Even replacing old kitchen cabinets with new cabinets starts at about $4,000 for a typical 10-by-12-foot kitchen, according to ­HouseLogic, an ­online resource for homeowners.

"It was a very old kitchen, ugly and old-fashioned," recalls Fortuna, whose grandfather founded Arclinea in 1925 outside Venice. The company, whose components are designed by Milanese architect ...

I like the kitchen in my 1956 home well enough, but sometimes I daydream about ripping everything out and starting completely from scratch: new cabinets, new countertops, new fixtures, new everything.

2.Replace the doors only. This is called “refacing.” You pick out new doors and drawer fronts to replace the ones you have, and you keep the existing cabinet boxes.