Agree wiuth Barbara and anyone thinking iof putting a paint-loaded brush or roller anywhere near a vintage timber piece of furniture..."it would be a... SIN! Seems the compulsion of the mass renovcators is to paint everything....and its the easiest solution. Don't think happy renovators and DIY-ers have changed much over the years either. I have just finished stripping five coats of enamel from the most beautiful set of silky oak french doors with etched frosted glass...how many SINS there!!! Silky oak is an open grain timber so the last coats had to be done by the funny little man out in his bush shack restoration shed...and Oh what a beautiful job! I am over the moon and do not care what it cost...although it was not a lot compared to what I'd have paid in Sydney. Here a tip for any appreciators...(.if there are any left) of fine timbers. All you need is an old enamel bath tub and gallons of metholated spirits....just give it a bath and save yourself hours of scraping and fumes and burns. SORRY about the deviatiuon but this is my latest Soap Box...don't paint vintage timber! About your problem Wendi, I think, with Barbara, wait until you have your whole dining set and then stain the piece to fit in with the timber in that...( unless you are going to get a white one...( tongue in cheek). I've seen some really nice dining sets with the best of both ...legs and table frame in a (cringe) painted colour and table top in timber...saw a really desirable inlaid table top at my favourite little man's shed last week..the rest was painted and had a drawer for each place....with old metal handles. Legs were on castors.. The chair seats were upholstered...but needed recovering and the frames were metal...could have been an alloy of sorts. The combination of unpainted- stained timber..especially in inlay, with the painted parts, the metal frames and upholstered chairs just fitted together perfectly...so best of both. You migh be lucky enough to find the perfect table with a natural timber top...( and I wish you to find one with an inlaid design featurting timbers of different hues....) then your lovely little cabinet/sideboard might fit perfectly! There are some lovely timber stains around today...timber can be stained any colour...as long as its a transparent dye. A wonderful product is FEZLAC...that's the base and it is a shellac. To this you add the stain -colour you want. I've used it to put designs (fake inlay) on the backs of some really lovely old chairs...imitating the different natural timber hues in real inlay....So above are a few words, tales and suggestions that I hope will inspire you NOT to paint that cabinet.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I am amazed at the response! I think we will go ahead and change the benchtops, replace the cooktop with stainless steel, a new rangehood, splashbacks and new door and drawer handles and possibly a new sink and taps. We will consider painting the beam and post and add a modern blind to the window. Then if we are still not happy, maybe we can rethink the painting of the cupboards? Actually, I like the timber, so if these changes work I will be more than happy to leave them as they are. Our floor tiles are relatively new and are throughout the entire downstairs area. Also, the wall paint we know is not the right tone (for the floor tiles) but is in good nick and will be remaining until we are ready to repaint. Rome wasn't built in a day but I will add photos when we start the process and you can follow our progress. Thanks again

Hi Clikmania, i have just renovated my son's split level home and installed totally new kitchen, i chose black mirrored splashbacks with black benchtops, white drawer fronts and stainless steel appliances, your kitchen looks great and i think would look great with the black mirrored splashbacks also. I will add photos for you asap( the ones i have don't show up very well)

Besides the fact that it isn't my style (and thus I agree with oklouise to sell on ebay...), the first thing which strikes me, is the crammed working area: stove/ sink/ prep. How can you operate in that space? Other side appears to be too far away to be practical? Then the fridge! If you have an expensive and very ornate kitchen, you can't have a free standing fridge! One way or another your fridge has to be integrated, which brings you back to the style question. Either you like the style and just want to i.e.white wash it (liked that option, if you are into beachy, country), then you need a matching door made up (I'd calculate 2K) and buy an integrated fridge (A$ 2-4K) or you don't like the deco, lay-out, impractical space and want to replace it all, then you can possibly get away with a free-standing fridge in a much less ornate kitchen. If you basically don't mind the kitchen and can work well in the crammed working area, or your budget doesn't stretch to a new one (think about $ 25k+), I agree with the white wash solution and taking off all the excessive ornaments and trims, putting in a flat SS or glass range hood. Also install rails with hooks next to cook top and hang your utensils, you need every square inch on the counter! Microwave to be incorporated perhaps under oven and off benchtop. Maybe spend the money and buy a matching Miele microwave, will look nice with the oven. Look into brightening the gloomy kitchen (on top of white wash) by changing the black bench top and splash backs with light ones. It might save $$ if you just get the ex one covered ( I guess about A$ 6-7k). If it was my kitchen I would definitely sell it, before spending all that money on bench tops, fridge door, integrated fridge, m/w integration, removal of trims, painting, splash back etc. and still end up with a mediocre and impractical kitchen. Would be very interested to see more of your actual style. Can only make out an Ikea shelving unit on one photo... Your decision has a lot to do with the longevity (and cost) of a kitchen, your actual style and the practicability of the ex kitchen! If you can afford it, think long term and maybe save up for THE kitchen you want. If you want some tips on how to keep costs in check and still get a great result for a new kitchen, just contact me. Good luck.