SFGate

rinqreation Start with the kitchen. Replace the doors with the wave for painted ones and paint the cabinets. Or you could neatly fix thin board (plywood or mdf) on top and then paint them. Decide on where to go from there.

Pamela Tripas Rinqreation, just curious, why is it that the first thing designers want to replace in kitchen with arched doors is to replace them? Why does this "date" a kitchen when it actually takes more work to create and expense for arched doors? Just wondering....

Barbara Griffith Designs I would paint them in a white with no glaze, as a contrast to all the oak wood color. Because of the black appliances, I would not choose a dark color. For easy to use and budget priced I suggest you look at Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations it is available at Home Depot. http://cabinets.rustoleumtransformations.com/colors.php And, all your wood trim would look just fine. Then just add stainless steel handles.

carole i would like to answer to pamela tripas,in this case i think because the other wooden furnuture has no arch it would make a more cohesive room!!and arch is beautifull in rustque or country or eclectish but in a more modern house or interieur i would also take the arch out and i am not a decorator,it is just what is more pleasing to my eye,and it is only a suggestion,you know!!

Barbara Griffith Designs Arched cabinet doors..Cathedral, as above, and Eyebrow, a plain arch, are still available, but today we see so much more contemporary design..especially in kitchens that we get used to seeing straight lines. If you are not doing a contemporary home, then it is not an issue. I have never suggested someone change out their doors because of the door design, I will however suggest they paint them. Oak cabinets are a little less in demand today also, that is why I suggest "updating" them with paint and hardware. Most homes have an eclectic decor, a mix of a little traditional and a little contemporary. Also most people cannot empty their house and start over, so I always try to work with what they already have and then add items to update it a little.

kerrieontherun Barbara, would you recommend painting the walls a taupe color? Thanks. Or suggestions are appreciated

Pamela Tripas Didn't mean to make you mad for heavens sake. I was just curious. Thanks for your opinion and answer, as abrasive as it was, I do appreciate all opinions. Good grief, said Charlie Brown. :)

Pamela Tripas Barbara, you are one of my favorite designers. Thank you for clarifying. I wasn't sure if this was a logistics issue, architectural issue or design preference. Thank you...:)

Barbara Griffith Designs Probably not taupe because of your other wood finishes in the living room. Wait until you do the cabinets..because it will lighten up the area and everything will look different. When you are ready to select a color.buy samples and paint poster boards to move around the room to see if you really like a color. Without seeing the finished product, and because of the other wood, look to fabric colors in the living room and rule out beige/taupe shades..maybe a mid to light blue or green. But wait til you are done with the cabinets. Is your ceiling "popcorn" or smooth, because if it is paintable..I would paint it the same color as the walls.

Barbara Griffith Designs Sorry, Pamela if I upset you, I thought I was just giving you information you could use. You asked a question so I answered it from my perspective.

kerrieontherun Barbara, thanks!! We are thinking of removing the cabinet in the below pic.. We can't remove the soffit -- What do you think. We currently have a green on our wall.. Ceiling is not popcorn , are you saying you would paint into living room to due to it is one room...

sandico Too much wood!

Dezign Studio Inc Instead of removing these cabinets, is it possible to replace doors with glass doors. It would be better to take the same color into the living room , since it is an open concept. After painting the cabinets white, you can choose to have an accent wall.

Barbara Griffith Designs Yes..consider it one space and the ceiling & wall color being the same in the kitchen will make the area appear larger.. and of course it really is "at one" with the living room. Regarding the cabinets, how are the two short ones attach to the cabinet near the window?? If you can, I would take those 2 cabinets out that are hanging from the soffit. Maybe add just one shelf under the soffit about half the height of the current cabinet. Frame a large rectangle with a divider where the 2 cabinets now join and paint cabinet color and hang from the ceiling. On this, you could place several large objects, a large colorful bowl, a colorful pot..a green plant..but not much..don't add clutter. It would be open and yet have the soffit serve a purpose.

onthefence I'm not Barbara...but I vote strongly for taking those cabinets out. IMO they're built in one of two ways - if they're low enough to be useful, they block the sightline. If they're high enough to not block the sightline (like yours appear to be) they're really not useful for things you want to access on a regular basis.

Re: Cathedral or Eyebrow doors - IMO only - these tend to be a very formal and traditional look. If they're done in a kitchen that has that same formal/traditional style, they can look good. The kitchen in this post just doesn't seem to be either formal or traditional. I think too this style door looks better when done in a darker wood tone.

kerrieontherun We were thinking of putting pendent lights ( I think that is what they are called from the soffit..

I appreciate all the feedback, we have gone back and forth for years and I am ready to get this done...

One more item .. So we have a huge support beam of course more wood... So if we painted the ceiling would we paint both sides and to the edge of the living room space? See pic 2 below. Thnx

Barbara Griffith Designs I like like the pendant light idea. I would (no pun intended) leave the beam in "wood" because of the paneling in the room. And yes, I would paint the ceiling on both sides of the beam.

Barbara Griffith Designs I see the railing going up stairs, I would paint the spindles black and leave the rest wood tone...it would make them look as if they were iron.

kerrieontherun I think that will look good

rinqreation Dear Pamela, seems to me carole's answer is not offensive in any way, good grief if you thought it was. I'm no pro/designer either, I'm 'just a dutch young lady' who thinks there arched doors are quite crafty and nicely made, but like carole said are too much for this interior.
If it were a romantic cottage kitchen, I'd only paint them white or another color, but there's more going on in this room. If I had to change something, I'd start with those doors. Dutch cabinets with those doors ARE dated (and secondhand stores are full of them, so all our grannies had their rooms filled with this type of furniture).

I do like to add I share a part of your opinion; I think the world of designers needs to consider the worth of old things. The majority could use a lot more 'green' thoughts, as in recycling, etc. I used to be a furniture maker so I've seen companies throw out interiors as if it was dirt. I hope the commercial world uses this recession/crisis to explore new paths of environmentally friendly and sustainable product(ion)s.

Joanne Herrett I am in the process of redoing my kitchen and i like the the old ached oak cabinets, not entirely sure why. Just like the look, I added some tile and granite, and i love. Will love it more if i ever get it finished, BUT