I would like to post a few pictures, but can't figure out how...any help?

This link includes info on posting pictures (and almost everything else, but first things first!):

Here is a link that might be useful: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0321053622864.html?72

I'll wait for the pictures, but if you don't like the oak color, some have had success using a gel stain on it to darken cabinets. And it CAN be painted--you either fill it in with goop to smooth out the grain or you accept that the grain doesn't look bad under paint. Someone painted all the 50s oak in my house before I bought it and I think the grain adds a little interest and looks nice. (I'd rather have 50s oak, though!)

The back sides of doors that company shouldn't open are good places to test out paint and finishes, but cabinets are a pain in the rear to redo. Hopefully you don't mind the color and can work with aspects of the kitchen that are more fun to do.

Get those pictures up! :)

Changing the countertop would make a big difference. Same with hardware on the cabinets.

Here are the pictures of my kitchen--one is looking into the dining room.

Your kitchen is very sweet.

Let me see if I have this straight: You have been doing the coastal theme as a way to cope with the blue countertop? But you want to harmonize the kitchen with the gold/red/tan family room and dining room?

The obvious blue elements in the kitchen are the counters, the valance, the light fixture, and the seat cushions. I don't think you need to change out the seating--new cushions would do it. You have a lot of black in the dining room, so you could go that way in the kitchen, but only if you want to. I think that if you pull in more of the warmer colors--red seat cushions, gold valance, etc--it would do it. You could go dark with the countertop if that is a look you like. Sadly, I don't see the light fixture working in the new color scheme (maybe you can replace it with something in a similar style to the chandy in the dining room).

Good luck!

I think you want all blue gone? I would start with painting your kitchen walls a muted med tone green/beige; imagine the color of your dining room paint with a bit of muted green in it. Change the kitchen cabinet hardware to a simple transitional pewter style. Change the lighting to a more casual version of dining room fixture with same finish. Wilsonart has a fairly inexpensive laminate counter called Girona Envy that would look real nice and transitional or maybe a lighter shade you like. Change chair cushions to a burgundy/red. Buy or paint new art for the wall. You will see a big difference just by making those changes without touching your cabinetry. I think your cabinets look nice.

IF granite is in the budget (and some are very affordable), I would consider redoing the counters with a gold/black type of granite. I would certainly consider doing the gel stain or paint on the cabinets, and I would seriously think about going dark, they would tie in so nicely with your dining room. I think the grain showing through on dark paint can look nice. My cabinets are painted white--it took 2-3 coats of paintable woodfiller, sanding in between each step to get rid of the grain.

Obviously, as every one else has said, get rid of all the blue accessories, and paint that kichen a color similar to the dining room!

celticmoon's kitchen has the gel stained cabinets as an example. somewhere she even gave the instructions.

I'm going to chime in with my random crazy idea. I have a personal vendetta against the over the peninsula uppers so I thought I would give you a thought on what you might do there instead. If you were to extend the soffit (I know crazy, most people are anti-soffit, I really dig 'em) to the wall over the entry on the peninsula side, and then take out the cabinets, you could put a fun open segmented shelf with lighting from the soffit. It's quite coastal though, so if you are steering away from that, it's probably not what you are looking for.

Something like this (in the upper photo):
{{!gwi}}

You are all helping so much! Yes, I want to get rid of the blue and try and pull all the rooms together. And I think you are all right-- it all hinges on new countertops. So, should I go dark or light tones with the cream appliances? Also, Beekeeperswife mentioned looking at celticmoon's pictures...how do I go about viewing them? I am new to this forum, so I hope I am not testing everyone's patience with these questions! :

My kitchen has similar colors only my countertops are BRIGHT blue! I am going with Uba Tuba granite for countertops, while keeping my oak cabinets. I know they aren't stylish any more, but I still like them & like yours they are solid & custom made. The uba tuba is a lower priced granite & looks stunning with oak! I am adding dentil & crown moulding to the tops of the cabninets for a more finished look which is quite reasonably priced. I will have stainless appliances so the polished brass pulls are going in favor of brushed nickel. I see that you have exposed hinges as well, but cannot tell the color. Mine are exposed too, but didn't hold the polish as the pulls did, so the brushed nickel looks fine with them. It seems to have a bit of a gold sheen to it.

If new countertops are not in your budget right now a friend of mine found a paint by Rustoleum that you can use to paint countertops. She had to tell me she painted her countertops - I would have never guessed! So that may be an option to look into.

Lastly, your cabinets over your penninsula - I don't have those now, but did in my old house. I really didn't care for them, but they were necessary for storage. So, I think if you could give them up that might be something to consider. If not, I have seen glass doors put in on both sides which lets the light shine through to the kitchen and also updates the look.

Best of luck! I've been working on my remodel ideas for months. New appliances arrive next week & the whole process begins. I think I may take sledge hammer to the bright blue laminate as soon as I hear the granite is on its way!

First-celticmoon's kitchen. Go to Finished Kitchens Blog. Hit "in progress kitchens." Scroll down to the Cs for celtics pictures.

If at all possible, lose the overhead cabinets by your peninsula.
Change the counter if budget allows-suggestion of uba tuba is good-it looks great with oak cabinets and it's a very pretty granite-it was my second choice. If you think you may do granite, take a cabinet door and sample of the floor with you to see how they look with the slabs. If you decide you want lighter granite there are some like new venetian gold, madura gold, st. ceceilia -too many to mention. Chances are that when you are looking at all the slabs, one is going to catch your eye/grab your heart!! It's so much fun looking at slabs!!
New light fixture over the kitchen table. Different window treatments. New paint color on the walls.
There are lots of things you can do without spending tons of money. Have fun and good luck!!

geez, I just tried replying, and somehow I started a new thread, duh.

If you are looking for comments or threads started by a member, just put their username in the "search" field that is at the bottom of the kitchen forum.

Here is what I found for you, scroll down a bit. It has the directions from celticmoon

Here is a link that might be useful: celticmoon

Hi CrissyK, here's what I would do ... I just talked my friends into doing this exact thing and it looks wonderful!!

I would lose the cabinets over the peninsula.

I would paint the cabinets either grey or cream.

I would make the peninsula into a bar by extending a new countertop 15 inches past the current cabinets.

If you could stand it, i would then lose the kitchen table altogether (and use your dining table as your primary table).

In that case I would put another row of shallow base cabinets against the wall where the kitchen table currently is. (using 42" uppers but putting them on the floor as base cabinets would allow extra storage and be similar to a buffet. For these extra cabinets you could buy cheap ready-mades and paint them to match the rest of your new cabinet color).

p.s... i think that painted oak cabiets are great... yes, the grain is still there, but the overall impression is far more FRESH and updated.

b

Your kitchen is very nice. I absolutely love your dining room and see how you need to blend the two. I would update the lighting fixture over your kitchen table, change out the hardware on the cabs and update the valence, less country (blues, and ruffled valence)more clean lines or transitional.
The cabs are in good condition, would restain them and new counter down the road after the above is done and you lived with it awhile.

I'm short so I don't mind cabinets over the peninsula one bit (except they are just a little higher than standard). It's not a huge kitchen so you probably need them. You COULD knock out the center panels and replace them with glass on both sides, but even with fuzzy glass it'd be hard to keep stuff looking presentable in there, unless you're that very tidy kind of person.

Your cabinets are lighter than what is currently fashionable but they aren't that dated. They don't have the tell-tale 80s style. I'd keep them unless you absolutely hate them. You can do any counter with those appliances and that natural lighting (or is that only in the morning?).

Yes, it gets pretty tricky trying to pull things together with different styles but it can be done with having color in common. I love the color of your dining room but that color is not the perfect choice for your kitchen. What would be best if you donÂt feel like redoing the cabinets is to paint dining room and kitchen the same color and add a darker countertop, but then you would be looking at replacing the carpet in dining room because it may not look right with a different wall color. Do you have another area carpet you can swap for that room?

If you are intrigued by Brickton's idea, from what I'm seeing, it looks like the peninsular cabinets are double doored?

Couldn't you take both doors off (and keep them and the hardware, to keep your frugal husband happy -- you could screw them back on at any time, I promise) and have some of the same effect? At least do a couple to lighten it up.

You can use the space for crockery storage, to display a collection or something similar.

You all have such clever ideas!! BethandKevin--I was so excited by your idea until I realized that the bar/overhang is already extending into the woodwork of my bay window and don't think it can come out any further. Also, I really like the idea of removing the upper cabinets, but what do you do with the soffit? Just leave it up there? Or do you take it off in just that one section leaving the rest to look L shaped? If I take those upper cabinets out, I will need to find storage and was thinking I could install some in that desk area with the clock-near the pantry door(see pictures above). If I add additional cabinets, should I try and match (which could be hard) or just complement them? I notice that many people are mixing and matching islands and cabinets, but how about an entire area that looks different than the rest of the kitchen? I might end up just looking like an afterthought.