New Kitchen Design - help needed please!

I am hoping to remodel my kitchen on a very small budget. I really like the shaker style wooden stained cabinet doors, but mine are an older looking style and the honey oak stain is coated with almost 20 years of grime, sun, and wear (DIRTY!). The other day while opening up one of my cabinet doors I noticed how beautifully preserved the color and stain of the inside of the door was, and that it was...shaker style!! Naturally, my imagination ran wild as I considered the possibilities: using the inside of the cabinet doors as the "new" outside! I LOVE the look of the inside of the cabinets. It would save me hours and the stress of sanding and re-staining my oak cabinetry. Our home is "starter" level to say the least (pretty much renter grade), and I'm not sure I hate the cabinets enough to invest much. But alas, the problem: Where the cabinet hinges were mounted there are two very ugly holes. Not sure what to do about these. I was considering some type of faux exposed hinges, maybe a mission style kind to cover up the holes. I cut out some card stock and taped it up to get an idea of what it would look like (This by no means is the final quality, of course, just a visualization tool!). My husband is unsure. I kind of like it, but wonder if I'm losing my mind. What are your opinions on the appearance of the hinges? Keep in mind, the door faces will be shaker style, not what is pictured. I haven't flipped the doors yet, in case I truly am losing my mind! Are there any ways you wonderful people can think of to mask these holes shy of painting the cabinets white (not a big fan of painting wood). I would be open to re-staining them, but have heard that wood filler doesn't take stain the same and think the large holes would stand out like a sore thumb. Some type of hinge seems the best to me at this point. Any ideas on styles or colors? I am planning to also redo the blue-grey countertops and would appreciate ideas on that as a secondary suggestion. I was thinking something darker. Just to reiterate, this is a very low-level home and I am just trying to love my kitchen in an affordable way. Would truly appreciate your opinion on the feasibility of my "cabinet flip" idea. Thanks! [ATTACH]27642[/ATTACH][ATTACH]27643[/ATTACH][ATTACH]27644[/ATTACH]

Hi there, I'm new to the forum but have definitely been on here for help with other projects. This may not be the appropriate section, so if that's the case, please have it reassigned. We've installed new kitchen cabinets, floors, etc... However, haven't been able to get around to installing the OTR microwave or the cabinet that goes above it. Prior to re-build, there was a hood fan which was hard wired. I hired a Master Electrician to remove the old aluminium wiring and install a new three-prong outlet in place where the new cabinet will go. However, yesterday, while planning the work to be done, I realized that the existing hood fan vent is too low for the exhaust on the microwave. If you notice in the attached picture, there is the new three-prong outlet. Just below it (maybe one inch) is where the cabinet will line up. From there, you'd attached the microwave, which has the exhaust at the top of the microwave. I'm wondering - what options do I have, short of rebuilding a new hole for the vent? Is it possible to cut a new vent hole into the wall and do duct work down to the existing vent, out the side? If so, would I attach vapor barrier and then insulate around the duct work, followed by gypsum board to cover the duct work and existing hole? I've considered getting a larger cabinet, but that may make it uncomfortably close to the stove (still up to code but it would make any tall person unable to see the knobs on the stove without bending. Any information you can provide would be appreciated. Thanks, Craig