apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

its hard to tell with the small picture how it would look in the whole room, but maybe take a few of the doors off for some open shelving?

Paint the groove on your kitchen cabinets the same colour as your wall paint.

Don't ask a question if you can't even be bothered to submit a decent picture.

Meeeeee-ow.

I agree with bahhns. It is a little hard to tell whether the look would work in your space, but if you think it would, go for it. Do open shelving up top, and take the time to fix up the openings so that it doesn't look like you just took off your doors. You may need to use some 1x2s to reface the shelves at the front. Paint out all wood so it's white, and paint the back the colour of your wall. Could look really great if you're able to store white dishes and glass up there.

Again, not sure what the whole space looks like, but you could then paint out your bottom cabinetry white.

well, the wood color of the cabinets isn't too bad actually....I don't love the wall color though. I would soften that color, and then possibly paint the small wood part at the bottom of each cabinet with a white to match the moldings. Taking the doors off for open shelving is another good option.

Sarah, here. Here's another photo of our kitchen: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3261/3103517798_7087429001.jpg?v=0 - I didn't post it before because the kitchen is pretty horrendous looking. This is a realtor picture from the previous owners, as we just moved in and haven't taken new ones yet. We definitely want to repaint the limegreen walls and put in new lighting in the short-term.

Don't answer a question if you can't be civil and/or helpful.

What's up that one commenter's ass?

Those cabinet are some variant of European frameless cabinets. Styles don't really get dated so much these days- someone else may love to have these cabinets (especially at a decent price) while you may not. they look like birch or ash, which is a really nice wood. If they are solid wood, you are really lucky. If the bottom cabinets are square like the top ones, I'd keep them because I think that's a nice look.

I think the cabinets are pretty nice, actually. It's the appliances and lime green paint (and shabby towels on the stove door) that make the place dowdy. I think if you merely paint over the lime walls with white and add some black-and-white accessories, the room could be fine without a major reno.

The only part of the cabinets I don't like is the darker wood strip at the bottom, but I think painting them out would help a lot.

The thing that's making the room seem dull to me is the mixture of bright white and almond - that combo always makes a kitchen look dowdy, and I feel like the coolness of the lime green is making it stand out more.

I don't know what your style is, but I might repaint the walls a warmer tone (maybe tangerine?) to harmonize with the warmness of the almond and accessorize with a vibrant magenta. There was a post a bit ago with a tangerine kitchen that was awesome...

These towels from target are fun and have the color combo I'm thinking of:
http://www.target.com/Deco-Spiral-3-pc-Kitchen-Towel/dp/B000ODYP90/qid=1229129940/ref=br_1_9/190-0540140-6172605?ie=UTF8&node=13359271&frombrowse=1&pricerange=&index=tgt-mf-mv&field-browse=13359271&rank=pmrank&rh=&page=1

Yeah, the cabinets look nice enough. If you must - drill some hardware holes in and put something updated in - something that could be replaced in the future without too much effort.

The paint is whats really dated. Paint it a warm neutral and add some splashes of color with countertop appliances, nice towels, etc.

Thanks for the ideas, everyone. FYI, the cupboards are laminate, not solid wood.

Oh, and hejiranyc, don't post a comment if you can't even be bothered to be decent.

If you like the wall color, I wonder if painting the doors black would make it work? It's not an easy project. You could do something crafty with refacing - Like wallpapering the doors. If it is a temporary alternative, have some fun.

since you're gonna be replacing the kitchen soon, I'd have fun with it. I'd paint the wooden bottom part black and cover the laminate part with stainless steel looking contact paper. That stuff sticks like the devil and will probably last longer than you need it too. Since the cabinet fronts are flat, it should be super easy. Certainly easier than painting.

You have the same problem a friend of mine did with his new place - a beige contrast-less kitchen with ugly colored appliances. What we did in his place was to paint the walls a significantly darker color than the cabinets, to make look them look light and more interesting. He also replaced the boxy florescent lighting fixture with something simple and beautiful that he'll keep after he eventually re-does his kitchen.

You've got the added problem of a white tile backsplash, which kills your ability to just flip the contrast - I'd search AT archives for paints or other treatments you could use on the tiles.

Because of the color of the counters and appliances, painting the cabinets is tricky, because you need to figure out something that would work with them.

sarracenia -- you go girl !!! lots of good suggestions have been given to you, the other ones can take a hike>>>>

I like the combination of lime green, wood and white. An easy way to spark it up a bit might be to use some decals (in a dark grey) to add pattern to the doors. Either buy some readymade ones or make your own with a dark grey contact and a scalpel.

Do you do any wood working? Since you are replacing kitchen in a few years I would replace all the doors with doors made of 3/4" MDF.

Save all of the doors for referance so you can drill hinge cup holes in the same place.
This is an easy project if you have a small table saw and a small router to ease the edges.
Then paint doors.
You could do this project for under $200 not including hardware.