Personally, I really like the green you already have! though the second green from the top is nice too.

What is stopping you from painting white now? Of all the greens you show, I too like the current green the best.

I would use the palest green shade, I think it is the first one painted. I had wood cabinets like that in a previous house they looked great with a light silver sage. The lighter tone will brighten the room.

I would think if you don't have a lot of natural light, go with a lighter shade of green. That is what we did. Our kitchen is green as well, but we have white cabinets. I like the second up from the bottom. Good luck with painting.

Margo, I am still trying to get my husband on board with the painting the cabinets idea! Slowly getting there :) Thanks for all the suggestions so far. They are all very helpful. My 3-year old painted the bottom sample, which is actually same as the top sample :)

I saw a show on updating oak cabinets with moldings and hardware. You could do something like this and add a backsplash tile. If possible take microwave and small cabinet down and add range hood. Take down decorative items from top of cabinets. Update light fixtures if needed. Go with your lighter shade of green for more modern feel. This would make a huge difference and you could still opt to paint in the future. I'll look for pictures and post.

Here is the before and after.

Front view.

I've gone too pale with green before and it starts to look irrodecent IMHO. If you can, start with a neutral swatch and go to a green from there instead of starting from green and going greener. Do you want to stick with green or can you go with a Terra cotta color? i like that against the oak and you arent fighting The natural colors from the wood. I've struggled with paint in oak kitchens forever until my husband made/painted mine. I've gone from wall paper in one house, to mango, then to terra cotta. But nothing is better than white cabinets to me. I love them. So bright and clean. Makes our kitchen look so much bigger. If you're having trouble convincing your DH, take him to a cabinet store and have someone else tell him how popular/classic painted cabinets are & how it will help with resale. It usually helps if its coming from someone else besides his wife! It's a tactic I use now for most things that I'm trying to convince him of...maybe it will work for you, too! Or, show him the beautiful kitchens on Houzz and maybe that will help. Good luck!

Painting oak cabinets is a bit involved and requires a lot of patience and steps. I think your cabinets are nice, but I really do not like the greens at all. Sorry- I feel like it makes your counters look drab. What about something more sage in color?

Thank you for the great color suggestions and ideas :) This is really helping.

Grey/blue would work great. Silver Charm (Behr). I will attach a picture.

Wrong setting but I think Benjamin Moore's antique jade would also be a great option. Whatever you decide, just have fun with it!

Have you considered a darker brown? I think that would look very nice and let the lighter cabinets stand out more.

I think Cypress Green by Benjamin Moore would look great now, and in the future, when your DH gives in to white cabinets!

I love the color you have on the walls now. The dark color makes the cabinets pop. I have also seen a slate blue than looks stunning with oak cabinets.

I have no great suggestions for paint colour, but if you don't feel you have enough light in the kitchen, what about adding undercabinet lights? I'm not sure if you have the valances under your cabinets to cover the lights or not, but there are some very tiny (thin) LED light strips that you might be able to install. It would improve the the lighting on your counters alot.

oops - just noticed the date of the first post! oh well. What did you finally do? Post an after shot for us.

Here's the guide for paint colors and wood cabinets...oak has natural golden and yellow undertones to the wood. Therefore you should stick with complimentary colors of yellows and golds. Warm earthy tones, like the sage green that is there(colors of leaves), as well as terracotta (color of clay) work well as compliments. Yellow and blue are compliments on the color wheel. That explains why oak looks amazing with blue! Perhaps you need to be thinking about the adjoining spaces and how they flow in and out of the kitchen. Also, what are your décor colors for the rest of the home?
I cannot recommend an actual color to you without that info. BUT, I can confidently recommend that you do two things:

1. Go to a good paint store, like Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore. Look at their color brochures, which offer combinations that compliment one another. See what they recommend with warm, golden colors. That will help guide you. Maybe even away from green!
2. STOP PAINTING YOUR WALLS!!! All of those samples against your current green walls will make you want to start drinking. A better solution is to purchase sample boards, or poster board. Paint the boards. Then place them next to the actual cabinets and around various areas of the room in different light. Guaranteed that when you step back and see the board against the cabinet finish, you will know immediately what works and what does not. Good luck....paint is the least expensive improvement in your home with the greatest value!

Your counters are really pretty! I don't think the greens enhance them at all. It's a bit difficult to tell from the photo, but I'd try a lighter goldy taupe, try to pull a color from the counter then go a little lighter.

Thanks for the tips! The kitchen is still in limbo. However, I have read that Pleasant Valley blue by Benjamin Moore looks nice with oak cabinets. I may try that? We also recently purchases a paint sprayer and have high hopes that the hubby will agree to paint them white this summer! I will post pics once changes are made :)

If you go with the Pleasant Valley blue by Benjamin Moore, please post pictures! I have oak cabinets, and I was thinking about that color too! Good luck :)

I have honey oak cabinets (ugh) and painted the walls "stone brown". I have tried green and blue and gold with soso results, the "stone brown" is very flattering with honey oak cabinets

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