I kept my oak cabinets and refreshed with new quartz countertops, backsplash and farmhouse sink. My style leans cottage / vintage so working with the older cabinets was not a problem for me. I do have some painted cabinets in my home. I painted some of the original 70's kitchen cabinets and put them in my laundry room and one vanity is painted. When I wanted to refresh my kitchen, I decided I really like the warmth of the wood in the kitchen. To keep the kitchen light, I went light on countertop and backsplash. I also went with the Kohler Whitehaven "short apron" farmhouse sink. The "short apron style can be installed on a standard sink base cabinet. It is a bit pricy, but it is a fantastic sink that will last decades. I put off my refresh a few months to save up for the sink. A few years ago I retrofitted the plate rail into a cabinet. If it works for your kitchen, you can have the center panel removed from some of the cabinets and replaced with glass.

Even though my cabinets are wood, my kitchen is lighter, warmer and brighter than some of the gray / white kitchens. Last week I had the same quartz put on my island that is on the countertops, but have not updated all my pics yet:

https://www.houzz.com/photos/my-pics-work-in-progress-phvw-vp~58830325

https://www.houzz.com/photos/my-pics-work-in-progress-phvw-vp~71048330

Many have refreshed wood cabinets in other styles. Here are two recent threads on wood kitchens. The pictures of the completed kitchen is at the end of this thread:

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/help-with-backsplash-dsvw-vd~4599697

Here is another one. You can check out the poster's idea books for more pics:

https://www.houzz.com/photos/remodel-2017-phvw-vp~89845512

Here are some wood /oak kitchens from Pinterest:

Thank you, J. We share similar tastes and I'm glad to see you also like white appliances vs. chrome or black! I appreciate your input.