree it could be lightened up a bit.

one more with some red in it...that may be too dark for you, but it would look good with what you have now for sure.

I agree with one of the other posters. The top cabinets are disproportional and throw off the whole room. If it would be as simple as changing the upper and lower doors it would be nice. If not, and you plan to paint the cabinets, then I would have new upper doors made that would break up the space - like a two panel door with the bottom section solid and the top glass.

I think painted cabinets would look very nice in your home.

Painting those gorgeous cabinets! Oy vey! I don't know how long you've been in this home--which is gorgeous--but if you've not been there too long perhaps consider Mpoulson's suggestions on how to brighten the space. The only thing I don't care for is the lack of contrast between the cabinets and floor.

I have no idea on the practicalities of this, but if it were possible, and your cabinets are a fairly standard size, why not consider refacing them with new painted cabinets and give/sell those gorgeous cabinets to somebody else. From what I know, painting cabinets can be a laborious and expensive process unless you do it yourself, and I've heard a lot about the paint not adhering despite great efforts at properly preparing the surface.

If moving is in the future you might also think about consulting with a realtor about your proposed plan of action and how it would affect such a gorgeous historic home.

Paint your window casings same as baseboards.
New light or fan.
Brighter rug.
I think you will find it makes a big difference!
I would never paint them....paint will eventually chip.

trebinje :: The architectural style is 'the Denver Square'. http://www.vintagehomesofdenver.com/artman/publish/denver-home-styles/Denver-Home-Styles---Denver-Square.html

All the rest of the houses on the block are the same exact style and era, 1904 ish.. but this one has that 'bonnet' over the front door and it's transformed into some kind of hybrid and this is why I picked it, I think. BIG primal reaction to the wood painting idea I see, BUT in my own defense, these are not gorgeous cabinets..they are semi-decent newer cabinets with good hinges that someone did a diy stain job on and then stained the floor similarly and had unique taste in ceiling fans, knobs and pulls not to mention they chose seeded glass inserts. No, I've never lived in this house, I purchased this house from lovely people from Europe over a year ago and have since kept it rented. I plan to move there in about 6 mos and am trying to get some things figured out.

I'm attaching a picture of my current kitchen to reference my own eclectic taste ..my cabinets here are also dark but there is still some levity and pretty that make it a less serious place to be.

As far as reversing the uppers and lowers.. the uppers are short, it's an odd mixxy matchy config. I am having the entire first floor painted professionally and thought this might be a good time to tackle the cabinets instead of living through it. I would love if they could be sanded down to raw wood even but I understand that this is prohibitively expensive. Painting the trim all the same color will help, lighting and some accessories surely.

I'll keep staring and visiting all your ideas too, you nice Houzz community, you.. keep 'em coming if you have more and kind thanks for all of it !!!!

Your kitchen is stunning as is, but only you can decide when you "feel the love" when you walk into it. I agree very much with the suggestions of tweaking with lighting and other modern touches. The one thing I see from your inspiration pics is that you seem to be drawn to light floors or some combo of light and dark which is a contemporary thing. I am also drawn by dark and light and so the first thing I noticed in your kitchen is that the dark cabinets and the dark floors in combination are slightly overwhelming. At first, I thought of new floors, and then maybe a checkerboard rug, but then I saw this kitchen friendly rug and thought you might try it for a "light and dark check" to see if that is what you are wanting. Anyway, I'll shut up and just post the pic. It would look great with your countertops also. Otherwise, check out some Dash and Albert rugs, too.

I have always resisted the idea of painting cabinets - until recently when I needed to put an Ideabook together for a potential client who needed a remodel after a flood. His original kitchen was remarkably similar to yours and the more I researched it the more I liked his idea of painting the existing cabinets white to go with his granite, inserting some glass inset panels into a couple of cabinets, changing out the hardware - the final presentation board was gorgeous - I will try to post a couple of the inspiration photos when I find them. Interested to see what you decide.

thank you m3.., the kitchen picture with the rug was from the original for sale fotos.. and that rug is long gone with the sellers. I've never considered a rug in a kitchen actually.. but did think the floors will be lightened. Since the whole house needs interior painting and all the floors need refinishing, perhaps lighter floors will help me determine the next step in this kitchen ??

I think your kitchen is really pretty but what do you think of painting only the upper cabinets?

Homescapes.. o, to live in temperate San Diego.. lucky you. I have considered painting
them a white, but the (very nice old worldy feel) granite, while black and light is more black and grey.. and when I say paint the cabinets btw, I don't mean I'm breaking out the TSP and grabbing a roller myself.. I mean hiring pros with masks and sprayers who will likely take the fronts somewhere and bring them back all politely dry and smooth and sealed. I would love to see your pictures!

Hi Beth, I just found a (free) program online via Benjamin Moore, called Personal Color Viewer. you can upload a pic and then 'paint' your walls (or your cabinets in this case) just by connecting some dots and 'filling' with any BJMoore paint. I'm going to try painting the upper cabs only, hahahah.. I'll post the 'after' when I'm done.

I love some of the comments posted so far! Here are a few more: 1) consider replacing the wood inserts on the top row cabinets with glass, (frosted or clear)and back lighting the inside) 2) add a island, painted in a fresh, bright color--ie turquoise, bright green) and top with a fun granite or hip quarts with crushed glass in the colors that you choos

...sorry--sent accidentally. Hip quartz top pm the island and then add a backsplash in mosiac glass tile that ties in the colors of your island. Then add accessories to tie it all together. I love bahia blue granite which ranges from royal to turquoise and onice fantasy granite which adds greens and grays.

Here are a couple of photos that we used in our presentation when we were looking at painting the homeowner's old oak cabinets white - we also looked at leaving the lower cabinets with the wood grain (we've been using a new product where you don't have to strip and re-stain, you can lightly sand and then go over the existing stain, a quick and easy fix for old wood - then it's just updating the old pulls). The top one is the link to my Houzz Ideabook that I used, it has several other pretty kitchen where they painted the cabinets white. Good luck! http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/12638920/thumbs/Kitchen-Ideas

I think the kitchen is beautiful as is except for the ceiling fan and maybe some new barstools. New fabric could go a long way. This kitchen is not my decorating style, but as a guest I see it as very inviting and very comfortable. I think the floor is fine, but the area rug really gives it a nice look. I really like this kitchen and would only tweak the little things.

Beautiful home. Here are some ideas I have ranging from least expensive to most expensive:
1.) New bar stools, get something either with polished chrome to add some brightness to the room or go with something in a bold color
2.) Love the idea of the pendant lights, again a colored glass could bring in a bit of brightness to the space
3.) Get rid of the ceiling fan entirely or at least go with an industrial looking fan
4.) If you want to stick with a rug, pick something inexpensive and made from jute. It will resist stains and is easy to hose down if you get something really messy on it. http://surya.com/rugs/columbia/cba110/
5.) Consider replacing the upper cabinet doors with glass faced doors and install puck lights in them. This will help lighten up the cabinets. Here is a sample of this: http://designinsidechicago.com/portfolio-item/lincoln-park-chicago-kitchen/
6.) Paint the cabinets - This is a little risky since you don't know how the paint will adhere
7.) Replace cabinets and renovate the kitchen - if you really hate the kitchen and plan on staying in the place for another 10 years, this may be worth it to you (assuming you have the budget)

hmmm.. interesting, I'll have a look, at your ideabook

Design Inside.. thaat kitchen is tres stunning. Simple enough to insert glass into the top cabs in my kitchen but how easy or not to replace the currently glass doors with wood ones and then matching it all? New cabinets would be great, but these are almost new ..seems a big waste and shame not to make them work.

Contemporary fan, off white cabinets to contrast the floors, simple rug with color

To save some money, you can buy battery LED pendant lights for the over the bar, come with remotes. That way see how it looks and save money on electrician. They have them at Home Depot and on line. It's not like you have to keep changing light bulbs, cooler, cheaper, just change batteries when needed.

I think the green painted cabinets would be great! Love that color of green in photo 4. I guess I'm not a fan of dark wood either and like the kitchen otherwise. I'm sure you can work with it. That shade of green is totally appropriate for the era of your house when all kitchen cabinets were painted for " sanitary" reasons.

Go for your heart's desire. You will never regret it. Paint the cabinets and walls, replace the counters with Carrera or calicatta marble (and the backsplash if you like). Eliminate the ceiling fan and replace with recessed lighting. If you want decorative pendants install them over the peninsula. Mount the microwave in the upper cabinet in its same location but up off the counter. If you are painting the cabinets you can have this upper cabinets reworked to house the microwave. It's current proximity to the refrigerator is functional. I deplore microwaves over the range. Leave the hardwood floor as is to keep the flow in the house.
If replacing the granite counters is not in the budget then pick a color such as a warm caramel or taupe that you find in the granite grain and paint the cabinets that instead of green. There ae some great indoor/outdoor rugs on the market to place in front of the sink.

I love the design passion everybody, thank you so much, really.

I'm reminded not to settle, especially not in the kitchen, really is the humm and the heartbeat of the place and I will be there 10 years or more .. and now it is kinda cool in that it's full of choices I would have never made.. but it's not my kitchen.

btw, the granite is actually the best note in that kitchen..not clear in the pics but it has some silver running through it and feels new and very old at the same time .. some silver grey cabs, anyone?

I'll post with progress.

What about painting only that top tier of cabinets? Leave the lowers and the glass front cabs in wood stain. To me, the darkness of that top tier weighs down the room.

I would say go for it and paint. I painted my dark cabinets a few years back knowing we would replace them eventually anyway. Had them for 5 yrs or so and they never chipped. And I see what you man about stain, as it looks blotchy to me.

Here are some kitchen combinations with light and dark that you might enjoy:







If you're in the area, come join us for breakfast and check out our free kitchen session every first Saturday of the month: http://leichtwestchester.com/how-much-will-your-kitchen-cost-class-registration

Best of luck on your kitchen update, however you decide to go with it!

Silver gray cabinets would be beautiful. Keep the gray on the warm side possibly with a hint of green. Be sure the tone of gray is harmonious with any adjacent rooms. The Marchi Kitchens: New Classic cabinet color would be an attractive option posted by Leicht Westchester Kitchen.

some more GREAT IDEAS and a support group, what more could a girl ask for?.. I cannot wait to get in there and transform..well, at least to get some paint 'chips' and keep working towards the vision.

Good suggestions from Leicht Westchester. I like the white or off-white option and painting the walls a color because if you get sick of green it's a lot easier to paint walls than cabinets. I still say the existing kitchen is beautiful, but like someone said you have to live in it and like it. I completely agree.

good point, painting the cabinets a more basic neutral makes complete practical sense.. and then bring in my love of green where it is less expensive to potentially grow out of someday. I am thinking a gorgeous silver grey. for the cabs.

Grey's good. Are you keeping the stainless appliances? If so, I would suggest going way lighter or darker for impact and contrast. You may have already thought of that, but it was my first thought and might be useful to throw it out their.

I think you need to determine your own personal style first whether it's eclectic or contemporary otherwise you'll never LOVE the space. If you were my client and your personal style was eclectic or even cape codfish I'd encourage you to paint the cabinets and have fun with it! If they aren't in super shape there's no risk! Painting them is a way to explore your personal taste without a huge monetary investment and will buy you some time to live in the house first and get a vibe/feeling. Otherwise I agree with all the posts in terms of too heavy and dark. New light fixtures would make a huge difference. Good luck.....look forward to seeing the after pics!

I think I would be tempted to remove all of the uppers (both glass and wood) from above the sink to the left and then add open shelves. The first thing that jumped out at me was the corner shelf and the heavy cabinet over the sink. Maybe then you could paint the upper cabs ? A taller kitchen window might also make the room look less "top heavy" The pendant lights, bar stools and rug others suggested would really make this kitchen more "your own".

interesting, everything said here in regards to playing it safe or not reflects exactly the debate was ongoing in my head before I posted. I am anxious now to pull the trigger one way or the other and then to share the results ... fun. thanks

lrm1 ..YEP, thaaat corner shelf .. it will go the way of the ceiling fan, they belong to each other .. hahahah

your temptation lrm1 of taking down the cabs (or many of them anyway) above the sink wall and replacing them with shelves is a very interesting one, as it would give some visual purpose to the mega-preponderance of cabs above the oven and lighten up the whole space... there is also a large pantry cabinet out of view that can otherwise house tons of staples and misc. Perhaps then the cabinets could be lightly sanded and restained to make very dark, but not mottled as they are, cabinet lighting.. sweet green shelves, cool pendants, maybe some recessed lighting ... hmmm... excited ..

I am all about painting, it lightens up the kitchen amazingly-did it myself in our old home with a super pale grey.
If you do end up painting the cabinets a neutral color, maybe you could paint the interior of the glass door cabs that fabulous green...that way you're still "playing it safe" overall, but get the sassy pop of color you want too. And it could be changed relatively easily if you get sick of it. I would probably switch out the shelves in those same cabinets to glass and add puck lights as well.

bfish1, I really think that is the way to go, I also agree that it would give purpose to the other wall of cabinets, reminds me of a butlers pantry which I love the look of. You can carry that crown around and it would look like it was meant to be that way. Maybe the kitchen window is taller than it looks? A pretty roman shade might might "lift" it up a little. All these changes probably wouldn't cost a whole lot either.

I would love the look of the open shelves (Euro), but wonder about the cleaning of what sits on them..

You do have to wash everything on a open frequently. I have friend who has open shelves. I can remember if she said she was everything one a month or every two months. If you cook a lot, that is more grease flying in the air. Yes you do have to clean open shelves and what is stored more often. Also have friend with glass doors, for some reason the inside is the glass gets dirt(hold grease).

aghhhh, it's always something

love all these great rugs!Swtch out fan,add pop and color and lighter scale stools?add pop color behind glass,really think that's all you need.Like it

Old thread. Maybe we can get an update? I'd love to see the "after!@

Me too! I thought it looked pretty nice before hand, so anxious to see the transformation.

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Thanks,

Nicole