My countertop in my condo's kitchen is falling apart so it needs to be definitely replaced but this got me thinking that I should paint or re-stain my cabinets. Below is an old picture - it more or less looks like this except that the microwave above the stove is stainless steel. The easiest thing for me to do would be to keep the look as it is but the countertop-cabinet color combo seem outdated to me - from the early 2000s - and needs a bit of refresh, or is it not outdated...? I've contemplated re-staining the wood darker and putting a light greyish countertop like in the 2nd picture. I've also thought about painting the cabinets a neutral light grey and putting a white-grey countertop so that it balances out the white appliances more like in the 3rd picture. I'm on a limited budget so am allocating most of it to the countertop which will be professionally done and will be repainting/restaining the cabinets myself along with updating the hardware. The flooring in the kitchen will be replaced but after. Also, can I replace the countertop first and then repaint/restain the cabinets since I'm not refinishing/refacing/replacing? I know it's generally done the other way... Any guidance would be appreciated!! As an aside, I am contemplating selling the unit in the near future.