Countertops, backsplash, and wall colors all changing.

So....

Oak cabinets with slab doors like this do not look good painted. The heavy grain on the oak really shows through. Your hinges are also the old terrible face-frame screws. Those really are not good. Plus you have the 3/8 inset doors and drawer fronts. BLUM does make 3/8 inset concealed hinges now, but they are expensive as hell, and you'd have to have your doors bored, which is not that expensive but not cheap either.

What I'm saying, is you are going to spend a small fortune on a paint job and end up with some pretty iffy looking band-aid cabinets anyway if all you do is spray them.

If new cabinets are out of the budget here's what I'd do:

- Take off the doors and drawer fronts and get rid of them. You may have one piece drawer fronts on those old cabinets in which case you may have to have drawer box fronts cut and installed in addition to your actual new drawer fronts.

- clean the cabinets well and degloss them.

- use a solvent based wood filler to fill in the grain of the oak on the face frames and remaining sides, then sand it glass smooth to eliminate the oak grain.

- Get new slab style doors and drawer fronts made of paint grade maple or MDF, that come bored for concealed hinges.

- Paint everything to match.

Oh also I'd get rid of that cake frosting panel over the sink and have it cut square on the bottom. I'd also remove entirely the uppers over your dishwasher.

The other thing you could do is actually take your doors and drawer fronts and cut the 3/8 inset off, put new edge banding on of appropriate thickness to create inset slab front doors. Then have those bored for concealed inset hinges, fill the grain and paint everything. That is kind of a DIY thing though. It would never be worth it to hire someone to alter old cabinet doors that extensively.

Some great advice! I appreciate the thoughtful replies. Very impressed with everyone’s input. Extremely helpful as we jump into homeownership. Thank you!

the cabs aren't that bad. live w/them for a bit. maybe change the hardware.

wait, I found one just like yours!

https://mysahomestyling.com/2016/12/12/how-to-create-a-brighter-more-spacious-kitchen-with-open-shelving/

here's a few that were painted.

this shows the before/after of the first pic

https://www.today.com/home/after-1950s-kitchen-gets-affordable-upgrade-2D79790255

https://www.thekitchn.com/kitchen-before-amp-after-a-1950s-kitchen-gets-a-facelift-reader-kitchen-remodel-191121?utm_source=pinterest&utm_medium=tracking&utm_campaign=inline-img-share

You'll have to click on the link to see the after. the pic won't load here.

Did you know that you can add decorative trim work to those flat front doors and paint over it? you can even make them shaker doors. lots of DIYs online for these

the fan should go and be replaced w/some decent lighting. canned lights or a decent 3-4 bulb fixture, with LED bulbs in the 4000K range.

hold off on the countertop for a few months until you decide what you like or don't like about the kitchen

if you like the layout, you can just replace the doors and reface, and get new drawer faces. I did it with mine.

Then you can paint. Oxford White is the best white for cabs. it's just a clean white. White dove is a little on the dingy side, and if you have anything else that's white, it will appear dirty.

you can contact a local kitchen cabinetry/carpenter and ask him about making new doors/drawer fronts. It will be a lot cheaper than going through the big box stores. I had all of my cabs painted (I have 4X what you have) and getting everything refaced was only another 2K (including all the priming and painting, and new soft close hardware) They were solid maple w/MDF panels, which are better for painting.

looks like this. and the white is Simply White. BM

Also, trying to figure out how to tie in this really cool brick going through the center of the house? Should we whitewash it? Paint white? Leave as is?

How do you select a white trim color to compliment each other?

Please read and listen to what Jennifer Hogan is telling you above. She is telling you the absolute truth. Your house and the wood is really very very nice. Your fireplace is very nice. Please dont change things in haste, because you just be very sorry that you did it, later on, and it will be a ton of work to undo it, or it may not even be possible. I know you are excited to be having your first home, but, since it is really in very nice condition, please live with it at least 6 months, before you decide to change anything. Of course, that does not mean you shouldnt paint walls, if that is what you want. Walls, can always be changed, other things, unless something is broken, should wait until you have lived with them long enough to know what you really want. Congratulations on your new home.

That home’s bones are really great. Avoid the new homeowner temptation to put a personal stamp on it. The home itself should tell you what suits it. In 6-12 months. Frankly, there is very little I’d change. The almost MCM vibe is it’s strength. It’s what should be celebrated and enhanced, not tried to erase. I’d never paint those original cabinets. I’d look at other cool heritage MCM homes for inspiration to keep the wood slab cabinets. And the brick. And all the rest. It’s all cooler by far that the boring 2020 paint it all white trend that is already over.

100% what @Jennifer Hogan said above. 100%.

Thanks for the input! Very encouraging and affirming information. We will wait on any major changes!

Listen to Jennifer. Your ideas will change over time

You may decide you want to paint all your trim white. Then you'll try to figure out how to deal with White Dove painted cabinets.

You might later decide that the cabinets would be better off painted a gray or greige color.

Wow, love the designs above. Any idea what colors were used in those first before/after photos?

Sorry, no. i found them on Instagram.

This is what the SW ColorSnap program says the colors might be

http://snapyourcolors.com/

Check this article out. The author had a similar look and made updates without touching the cabinets for an awesome (and much cheaper) end result:

https://www.coppercornersart.com/ideas/2020/3/21/how-to-make-an-oak-kitchen-cool-

Thanks for sharing!

Jennifer is giving you priceless advice. If you get expensive countertops, you will regret it if you eventually decide to replace the cabinets. As first time homeowners, you will find plenty of things on which to spend money! Just lawn and garden equipment will be an investment.

I have to ponder ideas for 6 months, so I think it's great you are asking for ideas now. There are ways to paint wood cabinets for a smooth finish, so don't let that or the hinges deter you. I think your house looks really neat and it's nice to see something that's not cookie cutter!