You could do something more interesting with the elements that you currently have. The white cabinets with greyish countertops, etc., etc. has been really very overdone. Many people are leaning toward warm woods for cabinetry these days, and you see it a lot in new builds, particularly of higher end homes. Personal taste is personal taste, and many people want the combination that you like - so, it is a nice choice for those who prefer it. But sameness can become very monotonous.

You could paint the walls in shades of grey, or taupe, or a darker shade of greige, etc.. and maybe bring in some light fixtures in gold (which is a classic that is also a hot trend right now), the gold would pick up on the warmth of the cabinetry and floor, and also looks like there might be a wood finish on island; plus gold and grey/silver work well together.

If you decide to paint, I recommend Benjamin Moore's Natura line.

" The kitchen is open to our dining area and living room, so whatever adjustment is made here will inevitably carry throughout the house." Will the kitchen determine what you do in those other rooms or do you have existing furniture and accessory colors that have to be taken into consideration, too, when we make recommendations. And does the tile go through into those areas? It appears that the tile has a pink undertone to it while your cabinets have a yellow undertone to it?

Watching answers intently. I love your cabinets, and am thinking of painting my oak ones this very color. So would love to see what goes with them.

Since you are going to be there only a few years and cannot do your dream color scheme anyway, I would not spend the dollars on quartz. I am not a painted cabinet person (i.e. if a house I bought had a painted kitchen, I would gut the kitchen before even moving in). With that said, I think it is refreshing that this kitchen is not white and gray, which has been so overdone.

Why would you spend ANY AMOUNT of money designing around "nasty" beige cabinetry, the MOST noticeable thing in the room, when the nasty could be a soft white and the rest perhaps left to very minor changes?

The color is completely hideous, sorry to say, and they make the flooring read pink.. Get rid of it with paint. The rest, for a three year stay should be very limited.

Focusing only on cabinet color I see potential if you can replace the floor and counters. However, Jan is right that painting the cabinets and walls a color that works with your existing counters and floor is the most budget oriented solution.

To answer a few of the questions above, the tile does have a pinkish undertone, but the cabinets do not have much of a yellow undertone in real life. That is more of an artifact of the poor lighting. The living room has a dark brown leather sofa and the space is bridged by an antique wooden buffet with a white marble countertop. The two outer walls of the living room are all windows which currently have simple long white curtains, and there is a fireplace framed in white that we probably won’t mess with. Any other furniture could be easily changed or replaced.

The reason we are pursuing anything in this kitchen instead of living with it until we move on has to do with function — my husband cannot stand the single basin kitchen sink, and since he washes the dishes, I’m not going to argue with that. To pull out the sink would mean the countertops would be damaged and need to be replaced, so if we are replacing them, we would rather they be closer in quality to the finishes in the rest of our house. It’s not a great reason to dunk money into a kitchen I don’t love, but it is what it is.

Thank you all for your help and input so far!

And going all white or cream is going to not take the blahs away. Consider a sage green or warm grey bottom and light upper cabinets...something like this as your counters and floor are bland and need a sharp color break. Paint is your friend here and consult with a local person good with color. Your lighting may need to be adjusted as well as it looks a bit harsh:

Can you take a picture during the day? It looks like your lighting makes the cabinets look worse than they need to... but daylight will help make it clear whether the inspiration pic above is achievable or the cabinets are really just a horrid color.

Could you share a ballpark of what your budget is for this? Depending on that, you may be able to buy new, prefinished cabinet doors in white, then you’d just have to paint the frames...

http://www.barkerdoor.com/

http://scherrs.com/

If you want to look at replacing just the counter and leave the rest, look at white solid surface (Corian).

Too bad you did not get a counter depth fridge that monster makes the kitchen look even smaller than it is.Some better pics of this space and surrounding rooms will help and the wall color is just adding to the yellow cast in the space.From what I see you need storage for sure maybe address that first.

Since you won’t be here long, I would keep the changes simple and the budget low. I know you want more and better, but your time frame and budget don’t really allow you to do it right. Changing the paint color on the wall could make a huge difference. In the photos, the wall makes everything seem even more yellow. I would keep searching for photos to help you work with the cabinets.

Are your cabinets worthy of the expense of new countertops? Are they solid wood? If so, you could paint them yourself with chalk paint. I would replace hardware with sleek handles (vs. knobs) on drawers & cabinets for uniform look. Just painted walls in kitchen & adjoining den Sherman Wms. Sea Salt although I had it mixed by my Benjamin Moore guy. Soft greenish, grayish (slightly bluish) color. Very soothing. Granite is good choice for kitchen, but just do not see how you can get around painting the cabinets white or gray or some combination. That color is virtually impossible.

Put on the brakes for a sec. If the only reason you are making kitchen changes is because your DH hates the single bowl sink, just buy a plastic dish pan. Then your dishwasher will have his issue solved and you won't head down the "if you give a pig a pancake" path.

Following

I think your cabinets are great. I think what is throwing you off is the wall color. I'd visit Sherwin Williams and start getting the paint cards. Lots and lots of paint cards. Try darker greys and blues to start. See if anything makes you go "hmmm".

Maybe before paint, you pick your countertop.

I think there are a ton of quartz varieties that would look great with your cabinets:

Blanco Maple (Home Depot)

Steller Snow (Home Depot)

Maybe go darker:

Bellemonte (Home Depot)

Calypso (Home Depot)

Start with choosing a laminate (money saving) countertop that goes with the floor. The floor is the one element you are keeping. Paint the walls with white primer so the green paint does not cast reflections. Then paint the walls a color that goes with floor and new countertop. Then when you are ready, sand paint the cabinets whatever new color you like.

If I were you, I'd get an estimate from a good professional painter for painting the cabinets. Doors are sometimes spray painted in their workshops.

Switch to warm white LED bulbs in your light fixture before finalizing your color choices. A color temperature of 3500 degrees is not too yellow, not too blue. https://www.amazon.com/Sylvania-Home-Lighting-73190-Equivalent/dp/B06XRTXZFZ

I think to the contrary, if you’re moving I. 3-5 years new or painted cabinets is essential for getting a fair price for your house. None of the other upgrades will matter if people can’t see past the cabinets. You could always hire a professional to paint your cabinets for less cost than new ones and less mess than doing it yourself.

I love that green, have it my house, but it does not go with the cabinets, at least looking at it on my monitor. Paint, brushed nickel cabinet pulls is all I would do.

I personally think new countertops and painting the cabinets are both good choices even if they plan on moving in 3 to 5 years. Yes, they bought the home as it is but when it comes time to sell and the kitchen has been refreshed, will make it easier. The cabinets look in good shape and a good paint job will do wonders. However, the laminate countertops will always be a dingy beige. Does it have to be super expensive materials? No, but the Corian or an inexpensive quartz are doable. Plus, they get to enjoy their home during this time. I say go for it.

Is that an overmount sink? My experience has been that overmount sinks change out pretty easily without a lot of damage to counters.

I'm wondering about glazing them? Not a heavy glaze but just enough to give the cabinets some depth and change the color a bit. It wouldn't require much work.

Let me ask you, if you were the buyer and this house had quartz countertops, would you be happy with the kitchen? Or would you be thinking... I'm going to change this kitchen.

If it is the latter, than I think you pick out an nice formica and rather than a 4" lip you put in a tile back splash. I think you would get more bang for your buck for resale. And definitely paint.

The current wallcolor does the cabinets and the floor no favors at all.

I like the cabinets and would buy the house with them. Just change the countertop and wall color

It might just be my monitor but the cabinets don't look bad to me. I'd buy the house w/them. I don't care for them w/the floor (the color of the floor, aside from it being a style of flooring I don't go for) or the counter..or walls..I like the butcher block island tho. So, if I kept the cabinets, I'd want to change everything else. If I were going to paint the cabinets, then I'd have to find a color that would work w/the walls, counter, flooring..or I'd be wanting to change that too.

I like Melissa's Stellar Snow suggestion for counter tops with the Sea Salt paint color/greyish blue or green. Painting the base of your island that color or a shade or two darker would help as well. A few more pictures of the area would help. Can you get a sample or two of counters you are considering and put them near your cabinets and post a picture?

Please no glazing , to me that is just making them worse.

I think it's the other stuff that should go first. And try different bulbs.

Beige wall, floor, counters and cabinets and none of it really works together. This kitchen is a perfect example of undertones gone wrong.

I like the tan cabinets but it's a color that has to part of a complete decor plan not something you use because you were sick of the oak.

If you are thinking quartz countertops, I would recommend Cambria Bradshaw with your cabinets. IMO you need a bit of contrast in the kitchen, and that quartz would help to tie in the other darker tones in adjoining rooms. I don’t have a picture to post, but check it out on the Cambria website.

Here is a picture that is a little more reflective of the true color of the cabinets. I am hopeful that changing wall color, countertops, cabinet pulls, and light fixtures will at least give the kitchen enough lift that it won't stick out like such a sore thumb with the rest of the house.

Thank you all again for the suggestions!

I strongly suggest that you choose your countertop first, and then find a paint that goes with it and the cabinets.

The first thing I would do is prime all the walls in white. You're going to paint them anyway so that will give you a more true idea of cabinet colors. Then change all your bulbs to 3500-4000K LED. That will take away any yellow that may be cast by your light bulbs. If you're moving in 3-5 years, I wouldn't spend the money on quartz countertops. Look instead at a nice laminate or Corian with an integrated sink. You can add a double bowl stainless undermount sink to laminate countertops now. I would change the hardware to brushed nickel. The cup pulls are fine but perhaps you can find an inexpensive knob that's a little more refined. Once you have countertops picked out and installed, then you can decide on a backsplash and paint color. Good luck with your project!

I agree the counters first and I think I would just embrace the beige change the lighting to LEDs in 3500 -500K range , the handles to stainless add some blue accessories mayb a backsplash with a touch of blue in it. Do a plain counter in a darker quartz and add a backsplash like this , paint

the walls blue like in the tile

Potential buyers would be sadly mesmerized by the tan cabinets. Paint them sooner or later.

I would not waste $ on a countertop on those cabinets unless they are painted or replaced.

The only thing economical that would tone down the yellow is to paint the walls. A matte grey should balance out the color. Stay away from any colors that accent the cabinet color.

If your planning on staying over 5 years, remodel now so you can enjoy it for awhile & it still be in trend when you sell the home. Kitchen major trends last about 8-10 years. Kitchens start to show a noticable wear & tear about 5 - 8 years.

I dont understand why more people do a remodel years before a sale, so they can enjoy the investment. Hard do a remodel that brings in the same amount of $ it costs to remodel.

If someone does a remodel & does not get the amount or more than the remodel, that would be a disappointment & waste of $. At least, if you got to enjoy it & didn't get a full return, there will be time gained of enjoyment.

$=time

Besides, a lot of people ripout & remodel when they move in to match their style & lifestyle. I have seen new homeowners rip out new remodels by sellers to rip out right away to do a brand new remodel. What a waste of time, $, effort, & resources.

I actually like the color of those cabinets and would love to have my oak cabinets that color.i say change the countertop and wall color.

Christina- It can get rather confusing when at the threads but when posting a comment you may want to look at the date of the last post as "related discussion" can be years since the last post- like this one is 2 yrs ago. And by staying away from an inactive post, it won't reactivate to the current threads. And more than likely, the OP has already accomplished what they wanted :) That said, there are threads that have been on-going for years, too, or a person may have the same question and will reactivate the thread hoping for more input.