Painting the cabinets will really change the kitchen, and I agree that the apron over the sink would be best removed. Do you know a handy person who could build a return of the crown to take it from the front of the cabinet back to the wall (instead of the apron). It's a hard one to describe but do you follow what I mean?

Your cabinets appear to be oak and when you paint oak you'll always see a shadow effect of the grain underneath. If you paint them a medium to dark colour the grain will be minimized. C2 Paint makes a line of paint that's specifically designed for cabinetry. I've used it myself and had great results. C2-698 is ARTICHOKE HEART and that would appear to work well with your granite. (Not Benjamin Moore 'Artichoke Heart' which is totally different)

Yes, please do keep your granite. It's quite lovely and it would be a shame for it to go to the landfill when it's still in such good shape.

I don't know what bullet lights are but I would use LED recessed lights and lots of them to create a bright welcoming space. If you can add some under-cabinet lighting, that would be a great feature.

I would get rid of the apron above the sink and maybe replace the doors on the cabinets on either side wirh glass doors. I don’t see anything to connect the blue rug to to the kitchen a nice LED track light would be the least expensive lighting I don’t mind the granite

Thank you Cynthia Taylor-Luce - In turns of building a return of the crown, do you mean take the crown along the side of the cabinets and have nothing above the window?

I will look at Atichoke Heart right now. Thanks for the color idea.

I meant recessed lights. Sorry I used the wrong term. I appreciate your help.

Unless you are a patient and accomplished DIY person consider hiring a professional to paint your cabinetry. It does look nice in the picture, so changing the color is up to your personal preference. It is not necessary to "update" your kitchen. Cabinetry is very expensive to replace, so be careful with it. There was a thread on here earlier today about someone unhappy with the DIY paint job they did on their cabinets. A reputable paint store should be able to give you some references for good painters. It can be get a little expensive.

I agree that removing the panel from some cabinets and replacing with glass would be a nice touch. Look at kitchens in you idea book and see what features other than color are attractive to you. Many do have some glass doors. Others have a pretty wood hood. Your stainless hood is fine, but you may prefer the look of wood - and easy to do if you are painting - though I stained mine to match my cabinets. An unfinished wood hood and insert vent with liner can be found at Kitchensource - where I got mine. Home Centers also have them, though the simple ones I was looking at were a bit more in price. Cabinetry from a home center store can often be ordered unfinished. You can change out the hood or even replace a cabinet with a plate rail or wine rack.

I cannot tell from the picture, but I don't see very much grain - so maybe your cabinets are maple, which will paint up better than oak.

Great points, jhmarie. You may be right about the maple/oak cabinets. It's hard to tell, and from the colour I thought they might be natural oak, but if they are maple then they will paint up beautifully as you say. Your suggestions are great.

Thank you all for your help. I do not plan on painting them myself. I have received an estimate to have them spray painted. I do not know which wood my cabinets are. I would guess maple though. I like the thought of a new hood. I will check into that. Someone mentioned my rug, there is no other blue in the kitchen. The room is however opened up to my eating area and family room which are mainly gray and blue with a pop of yellow. I looked at the paint color ARTICHOKE HEART by C2. It is a beautiful color and I agree it would go well with my countertops. Do you also think it would go with the revere pewter walls and the blue nearby?

Would NOT paint the rest of those beautiful cabinets. Painting the base cabinet of a bar is a matter of personal taste. By the way, your rug goes great with the blue color you chose for that base.

It is because there is an odd open space between the top of the window and the bottom of the sculpted/curved board that this piece looks odd.

As an alternative to getting rid of the wood apron over the window entirely, you could just leave the top board that is level with the top of the rest of the cabinets, , removing only the curved/sculpted piece that hangs down, and then add a shelf just above the window and then add a pair of doors to match the rest of your cabinet doors to create a high shelf, such as is often found above a refrigerator. That would create the perfect place to store those wide trays and platters we all have but only use a few times a year.

I suggest you find some blue accents. The rug looks out of place, even if there is blue in a nearby room.

I don't know whether the image of aprons or skirts being pulled up to a crown should be disturbing or erotic, but if you called it a VALANCE, I wouldn't have to go there ;)

So sorry! Valence it is :)

Remove apron replace with a blind positioned level with top of cabinets. You can use this to add a Color that is in your rug.