Natalie Yes-white or off-white. SW 6121 Whole Wheat or SW 6142 Macadamia for wall color. Pics for inspiration... Have Fun! [houzz=Fan Tree Wallpaper][houzz=Glace Glass Tile - Ann Sacks Tile & Stone][houzz=Beau Monde Glass Mosaic Tile]

sconway11324 If anyone has done this, please post your pictures!

tdelforge Looks like your countertops are white? If so that's way too much white! I would paint them another light color....hmmm

olldbobbi Yes, paint them white if you love white cabinets. But I encourage you to change your countertops, too.

sconway11324 The countertop is a Coriander countertop - Sahara. Colors are cream base with yellow, black and grey spots. I am not a fan but it is at the top range of corian. The island is 9 ft long so that alone is some serious $ to change.

My problem is that I have seen some white cabinets in the colonial homes but the white makes it look cheap and outdated. I am definitely trying to avoid that.

sconway11324 I meant Corian. These spellcheckers think they know it all.

olldbobbi If your countertops are cream based I would choose that as my cabinet color. You can break up the monotony by going with a lively backsplash that contains the yellow, black and grey in the Corian. The new glass tiles are beautiful, I would look for something there. For wall color I would suggest picking up the grey in the Corian.

olldbobbi Yes! Spellcheckers and SmartPhones!!!

Deborah Butler, Brickwood Builders Light colors (white, cream) are back in and really are timeless and classic. I would go for it. I agree with Bobbi that with your countertops a nice off white would be good.

olldbobbi Thanks, Deborah!

tdelforge I think a light yellow orbvery light avocado green tint would be worth looking into along with replacing your cabinet doors with glass paned ones, adds so much interest & dimension.

selenavaz I really like your color scheme. It is very beautiful. My suggestion to you is to leave it as it is. As you like white you can add in White tops on your table. White mats, hand towels, Flowers etc and just accessorize the place with white. Your place looks great and shouldnt really need to be changed.

sconway11324 If I don't paint the cabinets, Should I just change the corian countertop? If so, what color? Also, I read that Jan Moyer said the floors and cabinets should contrast and not match. Mine match. So, should the floor be darkened or lightened?

Michelene Lekvold What if you did a two-tone? Antique white on the top? And leave the bottom as is.

michigammemom If your cabinets are cherry wood, I would hesitate to paint them. If they are a lower grade wood with cherry stain, you might consider just painting the island a creamy white to coordinate with your Corian...start small and test the waters. As is, or white, that Beau Monde mosaic tile posted by Natalie would be beautiful.

Paradise Restored Landscaping & Exterior Design michigammemon you are pretty smart with your art! Nice post! I agree

olldbobbi Am I nuts, or do these look like oak cabinets with a cherry stain?

Amy Burke @ Florida Custom Marble So hard to tell but I think they are cherry with a "spice" stain. I will be blunt, please forgive me but if they are indeed cherry it is truly a sin to paint them. Perhaps it is birch or maple with a cherry stain, but the long straight grain is telling me cherry. :{

olldbobbi Cherry is definitely a nicer wood than oak. My cabinets are solid maple and 67 years old! Thank goodness they were allready painted when we moved in, because I would have painted them regardless of the wood and then I would have felt really bad (but still happy!).

Sconway, would it be possible for you to take a closeup pic of one of the doors?

sconway11324 Here's a close up. I have no clue what material they are - all I know is that they are made by Signature cabinets. I do know they are trained a light cherry because the light has darkened the color a bit.

sconway11324 Stained not trained!

olldbobbi Don't ya just love autocorrect!!! Well closeup they don't look much like oak to me, thanks so much for doing that!

davecarly Those are cherry. They will paint well if you chose to

sconway11324 My only concern with Natalies backsplash is the yellow undertone. Funny because I had to paint the walls a BM HC-9 Chestertown Bluff so that it could coordinate with the great room as the walls are all continuous. My husband's favorite color is red so back when I used to consider his design opinion I had decorated the great room with vivid colors around a persian rug. Someday I will have to redecorate but I have lots of yellow and dont want any more. See picture of great room.

sconway11324 So, practically speaking, if they are cherry...should they be painted or are they worth more not painted. I really hate them because I do not have drawers, the double cabinets have a middle insert that makes placing large pots a pain...but painting the cabinets will not change this so I guess what I am saying is that I am not emotionally attach to them.

Dytecture I would vote for NOT painting them as they look quite classy. Try updating the wall colors and hardware instead.

davecarly It would only change the value if the painting was done poorly. I have seen white cabinets that cost a lot more than cherry. Some nice hardware and a great paint job you will increase your value.

olldbobbi sconway, I have that freakin' middle insert in my cabinets, too. What a pain! Have you looked into having new, painted doors made? If they're made larger you can eliminate the middle insert. And having the cherry boxes and white painted doors would look neat.

I have a huge cabinet under my cooktop that I fully plan to rip out (with joy!) and insert a drawer unit. With no middle insert!!!

Amy Burke @ Florida Custom Marble The main reason one buys cherry wood is for the grain. To paint it, well, it might as well be pine oak or mdf. I am really passionate about cabinetry and all that is wood and that is why I am a cabinet designer. In the end if it isnt what you want than that is your decision and that is all that matters. Wish you the best!

jemorela Absolutely paint them white! I love the countertop - they will look beautfiul with it. It is always okay to paint wood. Looks like a big job but I'd love to see it once you are done!!

Elise Cherry wood naturally darkens with aging. You appear to have plenty of good lighting, change your wall color as it alters the natural reddish glow of the wood. Paint the walls cream or buttercream to pick up on your high end Corian countertops.

Nice view out the window. Can you raise the valance to the ceiling and still cover the top edge?

Take out the cabinet over the stove and put in a nice looking range hood with a beautiful, creamy backsplash tile going up to the ceiling. Replace some of the inserts in the cabinet doors with glass, or try an open shelf look first by painting the insides white.

I love the contrast of the white trim work to the cherry wood. Bring in more white accents and paint your barstools white. Buy a tall corner bakers rack and paint it white.




http://www.bakersracks.com/corner-bakers-racks/black/newberrycornerbakersrack1.cfm

Urban Ideas Inc. I would not hesitate to paint the cabinets. The kitchen will feel/look much lighter. There's a lot of wood going on there between the cabinets and the hardwood floors. I would suggest something like OC 51 or OC 26 from BMoore. I don't see the need of changing the countertop tough, whether you decide to paint it or not. What I suggest is that you use a nice stone mosaic (in Carrara or Calacatta) as backsplash in order to create more interest and to provide a nice transition between counter and uppers. Good luck.

dsnguru1 Check out the possibility of cutting the stile (center vertical board) adding it to the side of one of the doors. When closed it will look the same as before. You can then add pull out shelves which function like drawers. This is a lot cheaper than replacing all the cabinets. As for painting- your ultimate decision but I agree with Bobbi P. Love white cabinets, they are timeless.

Natalie Hi sconway11324---
your Great room is Beautiful! Very nice. I've been reading the comments and laughed when I read about how you feel about yellow---Yellow is my Least favorite color.
When I seen the photos of your kitchen after reading your dilemma, I immediately noticed you had yellow walls-so it gave me a sense that your prefer warm color. I also noticed your countertops were cream (the white towel hanging on the oven door gave that away) so again, I was given the impression you like warm. I took "warm" and white cabinets into consideration when I went browsing for backsplashes. The first one I found was the Glace Glass tile. It has cream, hints of muted gold, aqua, taupe, and gray. Looking further, I happened upon the Beau Monde mosaic and said aloud "aha, now this is interesting". The color is perfect-warm creamy (muted) yellow, gray, taupe, and warm white. All the same colors as the other (minus aqua), and in such an interesting pattern-I thought it perfect. Now for the paint colors---as I said I am not a fan of yellow so I found 2 colors which are very muted and are a mix of warm, ash, taupe/gray, and gold hues---I think you'll like either one and if you do decide to paint the kitchen, you would not have to carry the color into the great room because it would be a nice transition of color BUT if you do want to paint that room---I suggest a warm Khaki color (SW 6150 Universal Khaki or SW 6151 Quiver Tan)... Stop by your local Sherwin Williams and pick up those paint chips and check them out for yourself. Put them next to your great room walls and see what you think when compared to the yellow. Put them next to your counters and your white towel to get an idea of how the colors look together. Oh, and yes, as I said earlier---Paint your cabinets... It's a must-they're the same color as your floor-need some contrast... Keep us posted. Good Luck! Sorry to ramble-it's been a looooong day for me... CheerS!

jany8 I would paint an off white...then if you can get black galaxy granite countertops... I have a friend who has that with mocha flooring and looks very classy

Natalie Oh no---did I miss something-you're thinking of changing your countertops? Why? They're fine and they're neutral---and if you do decide down the road to change them, look at Silestone as an alternative to granite. Personally, I can't see you spending money on something which does not need to change.

speechlady2 no! please, No!

sconway11324 You are all great!
Elise, yes, I can raise the valance almost to the ceiling and still cover the top edge but this will cause this window to not be in alignment with my other windows (see picture) because the others have blinds and I wanted the blind headboard hidden. As for rangehoods, I have a 14 in tall downdraft installed behind my cooktop (see picture). Personally, I like the clean look of a downdraft. I cannot add a bakers rack; that corner is only 11" wide.

I loved the picture that you included -- this is actually my favorite style (Craftsman) but as you can see, the orange tones of the cherry cabinets are toned down by the black honed top and the wall and tile colors match the floor but complement the cabinets. In my case, the floor and cabinets match so the "orange" of the cherry wood comes out more. This is why I would like to go to white/cream. Debra Butler has a picture of kitchen cabinets that I liked (again the floors were light and the walls cream/beige).

As for paint, I have an open wall house. This means that all walls meet -- A serious pain when trying to switch colors and not make it look like you just drew a line and stopped there. I will say that I did paint the walls beige at first but the room looked to bland (then again, I did not have the curtains or the rugs). I will have to try again and see if it can help reduce the orange undertones.

Natalie, I choose warm colors because the house is big and I did not want to display size but cozyness - at the time, I did not know how to create cozyness with cool colors (blue with grey undertones is my favorite color!) so I am now trying to transform the decor in a budget friendly (or the next ten years) manner (ha!).

I do like Urban Ideas suggestion of a calacatta marble for backsplash but I think it might be too white. But I am going to buy a sample and try. I like the idea of a classic timeless backsplash.

Regarding the suggestion of cabinet harwarde, I have brass knobes. What do you suggest? Simple pencil stainless steel to match the appliances and modernize the space?

sconway11324 Pictures.

sconway11324 Here is the kitchen from Deborah. The cabinets are nice. But I don't think my cabinets are as nice so I hope painting them can turn out like this.

[houzz=
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nmadias9808 Ive done it . Its worth it. Get them sprayed by a pro, if only just the doors sprayed and rest hand brushed.(We are a residential/commerial painting bus. since 1922) Leaving them wood will maybe be a more durable finish but if you hate honey wood paint it! GET a professional and look at his work. You could refinish them painting cherry does sound criminal. Look at the driftwood /gray stain pictures on houzz that look is very popular and serene. You could paint uppers and stain lowers grayish. Then counters could be left alone.Good Luck.You blessed with a beautiful home either way.
Put driftwood kitchen in houzz search

olldbobbi I agree with nmadias, have a professional spray the doors. However, that doesn't solve the problem with the middle insert.

I have a radical idea! What if you were to sell them? You could post pics on Craigslist with dimensions, then after you sell them you could get the white cabinets of your dreams and not have to feel guilty for having painted them? Be firm with your price and you won't come up short for your new cabinets.

sconway11324 I have to admit that selling did not cross my mind! But i have heard that it takes months to install kitchens and I really cannot do without it for more than a week (I do love to cook. My Bluestar cooktop is my jewel!) This is why painting is so appealing - fast!

And yet, having the cabinets of my dreams...definitely worth looking into it. So, since I know nothing about wood what do you all recommend in terms of type of wood, etc. Where do I start? I definitely like the kitchen that Deborah shows. I would consider middle and high end cabinets (my neighborhood forces me to go up!) but I would definitely look for bang-for-your-buck kind of cabinets.

Deborah Butler, Brickwood Builders Thank you for the kind comments regarding the Rambling Road kitchen. The pictures don't do the cabinets justice. We looked for months at every brand available within 50 miles before deciding to bite the bullet and have them custom made - and they were less expensive than the upper end cabinets from local cabinet showrooms.

These cabinets are custom made in cherry, but if you are looking for a similar look, you could use alder and cut the cost down some. The grain in alder is so similar to cherry one would never know the difference with the light coat of paint on them such as this kitchen.

Michelene Lekvold Deborah! I'm choosing cabinet colors and that is the antique white color that I've been searching for! I don't have an island, so I want to do white uppers and a hickory colored lowers.. I live in a tiny town with very little resources...

Carolina Photo To Go LLC I think Bobbi's idea is a good one- to sell. Then someone can enjoy the wood. I have had both stained and white cabinets. The white cabinets over time will need to be repainted unless you move a lot. Stained cabinets require less upkeep.
If you choose to replace your Corian, I would go with granite. There are sooo many beautiful granites. I would definitely bring home "samples" to look at them in your kitchen b/c lighting and other surfaces can change they way things look. Also, I had a granite sample literally crumble in my hand when I was bringing it home- definitely it was not durable unlike most granite. This was from a small private granite dealer. Granite reallly made me love my kitchen. We also did like another person sugggested and got a stainless hood with a chimney - definitely added a wow factor although very modern. New cabinet pulls also create an improved look and a great backsplash.

sconway11324 Thank you Deborah. Looks like I have so research to do.
Natalie, your suggestion of the whole wheat color at the beginning of this thread was interesting...because when I had to look for a color that was complementary to the kitchen/greatroom, the weat turned out great. Since I have an open wall home, I painted the the dining room, living room, and entry hallway a wheat color (BM HC-35 Powell Puff) to complement. I have to admit that I love that color. And this color allowed me to used my favorite colors - blue and strawberry pink. I know these two sound horrible in paper but it is quite nice (i added picture). Maybe I should have used that color throughout the house. I really like color, as you can see. I only like white when it is all white with dark wood or earth tones (spanish style)

So, I am going to do research, paint a strip of my kitchen the wheat color and maybe the universal khaki/quiver tan to see how it looks and whether it will corrdinate with the living room/dining room (below). As you can see it is rather light. But this living room has souther exposure and the kitchen northern exposure. So whatever I paint the kitchen, it will always look darker.

thanks. keep all suggestions coming. you are keeping me busy and had perked up my interest in getting this done!

olldbobbi sconway, maple cabinets painted white should be fine. And it should not take long to do this. As soon as you have a buyer, you can take the cabinets down, and as long as the retailer has everything you need in stock you can install the next day, if your walls are ready. You may need to buy some trim pieces as your existing cabinets probably have trim pieces now. Trim pieces cover any gaps between cabinets.

And, you can have cabinets without that middle piece! You should be done with the basic cabinet installation in less than 1 week, if you can dedicate yourself to it full time, which I'm sure you will want to do!

If this interests you, I would take some measurements of your existing cabinets and head to Home Depot or Lowes this weekend and get some prices. Then you'll know what you need to sell your cabinets for.

jemorela i love the idea of starting with the island and go from there. Maybe swtiching to granite countertops would improve the look you are after. I woudn't move over kitchen cabinets - they are beautiful cabinets - but remember - beauty is in the eye of the beholder!!

sconway11324 I forgot, when painting cabinets, I should leave the island cabinets as is right? or should I go with a slightly darker stain to contrast the floors?

Natalie Love the cabinets Deborah posted... Is that the direction you wanted to take? When I read white-I thought white-white... No antiquing or stain of any sort. If such is the case, then by all means do not go with a patterned backsplash-do bring in your blue gray hues you prefer. CheerS!

Deborah Butler, Brickwood Builders Thank you Natalie.

Rio Brewster "I read that Jan Moyer said the floors and cabinets should contrast and not match."

It's your kitchen, not Jan Moyer's. I think your kitchen is lovely - even though I'm not the biggest fan of Corian. It would be a shame to paint cherry cabinets (I am not a proponent of the all-white kitchen) but again - they are your cabinets. Although I'd recommend a vanilla color with a glaze instead of white.

But it sounds like your issue is function - not the finish. I like the suggestion of getting rid of the stile and attaching it to one of the doors - then adding pull-outs. It will cost much less than new cabinets and I think it addresses the real issue.

And definitely ditch the brass knobs. If you want a more modern look, go with chrome or stainless. If you want more traditional, look at a bronze or pewter finish.

I would do both of those things before deciding to paint.

sconway11324 What I like about Deborah's - event bough they are not all white - is that I can work with what I have. They are washed over cherry color. I also like the different heights. Mine are all same top-heigth. The color also goes well with the floor and the corian top. The white cabs that I like would host $$$$$ and would not work with the top I have so I would be looking at a full remodel - I really don't want to spend that much.

Elise If you live in a major city with an IKEA nearby, they have great cabinets and also will arrange the install

Kelly If you love white- go white- but agree the countertops would need to change.

delucs Your cabinets are lovely. I think you just need a little update. Your island needs to be squared off. So my suggestion is that you keep the kitchen cabinets as is an get yourself a new island. Make it off-white cabinets with a nice dark countertop that picks up on the wood colour of the existing cabinets. Then add a backsplash that blends the colour of both countertops. To save money you could use the existing island cabinets reconfigure and paint them. Your only investment would be the new island counter and backsplash. And maybe new cabinet hardware.

If you decide to paint the whole kitchen you would be wise to think of wear and tear on the roll-up in the corner and the wine rack and plate rack. You don't want to undertake such a large project then have it looking shabby in a short time.

dcwjes If your cabinets are actual wood, they are beautiful. My grandmother went through her entire kitchen years ago and stripped the entire thing of paint and stained their cabinets. If your issue is the darkness of the wood, strip them and stain them lighter. Their beauty is the wood part. I rent and would love to redo my white cabinets with something that would more match the older house and the rustic look it has, but I only rent.

anitajoyce If you want white cabinets, then paint them. The choice is yours to do whatever makes you happy!