SFGate

karenmacy Sorry the second picture above is the dining room! Here are more views

karenmacy And close up of cabinets

karenmacy Close up of granite counter and backsplash

Marcy Holmes I love the cabinet style and the molding you added.

I think change one thing at a time that you feel sure about and that will show you your next step. For example, paint the walls (which will be a huge update) then decide how you feel about the cabinet color.

This will allow to avoid mistakes, changing things you really don't have to, and you can save up for each section individually.

We were originally wanting antiqued cream cabinets and gray walls but now we're looking at dark gray cabinets and light gray walls (we have no upper cabinets so we can get away with such a dark cabinet color).

From the picture, I think the cabinet color is workable - you may just want to update the hardware.

I can't really see the countertops in these photos but they look darker.

I think a table runner and new cushions on the chairs could help update the space too.

judyg Change the hardware, and replace the hinges with the hidden ones. Paint the ceiling blue and show off all your blue and white.

karenmacy These are the chair cushions. All of the trim in the house is BM Lancaster White. Would that be okay on the cabinets which are BM Windham Cream?

Marcy Holmes I think you want your trim to be lighter than your cabinets, but I have seen some nice examples where the cabinets are the same color as the trim

karenmacy I love the idea of blue ceiling but the ceiling continues down the hall an into the foyer (picture 3)

karenmacy Marcy, are you saying I should paint the soffits a different color than the cabinets?

karenmacy Any other suggestions with color? Chelsea gray bottom cabinets and upper Lancaster? What color wall? Revere Pewter?

Marcy Holmes I think the soffits should be the same color since it gives you that built-in look - I think I misunderstood your post about the trim and cabinet colors.

I love all those colors, but I would still wait to paint the cabinets until you have made your other desired updates.

karenmacy Thanks Marcy! I appreciate your ideas, working on a budget is so hard when you see all these dream kitchens on Houzz!

joffler I like your kitchen--your house, really. I think updating the hardware and painting the walls will help and I bet it's going to look great. But after you're done with those updates, if your kitchen still feels it needs something, consider budgeting to replace the floor tiles with some other kind of flooring. You've got wonderful wood work (cabinetry, wainscoting, trims) and nice furnishings, but the floor robs a lot of charm because of the prominent visual grid. Maybe bigger tiles set on the diagonal, rectangular porcelain tiles, limestone flooring--maybe even simulated wood-grain finish vinyl tiling (comes in thin long strips like hardwoods). I'm sorry if I'm out of line. It's just that the floor was the first thing I noticed that cemented your kitchen in the 80s/90s (with a little help from the wall paper). I hope I don't offend.

karenmacy You are absolutely not out of line! I agree, and to make matters worse,the floor is vinyl tile that I've stripped the finish off so that it resembles ceramic tile. Unfortunately with three kids in college, the floor takes a back seat! If we sell down the road, Im just thinking of budget friendly updates. When I posted my dilemmas here, I welcome all suggestions! Keep those ideas coming

hmschoolmom I think the woodwork above your cabinets is amazing. Love it! The plate rack is gorgeous too. I think all you will need is to find a warm paint color (I'm big on tans and olive tones, myself) and update your hardware on your cabinets. Later, I would strongly consider hardwood flooring or even laminate wood flooring in keeping with your beautiful traditional look.

karenmacy Thank you for the compliments on the cabinets, I'm beginning to look at my 30yer old cabinets in a new light!

litzie132 You could try a white/black/grey colour scheme, which would work with what I can see of your counter tops, and then accent with one single bright colour, a green or an orange maybe? Maybe even paint some of the lower cabinets black?

karenmacy litze. That sounds great. Would I go with a gray for wall? Would that blend with the oak furniture? Thanks everyone for your help!

intoit I love your cottage style kitchen. Agree that painting the walls gray and changing out the hinges and hardware would make a huge improvement. Changing the floor to hardwood would also compliment the style.

judyg Hey, Janis, how is the snow off 128? Just saw your posts on Frank's room.

thefinerdesigner I think you should steer clear of cool grays based on the beautiful tan backsplash and warm granite countertops. Change out the hardware for now to something more updated. You can even try to use filler to fill in those ridges on the doors to make a smooth, contemporary look and down the road maybe you can get those doors replaced. I think the white works but even a nice matte black with brushed nickel hardware would look great with that fabulous granite. A wood-look floor would be a great finishing touch. Just my humble opinion. :) Good luck!

thefinerdesigner And...black cabinets would look fab with those great chairs! :)

Legacy Design #1 New Hardware #2 wall paper goes #3 The vinyl floor that looks like wood @ 1.59 sf. At this point with a tight budget these would be the first things to change. I think from what I can see of your counters they are santa cecilia , maybe new venetian gold. I can see Taupe paint with those counters but not a true gray. Im sorry had to put my two cents in!!!!

thefinerdesigner Yes, I agree with Legacy, Venetian Gold granite in all likelihood. Luckily, VG can go with a lot - I have VG myself and our cabinets are stained a dark color - almost black but not quite - and it has kind of a purply undertone which really pulls out the wine blotches in the granite. Maybe going with a warm cream on the cabinets and walls (not the exact same shade, though) would be nice. I have taupe walls with the dark cabinets/chrome pulls and a dark acacia wood floor for what it's worth. My handles may be more modern than what you are looking for but here's what they look like.

shaylward I agree that the counters call for warmer tones, I would suggest a deep orange.... mine is called Desert Sunset, but I am in New Mexico where the colors run brighter! I think the warm tones also help areas such as this one (and my own kitchen) which don't get tons of natural light.

karenmacy I can't thank everyone enough for their time and expertise. Love this houzz!

Carolina Photo To Go LLC I understand budgets.
If you replace your floor with tile at some point Lowes gives classes so you might consider that and my husband taught himself to install hardwoods. Saves a lot of money. He always has a project going. I hear him sanding now.

karenmacy My husband did all the moulding, trim work ,wainscoting , and plate rack. We also tiled the backsplash. So as you can see this kitchen is an ongoing DIY project in progress! He claims he's done but maybe after he sees the comments, he'll pick up his saw one more time!

7768 Hi, I like your kitchen/house. I think the cabinets go with all your blue and white china collections. I think I would only change the hardware or even spray paint them in a nickel or rubbed bronze or flat black finish. You can paint the hinges with silver acrylic craft paint for a nickel finish. Have you seen some photos in decorating magazines and probably Houzz also of rooms that have a navy wall with blue and white china and ginger jars? Stunning. I agree with previous poster about whether the cool gray paint color will go with the warm beiges in your tile. I cannot tell about the color of your granite countertops because they don't show up in your picture. Yellows and earthy golds might work with the counters as well as the blue and white. Make sure you post pics. Also, just add a rug runner to the floor for now.

cyn222 Check out FASADE for backsplash ideas. Easy install. I'd would install glass front cabinets door on the top cabinets. Wallpaper, yes it has to go. Good luck and have fun.

Grace Reed Karen, your husband sounds very talented and I really like your house. But (!), I gotta be honest. The plain cabinet doors look dated and inconsistent with the trim work, especially on the soffit above. To me they are an eyesore. Sorry! Maybe I'm the only one who thinks so. I also agree with staying with warmer colors. The backsplash is beautiful as is the rest of your husbands work.

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mbmckenna13 Since all of your house trim is Lancaster white, I would use that color as your starting point in picking a paint color for the cabinets and wall color. You also mentioned your black splash and counters are a year old and your hinges and floors need to stay for now. Your appliances look new as well and your lighting seems to be updated. Benjamin Moore has a series "OC" that would work easily. You could do ballet white on the cabinets, OC-9 and then gray owl, OC-52 on the walls. The ballet white would compliment the wood built-ins, the tile, granite and appliances as well as the dark hardware. The gray owl would compliment the hall color and picks up hues in the counters and back splash. I would replace all of the knobs and get as close to the hinge color as possible. Something like an aged or rubbed bronze. I would go with an antique look. You could do bin pulls on the drawers and round knobs on the cabinets and small drawers. The OC series adds just enough color to make an impact and should compliment your dish collection and antique furniture nicely. You can add some new window treatments as well. Good luck taking down that wall paper :)

mbmckenna13 Just noticed the window treatments which are beautiful. They look like a yellow toile? The should be fine with the gray owl which is a greenish gray. What color is the hallway?

bpyyoung Just a few questions. What colour is your granite? It looks like it is brown based with black striations. Your backsplash is also brown, and all your furniture. Are the walls grey or taupe in the bottom left pic? Given you have so much brown, especially the counter and backsplash I would stick with the brown/taupe tones on the walls. Otherwise you have too many colors hitting you all at once. You could paint the cabinets white including the trim with stainless knobs/handles only because when you sell your house people will like that better than say an odd color. Changing color on walls is easier in most buyers minds than cabinets. Also, white makes the kitchen feel even bigger and brighter. It will also play off the really nice panelling in white that you have. Spray painting the hinges will give it a new look as well. I just did that with some hallways cabinets.

Drapes in kitchens are just not good at all as the smells are absorbed and the grease as well. Plantation shutters on the doors are easier to clean but cost more but well worth the investment. Also, when you sell your home, I would move the cabinet, top right corner pic, to the wall between the door and corner cabinet. It just flows better. The desk area, you could easily extend that portion out into a breakfast bar, which will have buyers salivating. More counter space = more value.

Your kitchen has massive potential. The floors, definitely would need to be replaced. The variety of tiles out there are amazing and at competitive prices. You could also find tiling coupons on Angie's List and you could have it installed at a fraction of the cost. Or if you have time, do it yourself. I would love to see what you will do to your kitchen. Have fun!

Harrut I really like the pelmet ( wood coving) along the top of the cupboards. Very stylish. How about creating inner wood mouldings for the front of the doors to add a sense of newness and then repaint them. As people Judyj has already suggested, changing the hinges will update the look too.

phorwich Keep the Woodwork; upgrade all hardware. Get rid of wallpaper; paint walls and ceiling. It will all look great afterwards.

lima I think your kitchen bones are great and it doesn't really need much, just some basics. Strip the paper and paint the walls, update the light fixtures, paint the cabinets. The upper cabinets and sofit should be the same color. I would not go with anything too contemporary for the hardware or fixtures, but stay true to a classic style with some interest that will blend with your house and furniture. I would also stay away from gray anything especially if your plan is to sell. Think more neutral, like tapes, tans, white and add your color in the accessories a little window treatment perhaps or fruit. You get the idea, keep it light and classic.

karenmacy Bpyyoung. The hallway is Berkshire beige on top and Lancaster on the wainscoting. I mention the gray because I thought it was an updated color and there are gray veins in the backsplash and the counter is Venetian gold? And also has gray specks. I really appreciate the time spent and the ideas everyone has shared!

karenmacy Bpyyoung. The hallway is Berkshire beige on top and Lancaster on the wainscoting. I mention the gray because I thought it was an updated color and there are gray veins in the backsplash and the counter is Venetian gold? And also has gray specks. I really appreciate the time spent and the ideas everyone has shared!

Dawn Hillman after removing the wallpaper and painting...replace the hardware, light fixture, and flooring..consider replacing upper cabinet doors with frosted glass....on just a few

bpyyoung @cadaveria I'm not talking about the backsplash I'm talking about her vinyl tile flooring.

@karenmacy Gray is the new beige and it looks great on almost everything. I don't think that gray and beige go well at all. The white sets it off really well. Good luck on your kitchen. It will look great and I'm looking forward to seeing the kitchen. I'm currently renovating my entire house and it's really nice to see the changes.

Darla I THINK YOU SHOULD LEAVE YOU CABINETS THE COLOR THEY ARE AND DO A COFFEE GLAZE OVER IT, I DID THIS TO MY CABINETS REPLACE THE HARDWARE, HOBBIE LOBBY HAS SOME GREAT HARDWARE A ND THEY WILL BE 50% OFF MOST OF THE TIME. TAKE DOWN THE WALPAPER, DO A ORANGE PEAL TEXTURE ON THE WALL S, TAKE SOME OF THE UPPER DOORS, CUT OUT THE WOOD FRONTS AND REPLACE THEM WITH GLASS. PAINT THE WALL A COLOR THAT YOU LIKE AND WANT TO LIVE WITH. YOU ALSO COULD GLAZE THE WALLS OR DO A COOL PAINTING DESIGN ON IT. THIS WILL LOOK GREAT WITH THE GLAZED WALL AND YOUR BACK SPLASH AND GRANITE. YOU SEEM TO LIKE COUNTRY FRENCH, ME TOO. I WOULD RETHINK THE GRAY COLOR IN THE KITCHEN(UNLESS YOU LOVE IT) YOU HAVE A LOT OF YELLOW, SO TRY A GOLDEN YELLOW PAINT AND PUT TOUCHES OF GRAY ACCENTS, LIKE YOUR CANISTERS. HAVE FUN...

bflohockeymom What a great idea for the soffits! I've never seen that before. We have soffits that can't be removed without expensive electrical and duct work being done and that is not in the budget. Did your husband just add trim to drywall soffits and paint it all?

Kelly Your house has great feel to it....I like the idea of painting the lower cabinets one color and leaving the upper softer white tone. It will camouflage the appliances and draw attention away from the floor and to the beautiful granite. i would choose one of the lighter flecks that are in the granite. not too gray not too brown, Benjamin Moore Sombrero. Paint the corner cabinet in the dining area the same color as the base cabinets to tie it in together. Love the soffit work!!! i like the idea of a butter yellow on the walls- with your blue dishes it would be gorgeous. Benjamin Moore Fresh Butter, when choosing a yellow, pick one you like and then go 2 or 3 shades lighter to paint. The color intensifies when you paint with it. To pull in your chair fabric I like this look for an area rug. A new light fixture is a must. Something heavy enough to balance the beautiful dining room set. Not sure if you are going more formal but I am taking cues from your tile back splash, granite and dining set. It will be a wonderful room