I'd paint the walls (easier) and swap out the blinds (Send them to me--I love them and they don't work as well for you. Too close to cabinet color. Well, paint first and then see if they have to go.).

Only paint the cabinets as a last resort. They are oak. We've been trained to think that's bad (by our upbringing or TV or I don't know what), but they're actually perfectly nice.

Since you seem to get plenty of natural light, I'd pull the darker gray from the counters for the walls.
I'd also make sure you have clear or white panels in your big light to not distort and yellow the kitchen at night. Better yet, take that fixture out and put something nicer in its place. No matter what, you want light bulbs that don't glow with a yellow tone. Soft white ones are not your friend.

Ahhh, the "dreaded oak"! As oak kitchens go, yours is actually very nice. I would do green with your cabinets, but is there a green already in the next room? Maybe you don't want more green, but I think it would look the best with your cabinets.

I like your cabinets but agree that the paint color does not work. I'd go for a deeper color with less yellow. Maybe a color like BM Glacier Till

get a stainless frig/dishwasher and range hood. Those will go just fine with the other black appliances and make everything look better.Change ceiling lighting and do paint walls a nice [cool toned] off white. Don't paint the cabs...I'd get stools over there with backs for longer/more inviting sitting because the window and french door with the view and access is wonderful....add an oval rug there by the stools and the door for color and interest. If you can source the handle and knob maker, I'd see what other knobs are avail in that finish-not crazy about the little drop knobs:handles look good. That's it, if you need to wait a few years.

Thank you all for the great advice!

fori I never really stood back and looked at those blinds. But they do draw your eye right over to the cabinets - not what I want to focus on.

dianalo now that you point it out the overhead fluorescent fixture does cast a yellow tint at night. Would love to rip it out. I am not handy with drywall. Perhaps I can find some good ideas on this forum to fill the spot with other lighting. Gray is definitely a color I am exploring.

ellendi there is no green in adjacent rooms. I believe it is Ralph Lauren Tangier Island, which will be changing because it is competing with my sofas for attention.
I posted a picture of a green that I like but unsure if it would look good.

remodelfla that is a pretty gray. I am becoming more and more intrigued with the grays.

herbflavor the knobs all need to be replaced if not for aesthetics but for safety. I bump into them daily. Do you think simple oil rubbed bronze hardware would be nice?

The area on the other side of the bar is difficult for me, not sure what to do with it. I had a bar height bistro table and chairs but they were uncomfortable and awkward so out they went. Now it sits empty, not that every area needs something in it. I thought about building in a bench seat with a little table. Out that window is a rare ocean view for our house. Would like to sit, relax and enjoy it.

I like this green

The counter is not bad at all and would look good if you painted the cabinets a pretty green like the green color you like. That's a job though, and I think it's a pretty temporary solution only given the age of the kitchen and the fact that it's already been refaced once. I wouldn't waste much money on doing a temp fix. You have a complete kitchen remodel in your future within then next 5-7 years, so start planning that now with an eye that every infrastructure project that you accomplish now can be crossed off of the later remodel list. In fact, I might see about moving up that complete redo by 3-4 years after carefully accomplishing some basic projects that go with the redo.

That light fixture removal and undercabinet lighting are two big changes that I'd suggest both for now and for the ultimate remodel. Take a tiling class at a local box store and keep an eye out for some darker slate look-a-like tiles for the kitchen floor. Ultimately, the soffit should probably be planned to be removed, so a few discrete holes in it to explore wouldn't be a bad idea. That will also let you work on your drywall skills to cover the holes back up. (Or just hang something decorative over them!)

If your home doesn't have a 200 amp electrical service, that's definitely something that will need to happen in order to meet the now and future demands of a modern home and kitchen. If you have copper pipe running through a slab, that will develop pinhole leaks sooner rather than later, etc. Work on the infrastructure that will support the kitchen redo first, and then on the sub projects that go into a kitchen redo that can be done as separate projects.

As far as oak cabinets go, yours are better looking than many. I have oak cabinets that I gel stained with a very dark stain. Which I do like, but if my cabinets would have been in good shape, I probably would have left them as is.

I would switch the fridge for sure though.

jodette, I had a fluorescent ceiling fixture far worse than yours as it was flush-mounted and hung down a bit. Its recent removal and addition of can lights have been a significant improvement. It did involve patching and painting the ceiling (PITA), but it was worth it.

Depending on the existing finish on the cabinets no simple paint can fill in the grain enough to make them look like anything except painted oak.

If the grain is already well filled (the finish is smooth) you can paint and have it come out OK, but filled grain on oak is not all that common on kitchen cabinets.

Filling the grain now is a real chore.

[trying to figure out where you live-it looks tropical] Fla or Georgia? to your question-oil rubbed bronze?-probably do the cooler metal-stainless/dark pewter/rustic iron/etc. Depends if you pull in stainless for the appliances mentionned. Home Depot/Lowes-purchase knobs off the shelf, bring them in and hold them up-even in the wrapper it'll give you an idea. The window off to the right of french door-have you thought of running a floating bar/counter -go right across the window..stools under? if people aren't sitting at peninsula side-could "land" over there with computers/am coffee/read paper,etc.

Cabinets that have already been refaced are not good candidates for painting. The applied veneers tend to start peeling off. Refacing isn't a long term solution. It's usually one designed to fix the problem that the homeowner put in an expensive countertop before they really thought things through, or else is done as a quick fix-up for resale. Refacing is lucky to last 5 years without starting to deteriorate.

So yeah, a complete kitchen redo is in your future at some point. Sooner rather than later. I wouldn't waste too much time or effort on this kitchen. Just paint the walls, fix the lighting and save your pennies for something more in depth that will be needed down the road.

I would change the refrigerator (or paint it) to black to match the other appliances. I would paint the walls a green color. I would remove the light fixture and replace with recessed lighting using the Reveal Halogen Bulbs or if your budget will not allow the replacement, I would replace the tubes in the fluorescent fixture above to 3500K or 5500K or 6500K light spectrum bulbs. Most likely they are 2700K which gives off more yellow.

Why would you want to paint them? Paint is normally reserved to cover inferior quality wood that is not stainable.

You have a wonderful lot of storage.
I also don't find your cabinets objectionable.

I think the builder grade oak cabinets are the ones that have given oak such a bad name. There are some very nice, different style oak cabinets like yours that are quite lovely.

I agree with the lighting. I would say holes in the drywall would be better than such a terribly dated, dirty looking (nothing personal, I think all those of that style look dirty) box light. It just cannot be your style!

I have a hard time speaking to color online, given different monitor resolutions. Green to gray would probably be lovely with your countertop, but gray to me wouldn't compliment what I'm seeing color-wise of your cabs. Green? As long as it didn't have a yellow base.

You've got lots of potential there! :)

I like your kitchen cabinets. I think you should keep
them and change the wall color.
If you can afford to, change the light fixtures, paint
the refrigerator and find a pretty soft rug for the floor.

Do you like the light fixture in the dining room?
maybe find something with rod iron like that one.

Since you said you like green how about one of these...

Olive Sherwin Williams

Grass Cloth by Behr

Saybrook sage by Rdquilter GardenWeb

Golden Delicious Benjamin MOore

Soothing Tea Glidden

Print Yellow by Farrow and Ball

Saybrook Sage BM

These are all great suggestions. I've decided to leave the cabinets alone and instead paint the walls and hopefully the cabinets will look better. I'll replace the lights before so I have a better idea of how the wall color will look. Great advice to paint the refrigerator. In a previous house I painted the refrigerator, which turned out well and wasn't really that difficult. New hardware is also on the short list. herbflavor I appreciate the suggestions for different hardware, and to answer your question - this is San Diego.