All I can say is AMAZING!!! It looks like it has always been there and is soooo homey looking. I love the jars on top of the uppers.

As for my opinion on the Hoosier cabinet - i would like to see it stained similar to the door moldings so that it stands out but still blends in with the rest of the house.

I love that you have designed your kitchen around your family and your use.

Good luck and enjoy!

Your kitchen is wonderful and so perfectly thought out!

As for your Hoosier, I would do a paint/glaze finish, maybe a light blue, yellow, or green? I'm suggesting a glaze since IMO, it's more 'kid friendly' than just a painted finish. ;o)

I would vote for a light stain (again close to your trim, ) and then finish with straight tung oil. It's less shiny than Waterlox and less durable in terms of water resilience, takes a lot longer to dry, but is pretty much matte I believe. My parents have a few older pieces that they finished with straight oil 30+ years ago and they've held up very well and are completely matte and gorgeous.

And thank you so much for the tip about the Albany Historic Foundation Warehouse, I'm also an upstater and we're about to build our new "old" house so I'll definitely see if there is anything there we can use.

Thank you so much for the input, I've been thinking of just trying it out stained and if I don't like it going for paint. Patty_cakes, the idea of a glaze is a good one, we are pretty tough on things! Teresa your kind words mean a great deal.

Brickton- great info on the tung oil, and I highly suggest Historic Albany, we've gotten so much from there. They are also a great resource with renovating old homes with care.

Thanks again for the input!

OH. MY. GOSH...I love what you're doing! I'm also lusting after some of your great bowls and the great display you have to appreciate them.

Waterlox comes in satin, which when applied with a rag has a hand-rubbed finish that doesn't have to be shiny at all. But I vote paint. Your space has a lot of brown and wood...I am yearning for something lighter and/or fun that goes with the colorful, homey things on your open shelves. I am thinking of colonial type colors...White, cream, blue-gray, sage, a Nantucket gray, or .... Something you love.

(Sorry to your dd, but I'm SO glad the hearts are going...)

Love your look!

Not loving the idea of matching door trim with a piece of furniture. I think it's a little weird, and won't it blend into the floor?

I would try a much lighter stain, more natural (though I'm not normally a fan of lighter oak) and if that fails, do exactly as patty cakes suggests--a light paint color with a glaze.

I absolutely love what you've done with your kitchen. It is so homey and beautiful and different!

If your DH is a wood lover like mine is, he won't he too excited about the idea of painting it. I'd paint it, but I love painted wood. You've got lots of natural wood there with the counters and the floors (like me), so I think painting would be beautiful. But, really it'll be beautiful no matter what, once those hearts are gone (sorry sweetie).

For the Hoosier: milk paint! in some type of muted color

For your stove-next-to-walkway issue: Would there be room for a small bookcase (turned with its back against the side of the stove)? it would offer a little buffer, plus a bit of storage for cookbooks (or, really, for anything you'd like next to th stove -- even canisters of utensils, if that would be handy).

What a beautiful kitchen -- you should be very proud of yourselves!

Love, love your space! That Hoosier cabinet is a work of artI would paint it a historic red. ItÂs just to cool to blend in as another wood tone. To me all colors of wood and paint look nice next to a work of art in historic red.

Thanks so much for more input- I have to say, I am leaning toward painting now, especially since it was originally painted. I also think that it might make the piece stand out more, which I'd love. I love all of the color suggestions and think I'm leaning toward a Nantucket Gray. I still think a quick bit of stain first might be good, then I'd put that nagging doubt to rest. Marcolo, I'm also not usually a fan of lighter oak, but I also agree that it's probably the best stain to try pre-paint.

I'd love to try milk paint, but I've never used it before, does anyone have any experience with it? Will it matter going over a stain, or will that impact it?

Thank you so much for the compliments, they mean quite a bit coming from GWers. My favorite kitchens have always come from this forum. Although, my DD will be crushed that she's not getting backed up on the hearts!

What a beautiful kitchen! Love how warm it feels (and love your bowls). I second milk paint just because I love the look. I think it will be durable and go beautifully with the feel of your kitchen. That said, I have zilch practical experience with the stuff. Hope someone chimes in who knows her milk paint.

Your kitchen looks great. A wonderful mix of modern and old fashioned.

I think the cabinet would look great in a soft green. Pick up one of the colors in the pottery or jars you have on display. I have not used milk paint (yet), but have spend a lot of time on the website. They have a lot of excellent detailed info there.

Your kitchen is wonderful - I love what you've done!

That cabinet is going to fit in very nicely. I don't think you can go wrong with whatever you decide. Can't wait to see pics of it finished & in place.

You have done a wonderful job! Love your kitchen!

I'm in the middle of using milk paint now to paint my cabinets and I can say that I just love it. This is my first experience with it and I want to paint everything in my house with it....but I will restrain myself! I didn't have to prime at all, but you do need to get all the stain and any polyurethane off the cabinet first. Milk paint does the best on wood that has never been painted. There is an adhesive promoter that I bought and added to mine just to make sure it stayed on since my cabinets were stained previously. I have no idea how it will hold up, but so far, so good. I'm not finished with them yet however, so time will tell.

Milk paint soaks into the wood, so whatever you do, make sure you will not want it to be stained again, since I think it takes a nuclear bomb to get it off. The company I ordered it from does have a milk paint remover however, but have no idea how that works.

I ordered mine from The Real Milk Paint Co. (www.realmilkpaint.com) which is a different place than the link steff_1 gave you, but you can check out both places.

I would most definitely use milk paint and a glaze. That piece begs to stand out from all the wood tones. I'd love to have that in my house!

I just did an antique buffet that I turned into a vanity for our pre-Civil war home that I gutted and remodeled. I used brick red milk paint with black glaze. There are many different shades of paint and glaze.

iona_46 and steff1 thank you so much for the milk paint info, I'm definitely looking into it- kntryhuman, that buffet/ vanity is amazing! I had no idea about glazing over milk paint- what an fantastic look you get with it. I also love the use of the buffet, where did you get your milk paint?

Thank you again to everyone for the nice words and info, they are really appreciated!

Stain! No paint! JMO. ;>)

Can't tell from the picture...is the countertop so beat up that it needs to be replaced too? Marble would look fab there.

I found the milk paint locally at a bare wood furniture store.

If you have a Woodcraft or similar woodworking supply you can find it there. You can also get great advice and probably see some finished pieces.

Great job kntryhuman.

Autumn, this company makes reproduction furniture with many different finishes. A little browsing through their website may give you some ideas.

I've looked quite a bit at the milk paint websites, I'll keep looking into it, especially since it was originally painted, it seems to make sense for this piece.

warmfridge, your first post is like my conscience, don't paint the bare wood! It really goes against my grain to do that. I'm thinking that I'll probably finish the interior doors and see how I like them and then go from there. If I still lean toward the milk paint, I'll do it then. The American Heritage site you posted is very helpful, there are some great ideas there.

The enameled metal countertop actually pulls out, made for rolling out dough and baking. Aside from a little loss of enamel, it's in pretty good shape. We need to get our tub and sink re-enameled, so we'll have the guy who's doing that look at the top and see if he can do that as well.

The top pulled out (sorry about the lower open, I'm painting the interior):

OMG...I have that exact same Hoosier. Mine is stained a pale oak. I would avoid painting it, and let the beauty of the wood come through. My tambour door needs repair, and don't have the spice wire shelves that were inside the right hand doors. Mine still has the functional drop-down flour mill behind the tall left door. Mine is finished white on the inside like yours with the pull out shelf and the enamel top still rolls out. I am going to have a professional hoosier person put mine back together and tighten up the seams as it has been moved so many times it is slightly wobbly. That must have been quite a job stripping that, you did a good job. Your kitchen is beautiful!!!