Redo cabinets how?

I was thinking painting them. I'm looking for ideas

Soft white on the cabinets and a pale green on the walls.

Ditto

Get rid of the cabinet to the right of the fridge because it doesn’t match and doesn’t align with the other cbinets. You could substitute with open shelving that aligns (l.e. baseboard and height) and is painted to match the cabinets.

Honestly. I think I’d change the countertops before painting the cabinets and flooring. Both don’t seem terrible in the photos.

With a limited budget I would :

Change the hardware

Change the countertops

Change the light fixture.

And possibly paint the walls.

Visual. How nice does this look?? 💖💖

One way to update is decluttering, which is free, and would make the kitchen appear more open and larger. I would also remove the curtain from the window.

I would not paint the cabinets as they appear to be oak and paint over oak still shows the veining in the wood. Plus from the photos they appear to be in good condition. The kitchen appears to be dark and since you're not changing out the countertop here's my suggestions...1) paint walls an off white (remove the wallpaper border/backsplash). Either paint under the cabinets same color as walls or find tile that closely matches the wall color. 2) Install under-cabinet lighting to provide more light on the work surfaces and brighten up the room. 3) Remove the curtain valance over sink. 4) Replace light over sink with flat recessed light that wood valance would hide or hang a pendant light over sink. Noticed there's a pendant light over cooktop. If you decide to do a pendant light over sink buy two and replace one over the cooktop so they match.

5) When you say "retile" I'm assuming you mean the floor. I would still use a solid colored tile (maybe in cream or light gray), maybe in a 12x24 plank style, but with a lighter grout color. Again to help lighten up the room. 6) With light-colored floor tile, off-white walls and backsplash tile with undercabinet lighting, perhaps you could paint the island cabinet base a green that would match the green in the countertop. With the lighter tile flooring and the room lightened up, a darker green base on the island would stand out more and showoff the butcher block top better.

We can't see the wall behind the picture-taker, but assuming there's no window in that wall because I can't see any light coming into the room from that direction in the photos. If there's lots more wall space on that wall, having it a lighter color (off-white) will also brighten up the room. Hope these suggestions are helpful. Post pictures when updated. Good luck!

Lighting should be on that list. Maybe with a brighter kitchen everything might look a bit better. Get rid of the fan. Good luck

Trying to be kind and gentle but I think you really need to evaluate the kitchen's functionality before spending doing anything. Somethings I noticed: you have a lot of cabinets (at least twice as many as my kitchen) yet the counters and island are covered with stuff (as mentioned above a decluttering needs to be done first), the stove top/oven set up is odd and too close to the end of the counter, DW not near sink, refrigerator boxed in with no breathing space, the pantry cabinet shorter than the others and more stuff on top of those cabinets. If it's not possible for a remodel I would declutter, paint the walls light color of the floor, remove paper backsplash and paint same as walls (your counter already has an integrated backsplash), improve the lighting

I so appreciate everyones suggestions they will be very helpful this spring/summer when we start our project. I would like to just say that we just purchased this home a couple years ago and the gentleman that built the home twenty years ago did ninety percent of the work himself,lol. We are Not wanting to spend thousands of dollars on a complete remodel.just trying to keep with the farm house look that it has. Will defiantly be taking all your suggestions in to consideration. Sharma, there is no wall behind picture taker its open concept. I will post a pic of where I stood when taking pic later Again thank you keep them coming they were all very helpful

Aww now I can imagine the previous owner putting all that together and proud of his work. But it does seem to explain the funky layout.

We’re in the middle of our kitchen reno. I was not in any huge rush to get started. Our kitchen was outdated and ugly, but usable. We spent a long time (including tons of time reading here) carefully considering every inch of our layout options. We now have our most significant layout changes done, and it is AWESOME. I just can’t believe how much more enjoyable it is to be in the kitchen now that the layout is better. I didn’t know what I was missing. And mine didn’t start out nearly as funky as yours!

Anyway my advice as a fellow homeowner would be to try to prioritize making the kitchen as functional as possible. The posters here are super helpful if you’re willing to put yourself out there and consider their advice. Good luck :)

Match all appliances, white refrigerator and black stove and dishwaser, etc. don’t work. Agree with Sharma and jaja06 comments. If your floor tile is in good shape, have the grout lightened to match the tile. I would see if a pendant over the stove is a good idea or meets code, besides being a pain to keep clean.

So IMO get proper lighting in this space first before changing anything. I am totally confused as to the reason for that weirsd space above the cabinets under the sign and so much wasted storage space above the other cabinets .Why a cooktop in that place since it is not vented and you gained nothing by having a wall oven below a cook top a range would be a much better choice . I see a DW next to the cooktop how does that function . I think to throw money at this space is a huge waste Storage is an issue apparently and I would wait to do this right .All those base cabinets should be drawers and a farmhouse needs to function properly and to have the look without function is IMO a waste of cash.

You could build a toe kick to raise your pantry cabinet and make it even with the others. Lightening the grout on your floor tile is budget friendly and would make a huge difference. Here’s an article about a diy kitchen remodel where they lighten the grout:

https://www.freshisreal.com/budget-kitchen-refresh/

The kitchen is definitely dark and the countertops are way outdated and worn. If budget is limited I would still spend the money needed to replace the countertops. If you are handy you could redo the cabinetry yourself. Would suggest you have the cabinets stripped and sanded (you could do that yourself also but it won't be a small job. Once stripped you could either paint or pickle the cabinets. Pickling would lighten them significantly but would allow the woodgrain to show thru. The trim around the cabinets on the left side really needs to be removed and the pantry cabinet door needs to be replaced with one matching the other doors. Good luck!

Just another thing. The man that laid the tile used 3-5 dabs of caulk to adhere to the floor instead of what should have been used. What you can't see in the pics is they are cracking ugh. That's why we are wanting to change tile. And given that the whole house is done in wood all through out on ceiling and everything I think wood floor look would be to much IMO.

Hi Ali,

Thanks for adding more information about the original design/layout of the kitchen and about the open concept into the room behind the picture-taker. I agree with many of the other comments, however if you’re not wanting to spend a ton of money on a complete remodel trying to reuse or repurpose certain items is wise. Thoughts…1) plumbing issues may have been one reason the original owner chose to put the dishwasher where he did. As mentioned, not in the most convenient place but functional. Of course, I don’t know the dimensions, but it appears from my perspective that the dishwasher and the two cabinets to the left of the dishwasher could be swapped in placement. The spacer between the dishwasher and oven would be put in the corner, slide the two cabinets (with the drawer stack next to the oven) and position the dishwasher nearer the corner. This would probably require some plumbing rework. Another option is…on either side of the sink and use the cabinets removed to make room for the dishwasher to fill the void where the dishwasher had been. Then the plumbing and drain is right there integrated with the sink. Might require an outlet be installed for the dishwasher. The kitchen work triangle isn’t optimal either. But if you can live with their placement, then that’s your choice.

2) Mismatched color of appliances…if all are still in good working order, purchase a spray can of black appliance paint and paint the refrigerator to match the other appliances. Easy fix. I have a frig in my garage that had been a cream color that was spray-painted black and you can’t tell that it wasn’t always black. However, if the frig you have ever stops working you most likely will never find another to fit in that space. Suggestion…while you’re reworking things what about removing the mismatched pantry cabinet, remove the wall between the cabinet and the frig to allow for a larger side-by-side or French style, 3-door refrigerator (in black).

3) Someone mentioned getting rid of the fan. Agreed, a fan in a kitchen isn’t really a good idea. If you need air flow, then at least remove the light fixture from it. With lighting at the sink, stove and under cabinets you won’t miss not having the light on the fan. Someone also questioned having a light over the stove and no exhaust fan. Technically the light is hung in the opening between the rooms and not directly over the cooktop. And unless code would require an exhaust it’s not a necessity.

4) I agree with your thoughts on the kitchen flooring. BTW I like the wood ceiling! But having a wood floor would be too much. Instead of ceramic or porcelain tile what about vinyl tile? I have used in two remodels at different residences an 18"x18" vinyl tile that can be grouted. It looks just like ceramic or porcelain tiles. I purchased at Lowe's. People who visited thought it was ceramic tile! I used in kitchen, bathrooms, and laundry. Haven't checked recently, but it did come in a cream background with light brown/gray veining. Kind of looked like marble veining. And less expensive than ceramic or porcelain tile.

Ideally a complete remodel would solve many issues with this kitchen, but it doesn’t sound like that’s in the budget. And trying to work around keeping the countertop creates issues as well. Good luck and keep us all posted on your progress.

Declutter….especially the tops of the cabinets. Remove the FARMHOUSE sign and rug. I would leave the cabinets as they are, if they are in good condition, or paint them, and replace the counter with something lighter in color. You may be able to get replacement doors for the unmatched cabinet. Add additional lighting….a more current central fixture and a few recessed lights if possible. Lighter walls and cabinets will make the room seem brighter, too. I like a valance over the sink window, but the red is a bit harsh. When you can, replace the fridge with a black one…appliances look like they belong together when all are in the same finish. Add a few runner rugs in front of the sink, stove, and your main prep zone for comfort where you stand.