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Leigh Newport Staged by Design® Painting the cabinets and updating hardware will make a world of difference. I would suggest painting them white since you have the light oak flooring. I am also curious as to your ceiling above the island. Is that a feature, or some sort of soffet? Removing that area and hanging pendant lights or a chandelier would also create drama and an updated look. I'm not sure what your budget is, or whether it would be best to incorporate that into your renovation. Best of luck!

Sara Permenter you have beautiful cabinets. have you thought about staining them a darker wood or even painting them a grey? new hardware would help update as well! Good luck!

ds interiors pvt ltd i think red and grey would go very well with the flooring

tennisanyone What kind of counters tops do you have? It looks like tile with an inlay in the island.

jody2705 It is indeed inlaid tile throughout the entire kitchen. Another bad 80's idea right up there with pegged jeans and big hair! I want granite but can't afford it just yet. We bought the house a few months ago. Great open floor plan, beautiful grey stone fireplace, but oak and brass everywhere. I had thought of white cabinets or maybe darker stain. The wood has so much grain, I worry white paint it won't cover well.

Frank Webb's Bath and Lighting Center I love the cabinets! New hardware will make a world of difference and I agree that the soffit area over the island is bulky and if you can remove it and hang a couple of pendants or a chandelier that would really open up the space

Leigh Newport Staged by Design® You would need a really good primer to paint the cabinets white, but it can be done. It also depends on what style the remainder of your home is. Dark cabinets (espresso) can lean towards a slightly more contemporary look. I just fear the contrast between dark cabinets and the oak floor would be too great if your home is transitional to traditional. If your style leans towards the contemporary, you may be able to pull it off. Bear in mind that your cabinets do have a traditional look, with the arches. However, it all comes down to what you like the best!

Sharer Design Group LLC Get rid of the tile countertops and go with a quartz or granite tops. Tie the countertops in with a nice stone backsplash. If you can replace the cathedral upper doors I would do that as well. I would paint the outside cabinetry Ivory with a dark (espresso) island. I do believe replacing the cabinetry is better though. Then paint the large soffits a nice accent color to finish the kitchen off.

jody2705 The soffit area is an eye sore! I agree it would really open things up, tricky part is, it is the old style swirled ceiling all through the house so that would entail redoing the ceiling. A huge job but one that must be done eventually. I do have a new brushed nickel pendant to hang over my sink and was going to go with brushed nickel hardware. The house is contemporary but yes, those cabinets are more traditional style. Would you do all cabinets the same or do the island different? So many options and I am no good at envisioning the end product!

Leigh Newport Staged by Design® Ah...the swirled ceilings. That's never fun to deal with, but you're right, it will need to be addressed eventually. As for different cabinetry or color for the island, I might suggest the same color cabinetry, but a different, coordinating granite than the rest of your counter tops, since it's generous in size and scale.

mhogle2 I just remodeled my kitchen and removed soffits with a textured ceiling. I have an 8 ft ceiling and they needed to go. A good drywaller should have no problem with the swirled ceilings. Talk to the drywaller first to make sure they have experience doing this type of thing. You will be so glad once the soffit is gone. I am not a fan of textured ceilings but I couldn't afford to redo the entire house.

jody2705 Good to know! I was wondering if there were still people who knew how to do that. Our house is 3800 sq feet of swirls! Thank you all so much for your input! Loving the ideas :)

Harrut Hi,
I'd be inclined to remove the upper kitchen cabinets with possibly open shelves and remove the soffit... Replacing that with something as pictured below.