Lee, yes I used my old boxes, and replaced doors and drawer fronts. Cabinet doors cost aprox 1,300 (with slow closing hinges). I was the GC (had practice with small BR), my painter did the sanding/priming/painting of boxes (also had to do same for my walls which had textured paint). I hired a contractor who was also able to do wood work for me, I had cabinet above cooktop raised for microwave, and pushed out cabinet over refrigerator, also had (something I would recommend) drawer made for under cooktop, and pullout for sponges, he put on my hardware, and did tile work. Contractor also installed my floor and all kitchen appliances. Electrician did additional lighting, under counter lighting, and outlet for microwave. Total cost of kitchen was 14,000 (not including appliances). When I priced gutting my kitchen (leaving sofits), cost was 20,000, price without all the extras. Before starting kitchen I thought price was going to be 10,000. The only thing I didnâÂÂt purchase before was the BSâ¦.needed to see granite and cabinets together, but since kitchen took almost 6 weeks to complete I had time. I shopped for fabricator both by price and recommendations. The only person I would never use again was the contractor, who did excellent work, but was difficult to deal with. I knew what I wanted, shed many tears, but am very happy with my new kitchen. (I will look for manufacturer of doors if you want it). debrak2008 the wall hanging is old tin ceiling tiles. This site may help. I was lucky I found it mounted at a flea market, but they can be put together to make art work by mounting on wood. http://dishfunctionaldesigns.blogspot.com/2012/05/embossed-tin-ceiling-tiles-recycled.html

With Ikea, you get very sturdy cabinets that use excellent quality Blum hinges. You can get just about ANY type of Shaker or other style and color of door from Semihandmade or Scherr's, which are specially designed exactly for IKEA cabinets. You are not limited at all by Ikea's colors and styles. Ikea stands behind its products and if you search within Gardenweb for "Scherr's" and/or "Semihandmade," you will be surprised by how many very happy and satisfied customers with beautiful, functional kitchens, with all kinds of roll-out lowers, trash roll-outs, etc. All of IKEA's stuff is hack-able as well, with examples all over the internet. Finally, the IKEA planner, while not perfect, is fairly user-friendly, and you can work and design your kitchen online, play with the planner, and figure out the best configuration for your situation. People in the Kitchens forum (not this remodeling forum, most likely), are very adept and skilled and willing to help you with the design. They can even sometimes go into your design, online, and help you design. You'll see. It's a great budget way to go.

If you want to brighten up a space get better lighting first before choosing any wall color.If it is in the budget get some pot lights or if not then a good track light with at least 5 heads all the bulbs in either choice should be LEDs 4000K then go to wotk on wall color. Yes I think anew simpler backsplash would be a good start , removing all the clutter the next step nothing on top of the cabinets and as little as possible on the counters will instantly make the space feel brighter .I love a pale gray/ green for a perfect neutral with wood and white trim . Gray Wisp is a good one and if you just want it lighter then cut it 25% i would stay awy from whites or creams for sure.

Thank you all for the feedback! Debbi mentioned Brizo - I found this one (https://www.brizo.com/kitchen/product/63075LF-SSLHP), which I like, but they don't have it in brushed nickel, just polished nickel. My pulls are satin/brushed nickel, so they don't have that shiny "reflection" finish. So I am down to two finalists. I am only getting a single hole, no soap dispenser, and garbage disposal button will either be on the wall or batch feed/twist top drain cover (no hole in quartz for this). Here are the two I'm stuck between. The Kohler one is much more reasonably priced at $400 after the current discount, and I know Kohler is a very good brand (have used them before, good customer service in my experience). I took a pull sample to local store, and the satin nickel pulls I have aren't an exact match to Kohler's "vibrant stainless," but they're close enough and the sink faucet will match the stainless of my appliance handles at least (my appliance handles are brushed stainless). The Elkay one (in brushed nickel) is bananas price-wise lol at $1872. However, I can get it locally for $1250 with a discount (still a lot more than I wanted to spend). I believe the brushed nickel color will more closely match the pulls (since it's actually brushed nickel, which I think is the same as satin nickel), and I also really like the design of this one too. Unlike the Kohler, this shoots water at a slight angle, so it will go more in center of sink. But someone told me you actually don't necessarily want that, as it will splash more this way. From what I gather, while Kohler is very good, Elkway is top of the line (which I don't necessarily need). Basically it's really hard to find nice options in brushed/satin nickel that aren't bonkers price-wise it seems. Kohler https://www.us.kohler.com/us/crue-pull-down-single-handle-kitchen-faucet/productDetail/kitchen-sink-faucets/1782974.htm?skuId=1782902 Elkay https://www.elkay.com/products/details/LKAV1031NK Ok guys, please help me decide between the two finalists! Part of me wonders about ordering both (since Kohler's sale ends soon, and the other I can get on sale), and then returning whichever one I don't want. The Kohler I saw in person, not sure I can view the Elkay one anywhere.