I am a middle aged bachelor, so take my comments in stride.

I like honey oak, just not that much in one place. And please, don't paint, don't.

I cook, so I can appreciate the size kitchen, quality of build and storage you have. Very nice.

A few changes can make it look more streamlined, with cleaner simple lines. Not so much of the "trying to be" ornate (i.e. the crown molding).

Good start with the lighting (I did like what was there before, just not how they were designed) and I prefer MORE lights (just my preference). Remove the cabinets above the sink and to the right of the window. Remove the crown molding. Change stove hood surround. Sounds like it may have great innards that should be saved.

What is the molding around the bottom of the upper cabinets? Is it to help enclose the down lighting? maybe a change to that as well? I think it makes the cabinets look like they are being squeezed at the bottom.

Door handles. Maybe coordinate with a new faucet and new dinning area lighting fixture?

All smaller things that will give you a nice functional kitchen to use until you decide it is time to do a major remodel.

You've gotten some great advice. I like the idea of removing the cabinets above the sink and replacing some of the uppers with glass doors. Another idea that might save some money is to just paint the cabinets in the bar area to minimize the honey color. Glass door cabinets above the bar would bounce light from the window and show off some fun barware.

Good grief that is a lot of cabinet/storage space. Some of them are hard to access and it didn't matter to the previous owner because they probably did not need them. Take the unaccessible out, do glass inserts to some and paint the others and add hardware. I would replace the hood before you finish the ceiling from the lights and if the budget allows I would replace the appliances to stainless to match your cook top.

following

Kaysha, why do you say that if you painted your cabinets white you'd have to redo the counters? Is it because you prefer the look of contrast? Because white cabinets and white countertops can certainly be paired. (Not advocating painting your cabinets necessarily, just making sure you're not deciding things based on incorrect assumptions.)

Me too. Interested to see what you do here!

All great advice so far. I would paint IF it will be a long time until you gut. Otherwise I would save the money and hassle for a few years and get your dream kitchen. That being said, I think you could be quite happy with paint (I usually say otherwise but in this case i would go for it), paint the hood regardless, remove the mini cabs as suggested.

Not understand the comment about this kitchen being a mess.....For many, it would be a dream to work in. What is it about the layout that you don't like? Clearly you don't like the range in the peninsula, but where would you put it to improve the flow? What are your ideas?

I promise that food cooked on a range on a peninsula (which I really like) will taste equally as good as food cooked on a range anywhere else in the kitchen.

I'm thinking that these cabinets are much better than anything you can get today (barring having a carpenter build new ones and, of course that's a discussion to be had between you and your wallet).

I guess I don't understand spending 50 grand to change a kitchen in in order to save a step or avoid bumping into someone once a week...I would go on vacation! A lot! :)

Anyway...best of luck. If you look at it objectively, it's a lovely kitchen and congrats on your new house...

The oak might not have been my #1 choice either but I agree, a lot of the components of your kitchen look really solid, and a million per cent better than a lot of kitchens I see in homes for sale here at any rate, plus you’ve got a really nice big window to work with.

Maybe I missed something but I don't recall anyone describing this kitchen as a mess, Penny.

To me, it looks not only of top quality but also very well maintained. Spacious and full of storage. I wouldn't touch a thing before I'd use it for a good six months.

Tartan, I won't point it out, but it's there. Imho, the words were less gentle than "mess"...

I wonder if it would look crazy to put a darker wood on the cabinets, to sort of play with that plywood modernist look, while retaining your oak...I think part of what’s dating it is the inset panels/bevel look etc.

https://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/60266501/

here’s a lighter wood but it may look weird to mash different woods together

https://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/80313525/

See how subjective it all is, Kaysha? Ellen is pointing out her preference for stainless appliances and here I am thinking how much easier to maintain your white appliances are. :) (I have some sort of permanent water streak on my dishwasher and I have to look at my oven in the right light and at the right angle not to see the smudges on the door. But hey, they're stainless! :D)

Oh, btw, as we mentioned earlier, wood cabinets are coming back in favour. Here's a recent slideshow of wood cabinets featured in House & Home. Might give you some ideas for colour palettes. Just changing the wall colour can give a totally different vibe to a wood kitchen. You'll see lots of white and charcoal. You mentioned staining them darker...that might be an interesting option as well and perhaps less risky than painting. Whatever you decide to do, don't skimp on the homework portion of it. Planning and prepping are essential to a successful outcome. :)

@ Ellen Tracy That's a delightful looking kitchen. Of course if you posted that you would get told that it's outdated and a complete gut job. Hahaha!

Those slate appliances look interesting, Ellen Tracy. Never seen those before. (Haven't been shopping for appliances and guess I don't notice them in magazines.) I agree with missenigma, that's a beautiful kitchen you posted! Very harmonious choice of finishes. IMO, that's the goal for any kitchen, regardless of style.

I mentioned earlier that I would do away with the white appliances and get stainless. With explanation, I do not object to all white or all of anything (I have had an liked them all). I think they MUST coordinate for the kitchen to look tied together. Clearly the Wolf cooktop is not going anywhere and the white ones look dated (OP has already stated that the Fridge is on the top of the list to go) and if the hood goes to stainless this will exacerbate the problem so, stainless is the obvious answer.

AJ Smith, I was commenting on the subjectivity of the look of white appliances. Ellen Tracy called it the storm trooper look. I see white and think "low maintenance." Your reasoning to achieve a cohesive look in this kitchen is absolutely correct and stainless would be the way to go. (I wouldn't be in a hurry to change white appliances though because function is a bigger priority to me than cohesiveness. But that's my choice and I would make it knowing it's a concession to the look. All we can do is point out all the elements to consider in a space. The OP decides what to prioritize.)

jeffreyd9999 you have some great points - i have questioned removing the wood crown molding as well. The bottom of the cabinets (pinching) is to encase the under cabinet lighting. I am not opposed to getting rid of it, my husband on the other hand thinks that is just the bee's knees, not sure I could talk him into it without some sort of replacement option. We did just get a new dining room fixture too, so i think replacing the faucets and adding some handles might be great options. Thank you very much for your help!

Kim, I love the idea of putting glass fronts on the top of the bar - I've made it my "coffee" bar and have been debating how to best show off my great collection of Disney mugs, this sounds like it would solve a couple problems!

AJ Smith, yes, it is a TON of cabinets. I think it was a combination of not needing, as well as them being much taller than me. I am about 5 foot 6 inches, they were both over 6 feet...the husband being about 6 ft 4 in, so I feel like he could reach the cabinets. My husband has been telling me that we have to keep the cabinets above the sink because he can reach them - but after all the back-up responses here, it's a battle he is going to have to lose. We have plenty of other storage space for his...who knows what he was going to put up there. Currently it houses supplies for the hummingbird feeder.

For replacing the appliances - we are definitely going to do the fridge and dishwasher. If we choose not to paint the cabinets, I think the money would go towards the oven/microwave, so I definitely think they will all get done within the next few months.

Tartan, I have seen white with white look great with a nice backsplash. However, most of the white with white I've seen the counters have had some other hints of color. Like a white granite with grey, or some shades of shimmer. These counters are a pretty matte white, with very minimal other color, and I'm not sure they would look great with white cabinets.

Thanks, Greenfish. I am thinking that we could do a full gut in about 2 years. I am thinking that it would be worth waiting it out.

Ellen Tracy I think the backsplash for the bar area might be my favorite one yet, thank you very much for this suggestion!

Ok, so I know white cabinets are trending right now, but when I see your kitchen I immediately envision deep blue cabinet bases with white uppers. Something similar to this...

Sumptuous Beaded Kitchen · More Info

California Kitchen Gets Mid-Century Remodel · More Info

Glo European Windows & Doors I do love those photos, but feel like because of the cathedral type doors and drawers it would end up a much different look.

If you are going to be able to do a full gut in two years, I wouldn't spend a dime on anything (other than removing those terrible tiny cabs above the sink). We bought a house with an ugly-ish but very sturdy and functional kitchen two years ago, and when I first moved in I considered painting the cabs, changing the counters, etc. After a couple of months I had adjusted to the ugly and decided to wait until I can do a full gut. The last two years have flown, btw!

That's actually partially why I suggested the deep blue. I feel like the blue would hide the door style more than if they were white.

@ biondanonima (Zone 7a Hudson Valley)

"I wouldn't spend a dime on anything (other than removing those terrible tiny cabs above the sink). "

But where will her hubby keep the hummingbird feeder supplies? :-))

Why do the hummingbirds always have to pay??? :D

I think your inclination to wait (other than replacing the appliances) and save for a gut remodel is wise. You have a lot of good space to work with, and there is so much you can do to improve the functionality of that kitchen with a better layout. That is what I would do, especially because that cooktop on the penninsula is odd at best and dangerous (especially if you have kids) at worst.

For your ceiling, you could explore this idea. My husband and I bought a condo with golden oak cabinets and a drop ceiling in the kitchen. We ended up gutting the kitchen and installed individual wood planks for the ceiling. It gave it some character without having to fill the boxed area and make the ceiling lower.

I agree that waiting and planning a full gut remodel is a good idea. Though it is exciting to do small changes and see the difference they make, your needs and wants may change over time, and overall it will be a better finished product than doing things piecemeal. The planning stage of our kitchen took almost a year.

I think your kitchen has a lot of great attributes and possibilities which is why there are so many comments and options. Please keep us posted with photos of whatever you decide to do.

I’m an advocate for painting good cabinets to extend the life of them when the kitchen design is good, but if you’re planning a full gut and rebuild in two years, why spend any money? I wouldn’t even buy new appliances as they may not fit in with the new kitchen. Just do minor cosmetic changes to make it feel more airy and light, and make you feel comfortable. Then start your planning process for your new kitchen. That will also guide you with the rest of anything you do in your house regarding paint and style. and as others say, it will give you time to decide what you like and what you don’t like in this kitchen for the rebuild. Not everyone likes islands, and you may want an island place just like a peninsula with open ends for example so you’re not walking around it. You may like cooking on it etc. Good luck with this, it will be fun to follow you!

Just popped in and saw this thread and I think I have the answer for you. Here is a link that shows you how a stain will transform dark or light wood. I did the white stain over the golden oak in my lake house kitchen and it came out so beautiful, pretty simple job too. stain on oak This is a good site as it has photos of all the woods and the outcome of the applied stains.

@yayagal Did you do stain or glaze?

Stain needs to penetrate into raw wood. These cabinets definitely have a clearcoat varnish to seal and protect the wood. Unless that's removed, no stain will be able to penetrate.

paint will be your most cost effective way, especially if the kitchen is of good quality! Do white tops and a gray/blue lowers and i really think i would like to have a kitchen like it then....I did that for our house, and the kitchen is way outdated, but every comments on the colour scheme. The white counter will look sharp after you paint the lowers darker! All the best!

Estate Builders, I love white tops with grey lowers. I am not sure how the division would go on the wall with the fridge since it’s floor to ceiling cabinets in Two places.

It might be possible to paint those white, and only have the cabinets that are under the counter top be a different colour....i don't have the complete layout of your kitchen but it is an option that might work for you!

If you are planning to remodel the kitchen in two years, I agree you shouldn't put any money into it right now. Just get started and the time will fly by as others have previously mentioned. If you want input on the complete redo and ideas for a new layout, you could start a new post.

Looks like you have a beautiful backyard btw. : )

If you're planning a full remodel in a few years, I'd also don't spend the money on major changes, including painting the cabinets, not.

This blog has some great ideas for decorating around golden oak cabinets to give them a more updated look without major changes.

https://emilyaclark.com/2018/09/updating-oak-kitchen-cabinets-with-fresh-decor.html

missenigma, we used Miniwax simple white stain, first a light sanding we did by hand and then the stain followed by no odor polyurethane. That was six years ago, they still look fantastic. We are now going to do it to a bedroom floor which is a century old and very dark. Using the exact same technique. I don't go to the house in the winter so I have no photo of it.

Thanks yayagal. Maybe I will try that on the little cabinets I take down from over the sink.

@Yayagal Interesting. I'll have to take a closer look at that product.

Ya ya girl, will you please post a picture?