I've noted the same thing. So, no. I don't think anyone knows what's in or what's out. Obviously, if you walk into a kitchen with cabinets that are ugly to you, then, those are OUT.
Watch a decorating show and they will repaint all the bland white or beige walls with color to 'Rev up the room!' Watch another a couple of hours later and the realtors will suggest 'neutralizing' the red room and the yellow room with a beige or taupe paint to appeal to more buyers. Stainless steel appliances are out. Granite is out. Yet Stainless is flying off the showroom floors and most people in my area are longing for granite counters.
Painted cabinets are tacky. Stained is in. But if you love painted and hate your stained, then, the reverse is true. Wood floors are preferable to carpet. But if you love carpet and long to vacuum, then, carpet is the way to go. Tile is out. Laminate is out. No.........wait. I think tile is in. Laminate is out. No. That cannot be true. My good friend who installs laminate is super busy. How can this be??

You're going to have to find what works for you. What makes your house look good. And if you are remodeling to sell down the road, then, look at what's selling in YOUR area.

Red

I think cabinets that are dated "scream" eighties or seventies, etc. White laminate w/ oak trim integrated handles, or pickled oak cabinets say eighties for example. I think you have to take everything seen on tv with a grain of salt. Adding lots of color is usually for the enjoyment of the homeowners. Making things neutral is oftentimes done in order to sell the house so as not to turn off buyers who can't see past a purple living room. Painted cabinets done well are timeless and beautiful. Painted cabinets done poorly are tacky. Stainless hits many out lists specifically because it's flying off the shelves at mass market stores, but reads as a neutral so will always be relevant.

Bottomline - don't worry about what's in or out if you want to enjoy your space for the next several years to forever. Go the safe route if you're more transient.

So here's the deal: the cabinets are original to the 1950 house-but good solid wood (ash,I think)and well constructed, just a bit dark. Very plain, no trim, which I like because I don't want to have to dust and clean a lot of detail.

I see new cabs, like in my mother's house, and they look like plastic, although she says they are wood. Very thin and I dunno, un-substantial, compared to my 1950's ones.

Whoa - granite is now OUT? And it lasts for ever. NUTZ to all these consumer-oriented trends.

Scarlett, I'd say you are very lucky to live in an almost sixty year old home that someone hasn't gutted the craftsmanship out of. It breaks my heart when someone searches for and finds the prefect older home just to distroy it's charm and modernize it. I'll never understand why they didn't just buy a new home.

I've dreamed of living in a Queen Anne style Victorian home since I was a child because of the sheer beauty of craftsmanship on their exteriors. Long before I knew what their interiors looked like. Well, I'm not in a real Vic yet, but my hubby and I have built and are finishing the interior as a modern day Victorian with the wide stained wood work. I have no clue if it's in or out, but we don't care. We love it and that's who we are building it for. If I had to live in a home built and decorated for someone that may buy it someday, I'd just as soon live in my car!

So if you love your beautifully made cabinets just the way they are, then keep that way and don't worry if it's concidered in or out. I wouldn't!

~Becky Without seeing your cabinets, which I'd love to see pix of by the way, I'd say you cabinets are classic and perfect for your home.

Well said and very pithy, redbazel. I agree with others that classic cabinets are, well, classic. You can't go wrong. Today's cabinets, while some of them are very very beautiful, are just not made like those of years past. I do not see how a well-made, simple raised panel cabinet without the current or former trends glued on to it, could not last forever or at least until it falls apart. I can always be stripped and restained. Or repainted.

The only thing about some older cabinets was that some of them tended to be shorter than what is appreciated today.

Another thing that has come into style, which I think is an enduring thing, is instead of the cabinets being marching rows of exactly the same thing doors and drawers, they have a little differentiation... their heights go up and down, their fronts bump out and back in, giving interest and variety to the composition.

If I had your kitchen and I liked it just the way it is, I'd keep it. If I didn't, I'd keep as much of it is as I could and have a few custom cabinets made to enhance it.