Since you are doing white appliances, I would do the cabinets white to blend the appliances and find a different color for the backsplash. You can draw something out of the countertop for that. Or do white on the uppers and dark gray or even black for the lower cabinets...

The cabinets are currently white, and they show EVERY splatter. My reason for painting is to camoflage drips a little so major daily upkeep isn't necessary: I have two dogs and no mudroom, and all it takes is one rainy day and a shake or two, and I'm cleaning for hours. I don't think a white paint finish will stand up to that, LOL!

I don't think your countertop will look good with white appliances. Are the coutertops going to be new? or existing?

Is your countertop installed yet? Is your backsplash installed yet?

I happen to really like white appliances, and there's so many different directions to go with those. I definitely do not believe the backsplash needs to match the appliances, although that could work.....but I think that would be really challenging with the countertops. Can we help you pick a different counter?

If you already have the counters, I'd paint the cabinets a warm brown color, and hide the splatters better than white. It could look really nice with those counters.

So...The countertop isn't negotiable, not just because it's installed, but also because replacing it with quartz or granite isn't financially feasible for this area,

However I'm not commited re: the backsplash or flooring at all, and would really welcome ideas.

Oh and good idea re: picking a color darker than the dogs...both are redheads, but worse than shedding is the fine, muddy mist they spray on rainy days..that's a white kitchen won't work.

BTW, I'm upgrading lighting at the same time.

Mrs. S, do you have an example of a warm brown? Do you mean chocolate brown or tan?

I would go with a chocolate brown. You have to be careful with undertones though. Can we see a pic of the current kitchen?

Ahhh, this is where I could make a complete idiot of myself. I have many fan decks, and selecting a creamy yellow-beige (very light) for a recent office cabinet project took me about 20 sample pots.

If you don't own a fan deck yet, get yourself one. I love Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore, and color experts here are very familiar with all of those colors. It is very helpful to have fan decks, and I use them all the time.

Flowerful, I think brown or tan is a great choice. Use your fan deck and prepare to get many sample pots, and get a few posterboards to paint them up and hold them up against your counters in the morning, afternoon, and evening. I think any suggestion I make would be wrong, and you need to see it in your lighting anyway.

Another idea is to take a sample of your countertop in to a SW or BM store and ask for help. You might find someone nice and helpful (or not). Those are my suggestions.

I have both BM & SW fan decks...also many MANY sample pots: 6 greys, 5 taupes, 8 whites, 4 golds, 9 orangey/tan-ish/sands or browns. Not helping, LOL...I think because testers only come in flat sheen and I'll be using pearl or satin, I'm having trouble visualizing what the cabinets will look like.

This is REALLY frustrating...

As you can see, the kitchen really needs work...

Within a month of purchasing the house, all the thermofoil door/drawers started to de-laminate. Before throwing a lot of money at it by purchasing new cabinets--the real estate market in the area is trending down, and laminate counters/builder grade cabinets are considered upscale for the area--I'm going to try painting the doors/drawers. I'm fortunate to have a painter acquaintance who needs some tiling done, so we're going to swap skills.

As mentioned, the floor's being tiled, wall paint will be SW Shoji white, I'm putting in under cabinet lighting and track lights

Since you are going to the trouble of painting, you may want to consider adding a side panel to fridge, pulling forward the over the fridge cabinet, filling in the space between the cabinet top and the ceiling with beefier trim. I think black cabinets would look great

Great minds think alike, localeater! I'm thinking about black, since it's prominent in the laminate pattern, but shying away a bit since it's a galley kitchen. Also, I'm wondering if black will look "off" with the traditional mdf cabinets...

But thanks for the idea re: the fridge--it's moving to the opposite end of the kitchen, and I'm putting a tall cabinet in place of the fridge since there's no place for coats, boots & dog apparel near the back door.

Do the black lowers and white upper cabinets.

You know, you could probably do all new Ikea cabinets for 2k or less, especially if you wait for a kitchen sale. Are you personally going to live here for awhile?

I used BM Super White. Dark colors actually show dirt more than light colors. We are very happy with our cabinet color.

mtnmom9 I know...But the cabinets are in good condition, as are the doors (aside the thermofoil coming off)...this isn't just about cheap, it's also about keeping the doors and cabinets out of the landfill: I'm in a rural community where (Quelle horreur!) there's no garbage pick-up, and there's nothing like a weekly trip to the dump to make you realize how terribly wasteful society is...

Carol Fontana Could you post a photo of your cabinets? My target color--y'know, the color you see so clearly in your head but can never match in Real World Paint?--is somewhere is between pale sepia and backlit maple syrup.

I don't think dark dark will work, but boy, anything with white in the name won't work either--unless it has a brown antiquing glaze. That's because, while my dogs are really clean and fastidious (they detour around puddles and hate wet grass or mud) every time it rains (and that's been every day this spring/summer) they come inside after walkies, shake, and the spray that hits both upper/lower cabinets is a hideous shade of rusty brown.

After months of wiping that off the cabinets (upper and lower) I am so done with white.

Here are a couple of photos from when we were almost done. By the way we kept our white dishwasher which was new. Just a comment we replaced thermofoil cabinets. They could not easily be repaired. I understand budget issues but it’s almost a waste of money unless you are trying to sell. We waited 11 years.

Carol Fontana This looks fabulous! I especially like your backsplash...is it a glass tile? It would really work with my counter!

I do not understand how painting cabs will help the delaminating problem? How are you planning to address the delaminating issue?

Glass tile is from Floor and Decor. I agree with ratontoo. The Thermofoil cabinets do not mix well with water. Placing Granite on them will just make them look worse. Since you have furry friends, your best bet may be just to go with no change for now. Thermofoil cabinets do not mix well with water. Our finish started splitting at the seams, it was not a good look. It seemed to happen anywhere there was water. I would replace/add new doors and just leave the countertops.

I have to disagree about thermofoil cabinets... You have to get a good brand though. I have many folks who have bought some of the more contemporary foils and laminates and they look great! We also have door samples that are kicking around the showroom, traveling in peoples cars and none of that is happening. They look very different today than what is shown in the picture... Check into Ultracraft or even Kraft maid....

Is there somewhere else that you can bring the dogs in from outside other than the kitchen? No way would I be cleaning up after THAT every day.

Rantontoo & Carol Fontana My fix for the delaminating cupboard doors is to paint the base layer MDF, which is in fabulous shape.

Chess LOL! No mudroom, no basement entrance--it's the kitchen door or the front door into the living room.

??? So you are going to take off the thermofoil....on all the cabinets???

Get rid of the dogs. Then fix your kitchen. Okay...I know that's not realistic. :-)

No offense, but I can't imagine having to live in a home where the kitchen serves as the "shaking off" room for dogs. That's just nuts. You really need to figure something else out.

I have seen many blue and green cabinets (sometimes with gray undertones) that look pretty with white appliances. I have white appliances myself:)

Even though I have white appliances, I ended up with a cream subway tile backsplash because it looked better with the cabinets and countertops. You never know till you get to that point.

Backsplash comes last, so wait till you are finished painting cabinets to decide. Also, if there is any chance you are going to change out the countertop in the next 5 years, don't do a backsplash or do an easily removable one like beadboard or beadboard wallpaper because the newer counters will often not fit right with an older backsplash which is why backsplash comes after countertops. I am not saying you should change them, only that if it is in your plan in a few years then wait the backsplash.