You have a pretty good layout except I cannot see if you have any "landing space" when removing items from the fridge or wall oven as I can't see that wall well - is the island close enough or is there some counter space in that area?

This is not your vision - but if you are open to keeping the cabinets stained, this is my wood kitchens idea book with both new and older, refreshed wood kitchens - painting cabinets well can be very expensive and not as durable as factory painted cabinets:

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

I was able to add an apron front sink to my kitchen using a "short apron" Kohler Whitehaven.

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

A short apron sink can be installed on a standard sink base cabinet. Otherwise you will need to get a farm base cabinet to replace your present sink base cabinet or have a carpenter do major work on the sink base cabinet. I found it too expensive to go that route and I am very happy with my sink. It is as deep in the inside as the "tall apron" sink.

I would not remove your pantry if you like it because of an ever changing idea of what is in style or not. I only would if you do not have a landing space for the fridge and oven and reworking that corner would make your kitchen flow better for you.

Thank you jhmarie! I love

your wood kitchen ideas. I have wanted a white kitchen for so long that I can’t think any other way! The wood kitchens are warm and beautiful. My

whole house has the same wood so I just need a change in the kitchen and I think white is the best bet so I don’t have to change all the other wood yet.

I love your apron sink. Do you find it stains? I have only ever had stainless.

My island is close enough to be my landing area.

We are looking at tearing down the kitchen cabinets. They aren’t built well enough to refinish.

This built in oven has never worked well. We have repaired it three times so it’s time to go. Problem is that it is a bit smaller than standard size so anything new has to be retrofitted. That is the reason we are starting this whole reno. Can’t put it off any longer

Thank you, I agree the island looks dated. Our plan is to change it to a regular rectangle. Unfortunately it means redoing the ceiling and lighting

I do not have trouble with my sink staining - it is enamel over cast iron. It does need cleaning and the older it gets (it is about 3 yrs right now) the more often it will need cleaning. Micro abrasions from use and cleaning over time will increase the ease of staining. I clean mine well about once a week, but the cast iron sink it replaced - about 20 years old) needed more frequent cleaning. I do not find it hard to clean and a sink needs cleaning regardless. I also have the sink grills which helps keep it clean and decreases scratching. When clean, my sink looks as good as new. There is a short apron stainless sink made by Kohler too.

I think you are smart to be considering new cabinets if you want a white kitchen. You are going to be putting in some expensive surfaces and I think that you will want those surfaces on new cabinets, not older painted cabinets that may need a lot of touch-ups over the next 10 years. Painting older cabinets is a way to give them new life while saving for a remodel, but I hesitate to recommend it for older cabinets getting new surfaces. Some paint jobs come out very well, others need a lot extra care. You also will be able to get a farm sink cabinet and will not be limited to a short apron farm sink.

You should do as best you can to go for what you love and can afford that also works with the house. In newer design pics I am seeing less gray and more white with warm wood - which will work well in your home if you like that style. Darker, cooler grays do not look great with warm wood tones - one reason warm wood was not as popular when the cool grays were. The cool grays can be a bit gloomy in my part of the country, and I think this is why I am seeing a return to warmer tones. To make your white kitchen blend with your warm home, consider a wood island or a small area of wood shelves or even new wood lower cabinets as most wear I've seen on white cabinets is on the lower cabinets. I recently saw a beautiful butcher block top on a white island. I used to have butcher block - a little more care but it held up very well. A natural wood floor would be very flexible style wise and work with the white and the wood if you aren't opposed to a wood floor.

This is an older pic, but shows the white with wood trim:

These are two newer This Old House pics - blending white or part white kitchens in older homes and showing the move away from darker grays and to warmer tones. The trim in the kitchens is white though in the first home, trim in some other spaces is wood. These examples of warm wood are not quite the same as in your home - do make sure the tones blend - but you will have an easier time working with the wood trim then fighting it. Even if you paint the trim down the road, don't lock yourself into grays unless you love them.

Thank you, I have no desire to go gray anywhere. I do love the wood with the white. Your pics have given me a lot to think about. This photo shows the room that opens to the kitchen. The fireplace wall will likely need to flow with whatever goes in the kitchen. That is why I am thinking creamy white of some sort will be the best

After seeing your living area, I think you have two good options to update and lighten up the space. You can continue the hardwood floors into your kitchen, with warm white cabinets, and the Taj Mahal quartzite. OR, keep the cabinets as they are, with an updated light tan floor tile and the quartzite countertop. Either way, I don't see a charcoal island working.

So a black island with brass hardware or is that out too? Walls will be painted also. should the fireplace wall be painted out the same creamy white as kitchen cabinets?

You have a lot of brown with the wood. I wouldn't add black, especially if you're trying to lighten up the kitchen. I think you can keep the green in the living area if you want to. Or use a lighter version of the green, which is a nice color in your space. A warm white in the living area may work, but you would likely want a rug with warmer colors in that case. Is there a natural stopping point on the walls or does it all need to be the same color? Especially if you decide to paint the cabinets white, a very light olive green could look nice in both spaces.

Black does show dust a bit - think of a black car if you have ever had one. You would be adding another element to work with which may complicate your design. I did a very quick search of white kitchen with black island and another with charcoal island and did not find much that also had warm wood. I found these two - the island color is difficult to determine in the first (teal?) and white in the second:

I like the use of black accents in the second without committing to a large black permanent island. It is good to consider adjoining spaces but don't over think the family room woodwork yet. I would want the wall color to be similar if the two rooms are open to each other. One nice thing about the wood and white combo is you can use either in many places. I would not paint the fireplace area wood yet. See how you feel about the white cabinets with the wood trim. The wood looks pretty and warm now. One step at a time:)

If you have kids, consider a wood island - I can imagine feet kicking the side of the white island, and nothing is more forgiving then wood with kids.