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feeny This kitchen was clearly a labor of love by the previous owners, and charming in it's own way, but I have to admit it's not quite to my taste either. The good news is that the brown granite counters will look better in a different color scheme anyway. I think Julia's advice to turn this into a white or off-white kitchen is a good one and probably what I would do too. But there are many options for updating with a new paint color or colors, so you should think about what look you are most interested in achieving. If solid white feels too monolithic to you, you could do a mix of gray and white, or even espresso and white cabinets. Or if you like brighter colors you could do a mostly white kitchen with some pops of red. But basically, because of the bead board backsplash, all this kitchen needs is paint, so it shouldn't be an expensive renovation.

Sara Parker Once you loose the border and curtains, it should look lots better. Are the sunflowers on the cabinets painted or decals? Quite charming in photos, maybe not in real life.

bdennison If you are going to DIY, check out www.rustoleumtransformations.com I did my kitchen in the white and black and it came out beautiful. Good luck

feeny Another option (after taking down the curtains and border) would be to keep the blue, but paint all the yellow walls and cabinet insets white.

Dytecture I agree with gray / blue for the cabinets while updating the door hardware.

apple_pie_order This is an exuberant kitchen! The crowning touch is the row of silk sunflowers tucked over the sink valance.

I'd go with the white or off white paint suggested by others earlier. Your ideabook shows several images with off-white painted woodwork. Here are two with subtle colorways that are very attractive.Teri Turan Long Island Mansion home

If you can find an extra floor tile and a granite scrap somewhere, put them in a "project" box to take to paint stores and so forth. If you don't have a granite scrap lying around (basements and garages are often where they end up), try to find a laminate sample 2" x 3" chip that is a pretty good match. You can unscrew a small door or drawer front to take with you when you go to the paint store for advice on priming and painting.

Granite Transformations Hi Lady Swan,

I agree with feeny, those granite counters could work well with a new color scheme. You're probably going to have your hands full painting the cabinets. If you're handy or have a friend who is, you may want to sand them down before priming and painting them. Because of the paint they've used, you should consider going with something darker. The white might not be the best choice. My suggestion would be to go with something like the cabinets I've attached.

I also think getting rid of the window treatments is a good idea. I'd consider painting the kitchen a tan, possible this color called "Baffin Island" by Benjamin Moore- http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/baffinisland.

You could then paint the bead board in a deep green/moss color such as "Rolling Hills" from Benjamin Moore- http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/rollinghills.

These changes would certainly give your kitchen an earth tone, a huge contrast from the cheery painted cottage feel it has now. But with the counters you have, paint will certainly go a long way. I think this would be a good investment of your time and money too because it may provide you with a look you can live with for several years.

Good luck!

ladyswan1962 Thank you all for taking the time to write. Yes the cabinets are painted with a sunflower decal. Easy to remove. Some great advice! Was thinking of an off white for the cabinets but that grey seems nice also. Much to think about. Will go through all your suggestions. Thanks!

amyls64 LOL

amyls64 Paint all the cabinets white. And get some bamboo shades for the windows for now or curtains

extrahorizons Wow! They did love their sunflowers. :) it isn't a bad design though, and the counters are very pretty. Have a fun time picking out all of the colors.

houssaon I like the idea of taking down the boarder and removing the sunflowers. Paint the walls and the inserts a creamy white and you are done.

minemine The granite countertops are beautiful, and I think a lovely creamy white would compliment them. Are you keeping the floor or changing it out? Is that blue carpet in the one picture?

Mary Eilers You might want to strip the old paint off before you re-paint, otherwise it may look bumpy. You could also "antique" the top cabinets in off white and paint the bottom cabinets in a dark brown, seems to be the thing these days. Also, if you paint the bead board and walls the same color (neutral), the texture of the bead board will still stand out. Have fun, enjoy your new home.

Angie Duguay I WOULD GO FOR CREAMY WHITE FOR THE CABINETS ANY COLOR WOULD GO WITH CREAMY WHITE FOR YOUR WALLS I THINK

lyn3690 Lots of white paint, creamy or off would make those lovely counters pop. Same color on the wainscotting.

Natalie Hi---though the blue is pretty, it just looks off with the counter and floor. I suggest painting the cabs and beadboard a warm white-perhaps doing a quick on/off (mocha tinted) glaze over the cabs for some depth. Upper walls a rich deep warm gray... Pic for LOTS of inspiration. Oh yes, and do rip out the carpet and continue with the SAME flooring material in the eat-in area. Hope this is helpful. Good Luck!
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solraven That kitchen has just the right amount of crazy where I would leave it for a conversation piece. I would think it's hard to be mad, or too serious, when you're standing in a room like that. LOL... but, if it's not making you smile, then I think and antique white would look beautiful with the granite counters, as everyone has said.

Marie Hebson's interiorsBYDESIGN Inc. I love white kitchens, but the key to success in painting is in the prep work.
Be sure to tsp clean all, sand, clean, sand, clean, sand, clean again.
Prime, sand, clean, prime again, sand, clean.

Then your ready for your first coat of paint. It's an arduous task, but done right you can get another 5 years out of painted cabinetry.

Angie Duguay i don't think that you need t sand your cabinets there are paint and primer that you can use with out sanding take one cabinet door take it to a paint store tell them that you need help they should help you good luck

knees2thearth I like the grey advice for the cabinets. Or some form of darker colour taken from the counter top. I paint everything! Cupboards are fun!!! Then in a few years reprint another colour!!! It's great!!!

calikym Suddenly I am loving my cabinets. ;)

ladyswan1962 Yes, we will be taking the rug up and continuing with the tan tile. Such good advice from all :).

sarmar We repainted our cabinets about a year ago but made a mistake. We used regular paint over oil based but even with primer the paint is now peeling off on the most used areas. We also didn't add handles back so I think that was part of it. Just a warning!

Linda Paint with primer in it works well for ordinary painting. But, if the cabinets are currently painted with a glossy finish, rough up the surface so new paint can bond. I don't like the regular latex paint for kitchen cabinets as the finish doesn't seem hard enough for me. I like the waterborne enamels like BM Satin Impervo or Pittsburg Breakthrough for the hard finish with minimal build.

If you need to fill surface imperfections, you can use ReadyPatch which is an oil-based fine textured filler or for more durability use a two-part epoxy like Bondo that is used for car body work. Fill and sand once, then prime. After the first primer coat it will be much easier to see how much surface prep work needs to be done.

Art Palette Before you decide anything about back splash, you must check this website, www.artpalette.net to see what is available and what can be done for you!

Lauren Stephens i disagree with everyone =) i hate granite counter tops and i dont like brown either. ick!

lefty47 HI -- Sand down a bit and then paint the whole room with white primer and then live with it for a while . I think you have to wipeout the memory of the old kitchen , so you can see the potential of the room.Then you can give yourself time to decide on colors. You will have to prime anyway before you paint. I think you should think about Quartz counter tops -- so much better than granite. I think the old brown granite is old fashioned and tired looking . Quartz will give the kitchen a new fresh look.

kathleen MK just add a few Van Gogh prints and call it good:-)
Seriously I love the beadboard and the plate rail/cup hooks under the upper cabinets. Replace the yellow with a warm white to play off the counter tops. You could experiment with that white as a glaze to tone down the blue on the beadboard if you want to keep a touch of the blue.
I think creams,taupes and tans for the woodwork will look better with that counter top. Then accent with the wall color and fabrics- a moss or sage green, a SOFT butter cream yellow, a Soft Blue /gray or even a terra cotta.