do you have a pic of any of the cabinets you are considering? Or the type of wood? The factory finish "painted" cabinets will hold up just like the stained ones. They both have the same finish on them. I think a nice cream toned cabinet would look nice w/all your warm wood. I would do something light since the kitchen is rather small.

if you did a light wood, it would look something like this

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I like this cream tone w/the wood and I also like the blue (not all 3 together)

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I think a nice overall light tone would look great w/all your wood but w/a different countertop.

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your kids won't be toddlers forever so don't buy cabinets based just on that!

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Well, I have oak cabinets and a wood floor and it does not seem like too much wood. (My kitchen is in my "my pics" idea book. https://www.houzz.com/photos/my-pics-work-in-progress-phvw-vp~58830325 )

I even have a butcher block top to my island. Like you I have white appliances and a reduced number of upper cabinets. I would not go with too dark a stain with the white appliances because it can be too much contrast.

I also have a white Kohler Whitehaven farmhouse sink and light countertops and backsplash. This all counters the wood.

Do put in a nice hood. I am glad to see you moving the microwave over from over the range.

Do a search of "wood cabinets wood floors" on Houzz and Google images to see other kitchens with a fair amount of wood.

IMO that will be too much wood BTW painted cabinets have been around forever and have stood the test of time and IMO a much better choice for this space with wood floors and ceiling

Beth H - thanks for your feedback. I was thinking we can use the dark cabinets like the ones in the below photos. The last two has wood ceiling sort of like mine...

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I like the lower cabinet colors on this one

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Well, the main thing would be to get enough contrast -- maybe your floor and ceiling are light and your cabinets are darker, so you don't get the "living inside a cigar box" feeling. But I'd sure hate all that dark cabinetry in a small kitchen, even with a light counter, so I'd push your husband to relent on the paint. Light cabinets will help your appliances feel at home (the white will seem glaring in an espresso context), and will give you a huge degree of leeway in picking a counter and other finishes... (Maybe if you tell him that everything you save on cabinets by buying wood would then be spent on pricier counters and lighting, he'd think again!)

Mdal- can you give us a pic of the cedar ceiling? That's a part of the wood consideration that I can't quite "see".

I like the idea of two-tone cabinets. That could be gorgeous as well as a compromise.

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jhmarie - your kitchen is lovely! I thought of the same thing - it may be too much of contrast with white appliances and dark cabinets, but I like the look of darker cabinets... We moved microwave per my husband's request. He hates having a microwave above a stove. He said the vent doesn't even work, so we're moving it to accommodate his request.

@902juanita That's her second photo.

902juanita - check my second picture - the photo is tilted, but that has the color of the cedar ceiling.

Glo European Windows & Doors - thanks! I like the ceiling too, so I do like to keep it. I like 2 toned cabinets (upper white and lower dark), but isn't it just a trend?

acm - thanks for the feedback! I like 2 toned cabinets as well. My husband is a very traditional guy, so I don't know if he's adventurous enough to go with 2 tones. And our contractor was kind of reluctant to do that as well if I recall... He said something like it's just today's trend and won't be same 20 years later...

From a sales point of view, everything is a trend, and the cycle is getting shorter and less predictable. From a living there point of view, all that matters is that you love the look and the functionality. That it works with your house and your lifestyle. You'll know it's new and personalized, and you shouldn't care if the trend is something else in a few years.

Edited to add:

That is, when I design a kitchen for a house I intend to resell, I make the kitchen white and gray, to appeal to current buyers, but when I did my own kitchen, I made it cherry with white counters (and gray stone backsplash) because that's what my family loves. You should get what you like.

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:)

Thanks, Mdal and acm. I wasn't sure what I was seeing.

I like the two tone look if you want dark. dark on the bottom cabs. I think if you did all dark, with all the other lighter wood, it would be too much.

acm - thank you so much for your feedback. Your examples are very convincing, and both of your kitchens look very nice! You're so right - functionality is everything to me for this new kitchen as our current one is not working very well. I guess my husband and I have different preference on what our kitchen should look like... I'll have to have more discussion with him :)

Sometimes location can make a difference. In my area stained cabinets are still very popular. I was recently visiting family and friends in a midwestern city not too far away and no one plans on changing out their wood cabinets - many which are from the 90s. Midwestern practicality tends to be less trend orientated.

Places that experience long winters / gray skies and / or snow are less incline to lots of white and gray in the kitchen - though white kitchens, usually without much gray, but with color are also on the rise. Sunny and warm areas seem more incline to white and gray with less wood and more neutral decor. If it is sunny and warm outside, cool and neutral feels good inside. If it is cold and gray outside, cozy and warm feels good inside.