Kitchen mistake - what to do??

[sereneswan]

Ok, this is going to make me sound like an utter idiot, but....

We bought a wreck 3 years ago and finished renovating last year. We didn't live in for the first year, and the kitchen was the first thing we did. We were in a rush to get things moving quickly to minimise the time spent paying rent as well as mortgage. It was the first time we'd done anything like it. DH and I couldn't agree on kitchen style (I wanted white shaker, belfast sink and pale wooden counter, he wanted oak). I (for the one and only time in my life!) acquiesced and agreed to oak (I quite liked it, but it wasn't my favourite), and we both agreed on slate floor and black granite counter.

Only problem, neither of us had paid much attention to the fact that our kitchen is the darkest room in the house. 3 years on I HATE it, it's like living in a cave, it sucks out every last little bit of light there is, and clashes with rest of house which is light and airy and quite pale. DH isn't very keen either. The kitchen would be okay in another room/house but IS VILE IN MINE!! It's a kitchen diner and we spend most of our time in there, so it's really getting to me.

So, what could we do? We've already painted walls as pale as poss. Changing floor is not an option, it goes through into our extension and we both love it(even though it contributes to the gloom).

1. Paint it white? Does this actually work well? What about the insides of the cupboards and all the fiddly bits round oven etc?

2. I don't want black floor, black counter and white cabinets (just not my taste), so I'd then really want to replace the worktop. Does anyone have experience of getting granite/marble on the cheap? We've agreed we'd prefer really pale grey marble-y (DH refuses to countenance wood even though half the price - thinks it's not hygenic). Can an existing granite counter be removed without damage to cabinets?

3. Would it be safer to get all new cabinets as cheap as poss and essentially re-do the whole kitchen and call it a really expensive mistake? DH actually suggested this (v extravagant for him) as worried painting would be a disaster, waste of money and not worth trying (we'd get it professionally done).

Any wise suggestions / similar experience? WWYD? We have a few k we could spend but obviously want to keep it to a min.

For reference:

This is what kitchen looks like now (but smaller, and with black floor, black counter and cream tiles)

www.magnet.co.uk/kitchen-ranges/all-kitchens/rustic-oak

And I want it to look like pics 68-70 on this page!

www.kitstone.co.uk/kitchen-gallery.php

Yep, panacotta, tried just the under cabinet lights - just doesn't do enough!

IMO you need to paint it sereneswan it will look odd if the doors are sprayed but you have oak surrounds etc as in the Magnet link.
I have a painted wood kitchen, including painted floors and stairs and it's remarkably resilient considering I have teen boys / animals and am in farmland. Then there is also the fact it's very easy to paint again or change colour.
Paint wise I've always been a F&B stalwart but have recently discovered Leyland will colour match any F&B / Fired Earth / LGPC colour really accurately.
Also they still do a proper oil based gloss which beats the water based eggshells hands down.
Colour wise I'd go for a warm white / grey even though I think blue tones will be lovely with the floor, I think you could end up cold and dark iyswim.
Don't forget to prepare well, sand, primer/undercoat, sand, coat 1, sand, coat 2.

Serene, I had dark oak cabinets and I repainted them all in a Laura Ashley eggshell cream colour. It did take a long time rubbing the doors down, priming, painting and waxing but they look fine and saved me a fortune.

A couple of people said that it was criminal to paint over oak but the kitchen was bespoke and we live in a weirdly shaped old cottage so could never have resold them. I found our kitchen very dark and depressing but even the naysayers concur that our kitchen has been transformed by painting them lighter.

Can't comment on your granite tops but we have oak surfaces (lighter than the cupboards were) and they are properly sealed so definitely not unhygienic.

Hth

Oh yes, i did all the surrounds etc, the whole lot is cream. Waxed it all at the end to give a better finish, to can just wipe spillages off easily too.

I have had an mdf painted kitchen, I used an eggshell and it looked great, very hard wearing.

How about those granite companies that put it on top of existing worktops? Or could you sell what is there to put towards lighter tops?

I share your pain, I have lived with a magnet oak kitchen in a dark room for 14 years, it is a very depressing room! I was advised that darker units on the bottom would work but go for lighter worktops and lighter units on top.

We painted the solid dark oak units in our kitchen, it improved the look dramatically.

Paint the units first before changing the work top, you may find you don't need to change it.