White counters will be a huge change. I wouldn't paint good wood, but I don't like painting brick or stones either.

This is a picture of our oak kitchen after we replaced the counter with white. Loved the difference it made.

I hear you...if you are not a fan of cherry cabinets (neither am I), then paint them white. Your house, your taste, and you want to be happy in a room you spend a good deal of time. Paint them first; leave the counters black (for now) and see how that looks with the black appliances. Upgrade the pulls and knobs to the more farmhouse look.

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The white countertops, and how you accessorize will make a big difference - maybe start there, and then decide if you need to paint the cabinets.

Been there, listened to all the naysayers about the sacredness of stained wood....then finally painted! I absolutely did the right thing! I love your idea book "Patti Ogden" with the BM White Dove and the cabinet hardware that would be really great in your kitchen. Suggest you consider a veined countertop product like the picture as well. Too much stark white is too much! Also with the decision to level your island, consider a reclaimed or butcher block top for it. Your floors are lovely. I would also suggest that you find a place in the island to locate the microwave and free up the counter space.

Judging by the photo, your cabinets, are not custom. They are not a full overlay either. Meaning - you can do whatever you want with them, I would be just extremely picky choosing a contractor. I've seen too much poor paint job.

As Michelle Scott suggested - I would start with the counter first, add/change light second, work on what is on the counter and what do you see through the glass third. Then, if you are still think the cherry does not work for you - paint the cabinets.

I noticed that your appliances are black. Might be a challenge to tie them up with all white kitchen - food for thought.

• You don't need to paint the cabinets, they look to be in excellent shape. We recently bought a house with perfectly fine shaker style cherry cabinets but dark brown and yellow granite counters and a bright white sheet subway tile back-splash. Nothing blended very well and the kitchen was dark and dreary. We replaced the yellow/brown granite with a much lighter (almost white with streaks of black and grey) granite, a white composite granite sink and replaced the white back splash with clear glass tiles installed in a brick pattern. We also replaced the existing knobs and handles with brushed nickel to add more punch. You can also switch out the existing pendents with glass shaded fixtures to add more sparkle. Last up would be stainless appliances. Good luck!

You need a better layout a heck of a lot more than you need to paint those cabinets. Look at fixing the actual problems that the kitchen has rather than made up ones.

Go ahead and paint away! If you like white, then a cherry stained wood will not make you happy. These cabs will look very handsome in white. Very much the "look" you are going for.

Thank you all for your help!

auntthelma: that definitely made a huge difference! Looks great!

judyg: that's so funny, my old kitchen looked just like that, with soapstone and white cabinets! I loved it!

Michelle Scott: Thanks for the photos. The visual helps a lot!

patriciarhall: i love the idea of a different countertop for the island! I think I would really like the wood (if we do paint the cabinets).

Em Bee: Thank you! We replaced the lights when we moved in (they had some very dark craftsman pendants), but these are cheap and I'm not married to them for sure. I hadn't heard of Uttermost, checking them out now! We are likely replacing all of the appliances with stainless. They're about 13 years old. The pendants showed up on my computer, thank you!!

KB Design: Yes, I should have mentioned that we're getting new appliances in stainless! I agree, the black would be hard to tie in. I don't think the cabs are custom, they did mostly stock stuff, it seems. They definitely could have benefited from a designer!

Joanne: That sounds lovely! Do you happen to have a photo?

Sophie Wheeler: that wasn't very helpful...the layout seems to work fine for us. What, specifically, would you recommend fixing? We are working under budget constraints to an extent. Cabinet painting and a new counter/appliances would basically tap us out.

Cancork Floor Inc.: Thanks! I was a bit worried about the trim on the cabinets looking pretty craftsman even if they were painted, but maybe you're right!

miacometlady: thank you for those lovely pictures! I absolutely love the first one especially.

This is last cherry kitchen we finished.

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ps... I am not against painting the cabinets - it is a LOT to do - and if you are going that way, (and not an experienced DIY-er) please hire a pro that will handle the prep work, and do the cabinets in a durable finish. If you are a DIY-er and want to try it - go to your local thrift store, pick up a small table in cherry, and strip, sand, fill, sand, sand, prime, sand and paint it - to make sure you are up to the job of the kitchen. If that goes well, start with the island - that may be enough to make you like the look of cherry shaker cabinets!

I found one photo, taken right after we moved in. My brother-in law is making soup. We also added oatmeal colored cabinets (right side in photo) to create a coffee and drinks bar, which helped to lighten the entire room

A lighter counter top and stainless appliances will go a long way in lightening your space. A light tile backsplash might also help. The style of your cabinets, specially the glass fronts, supports the farmhouse look even in cherry. But if you want white cabinets, you should go ahead and have them painted. It may be a sin in some minds, but it is your kitchen and you should love it.

I think you have a beautiful kitchen...I love your cabinets and hardwood floors:) The upper glass cabinets on either side of the window are also lovely. Cambria Windermere would look nice with your cabinets