Does not look like a popular thing to do! The person recommended by one of my neighbor says he can do it, but I am nervous. I can't look at his previous work as he painted my neighbors cabinets. Was hoping for some inspirations here and some pointers!

Restraining as what? Oak has a very distinctive grain. It's currently not a popular wood. I would paint the cabinets as warm French vanilla white.

I personally was thinking about a warm grey. But wanted to see what others have done and get some insights into the process.

Restaining oak is very difficult, especially if you are trying to go lighter. You almost have to use wood bleach after stripping the finish that's on it now. It is very messy, and time consuming. Painting would be much less cost. Having said that, if you are wanting to go darker, Polyshades, by Minwax, is the way I would approach the job. Polyshades is a polyurethane with stain in it, but is only good for going darker. I've been doing this for over 25 years. If you need more advice on this you are more than welcome to message me.

I'm a big fan of exterior wood stains. It's waterproofing, low-odor, and a breeze to clean! (Including greasy splashes of browned butter I though for sure would leave a stain.) :-) By going with a transparent or semi-solid color, you can lighten, darken, or tint however you want. A great way to test out ideas is to find a similar oak piece at a garage sale, Goodwill, or thrift shop. Then, buy small sample sizes of stain and test on your piece until you come-up with something you like. Going this route does not require stripping the wood. Simply give a thorough rub-down with liquid sander, and a light sanding. The stain sticks like a dream!