Router out & add glass to some doors, & add lighting in cabinets .If you don't want to see in them , get frosted glass. Under cabinet lighting.

There's not much you can do to make your kitchen look brighter during the day short of adding windows. Even white paint can only reflect the light that hits it.
I would add the 3 pendents you listed in 2700k bulbs for softer lighting you don't mind having on during the day, and then change the can lights to 4000k and add 4000k under cabinet lights for task lighting at night.

I agree, painting the cabinets is not going to give you the naturally lit look you’re after, even though it seems like an attractive solution. Do all the lighting suggestions first— even if you decide to paint the cabinets after, the lighting will do wonders either way.

For more daylight, consider a Solatube. Much cheaper than refinishing your cabinets.

Even if you paint your cabinets, you'll still need lights on during the day.

I had the same problem. My cabinets were actually an oak stain and I wanted to lighten my kitchen up. I had mine painted Vanilla Bean by Farrell Calhoun. It made a huge difference. Your cabinets will turn out beautiful. I will attach a picture of my cabinets so you can see the color. It may be whiter than you want.

As others have said "it's the lighting" that is going to make the difference.

Your kitchen has far too few pot lights. I see a large dark hole over the stove.

The kitchen also lacks under-counter lights.

These two changes will make a huge difference.

Someone mentioned routing out the cabinets and adding glass. You could consider doing this on the two cabinets framing the window. That would help relieve the heaviness of the cabinets. You can fill the cabinets with silver toned or silver plate bowls which will add sparkle and reflect a lot of light.

I would never paint the cabinets. They are nice as they are.

A hardware combination would look best. This photo shows the knobs and half-moons.

There should be a can light above every appliance and work station and LED's under the upper cabs. I'd do that first. Next would be to change the hardware. Last would be painting the cabs.

Does anyone have a picture of a kitchen with routed cabinets that is similar? I am having a hard time imagining what it is exactly?

Shirlpp, I like that look! If I were to keep the cabinets color, would you still stick with the brushed nickel-silvery tone? We are getting a new cook top that will be stainless steel.

I counted and I have two lights above the island (future pendants), one above the sink (pendant?), and four more can lights kind of in a shape of a square to outline the kitchen. I do have a light under the microwave;) We are keeping it there rather than adding a hood as there is absolutely no other place to put it without doing more remodeling on the side where my fridge is (and more kitchen cabinets).

BM Simply White and White Dove are two of the most popular neutral whites.

Why don't you take a sample and try it on one of your doors (prime it first) to see how it looks through out the day?

here are some before and after that you wanted to see

BM Willow and SW Creamy

this is the formula for this color of BM,,,on the cabs, below

https://www.evolutionofstyleblog.com/2011/11/kitchen-revea.html

Beth H, so in that first picture, it's BM Willow, correct? And what does SW Creamy mean?

mav,,,there are two diff colors for the cabs. the darker gray island, she said, was Willow.

Sherwin Williams Creamy is close to the white on the other cabs. I think I posted the formula, above, she used for that color (it's her own custom mix).

"The white on the cabinets is a creamy white – a custom color that was color matched to the color I used to have on my kitchen cabinets. It’s close to the color Creamy by Sherwin Williams.

here is the full story.

https://www.evolutionofstyleblog.com/2018/05/updating-a-brown-kitchen.html

and this one is Simply White-BM. I really like this color on cabs.

All my trim and doors throughout the house are painted BM Simply White. It is a nice bright white, but not stark.

Yes to your question above.

My cabinets have pulls on all of the drawers and knobs on the rest of the cabinets. The kitchens that Beth is showing also has a combination.

Nobody has addressed the elephant in the room...I’m afraid whether you change the cabinet color to white or leave it dark, a lot of the darkness in the room comes from the counter tops. I can’t imagine beautiful white cabinets with those countertops. Are they new? I may be more inclined to lighten the countertops and keep the brown cabinets and make several other small changes.

I would not paint your cabinets. Get your deposit back. IMO the countertops are definitely the light draining element. I would spend the money on light countertops and this time bring the backsplash down to the countertop. Adding above an existing 4" backsplash gives a choppy look. Improve the lighting and change the hardware to brushed brass for a lighter look.

I know her counters are dark but they seem to be quite sparkly (Formica flakes?) so I'm not sure changing them will make THAT much of a difference (to the point it's worth the expense)?

I think you've gotten a lot of good advice. Before I paint the cabinets, I would put a bigger light over the island, something other than pendants, to give you more light. But if you need to have lights on during the day because of the lack of natural light, I'm not sure if there's a ton you can do in the kitchen to make up for that light. Does your porch have heavy screens? Is there something you can do in there to let more light in?

Take into account where the kitchen is located in your home. Is it South(most sunlight), West(about 6 hours of sunlight), East(fewer hours of sunlight), North(least amount of sunlight), and then make your decision on changing the cabinet colors, because as everyone is suggesting maybe adjusting your interior lighting would be enough.

Chocolatebunny123, the porch has EZ windows. It's quite a large porch--12x22 or so. No curtains or shades on it either. It faces West but there is a massive grove of trees outside our fence, so the sun doesn't last very long in the evening.

Yes, the counters are dark, they do have sparkle, in fact they are made of something quite curious that no most people who come over to look at it can't even tell if it's quartz or granite...

I will take all your recommendations into consideration and will start with our lights. I have two months to figure out if I for sure want to get the cabinets painted.

Keep in mind that the before&after photos above have been taken at different times of day and I can see several of the afters have been manipulated to look brighter.

I agree, address the lighting first. With a covered porch off your kitchen, you'll never have that Light&Bright after photo.

I don't know your budget, but of course skylights are really wonderful. My initial recommend was going to be under cabinet lighting, which are great. The white cabinets are really going to brighten it up a lot.

Oh I hadn't seen the solatube recommend you had already gotten! I think that would do the trick.

Photo of kitchen with less windows, less daylight.

Dark cabinets / light countertop / under cabinet lighting/ light walls

White cabinets / dark countertop/ dark floors

Glass cabinets using a smoked mirror to bounce light into room

@Njmomma you don't need to write that you aren't a pro when you post. If people only wanted pro opinions they wouldn't be posting here. Have some more confidence in yourself :) Your advice is great!

I had a travertine backsplash like yours in my last house and dark counters and even darker cabinets. We had the cabinets painted Sherwin Williams Dover White which blended well with the counters and travertine. We changed all the lighting to leds which is not yellow like incandescent light. Is your large window vinyl coated? It looks bright white. Maybe it could be toned down or use a white similar in your cabinet paint. For my project I was trying to match unknown trim paints to my cabinets and keep the counters and backsplash.

Painting the cabinets and changing the lighting made a huge difference by the way. I had an interior kitchen with no windows and the kitchen became less obvious - it was by our family room and blended into the background. I liked it so much better.

Ditto!! Ditto!! Ditto!!!....to et phonehome.

Lay white butcher paper over all the counters to see if that makes the room brighter

Since it sounds like you can't change anything with the porch, what about lights on top of your cabinets?

Can a Solatube be installed in the kitchen that is on the main level and has a room above it?

probably. They can bend so maybe could be routed through a closet or wall. You'd need to talk to a dealer.

Solar tubes need to go through the roof. You will need a large amount of tubing to go from the kitchen through a room on the 2nd floor to the attic. I think this will decrease the amount of light you get.

If the cabinets are in good condition and you are not planning on changing layout, resurface the cabinets and stain light - white.

under cabinets LED lights are easy fix. I

Another option is to replace flooring with lighter color.

good luck!

Options..

Option 1

Tile down to countertop to keep dark ct line horizontal.

Option 2

paint wall above cabinets lighter

Option 3

Get another cabinet to hide vent box above (if possible) If painting do beforehand.

Or build a box same color of cabinets & same depth as cabinets trim around & crown to ceiling (easier than finding another cabinet & re-installing.

Option 4

lighter countertop

Option 4

Painting cabinets lighter color.

Make sure it is done by a Pro Cabinet Refinisher. Not just a painter.

This can make the most difference, but it is riskier if not applied right. So research Pros & find reviews & past clients to lower risk of bad paint job.

Before choosing a paint shade. Install new lighting. Then choose 2-3 choices. Bring samples home & see them in day & night. Move samples around, too. Different walls/areas get light hues.

hope that helps make the best decision for you.

Do you see the comments on your lighting? That's the first think I noticed...the ceiling recessed lighting seems to be putting light on the cabinets instead of on the work surface. They leave the counters in the dark. And yes, add lighting over the island.
The cabinets look good. The counters look good. The bright white window trim jumps out at me...Maybe too bright white with the cabinets and counters. Maybe the trim looks too white because there isn't enough light in the kitchen?

Artistsharonva, very helpful! Thank you!

Sounds like you have a wonderful porch! Enjoy that but if it takes away from your natural light it just does....so adjust your thinking to just switch on a light in the kitchen. Get your lighting figured out. Many good ideas here for that. Big changes in your lighting will enable you to make a better, more specific color choice for your cabinets. Hardware is like jewelry. It can really add sparkle to an outfit (or a kitchen) but it will not fix the frumpy dress or the badly fitting pants. So don’t sweat the cabinet pulls or bin pulls or knob choices till you address the frump. And once you have better, more diversified lighting, a great white on your nice cabinets, maybe a new paint color...head to Lowe’s or Depot buy some cabinet pulls or bin pulls in a couple of finishes you like, bring them home and see which works best in your kitchen. I always buy a sample of paint and paint a big enough area to really see what I think, as well as buying some (save your receipt! ) sample hardware to try out before I commit.

A pale pretty paint color on the kitchen wall (I chose Ben Moore Gray Owl in my last house with dark Java cabs-and BM Stonington Gray in my tiny dark galley kitchen this house that’s gonna have White Dove cabinets) with white cabinets...is NOT going to magically bring you a bright space, but once you flip the switch on those pendant lights (don’t wimp out-buy good size pendants!) or turn on your main kitchen light, everything WILL look better and more welcoming.

Thank you for the thank yous.

I take notice of the way the posters respond to the great advice people give on here.

I choose to use my time & help the nice posters who ask for help who respond nicely to others & say thank you.

You have been a good poster, asking great questions, & receptive to suggestions.

Hopefully the advice people have brought to the kitchen table will serve you well in making the best decision for you.

Keep up the good work.

Positivity is priceless ;)

Whatever you decide, please post the outcome. It's really fun to see & it helps others with their kitchen dillemas later.

Artistsharonva, I appreciate your kind words! This is my first time ever posting, but now I am inspired to do more exploring of Houzz and other people's posts/ideas. Decorating is really not my forte and not something I enjoy, unfortunately--it stresses me out:) But I value the abundance of opinions from people who LOVE designing and be creative.

Now...I have spent already hours looking at pendant lights to hang above the island:) I am envisioning bigger, clear glass ones actually, under $150 each. I wish there an easy way to make my two can lights into one long triple light fixture, but I think I'll keep things simple and just get two pendants.

Again, thank you all for your suggestions!

Great idea for pendant lights. Cost effective, too ;)

We built a screened i porch across the entire back of our house when we lived in St Louis many years ago. It was on the north side and we knew it would make the kitchen and DR VERY dark, so we put in 3 very large skylights on the porch. Oh my, but what a difference they made! We had lovely light in both rooms as well as the porch itself.

I would caution you against glass pendants. They will hurt your eyes unless you put in Edison bulbs, and Edison bulbs have a dreary yellow light. Sorry!

Here are some options that aren't clear glass:

https://www.wayfair.com/lighting/pdp/darby-home-co-attles-1-light-mini-pendant-daby6349.html

https://www.wayfair.com/lighting/pdp/westinghouse-lighting-1-light-schoolhouse-pendant-wl4587.html

https://www.wayfair.com/lighting/pdp/birch-lane-nadia-pendant-bl4375.html

https://www.wayfair.com/lighting/pdp/beachcrest-home-mueller-1-light-mini-pendant-bchh8070.html

Good point, ElleN. I was wondering about that... maybe I should look at non-glass pendants. Does anyone have any experience with the glass ones?

Under cabinet lighting. The island needs to be cream or green. The countertops are dark. Light color on walls.

I really like your new backsplash, and I expect that you do as well. It appears to be in shades of gray. I would pick up the darkest gray for the lower cabinets and the lightest of gray for the uppers and walls.
You also need to up the lighting. Under cabinet for sure and possibly pots in the ceiling. Two or three brightly coloured hanging lights ( I’d pick red orange- but any colour you love would work) for a pop of colour.

The backsplash actually is all beige/light brown/creme:)