Wow, those look really nice. Doors like that are called slab doors, and lot of people would kill to have those. I think they're generally more expensive than the doors than the frame and panel doors that are more common. It's a very contemporary look, though, and if it's not your cup of tea, it's just not your cup of tea.

Even though I chose something very different for my remodel, I think these cabinet are awesome. And if I were moving into this house, I'd try to embrace the style. I'd put in new granite countertops, maybe a glass-tile backsplash, and some stainless steel appliances (if the budget allowed). I might upgrade the hardware, but I'd stick with something simple and contemporary.

Another thing to consider is the style of the house. I can't tell much about it from these photos, but it looks like the house may have contemporary bones. If it were my house, I wouldn't want to try to make the kitchen farmhouse-style or Old-World style or another style that doesn't go with the rest of the house.

Just my two cents... :-)

Completely agree, go contemporary. Strong looking pulls, SS, Granite, Glass backsplash. The upper part looks like it needs a meatier trim.

I think if you painted the walls a more contrasting color it would make a big difference. The color now is too yellow against the yellow tones of the cabs. Also, the doors to the closet do not work with the wood of the cabs. I would paint them and change the knobs, if you cannot afford to replace them with something a little more contemporary.

Glass BS would work great so would 18x18 rectified tile in ceramic. I am posting my BS in 18x18 rectified ceramic tile. It's a very clean contemporary look.

Next like everyone elses suggestions:
SS appliances
New Countertops

Ditto here. I really like your cabinets. I would get more substantial pulls - longer ones - but still keep the look simple. I would change from white appliances to black or stainless with black trim. Add three pendant lamps over the island and richlite countertop.

The slab cabinet doors are very rich in themselves, but I can see how the rounded edges may make it look out of style. You can take them to a cabinet maker to have the edges squared (may lose a little size, but it looks like you have enough overlay). You could also have molding added to the fronts to dress it up a little. Ditto the other suggestions others have offered on larger pulls, granite and SS appliances. Good Luck!

Keep the ideas coming and thank you!

jerseygirl 1, we are painting the pantry doors, window casings and trim for the room white to match the rest of the house.

Question: if there are already pulls in place, how could I entertain the idea of longer pulls? There would be holes where the other ones were, right?

What a great kitchen to start with! The floorplan looks very functional and has lots of cabinet and counter space. Lucky you! I would do as others have suggested and take the doors to a cabinet maker and have the edges squared off. It will certainly make them look more updated. It will probably also be much much cheaper than refacing the cabinets, and I don't think you would get the same quality of doors and drawer faces. A nice contemporary countertop and backsplash will really help. You don't really need longer pulls to update it. Just go to a hardware store or lowes and pick out a bunch of knobs and try them out after you decide on the doors. It must be nice to have such a great space to work with!

I would not rush to change those cabinets until I'd lived with them for awhile. New hardware, granite, stainless appliances, and a wall color with more pizazz would probably make a huge difference in how you view those cabinets.

You all make me feel even better about my kitchen, thank you for that! I don't want to spend a lot of money or get rid of these perfectly functional cabinets. It's my contribution to being 'green'. ;) Why throw away something so useable? So do you think I should look sort of 'industrial' or 'cook's kitchen-ish' as far as pulls? Something chunkier or more substantial say in a stainless? I would love to paint the kitchen red. What do you think about that or is there a better color to go considering the cabinet color and style?

annabellesangels - Red would look awesome with the cabinets. I can't remember who did it but somebody has clear maple and red walls and they really pop against that. Red also goes really well with contemporary.

More substantial pulls would be a great start and I wouldn't square off the doors until you've made all the other changes to see how the kitchen feels.

It is a great kitchen and I really like the cabinets as is. If you wanted to get longer pulls you could always find wood putty that matches in color to your doors and fill one hole.

I agree with Fran and Lyfia, hold of changing anything about the doors until you've made the other changes. I think you'll be surprised at the difference a new countertop, hardware, and appliances will make!

As to the pulls, if you want longer ones, you will either have to fill the holes (I don't know if you can fill & refinish to match the cabinets...someone else more knowledgeable than me will need to answer that), but you might be able to find some that have the same holes, but that extend beyond the holes...although, they may be an issue of getting caught on clothing, etc on the drawers.

MyKnobs.com (and others) will have a selection. Here's a sample cabinet pull that would have the contemporary look and that come in various lengths. (European Contemporary Cabinet Pull)

The right shade of red would look great with those cabinets. RMLanza (Robin) has light cabinets with red walls and it looks fantastic. I can't find any pictures of her kitchen offhand, though.

Painting the closet doors white is a great idea and I think will make the cabinetry look even better.

It's funny that the rounded corners look dated to some people. I don't think they look that way to everyone. I remember a couple of months ago, someone posted here specifically looking for slab doors with rounded corners. I sent her to here, doors which look very similar to yours.

As far as pulls go, you could try - as Lyfia suggests - finding a matching wood putty. That might work fairly well if you were keeping one hole in the existing location, since the putty-filled hole could be kinda sorta covered by the larger pull. Try looking at stainless or nickel pulls or European bar pulls. If this were my kitchen, I'd probably try to find something that fits the existing holes. There are so many really cool handles out there, you might be surprised at what you find.

If you like darker stains you could think about having that done, along with other sugestions of new pulls, counters and painting the walls a great color. I don't dislike the rounded corners at all, that would be the last thing I would consider changing. Good luck with your new home;~>

Like everyone else has said your kitchen has great bones and with a few minor updates will be perfect. I do think longer pulls would look more proportional to the doors and drawers. If you really don't like the slab fronts, you can add trim to them so they kinda look like this:

PS - Staining them dark would look really nice as well, with a lighter counter.

New paint with new counters. Paint in the pantry doors or even better to replace with frosted or reeded glass bypass doors like these from ikea.

hi there i think it makes a lot of sense for you to keep the cabinets. they are very nice looking and very pretty wood. if you do get rid of them, you could easily sell them on craigslist.
i like panic's suggestion of the new pantry doors. IMO, the pantry doors (colonial style) and the tiled counter are traditional styles that are fighting with the cabinets. once they are changed or removed, the cabinets will look much better. i agree about the solid or near solid backsplash. but i wouldn't try to fill in holes on those doors, i think it would be very obvious! i also like the rounded corners, both for safety and also because they are less likely to show wear, especially with the natural finish. once you get rid of the tiled counter, they will automatically look more updated, i predict!

somebody on here had a red counter and there was another solid gray counter, i think caesarstone? a solid counter without a lot of pattern would really look wonderful with your serene cabinet design and those classy closet doors in the post above.

good luck! kren

I bought a bunch of pulls to look at over this weekend. We put this one up and we LOVE the look! With the overlay after the screw in part on each side, it's more like 6 inches instead of 4. With the flat part on the front and the chunkiness, it's really pretty on the slab cabinets.

Okay I just stumbled upon this thread and am dying to know... what did you decide to do? I too thought the slabs were beautiful except for the round corners. And I ditto the advice about changing the paint color (I did that with some ugly oak cabinets and couldn't believe what a difference it made!)