Thanks girlguides! I found some great little matt black knobs at Bunnings today!

Thank you, scottevie...it helps seeing it in different interior lighting. Looks terrific against those white subways!

Cloudpants, those are beautiful examples. I do love dark cabinetry, especially in an island. Thank you so much!

Siriuskey, love your pics. I would dearly love to go with grey and darker cabs, and the timber laminate benchtops would be perfect. I have to go slowly slowly...hubby just saw how awful and filthy the old vertical blinds are and had them removed...so, another expense at the get-go. We will get there gradually. The painter is slapping some paint on a couple of door interiors using sample pots I brought home. I'll be able to see how they look tomorrow. The cabinets are fairly unremarkable but a lick of paint should revive them.

BTW, he's also started painting the timber posts and finials. We think we will be able to knock them out entirely, but want to have a structural engineer confirm first. Cheers!

Sorry, Nik, I missed your post before. The kitchen tiles are a terracotta-orangey, with beige. There are floorboards underneath, and we may eventually pull them out and restore the boards. The cabinets are in process of being painted now. I chose Haymes' Chapel Grey. Also, the timber posts, finials and wall panel are now painted Natural White. I'll post photo updates later. Cheers!

Should be able to take pics tomorrow!

Here's an after shot of the painted timber posts and finials.

Hi Annb, what about the following idea they took out 50% of the spindals and boxed the others in. Those openings lend themselves to shutters as well

Thanks siriuskey. We can probably remove all spindles as they do not appear to serve as support, but first wanted to see how they looked painted. They are very busy! One annoying issue is there is no splashback for kitchen sink, so water splashes against the timber spindles and framework. I plan to replace the faucet with one with longer spout (gooseneck maybe) as the current one is positioned inconveniently so hands are squashed into corner of sink. I need one that doesn't create so much splash.

Yesterday I looked at Rustoleum's Chalked paint series. This is the product I may use to paint laminate benches and ceramic backsplash tiles. Bunnings dididnt offer the full colour range like in the states, but Country Grey and Charcoal are possibilities. I'm thinking charcoal for bench and grey for tiles.

Although that may be introducing too many colours in kitchen. Maybe reconsider using white for ceramic tiles.

haha cloudpants you made me laugh, I think all of us have been guilty of terrible decisions and left it to others to make good. annb, so many decisions x

Hi ann just thought to add a few more photos to help visualize your colour scheme

Haha, cloudpants, you are so right about the wowser wallpaper. One room had two layers. But the best was the two different layers of linoleum floor over floorboards in one of the bedrooms. The painter and I actually liked one of them (it was retro)!

Here's a pic taken a little while ago, of the kitchen cabinets. I'll also post a pic of the fireplace on the other thread.

Final coat goes on in morning then we can attach the new door knobs.

He even painted the fan blades to match!

Also painted the paneling on the half wall behind sink.

I bought the charcoal chalk paint with plans to use it on benchtops AND splashback tiles, but then looking at the height of tiles above cooktop it would be way too much dark, so am taking your advice to paint tiles white. Thanks again all of you! :)

Thanks, cloudpants! It has turned out better than I thought it might.

Thank you Julie, dreamer and zaffa! You are right about the finials, dreamer, and we will likely knock them out. Cheers!

Sarah, the cabinets are now painted grey blue as in above pics. The benchtop will be charcoal and ceramic splashback tiles white (hoping chalk paint colour closely matches the walls). This is my weekend project!

Haha, yes, Dr Retro, too true! The painter was having so much fun, I let him go with it as we both had same idea when putting them back up after I had washed what looked like years of soot and dust off of the blades. There is a light fitting in dining room which matches the three in family room, and as I purchased a new pendant for dining, I thought I'd see how the old light would look in kitchen. I really don't see a need to fan in kitchen, and you are right it is insufficient lighting. There's also a really unattractive and poorly positioned spotlight over sink that I'd also like to replace.

I thank you so much for suggesting I go with blue grey for cabinets. YOu were spot on! Cheers.

Hi annb, you sound like you are really enjoying the process of making the changes, love them and looking forward to seeing more of your hard work, cheers

Loving what you have done to the cabinets, great job, this was a fun
thread to follow!

I know new tiles are not options, but how about painting and stencilling them? I keep seeing lots of tutorials on Pinterest and I'm considering doing that to my bathroom brown 70's tiles ( but it's considerably smaller than your kitchen!!)

Daughter & I applied 1st coat of Rustoleum's Chalked paint - Charcoal - to kitchen benches, and Chalked - Linen White - to ceramic tiles. We cannot believe how much better it looks already. Pretty pleased.

Oh wow, Jen, that looks amazing! I'll look into that. I have also been told I can 2-PAC paint them. I do love the look of encaustic tiles and that stencil pattern looks just like them. Thank you!

Thank you both very much.

Final coat on benches. Just need to apply the top coat which is supposed to further help harden surface.

You are kind to say that, Julie. Hubby also washed and polished the floorboards in the two rooms we decided to retain. They look much better as well. This has been fun project; don't quite know what I'll do with myself after it's completed! :) although, in saying that, there is the garden here to keep us occupied...!

Amazing transformation annb, even liking the floor, a bit French Farm House cheers

Thank you, Terella! :)

Thank you Sarah Sarah! Yes, we will likely do that. Carpet goes in later this week and we will be putting up new blinds p, and drapes (greys) as soon as the rods arrive. Most of the windows are unusually wide, which made sourcing limited to online - as I didn't want the expense of custom made.

That's a good idea, Sarah. Thank you. Yes, there needs to be a backsplash. We swapped out the old faucet for one that overhangs the sink better, but still not ideal.