The cabinets look like they are in good condition, and work well with your floors. I would just replace the countertops with a warm white quartz, making the countertop all one level, and use a white backsplash. It will really brighten and transform the space without a full re-do.

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Yes! Love the white backsplash idea and lowering the raised countertop level. I thought I wanted to avoid white counters even though they ARE in every kitchen inspo photo I like, but maybe a warmer white. The cabinets are in good shape but I'd like to extend them higher and replace the doors with flat paneled, so since that will require refinishing them all to match anyway, I'm thinking of going with a lighter wood veneer or solid gray color.

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Like the gray color of these cabinets, above.

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Possible wood veneer color.

You want a different kitchen. How long have you lived with this one? Because you're looking at putting a lot of money into cosmetic changes before you really know how/whether the kitchen itself functions well for you. By the time you paint or restain everything, add more boxes on top, or buy new counters, you're going to have enough invested that you won't have anything left if you decide you need structural changes. This is a perfectly nice and functional kitchen. I'd move in and live there a year and think about how you actually live in the space. Then you'll know what you really like and dislike about working there, before you've spent a lot on changing the look of the carving on the doors. You might find you have completely different ideas by then, or other changes in surrounding rooms that influence your choices here...

I also like the cabinets as is. I’d keep them. And do new countertops backsplash and hardware to start. If you had extra funds and were bored lol
I would probably have a cabinet specialist come in and see if they can have the peninsula turned into an island. Unless you don’t prefer that.

Acm, thanks for your advice. I’ve lived in the house for 9 months and my first impressions of the kitchen and ideas haven’t changed. While it may be functional and what I dislike may be mostly aesthetic things, I think it’s also practical to update the kitchen to go with the rest of the house when it comes to resale in the future.

Good idea to start with new countertops and backsplash and hold off on the cabinets for now. Would love to convert peninsula to an island but don’t think it would work the way the cabinets are angled and without a major plumbing rehaul.

How does the layout work for you?

If you think you can be content with the cabinets, then changing the counters and backsplash will Give a nice update. Corian or LG HiMacs solid surface have softer whites, they are also 1/2 to 1/3 the cost of quartz; less money to risk if you’re on the fence about wanting to replace cabinets.

If you’re going to hate the cabinets no matter what, I wouldn’t spend the money on new counters.

New counters--level the peninsula, single bowl sink. New oven--stainless, not black.

I would also want to put doors on the bookcase.

The wood cabinets look nice. I would not paint them.

SashaDog, I think I can live with the cabinet layout even though I could use the extra storage space if they went up to the ceiling, plus I think it would greatly improve the look. But of course that would be a major expense on top of replacing the counters too. If I don't do that, I still want to replace the cabinet doors with a more modern flat panel and maybe some glass ones to break them up and match the rest of my home style. I will definitely take a look at Corian and LG HiMacs countertops since they are much more affordable. Thanks for that idea.

ci_lantro, I never thought about replacing the oven with a stainless one, but I agree it would look much better. Maybe down the road if I can sell the black one on FBMP for a decent price. I also like your single-bowl sink idea and leveling the peninsula counter. Adding doors to those corner shelves would be nice to add more useful storage and eliminate the clutter with less dusting... especially the tall one that has 8 shelves!

My big question now is, if I replace my cabinet doors do all of the cabinet boxes need to be refinished (which is what I assume)? Or would it be possible to match the new doors to the existing cabinet finish?

I would not level the peninsula because the higher piece provides some privacy for the clean-up process. It would also put all of the peninsula functions on the same level which would mean someone sitting there to, for instance, chat with the cook while flipping through a magazine would be in the “splash zone” of the sink.

That's an interesting point but not likely a factor for me because I probably won't have counter stools there since I have a bar table with stools behind the sofa in the living area that's open to the kitchen.

After looking at a few of the many Solid surface brands (Corian, Staron, Wilsonart) I came across an article on the Spruce comparing SS to quartz countertops with this nice comparison chart.

Solid Surface Countertops vs. Quartz Countertops · More Info

I was surprised that it says the costs are comparable! "Prices of solid surface and quartz countertops are virtually the same. The prices vary depending on the style and color of the material selected."

So with this in mind, I'm considering looking at quartz for its scratch resistance and greater popularity when it comes to resale value. Any thoughts or advice?

Wait a minute!

Don't be going down the road of replacing countertops and backsplash only to learn that you can't reuse them with new cabinets. Your option for a short-term solution is to paint and keep the granite. Change the backsplash if you like. That's the only actional that makes sense money wise. Frankly, I'm not sure painted white cabinets are better than what you currently have installed in wood.

Here's another option to paint a dark color around your cabinets and replace the backsplash tile.

Does this current layout even work for your space? This angled-wall style etc is very 20 years ago and should maybe be reconfigured for a new kitchen. A new kitchen means a new layout, new cabinets, new counters, and a backsplash. Do you have a floor plan of the general area for us to use?

I love the cabinets, but new pulls would work wonders.

Yes, pulls will definitely be replaced once I decide on cabinets!

Beverly, I'm trying to avoid replacing/reconfiguring the cabinets since they are in good shape and the angles probably cannot be avoided because of the walls/stairs layout. I think updating with new plain slab(?) doors will help achieve a cleaner more modern look but I don't know if this would require refinishing all the boxes or if new doors could be stained to match existing cabinets? If refinishing is required I'm considering staining them a lighter color or painting.

If I go with painting them, I prefer not to do white. Maybe gray, but regardless I think the baltic brown granite tops need to go.

Other changes I'd like to do is extending the top cabinets to the ceiling and bringing the ones over the refrigerator out to full depth, but since those won't affect the counters or backsplash I figured I could still do them first.

I had this dilemma 3 years ago and did a similar post. i had birch cabinets, silver sea green granite ( looks similar to yours) , tumbled marble backsplash and back appliances.. The wood was pretty and most folks did not agree to paint. It took me 3 years to decide but finally had them painted and they should be finished this week. I replaced appliances, added a few cabinets and kept the raised panel doors as much as I wanted to change them. I was going to decide on my granite as the last decision once the kitchen was painted. I have decided to keep the green granite and spend my money elsewhere. I .. will update my post when done. But we have been here over 25 years and likely will sell in a few years, if I were staying longer may have chosen to do something different. You have a beautiful space and quality cabinets so you have nice choices to work with if you are not going to do a full Reno. https://www.houzz.com/discussions/4701524/should-i-paint-these-wood-cabinets

Also eliminate the angled counter/cab and shelf here and replace with single width full depth upper and lower cabinets, so it looks like the fridge (which will be replaced with a wider counter depth one) is built in.

Chris, I did to my custom cabs exactly what you want to do. They were solid wood, great shape, but after 15 years I couldn't stand the overall dark feel. I had them refaced and everything painted. new countertops, vent hood, splash, window, everything.

The company I hired to paint also deals w/refacing. for an additional 2K, I got all new doors, drawer fronts. (I prob have twice the cabs you do, including a 4X7 island) The new doors are all solid maple w/center panels made from MDF. when painting, MDF is a better choice for the panels than solid wood.

To answer your questions about getting new doors that aren't painted, yes, they would then have to use a veneer material to skin your base cabinets so that they would match.

something else you should change over is the lower doors to drawers. a good refinishing company can also do this for you. I had them make two large drawers in my island where open shelving used to be. so much better for storing large pans

have you had any estimates? If going the painting route, make sure you get all of the steps they take in priming. if getting them refaced, those should come raw, so all they have to do is prime and paint. you can also get soft closing hinges. You're prob looking at well over 6-7K for just painting, and then whatever extra they charge for refacing.

as for the gap to the ceiling, there are diff ways to tackle that. since your current cabs have a large wood edge (the part above your doors) , it might be difficult to add on boxes to that.

you see how the doors immediately transition into the added boxes?

You have that 3-4" of wood above your doors. what you might be able to do is get taller doors to cover that, remove the crown, and then build the boxes above that.

or, you could add on a decorative molding or large crown

This one might work for you.

another poster on here had these, but notice how her doors almost touched her crown molding. They removed that

Built boxes

and then added doors. I believe she told me this cost her 2K to have that gap closed like this

these are mine, before. I'm sure people thought I was crazy for changing it. I didn't care.

I lived w/it for 15 years, the finish was wearing and I was tired of dark.

notice my drawer/door design. see how the top drawers are slab and the others shaker style? This is why I refaced so they would all match. all of the fluted / rope trim and corbels were removed. micro was moved. vent hood made. drawers in island made. doors added to desk area. We did the window ourselves. new marble/quartz, lighting, flooring, appliances.

I did Wrought Iron on my island, bright white on the others.

there's a double pantry to the left you can't see.

You say you don't want white, which is fine, there are plenty of other colors.

Revere Pewter

edgecomb gray

Navy

Kendall Charcoal

This just gives you an idea.

what is your budget? If you say 10K, that may get you countertops and new tile backsplash.

ellenwins, Wow! Our kitchens look like they were built around the same time 20ish years ago. Except I actually like your green better than my brown granite and don't blame you for keeping them. Can't wait to see how your cabinets turn out. Thanks for sharing!

Beth, Thanks so much for sharing all those helpful ideas and for answering my question about the cabinets! You're new kitchen looks amazing. 100% better! I know what you mean about that wide gap between my doors and the crown. I hate all the gaps between the doors too which is why I'm hoping new wider, taller doors will minimize that. If I do that then I also think the top edge of the cabinet box openings could be cut higher so that might help if I add a row of boxes on top which I'd rather do for the extra storage than the trim and molding option. The kitchen in my last house had large drawers like yours and I do miss having those.

I'm leaning more towards refinishing them in a lighter veneer color that will contrast more with my floors, maybe maple but not sure. Then probably mostly white with some gray quartz or Corian (i.e. Rain cloud) and white backsplash. Budget is around $15-20k and no, I have not gotten any estimates yet.

Here's a picture of how I'd like to do my top cabinets. Like the plain crown molding...

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Sasha, I'm sure that article must have been comparing the cost of SS that is patterned to look like quartz. How many square feet of the white HiMacs did you get for $2500? Just wondering to compare prices.

The 2 Corian colors I like are Rain cloud:

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and Limestone Prima:

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