Since your cabinets are pretty simple, I would recommend covering the cabinet faces with either contact paper or wallpaper in either plain white (although this could be unforgiving) or some kind of pattern with a lot of white. The wood edges will still show but there should still be an improvement.

(Since I am assuming you can not paint your cabinets) Here is my advice... don't listen to eeeck... spend the extra 10 or 20 dollars and order something from the site www.whatisblik.com. True... it is more expensive, but you will get many more options and be able to remove them easily when you move. Good luck Zach!

how about doing a fun fiunky thing like this?

http://www.jonathanfongstyle.com/decor/warhol_kitchen.html

You can get vinyl decals made at sign shops that you can adhere to the flat panels on the cabinets

Your cabinets don't look that bad to me. I love the open kitchen. Wish I had a counter like that. I'd be interested in seeing what you decide.

I have the same exact cabinets. Except a little whiter. They're still not great, but I think making them a brighter white would help a lot. Have you asked if you could repaint? It seems like part of the problem is that you have a lot of different shades of white/cream/beige going on at once.

throw some d's on that bitch

you could cover your doors with this:
http://www.tortoiselife.com/new/greeting.html

I agree with v.

If they were repainted white it would make a huge difference.

this question was asked last year, I remember because I have the same standard issue ny renter cabinets....

If you click on my name you can hope over to my chunk of the net, I have some pics from a recent trip to BIG (Build It Green) out in Queens. They have an entire section of kitchen cabinet doors that are just looking for a new home. Cheap. Cheap. Cheap.

If you can't paint them and you don't want to wallpaper....
Change out the doors. You could either buy new doors or buy plywood and cut it to fit - and then just remove the old doors and using the existing hinges, put the new ones on. Then when it's time to move, either put the old doors back on or leave them.

That kitchen has so much potential. Oh, to have three big windows in my kitchen, I would live with the ugliest of cabinets.

Wow! I have very similar cabinet doors in my small kitchen. This thread is giving me great ideas as well. :)

I had a friend who had crappy cabinets in her rental and she just removed the doors, put some nice contact paper on the shelves and used them as open shelving. Although your kitchen doesn't really need it, it helped to open up the space more in her little kitchen, too. Good luck!

My neighbor removed the top doors from his and put in little curtains on short tension rods.

It looks to me that those are not solid wood cabinets, that the finish is some kind of laminate and therefore not easily paintable. I agree with some of the other posters: you have a nice kitchen! A few ugly cabinets are not too big of a deal. I think we, as renters, should work with what we have. Don't pay NYC rents just to renovate the landlord's apartment. Concentrate your resources on things that can come with you, and when the time comes to move on, move on. I've spent/wasted a lot of money over the years replacing shabby linoleum and refinishing cabinets for places that were not my own. If the cabinets are solid wood, ask if you can paint. But if that's laminate, just buy a flower arrangement for that wonderful counter and call it a day. Good luck!

For the love of god, please move that big honking microwave from in front of the damn window.

I (like many others) have had those cabinets in a previous rental. I hated them also. A friend of mine had purchased a condo with the same cabinets. He actually stained the oak wood portion of the cabinets. Instead of the oak color, it was more of a cherry wood. Although it was a simple, it changed the look dramatically.

Yes, move the microwave and capitalize on those wonderful windows.

I would use 2 colors of contact paper. What comes to mind is pale blue and metallic copper (I know I saw the copper, not sure about the pale blue). Cover the bottom 2/3 of each door with the blue and the top 1/3 with the copper. Or something similar - 2 contact paper colors arranged in some sort of simple pattern. Cutting diagonally might look cool. You could also combine contact paper with blik for something a little busier.

Marid22 - thanks for the link. I clicked over and Jonathan Fong's decoupage kitchen is amazing! I really enjoyed his website.

I don't think I'd do that in this kitchen though, simply because it's a rental. I'm actually having kitchen envy here. Wish my kitchen were this nice. And windows in the kitchen. Ahhh. What a luxury.

really id just take the doors OFF and clean up the insides with some white contact paper or something to make them 'read' as open shelves... stack everything nicely though, and dont put out food boxes/cans -- just dishes and glassware.

The only problem with taking the cabinets off is that the drawers would still be an eyesore.

Thanks everyone for your great ideas, I have some things to try. I have emailed Blik to see if I can order their material by the sheet. Hopefully like a removable contact paper.

i have the same cabinets in my rental studio and i hated them. so i put a primer on them and painted them with chalkboard paint. looks better, more modern and allows you to jot grocery lists, recipes, etc. on them. and with 3 windows and a white countertop, you don't have to worry about it making the room too dark.

Love the staining idea. We have the same cabinets - I'll try it this weekend!

I love, love, love, the Warhol kitchen!!
I don't think you'd necessarily even have to laminate it like fong does, if you need to be able reverse it. You could even just tack them on, because of the wooden lip this wouldn't look tacky.
Also, that fridge is too white, an older fridge would actually look better!

It is not hard to paint laminate at all...I did it with great success about 10 years ago in our previous apartment. Covered UGLY brown laminate with primer (Zinsser) and off-white paint...put on new knobs and my kitchen looked fabulous. The primer kind of "melts" the laminate and makes the paint stick to it. We never had any chipping or peeling in the years we lived there, and to this day after several different tenants it still looks great (we still own the place though we don't live there).

Ignore the cabinets completely! Don't fret over it-you have a lovely apartment. Instead, focus on other rooms. And, when focusing on this room, add other objects, and rearrange other objects to focus on that , instead of cabinets.

Specifically, don't block pretty windows with that ugly wire shelf and bulky microwave. Get rid of that shelf, there isn't much on it anyway, and you have enough storage space in your UGLY cabinets-ha! Then, either put microwave on counter, even though it takes up space, or buy one of those cheap little bright colored ones on craigslist that look cute.

Focus on your pretty windows and view. SOme window treatment would look good, but curtains are complicated , greaasy and fire hazard in kitchen. Maybe a roman shade, but NOT IN BEIGE or bamboo, instead get a color or stripes or something!!

Empty your garbage, throw away the pizza box, you rat! :)

Hang a pretty bright towel from the fridge handle.

Stack a few cool, bright glass bowls on the right of the stove, where you have that red bowl to draw attention to it.

Put a big picture of something on the fridge or on one of the cabinets, maybe even just something you painted yourself, and attach with magnets to the fridge.

DO you see my points? hopefully, you like them. the point is in this rental, do draw attention to bright non beige colors on other stuff, that isn't expensive. put some cool things on counter, but nothing that looks too busy or cluttered.

if you are very handy, of course, you could replace cabinet fronts, but if you are not handy it will be a pain probably.

Get a bright red tea kettle for the stove.

enjoy.

This picture was taken right before I moved in... that was the previous tenants microwave and stuff. I have a personal problem with these shelves. They drive me NUTS. I cant stand seeing them every day and something must be done!

They are in both of the bathrooms too!

If you like Kelton's suggestion for turning the cabinets into chalkboard surfaces, but you'd rather go with something that doesn't involve paint, Aubuchon Hardware http://www.hardwarestore.com/ sells rolls of contact paper that are chalkboard surface. I recommend both the store and the contact paper.

The kitchen cabinets in my rented apartment are rather generic as well. I use the space above my cabinets to display some antique dishes and plants. It adds color and draws attention away from the cabinets. I also keep my counter tops pretty clear and that way my kitchen doesn't take on a cluttered look.

i had the same cabinets in a dismal poorly lit kitchen- i sanded them down and painted them with primer and two coats semi-gloss white. held up for the four years i lived in that apt - easily cleaned with soft scrub or equivalent. opened up the entire kitchen.

and my friend who had the same cabinets and a bigger kitchen painted her doors red with a white frame.

You could also get some wrapping paper at Kate's Paperie and put that up on the cabinets. They have some really great patterns and the sheet sizes look like they would fit. It would be a fun way to jazz up your kitchen on the cheap.

I agree with ajh: just take the upper cabinet doors off and embrace the look of open shelving. I did this in my home, and it looks pretty good. Ugly stuff down below, nice stuff up top. :)

If you like stainless steel, Canal Plastics sells metalized adhesive-backed plastic that comes in rolls. It would be the same idea as contact paper, but with a nice brushed stainless look.

Open shelving is a nightmare for anybody who cooks. Stuff gets grimey quickly.

Move the microwave, paint the brick wall a bright cream or other light color to brighten it up, with dark window frames. I think the best bet for the cabinets is to decoupage them. You can use parchment, a common art deco solution, in square paper bricks, or you can use paper from Kate's paperie, or you can simply get a roll of good wallpaper with a design that's simple and elegant. If you paint, you need to sand; I suggest Benjamin Moore metalic to get a little light, followed by a resin polyurethane to really seal them. DONT just put on paint and DON'T just put on sticky paper. Both of these will look like junk after about three cleanings. (Also if you want a solid, epoxy paint is not a bad way to go).

JoyH

I have painted laminate with good results. You have to sand and primer prior to painting. I recommend a glossy white.

If you get permission to paint them, check out KRYLON paints. They now have spray paints for plastic, which would work on laminate, too, believe it or not. www.krylon.comYour windows are BEAUTIFUL. Is that plain concrete beneath them? I'd ask about painting that, too. Either to match the brick, or white, or it might be possible to mount wallpapered boards there. I'd also want to find a different solution for the microwave.....a low table or something so it's not up in front of the window like that :-) I do love your kitchen, though!

Here's a pretty cool idea, for either the cabinets or beneath the windows......pretty inexpensive, too:

http://www.jonathanfongstyle.com/decor/alum_wall.html

did someone seriously tell you to paint the brick wall? are they insane?

yeah, sure, go ahead...if you want your apartment to look like an elementary school circa 1987. geez.

I am curious to know if you did anything with the cabinets. I have the same ones and what I am going to do it but a piece of architectural molding.. about 4" high and 7 or 8 inches long and put that on top..leaving it the same color as the strip along the bottom, a golden oak...for that, I just bought a wood cleaner and restained with Minwax Golden Oak stain.. make them beautiful. Send pix if you did anything.. I will post the same when done.
AND..these cabinets were an upgrade in the house!!

I'm not supposed to paint, even though I have, and I have those same exact cabinets (yes, in both of my bathrooms, too). I stained all of the wood a darker, richer color and I will probably cover the door faces with quality patterned paper using starch to adhere it. I tried it on one door and it's not hard, and it peels right off when you want to take it off with soap and water. That means you could change the papers a lot, too. As far as the staining, yes it's permanent but I'm pretty damn sure they won't care b/c that alone updated the cabinets a LOT. Just make sure to do a good, neat job if you do stain them - sand, tape, sealer, etc. - it makes all the difference. I hate how these cabinets don't have handles, b/c I know that would be a very easy, quick update.