How disappointing. Maybe it can be saved. picture?

Maybe you just have to get used to them. We have all glass uppers on one side. Our kitchen looks like one that is cooked in and not something on display. Even though I never doubted the glass, I still had to get used to it. Just give it time.

Oh, how frustrating! But 1929Spanish-GW is totally right. Give it a month or two. For most people, change can be so jarring and unpleasant. I've seen a lot of people post about hating their entire kitchens after they're done and just agonizing about it, and then they settle in and realize they completely love their kitchens.

There will always be a thing or two you realize you wouldn't have done differently, but usually those fade into the background and aren't really so bad. You get used to them.

I believe you have some brass in your kitchen. What about one of these brass wire mesh inserts?

This one is from the UK - not sure what shipping would be.

Regency Brass Decorative Grilles · More Info

Metal Mesh Insert for Cabinets

Do your glass doors have mullions? Mine did, and they drove me crazy with the additional lines which my eye perceived as busy. I changed out the mullioned glass for clear glass, and it was such a relief to my eye. I love my glass cabinets now.

I simply took the glass doors to a local mirror and glass shop. They measured, and about a week later the glass was ready, and the shop installed the new glass in the doors as well. BTW, like you, I do not like frosted, pebbled or reeded glass. What I did was to get the clear glass with a beveled edge. The bevelling gives a subtle luxurious look to the otherwise plain glass. It better have, cause the bevelling nearly doubled the cost of the glass!

Anglophilia, I don't know what type of dishware you have . Do you have lots of color and maybe something more neutral or the same color would look better to you?

OMG, I love those brass grills, Romy. I may have to check those out .

I understand your feelings. I am not a neat and tidy person but want to have glass doors on my built-in hutch, and I want glass that hides what is on the shelves.... So, I've decided on art glass in a pattern that I really like.

The following company is one resource I found, and you would probably find one closer to where you live. This one is in Southern California.

http://wgsartglass.com

Maybe there is something on their website that might work, or that might give you ideas of alternative options? Best wishes.

Unfortunately, they needed to make your cabinets deeper. Normal cabinets are 12"-15" deep. Inset takes away about 1.5" so your uppers are now only 10.5" deep.

I ordered my inset as 16" deep to keep the same interior as my old overlay cabinets.

Kitchen guy said that unless I had very large plates (I don't), that they just go up from and 11" cabinet to a 12" one if the doors are inset.

No, my two sets of dishes are not bright at all. My everyday dishes are Royal Copenhagen "Tranquebar" which has a grayish white background with blue decoration on it, and the other set in the kitchen (there are in fact, 10 MORE sets in the breakfast room in a deep, corner cabinet that is stuffed to the gills!), is Wedgwood "Wild Strawberry". I also have one cabinet full of crystal. I did the solid glass instead of divided lights, both on the recommendation of GW folks and my kitchen guy and a designer friend. There are three shelves.

In going back through my saved photos of beloved kitchens, I realized that the ones with glass doors often were hung lower to the countertops, butler's pantry style and had 4 shelves. I should have done this but just plain didn't think of it. The weird thing is that I AM used to having a glass-doored cabinet - the vacation home we've rented for 18 yrs has one, but again, it's lower to the counter like a butler's pantry.

I could order new cabinets to replace these three, but that would be LOT of money. I need to find out how much new doors would cost. I'm leaving town for my 4 week annual vacation in less than two weeks, so nothing can be done until I return. Maybe I'll like it better then, but I think it's the proportion - in the past (think pre-WWII!), glass doored cabinets were only in butler's pantries and were taller and lower to the cabinet.

How about sheers?

Can you post pics so we can give you ideas? Just click on the photo button below and add the photos to your comment.

I was just going to suggest adding corbels underneath your glass front cabinets like above. Maybe that will extend the look.

I wonder rather than replacing, if you can just add a smaller drawer bank directly under to connect to the counter.

Franklin Ave. · More Info

I've thought about the corbels but afraid one and a wall switch that cannot be moved, might be a problem.

In my usual obsessive fashion, I pulled a chair into the kitchen and stared at the cabinets. These are 36" cabinets and I have an 8ft ceiling. There will be a flat trimstrip above the cabinet and then crown molding will go on to to the ceiling. It may look more balanced then. I also realized that the frame is the same size as it it was a full Shaker cabinet. I think it should gave been much thinner - again I didn't think to ask about frame width. I assume this is standard for Shiloh - dont know if thinner was even an option. I am a very detail oriented person but knowing the specs of a cabinet manufacturer is impossible. The wide frame makes it hard to see what's in the cabinet - sort of like a photo when one cuts off something vital.

I'll take pictures in the am. I have thinned out a few things, but these are the two sets of dishes I use the most and they must be handy. To say nothing about the fact I gave run out of room for anymore dishes!

I only have one set of 12 plates, etc and I never use more than that. I've had them for 20 years and have been thinking of getting rid of them and getting all white. Food looks so much prettier on a white plate.

I hope it all works out and you learn to love them.

Thanks for all the advice! My grandsons rearranged (SO nice to move all that crystal!) and moved the top shelve down one peg and they do look better. There is no question that all white dishes in dish open cabinets look best, but that is not what I have and I need yet another set of dishes like I need termites! I LOVE dishes - different ones for different holidays and occasions. I inherited most of what I have and setting the table is the part I love the most about holiday preparations. I have some lovely heirloom linens, lots of silver and I love arranging my centerpiece. My daughter appears to have inherited the "dishes gene" ( a 1st cousin has it too - I'm convinced it's genetic!) so someday she will struggle with where on earth to put these - of course some also go to my son. I'm hoping that my grandchildren will want them - at least 2 grandsons appear promising!

They do look better. I realize that what is bothering me the most is how Shiloh does their Shaker glass front cabinets. If I had been able to see a picture (their web site is horrible!) or a cabinet in the showroom, I would have known I did not like this. What I don't yet know is if what I wanted is even an option. What they do is basically leave the center flat panel out of a Shaker door and put in glass (after delivery) instead. This mean the frame is very wide - not the typical narrower frame, so it's hard to see what's on the bottom shelf in particular. I know they do this so all the bottom rails will match. Well, all my glass fronts are on the same wall with no other cabinets, and even at the corner, I would not have cared if the rails matched. Who knew...They just look heavy to me. I will live with them for a few months but also find out what options I have, if any.

We spent 5 hours today re-arranging the cabinets (I was able to bring my Mother's crystal and some Tiffany very thin hollow stem champagne glasses up from a cabinet in the basement. I rarely use either as it's too much bother to bring them upstairs. So now all my crystal is in one place!

We had a ball filling the two food cabinets - lovely having baking/dessert ingredients in their own cabinet and a cabinet for other things right next to the stove instead of across the floor. And the drawers... oh be still my heart!!! OH how I've longed for those drawers (doesn't take much to make an old lady's heart beat faster!)!!! I had my DGS1 go find the angel food cake pans as they were the hardest to reach in the old cabinets. Bliss - right there when I open the drawers! Drawers are the greatest idea for kitchens since sliced bread! Especially for old ladies like me!

I'm SO glad I did this...even with the concern over the glass cabinets. That will eventually be resolved or I'll just get used to them. Getting the glass in will make a difference - they look awfully "unfinished" right now - top of cabinets needs trim and crown molding, too - that will make them look more balanced.

Glad to hear you are feeling better about it. Next job for the grandsons is to get them to take pix and show you how to post them. We are going to want to see a reveal ;-)

You could always frost the back. I'm planning to get fairly opaque glass (looks like bamboo) and if it's still too transparent I'll frost the backs. I don't like the look of seeing inside cabinets, but I don't want wood uppers because of the heaviness.

Have you got interior lighting installed in those cabinets? My glass cabinets look best with the lights on, otherwise they're a bit dark (for obvious reasons.) Also I replaced all the shelves in my glass front cabinets with glass shelves, so the interior lighting isn't blocked and can flow through the entire cabinet.

I have alder wood cabinets with knots. I hate the yellow color, and it looks dated. i was told they can not be painted and costly if they were stained but could look muddy. Yes, i can get new fronts at an expense and there are a lot of cabinets.

i opted to put in ribbed glass, with new handles and i think it looks better. i will change two more doors.

Your thoughts?

see next pictur in comments

Lori I usually prefer painted cabinets but I really like your wood!