The "real Italian farmhouse" above makes me think about Uncle Thorvald's kitchen. More minimal and functional than you'd expect. I keep trying to remember a food movie that shows an Italian kitchen in the countryside...called "The Story of Boys and Girls" (link below). It was set in abt the 1930s mebbe 40s, had a boy and girl who were rural + urban mix who were getting married. The rural farmhouse family cooked and cooked and cooked for the engagement party within an absolutely spare rural kitchen. Whitewashed. I have no idea what it's like in the Italian countryside today. [hijack begins here] Anyway, Sabjimata, those are indeed pulls. Richelieu pulls, which are among the items I can't forget from my former (abandoned) designs in earlier evolutions of my formerly Gustavian kitchen design. Now that I think about it, maybe I should go back to this pull in my dream plans. Although I've abandoned the modern bimetal expensive pulls (see the thread about Hunter's Wife's Revenge), now that the Hunter is back he's muttering about helping out a guy who has deer eating up his garden and maybe we should just get a few more DNR permits for DH so he can help out this poor guy and .... on and on....I'm so bummed that I can consider $20 per pull right now because I'm eating venison and upland birds for the duration. And besides the "faux iron" pulls I'm drawn to which are in sorta pewter with matching "faux iron" knobs in the same elaborate and funky historical mode as the mega-sized item above. Gotta think on this. The new range is already a done-deal. [self-absorbed "I'm a jerk" mode off] I am still not sure what the original poster wants from her Italian farmhouse kitchen. Faux Italian farmhouse is fine with me--no, change that, it's GREAT with me, as long as it pleases her. There are a lot of Italians who know no more than I (Am. Swede) know about the subject of the Italian countryside but we sure know a thing or two about olives, wine, noodles, wine, garlic, wine. Go have fun, nollie_gardener. You have a world of choices and adventurous nutty thinking ahead of you and it should be a great trip. Don't forget to write. Here is a link that might be useful: Boys and Girls movie should anyone need to order it

"... is there such a thing as cottagey craftsman farmhouse, lol?" Mine! Although all of the original trim was replaced by the PO in the early 1980's with ... weathered gray barn siding. He even did shiplapped oak barn siding on the walls in the LR, and added gray sculptured carpet to match. With all the gray, that dude was ahead of his time, but I found it depressing, and cleaning that rough siding was not on my to-do list. We covered the shiplap with sheetrock so that the walls would be smooth, and I've used paint in the colors I mentioned above. I have mostly cream-painted cabinets and beadboard in the more cottage-influenced kitchen. The rooms we've added are more cottage style, but I've often thought about adding some wooden 'beams' to the ceiling to make the LR more Craftsman, and replacing the painted barn siding trim with a nice stained wood. My furniture is mostly earth tones, which matches the Craftsman vibe. I'd love to be able to afford some Batchelder tiles for the FP surround.

I did not paint my cabinets, but I have solid raised panel doors and your doors, based on the grain pattern, may have a plywood or veneer center panel, and so I would understand possibly painting the cabinets. Just be aware that the texture of the grain of the oak will show through the paint - the texture, not the color - and this bothers some people, but not others. Some try to fill the grain, but lots of extra work and money if hired out. Also, wood moves with changes in temp and humidity which can cause hairline cracks in the paint at the joints - again, this bothers some and not others. This is why factory painted cabinets are MDF or MDF combined with wood - more stable to temp. The durability of a paint job over finished cabinets is less than a factory finish. How well it holds up will depend on how good the paint job was ($$$) and how active the kitchen. If you do paint, I would wait a good 6 months or more before doing the countertops to be sure the paint holds up and looks they way you hoped it would before the huge investment of countertops and backsplash. One way to decrease the look of the wood somewhat is to remove some of the center panels and replace with glass. One poster replaced many of her doors with frosted glass for a more modern look. Marble is a very unforgiving countertop and read up on it to decide if you really want to deal with it. There are lots of post on here about the plusses and minuses of marble. The prettiest light granites tend to be too busy for lighter oak cabinets, but there are many quartz counters that look good with the oak. Also, don't make the final decision on backsplash till the counters are in - the big picture can change your idea, and don't decide on the grout till the tile is up. Oak cabinets have movement due to the grain and this can affect the backsplash - usually needs a simple backsplash. It looks like you have a lot of counter space, so consider getting a stainless hood and either a countertop microwave or retrofit a cabinet to hold one. I also retrofitted a plate rail into a cabinet if that fits your farm house look. There are a few apron front sinks that can be installed on a standard sink base cabinet. Kohler make the cast iron Whitehaven and the stainless Vault in both short apron and tall apron styles. The "short apron" is the style for the standard sink base cabinet. I think Elkay has recently come out with one too - in fireclay. The short apron style is obviously shorter, which has a slightly different look. I have this style (Whitehaven) and in some ways it is closer to a vintage American "farm sink" than the European "butler" sinks that inspired the tall apron style. However, the Ikea apron front sinks are also short apron and of course are European too. The "short apron" is just as deep inside as the "tall apron" sink. I actually like that I have retained the larger doors that would need to be shortened for a tall apron. My kitchen is more of a vintage style: https://www.houzz.com/photos/my-pics-work-in-progress-phvw-vp~110720042 https://www.houzz.com/photos/my-pics-work-in-progress-phvw-vp~109854029

Consider upgrades.esp if no renovaion in the works? New French door fridge,under cab task lights: these will give some improvement for you. Then wrought iron pulls , traditional style faucet, nice oval rug under table, yellow or green paint instead of red, check or stripe or country French window valance, light fixture above table.?.......perhaps source what door finish you have and glass doors w panes(can really give stylish feel). Question is: do you want an island......there is some space but I don't know the measurements of floor area exactly. Island can be your gift in lending style and more storage and seating. Clarify budget and goals and so forth.