The cabinetry appears to be maple. You have MULTIPLE flooring types over MULTIPLE levels. It is going to take a strong eye for design to come up with a vision for this home. The unification of ALL flooring surfaces will get you MANY STEPS closer to your desired look.

Right now the counters are paired to work with maple. They have blue in them so it would be an easy conversion to white and then add in some beach accents = not a problem. The 4" stone back splash is dated but can be worked with....

You will notice the PALE wood floors in all of your beach-inspired photos! Pale, natural wood is a GREAT way to begin the "beach house" transformation. To do that, you need floors that will do that.

The parquet (the block like wood in the lounge area beside the kitchen) can be sanded and refinished in a WATER BASED finish = pale wood instead of yellow.

The kitchen floor LOOKS LIKE it is a wood of some sort. It was an after thought with someone thinking it would be a good idea to throw down something (anything) that would kinda-sorta look OKish with the parquet. If this is real wood, then simply sand/refinish the same as the parquet. The problem I see is that it may NOT be a species match. Hard to tell from your photos.

Leave the stairs as they are already a pale wood tone with just a hint of yellow. Perfect. Leave them. They are already in "the theme" of things.

Wood trim can be painted. Walls can be painted. The floors in the last picture need to be updated (can be Luxury Vinyl in the visual you would like) to become unified. Again, someone thought it was an OK idea to kinda-sorta-match the wood of the stairs without doing it properly (ie removing the dated stone-look stuff at the base of the stairs).

The hodge-podge of flooring (I can see 5 different looks in 2 different spaces) is what is killing the dream. Getting the flooring unified is going to be your #1 design requirement. Use the pale stair colour as your STARTING point. Find out what "wood look" stuff is real vs. fake. Get the "real stuff" to the paleness of the stairs. Get rid of the fake stuff and start again.

With your vision of "beach house" being blocked with all the design faux pas in this house, I HIGHLY recommend working with a designer to unify this really cool home! It is obvious to me someone did the "cheap" thing by working "piece meal" (one project at a time) without a sense of direction or destination.

Don't do that to yourself. Find someone who will help you create your vision.

I think laminate can help you here, it is strong, durable and pet friendly. Trendy colors for flooring, at the moment, are grey, light beige, white washed. These colors will help you create the beach, coastal style you are looking for.

To achieve a coastal look go with natural materials, light and pastel colors and if you want to make it more fun add accents of warm colors

You can order some samples if you you want to have a closer look.

I like the vinyl idea but not dark. Something more in tune with the floor in your pictures would be ideal, like a natural or slightly pickled White Oak look.

It might look beachy but I feel painted floors aren't practical.

Laminate planks please!

We suggest replacing your traditional balusters with square painted ones and box newels. Painting the risers white will add to your beachfront feel as well.

Keep in mind laminate doesn’t do well with water.

Thank you everyone for all the great advice! We ended replacing all the flooring to achieve uniformity and I'm thrilled with the outcome.

We also put a fresh coat of paint on all the walls too of course!!

Now the question is...do the stairs and kitchen cabinets look ok or do we need to paint them?

It's looking very nice! So, because the trim is white I think white cabinets and railings would look nice, do you like the black countertops and the gold hardware on the doors?

First of all, that is a *gorgeous* space, I am envious! And thank all that's holy that you rescued it from the dreadful taste of the previous owners--all those different woods and floor, four or five different shades of red, ugh!

I love the new flooring, it's beautiful.

I think were I in your shoes, I'd first try adding a lot of cool tones to the room(s), to see if I could tone down the warmth of the wood that way--and yes, do you like the countertops & hardware? That would be the first to go for me, if I could possibly swing it; I'm not a fan of granite/quartz anyway, but I especially don't think those tops work for the cool beachy casual sort of look you want. Maybe a white or light gray granite/quartz at least, if you like those materials? Perhaps soapstone or concrete? Or a pale (or bright! That could be fun) solid-color laminate, even; I know a lot of people dislike laminate but I'm fine with it, personally. And some silver or nickel hardware?

Of course, you could try re-staining the cabinets rather than painting them. Do you want to DIY this or hire someone? A pro would be able to tell you the best way to tone down the warmth of the wood.

None of which means I think it's wrong to paint them. I'm not a big fan of wood cabinets, personally, so if you want to paint I'd be all for it. A cool white or very light gray, maybe? The island in a different color, a darker gray or blue, or even something like a barely-lilac lilac (as in, gray with a hint of lilac; I don't like lilac as a rule but I think in this space it could be interesting, and different from the other grays that are everywhere [including my house, lol, because I have always loved gray] if you're looking for that.

Something about that island bothers me, though. I feel like the outside of it is really...unfinished looking. Like it needs some pilasters, or beadboard or planks or tile, even, just...something. Maybe some vertical trim pieces every six inches or so, to mimic the Mission-style doors on the cabinets? It just looks to me like the carpenter was meant to come back to finish it but didn't.

And honestly, I'd probably rip out the stair railing(s) and banisters and replace them with square ones, like @Horner Millwork suggested. The contrast between the Mission kitchen with all the right angles and those little round banisters & spindles looks odd to me. Then you can get new ones in whatever paint or finish you want, and I think it will look a lot more modern and sophisticated than those grandma-looking ones on there now (no offense to grandmas!). Maybe even a metal? I don't know what the rest of your furniture looks like, though, so I'm just spitballing that, basically.

I hope that helps! Can't wait to see what you decide!

Hi Kat's,

I know you like the beach, coastal look. I would suggest painting the cabinets in light grey and going with a light countertop.

I can't wait to see the final design