Karen's got it exactly. Get new stainless appliances and declutter, declutter, declutter. Your kitchen will look a thousan percent better if you clear off the surfaces.

Kitchen · More Info

One of the things that does throw off the color is the tile floor, which is a cool off white and don't harmonize with the cabinets (and won't if you go white either). Assuming you don't want to go to that expense of changing the flooring, consider an indoor-outdoor kitchen rug to cover some of it and harmonize the different elements.

La Jolla Indoor and Outdoor Chevron Gray and Gold Rug, 5'3"x7'6" · More Info

I have white appliances and I like them:) I am not opposed to painting cabinets, but I kept mine wood. If this is an active household with children in and out of the kitchen, then there is a bit more risk of painted cabinets chipping and extra cleaning. Painted over previously finished cabinets do not have as durable surface as a good factory painted finish. It also depends on the shape of the cabinets now - are they fine or showing wear? If showing wear, then painting can be an improvement, but if they are fine, painting can lead to wear problems in the future. Also, if this is your mom's kitchen and she prefers wood, then keep that in mind. I do not have the same taste as one of my daughters. That is fine - and we will probably never advise each other on kitchen style:)

I also think a white kitchen with white floor can be a bit cold feeling - you will want to bring back in some wood elements to warm the space up.

The first thing anyone should do before planing a kitchen refresh is a good kitchen turnout - it is totally free and many find that alone makes a big change. Go through every cabinet. Things which have never been used should be given away and things rarely used can be stored elsewhere if space is tight. I have a smallish kitchen and store some rarely used appliances in a hall closet. I had a knife block, but didn't like the knives on my counter, so they are in a drawer. Look for places to put any item on the countertop that is not used daily or not a kitchen item. It took me a while, but I finally got my family to realize mail, homework, other papers do not belong in my kitchen. Having small children and an infant does result in a certain amount of kids stuff counter clutter, but try to reduce it - been there myself.

If this was my kitchen I would consider under cabinet lighting, a simple cream backsplash and a new curtain.

My kitchen:

https://www.houzz.com/photos/my-pics-work-in-progress-phvw-vp~110720042

My wood kitchen idea book - both new and older, refreshed wood kitchens:

https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/75202366/list/wood-kitchens

To jhmarie: What a totally great answer, and I love, love your kitchen--so warm and inviting. So, really, just doing a thorough cleaning a decluttering, under cabinet lights, simple window treatment is a great way to go.

To housegal: Thanks:)

White cabinets with your current granite countertop and floors would work if you were to update your major appliance to black or stainless steel. A quality professional paint job will ensure that your cabinets will be easy to keep clean without worrying about chipping. Excited to see your backsplash! Have you considered traditional subway tiles?

Thanks for all your helpful advice!! we decided to keep the wood cabinets and just stain them a little warmer/darker since they were so light. We picked out a nuetral color stone backsplash that hopefully ties into the granite. We did paint the walls a brownish grayish color, but it was before we picked out the backsplash. Not sure if the backsplash blends in too much with the wall color and gets washed out now. What do you guys think? Do you think another color may look better? Hoping to put under cabinet lighting after we finish up.

The backsplash selected is not a good choice with the counters; the colors are too "cool" next to the cabinets and counters. Look for something that is warmer.

If you have definitely decided to paint your cabinets, make sure you hire a professional to do this and choose a high-quality paint. Please be aware that, if not done correctly, or if used low-quality, paint can chip and crack easily. I personally like your cabinets as they are now. Simply removing the window valance, changing white appliances to stainless, and applying backsplash all the way to the ceiling would make a tremendous change.

Subway is a good choice for backsplash, but not sure about the color. Also, the little accent inserts look very dated to me.