"If it was me"...I'd start shopping for new countertops. I really think that you could dramatically change the appearance of your kitchen, and give it a rich look, by going darker on the counters.

I was at an auction this past weekend where they sold 'lots and lots' of nice laminates and a few batches of nice granite counters (pre-fab) and it all went for a song... less than $1 per foot for the laminates.

What would be your budget for your facelift? I think your cabinets look pretty good. : )

Sandy

You've made a decision that you're happy with and you're sticking with the house. In that case, worrying too much about resale isn't worth it. It may be a good reason not to put a lot of money into your decorating, and a good reason not to do anything really weird, but it's just paint! If it's "builder honey oak" it's probably not a case of "how can you paint that gorgeous wood". In the pictures the cabinets look just fine, but they don't go with your color sensibilities.

You love the red, so I say the red stays (unless the rest of your family hate it a lot, or something). If you really like all those whites, you can do something really dramatic with them. For instance, you could prime the doors and moldings for white, and the rest for dark. Then paint the cabinet boxes a darker shade of the red you put on the walls, as well as the trough part of the cabinet door panels, and the crevices in the molding. Paint the rest of the doors and molding white, then go over it all with a silvery glaze. Okay, that might be too Christmasy, too, like a peppermint, but something creative would work if you went into it whole hog.

For the countertops, if you like white, why not find a laminate that looks like marble or something? It'll look rich and contrast just a little with the appliances. Or do something funky with one of those diner redux patterns that are out now. If you want to spend a little more, how about a quartz composite with some sparkle in it?

You can also add a little punch to your painted cabinets by making vinyl or craft foil graphic appliques, or painting a grid on the panel, etc.

If you get a neutral and stylish countertop that would go with a bunch of different decorating styles, then whatever you paint is just paint. If you end up selling and you think your taste is do distinctive for the neighborhood, you can always repaint.

You know what....I say paint the cabs white! Why not enjoy it now, yes resale may be an issue...but you'll make it look even better! Hoffman's Finished kitchen comes to mind. She has White cabs and white appliances with a dark countertop. Granted she didn't paint her cabs, but she found a white that worked. Your cabinet doors have nice lines to them, no dated arches. If your not scared of a little work, I think it would look wonderful.

I also love the Lettered Cottage Blog. She painted her cabs black and totally transformed her space. She may have tips on the painting process.

http://theletteredcottage.blogspot.com/search/label/Kitchen

Here is a link that might be useful: Hoffman's kitchen

I love the red you have on the walls, too. And since *you* love it, I'd find a way to work everything else around it. I like the idea of black or gray with your red walls and white trim/appliances. Would you consider painting your cabs in either of those colors? I also like the idea of a countertop with a little sparkle, or maybe a couple of small, snazzy pendants over the peninsula. Do you mind telling me the name of your paint color? I tried doing red in our dining room many years ago and it turned out all wrong.

you have such a great space to work with. Your appliances also look new and seem to fit with the space. The only thing I would change would be the countertops and the hardware. Both look dated. The layout looks very functional and spacious......One of my neighbors receently found out the manufacturer of her cabinets and had a few nee ones made and added them to her space. Her cabinets were oak and they matched the finish so that unless you know which cabinets were new, you would not be able to tell. Another neighbor spent 1300.00 at a custom shop and had a few new oak cabinets made and added new laminate countertops. Kind of like the show sweat equity. She switched out hardware and added a new OTR with a high cfm and had her home appraised. Even in our locale and a poor market, it added equity and she really feels good about the changes. Maybe change the light fixture if you don't like it and add under cabinet lights. Do a tile back splash. Many inexpensive changes can change how you feel about the space and you don't have to sacrifice more important things... like the kiddos....

If it were me...

on a TIGHT budget I would leave the countertops and DIY the rest -
paint the cabinets taupe -
perhaps paint the walls more neutral (but possibly keep the red ... which is very nice).
Learn to tile and find some interesting and cheap tiles or do pottery with the boys at a local place and have them get involved in making tiles - just like in the HGTV DIY shows... looks like fun and they make it look so easy - not sure if it actually is.
don't take this the wrong way... do more with the area above your cabinets - it just looks a little random to me like the stuff got put up there for no rhyme or reason, just to fill the space - sorry if that is harsh.
consider new bar stools - something to tie in more closely with the kitchen chairs - consider painting the kitchen table to match the chairs
A window treatment with a little more pizazz - the valance seems sort of small and awkward on that big window -I'd either lose it all together or go BOLD/DRAMATIC with something else - do you sew? this could be another DIY project.

Best wishes on life with all those boys! You've got a good head on your shoulders and a lot of heart too!!

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. Any ideas and opinions are MUCH appreciated!

Not sure of the budget, really. Of course, as cheap as we can get by :) I know we were given an estimate of $900 for laminate last yr. I figure a few hundred to paint. Definitely want to change out the hardware, and do under cab lighting. $1500 would probably be the max. We have a kiddo having heart surgery in March, and a chunk of money is going towards some of the deductible. So, who knows? In the end..this all may not be likely for another year. Sigh! But, I sure hope we can get SOMETHING done.

MY first vision was to add beadboard to the back of that bar, and on the end of the one cab. Paint them all white. Change out counters, and add subway tile.
What I'd really love to do, though. Is black bottom cabs, and white upper. Then the dark counters, subway tiles. BUT..with the appliances being white I feel that it would be too all over the place, kwim??

The Hoffman's kitchen is beautiful! I remember seeing it awhile back, and also not minding the white appliances. Maybe because the colored tile? How I wish I could do a tile like that. Aside from price, I can't begin to think what color I could go with.
Oh, and the red is SW Bolero. We tried several, too. And this was by far the best. It's a great color day and especially night.

here's the laminate we liked. I wonder if just starting with that would be such a change, that I could tolerate waiting on painting? Just to ditch the green!

mamadadapagie...nothing harsh about your suggestions at all :) I HATE doing anything with the top of my cabinets. I'd soooo prefer cabs that went to the ceiling. Cause, yea. I kind of feel I have to put stuff up there. So, I do. Most of it's my mother's crud, lol.
I'm looking at hanging some cute signs up there, and some other stuff I've collected this yr.
The valance was put up when the walls were taupe. I actually just went looking at fabric at Hobby Lobby today for something new. Something with a brighter red, because that's more of a maroon. I want stripes, or something fun. Not flowers.

They do have the barstools to match my chairs. Which is an option. But, I thought I'd just paint those black. Along with the legs of the chair, and darker stain the top of the table.

And funny you should mention the tiles. I'm helping one of my good friends open a paint your own pottery studio this month. Been painting pottery for wks now for the shop. Would love to do something personal, and cute behind the stove in tile. But, resale kind of prevents that idea.

Thanks for all your suggestions :)

I really like the red. I think white cabinets would look great. I would also go with a darker countertop. In my previous kitchen we went with a dark Wilsonart Laminate for the counters, white cabinets/appliances, and a very bold blue on the walls. The white, blue and black all balanced out and I think this would work with your red as well.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ebony Star Laminate

You might want to look at the Jan 9 entry on the urban grace blog. It was in Cottage Living I think. They painted the upper oak cabinets white and the lowers gray. They also raised the uppers and put in an open shelf at about 18" above the counter. Plus many more things but these made a tremendous difference in the kitchen.

Here is a link that might be useful: urban grace blog

You do love drama, don't you? If the laminate you like goes with black (hard to tell from the pix), I say go for it! Do the black down and the white up with the red walls!! I think it would be fine with the white appliances, or you could embellish them with some black decor below counter level. Again, it's just paint. The laminate is one that a lot of people could like, and so are the subways and beadboard. All you'd have to do to make it ready for a more timid soul at resale time is a little more paint.

First and most importantly, we all wish you and your family the BEST of luck with your son's upcoming surgery. Isn't it wonderful to be alive in the twenty-first century with all the incredible medical advances?

Second, as a stay-at-home parent I completely empathize with keeping an eye on both the littles as well as the budget. I think a lot of us here are on the same page.

The white up / black down sounds (and looks) amazing!

Around our fireplace we have delft tiles, with every other one painted of our children and pets. The tile man said they'd actually be pretty easy to remove if we ever sell, so don't let resale deter you from having fun back there ....

Others here (whose names I cannot now recall) have used beadboard as their backsplash. Over on the Decorating Forum there are a couple of threads about paintable beadboard wallpaper. (looks terrific)

kitchenredo, I had looked at the Ebony Star before, and I think it didn't do so well with my flooring. But, it's really pretty!

plllog, yes..I like drama. In decorating, and in my life, lol.

rmkitchen, love the fireplace. What a conversation piece, and how very special!
And thank you for the well wishes for our son. And I have to agree 100% about the advances in medicine. What he's having done was a LOT harder to go about 15 yrs ago.

Iris, my heart skipped a beat when I clicked on that link. I soooo want to do that. I wonder how hard it would be?? Dh looked at me funny, grinned and said "whatever you want honey" :) Gotta love that man, lol. He's quite handy. Is he THAT handy??? Gosh, I don't know. I wonder just how hard it'd be??? Cookie cutter house, will that walls fall down if he removes the cabinets? lol.
I know that means fixing walls, repainting, etc. But, I don't care! I would love to move those things up! Maybe not even to the very top. Because they have moulding, and there's moulding at the ceiling already. I kind of hate to disturb all that. But, would it make a big enough difference to just raise them higher? And do the shelf under?? Which I LOVE!!!

Now I'm wondering if I should paint the walls back neutral, and do some kind of gray/green bottoms (like the pic Iris posted)and white on top. And try to keep my counters? But, it'd be hard to paint that wood edge, wouldn't it?? Then there's getting paint not to clash with my furniture in the open living room.
I'm just trying to be cheap, lol. And I'm so in-love with the idea of moving the cabs up, I could sacrifice my red.
I think....

I, too, am just smitten with that kitchen reno where she raised her cabinets and put the open shelves below...it's the first idea that I've showed my DH that he has totally fallen for!! So glad you posted that link, iris!

Sandy

I see no problem with your first ideas which were white cabinets, white subways and blackish counter. A pretty classic look we see here a lot and would be sharp with the red walls. It sounds, though, like you're not decided on your vision and need to keep looking through photos until something 'fits' you. Have you done the Sweeby test to maybe give you more of an idea of what you're after?

Here is a link that might be useful: Sweeby test on kitchenforumfaq.com

rhome, you're right. I think my head just spins when I see pics. And I haven't found the "one". Mostly because of budget. Of course, I'd love a high end, sophisticated, beautiful kitchen. But, that's not going to happen with this kitchen, at this point of time. I'll save that for when I grow up :) (did I mention I'm 36? lol)
For now, I just want something nice I can be proud of. Even if it is small, and on a budget.

I really think the idea of moving the cabs up is the answer!!! I'm finally excited about something :) Just have to work some things out. Color options, etc.

I love the idea of white cabinets with white appliances tied together with a white backsplash. If you were to paint the walls the same colour as the floor tile then you're pretty well able to do whatever countertop you choose.

The difference between your kitchen and some of the really high-end ones on here (from a visual perspective) is primarily detailing. You can add some crown moulding, cornices, corbels and great hardware and you'll be amazed. Use big pieces - don't be timid. You've got the great frieze over the door - painted white and glazed to work with the cabinetry it's going to look amazing.

Also - think about cutting the center panels out of a couple of your doors and replacing it with some metal mesh for interest.

Here is a link where you can buy a lot of really great detailing at fair prices:

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.outwater.com

In the summer 2008 issue of Kitchen Makeovers (IMO the best kitchen mag - lots of practical advice and kitchens across a range of price points) they have a kitchen in a similar wall colour to yours where the homeowners painted the cabs white and added new laminate tops. They also used beadboard and striped valances. It is quite beautiful and they spent about 4 grand not including the stainless appliances on a larger kitchen than yours. If you can get your hands on a copy you should check it out.