I would like wooden cabinets with light stain. I don't know the correct term, I think of it as light oak. When we renovated our last kitchen that is what we got. I would not get black or white, I don't care much for contrast and white would show every scratch. I like my home colors to blend well together, nothing stark. I add color with my things I put in it.

I have white cabinets in my kitchen and just got a stained alder vanity in my guest bath. I had envisioned a mid-tone stain, but it looks quite dark in the actual space. As a single lower cabinet, it's fine. I wouldn't want a kitchen full of cabinets this dark. I kinda wish I'd gotten white but I'll get over it in about a week. :)

I really like white for bathrooms - it looks so clean and fresh. I grew up in a house with a painted white vanity in the bathroom. But it was painted with a brush, so when the time came, we just repainted it. It would be hard to touch up something with a sprayed finish.

Perhaps the better question is which finish would be more durable? The stained and varnished wood is tough to touch up, too. White actually shows alot less dirt than black does IMO. However, a light or mid-toned wood would probably still hide more than white.