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Greg the PAINT-IT! guy I'd reverse the colors. Black on the oak and light oak paint color on the soffits and be done. You can only go so far before a total re-do and major expense. The cathedral door styles are OUT. Painted very dark, they would recede and gove you an opportunity to see your surface colors in a whole ne "light". Keep the knobs, counters, sink, faucet and everything. Just reverse the colors. The black cabinets would look SMASHING against the light floor!!

creativetkr thanks Greg. But the black was left over from when I removed the wall paper boarder. IT WILL GO AWAY. I plan add a wide crown molding, then paint the crown molding, cabinets and soffit the same color. It would add height and blend all together (even less provide less emphasis on the dated cathedral doors). Trying to stick to the one of the colors mentioned due to other joining rooms and the rooms limited light.

creativetkr One more question. I love the black cabinet idea. But since the room has limited light would that make it darker?

apple_pie_order Love your idea of putting open back bookshelves in front of the mirrored wall for your glass collection. Brilliant idea.

Toni Sabatino I love your ideas for paint, granite, art glass dispay and especially pattern on floor. That is a great retro look and I think it would be super with your color choices.. I would update the knobs, too. Try a test of both colors and get a counter sample and see what looks best in your lighting.

creativetkr Toni thank you. I have been working on all of this for sometime and feel it is starting to come together. What knobs would you suggest?

creativetkr Apple Pie Order, thanks. The mirrored wall has been a challenge and is so 80s. The cost and hassle to remove it is too much. The mirrored wall is appox 20 feet in length. Our contractor said he can attach the bookshelves to the ceiling and floor for stability. I prefer wood shelves in the built-ins not glass so that adds a lighting issue. Thinking of adding the small high intensity track lighting that could be positioned on the art glass.

tuckerpearl I can't see what wood your floor is. If its a natural oak or bamboo I would like it. I think you struggle with a lack of contrast. Your new counter tops will really help with that. I've had both light & dark kitchen floors. Light is definitely more practical. Many designers today are showing kitchens in all white or lite wood colors. It might help to paint a bank or or a couple of cabinets a contrasting color---like along one wall or lower ones.

Toni Sabatino Hi creativetkr, I like these or something that is sort of retro classic

Toni Sabatino I would leave the bin pulls and fill the top hole for the door pulls before painting.

creativetkr Love the knobs. Thank you!!

creativetkr Floor is maple. They have been very difficult to maintain. Unfortunately they join natural oak floors in the entire rest of the house. Not sure why previous owner did not match them. If I can do the diamond overlay as I mentioned above it would blend the two. Contractor brought wood expert by last week and they can be refinished, just need to find someone to do the darker overlay or I will try to do it. I have done things like this prior. This will be a big job. We have about 1000 sq feet in the three open rooms.

twylahaj Your ideas already seem good, but wanted to throw one more into the mix. If you don't like the cathedral doors, you could apply a new front from luaun surrounded with a routed edge or super simple moulding before you paint. (attach with wood glue and short finish nails) It wouldn't work with stain but should read as a flat panel door once it's painted. Line up the holes with the old ones and just drill what you need. Fill the extra hole, of course, but it will only show from the back of the door. Nice layout, by the way.

robynloren I also have cathedral cabinet doors in maple with a similar backsplash and black granite countertops. I'd like to hear more about twylahaj suggestion to change out the cathedral. What is Luauan? Could a handyman do this job? I dislike both the color and style of my cabinets. Thanks

twylahaj Lauan is a very thin kind of plywood available at any home improvement store. It comes as thin as about 1/8 inch or as thick as plywood. The outside layer is usually mahogany or some other finish grade wood, so it is smooth and with just a little sanding would be ready to paint. Of course, having thought about it, you could use that brown hardboard stuff that looks like pegboard without holes instead, which would probably sand easier on the edges...

A handyman could definitely do what I'm describing but might find it weird. I have a lifetime of using materials in ways they were not really designed to be used, so often real contractors are horrified by what I do.

It's not really changing out the cathedrals, more like putting a basically permanent mask on them. Think of it almost like putting textured wallpaper over a wall that has some defects. It doesn't fix the defects, but it hides them in a fairly permanent way. There would still be hollow spaces where the cathedral detail is now, you just wouldn't see them because there would be a layer of board over them.

Again, I will point out this will only work if you are painting as neither the lauan nor the hardboard is an attractive material on its own, especially along the edges. Of course, you might be able to paint the lauan or hardboard before attaching it to the doors and just touch up the places you nail it which would then give you a painted panel with wood frame look, but that might just look busy...

creativetkr Great idea. I will share with contractor to determine cost. Thx

creativetkr I am planning a few "adds" to make the cabinets look a little more custom. Like adding "feet" to corners. There is a typical desk cabinet not pictured. I am having the build a wine rack where the knee holes are now. Plus if you look at picture the microwave is too low. We are swapping a shorter cabinet to the left in the picture with the one over microwave. It is 5" shorter. When we do that we are eliminate the "garage" cabinet below. It will be replaced with a open shelf with fitted baskets. Again just a few changes to get a more updated look without total redo cost.

JAMEITE Hand-painted Silk Wallpaper Co., LTD hope I can help to you.Thanks

Randys Construction Would consider doing some kind of backsplase to that wiil complement countr and cabinets,maybe bight,clear and daull colors in a glass mat tile.Easy to install and all can be bought at Lowes at very resonable price.

twylahaj Adding feet to corners of what? (By the way, now I have hobbit feet sticking out the bottom o your cabinets stuck in my head!) Great idea of wine rack to replace desk unit. Don't know who ever thought desk in the kitchen was such a great idea. Good call on switching the cabinets. There will be a hole in the bottom of the one that is currently over the microwave. Perhaps you could use that as a place to run wires for some under cabinet lighting for the new shelves that will replace the garage (appliance garage, especially high like that, is another kitchen idea I don't really understand.)

By the way, even the layout of your kitchen is very similar to mine. I turned the desk area into a coffee bar of sorts - coffee machines (yes, plural) plus sugar bowl and creamer and stir sticks. Keeps coffee traffic out of way of cooking when more than one person is in kitchen and is very convenient to fridge for adding cream to coffee... Hung mug rack on wall for favorites. Maybe with your wine rack below you'd want to use that area as wine bar. Add some under cabinet glass racks, a place for corkscrew and such...

creativetkr Great idea on glass rack. Yes ours is a coffee bar now too. Would love to add a little height to desk cabinet to bring more inline with others. Correct will be a hole in bottom of cabinet will think about what to do. Hmmmm will have to cut hole in the one we are moving. Maybe that could be ussed to plug the other. Then paint as planned. Backsplash is open. Have been considering tin (house has a Victorian feel outside), similar to that used on ceilings or even mirror (cut to fit). I have several large mirrors left from our bathroom remodel. Cost would be to cut and install not for materials. Would never have considered mirror but a friend did it and it looks and functions great. Who knew! I need more light bad and like their reflective abilities. Other options are white subway or glass tile.

creativetkr Will send pictures of "feet" or leg illusions later. There are a few options. Makes the cabinets look more like furniture. More like what we see in new cabinets.

creativetkr Here is an example of one of the legs you can add to stock cabinets.