If the trims are made out of wood they take the same paint as the weatherboards. For painting a lighter colour over a darker, do the first coat in undercoat/sealer that's been tinted the same colour as the topcoat and do two topcoats. The second one can be done quickly with a narrow roller and not fussing too much with cutting in. I did this on a house 15 years ago and after a gentle pressure clean each year, it looks fleshly painted.

I'm not convinced that the more you spend on paint, the better it is...I painted with cheap ceiling paint by Behr today, 2 gals for $25! I used it in all the closets~ I also tried the cheap Pro eggshell for all the walls. It went on beautifully, and dried to a flawless finish. Granted, all the ceilings in our new home are not smooth, not sure what the correct finish is, very textured! So, paint is forgiving~ Not sure if I will continue to use this paint for the living areas :)

Hi, firstly congratulations on the new purchase. If you are on a tight budget then painting is certainly an option... you can do this yourself if you are feeling particularly DIY inclined or you can also have the doors and panels painted professionally in a polyurethane finish. Dulux does a great range of renovation paints that people tend to get some good results with. If you go the poly route bare in mind there will still be a significant investment required. Green cabinetry with timber accents would look great. Either a darker shade or you could look at sage perhaps, which is very popular at the moment. You could add some open shelving on the wall where the hanging scales are currently positioned. White is also an option as its timeless but everyone has a white kitchen. If you're going to renovate and this is your home for the foreseeable future dare to be bold and add some colour in your life :) Timber benchtops would be lovely but they are very expensive, especially at the moment. You could however add a timber top on the island as a butchers block type feature and update the back bench with either an engineered stone or a laminate. You could add in some brass or black handles and depending on how far you want to go update your tapware to match to finish the look. Good luck with the renovation!

Hi Nancy, Just thought I'd offer a few thoughts for you to consider. How much you change depends on your overall budget and how much of the house needs updating. My guess is that you wont be changing the window frames so why don't you include this colour in the overall colour sceme? I agree that the joinery looks to be of really good quality and it would be a real shame to dispose of them. I fear if you update the cabinets with a new finish, the granite will let down the overall updating. While these images may not be the right tone or style, I would suggest considering green cabinets and a light or grey bench top. The green on the cabinets could be paint or 'whitewash' if you want the Hamptons vibe. You could also mix and match and have green lowers with white high level cabinets and look at a 'hand made' look wall tile. Good luck, C.