No, they look nice. It's just a fad that they aren't "in vogue " presently. It will change. It always does. I wouldn't paint.

I'm neither a pro nor an expert and don't know for sure what kind of wood our cabinets are. I do know that I like them and have no desire to paint them.

(Please excuse the cluttered counters; they usually look better than that.)

Honey, if everyone jumps off the bridge, are you going to jump, too? Me, either! I never see a reason to spend thousands of dollars on something I still like. If your cabinets were falling apart, my answer would be different. But I had maple Shaker cabinets for 18 years and didn’t consider changing them out. I loved them. I am with you on “ warmth”.

Great advice and comments , I feel much better about our honey oak cabinets , thanks so much !

@calidesign, I was actually contemplating just doing a solid white countertop instead so I’m glad you suggested that! Do you feel it would be better to do a white grout vs black with the white subway tile as well?

following...

white grout

Definitely white grout. You don't have a lot of space between your counters and cabinets and dark grout will create a strong pattern. I would add pattern with a valance or roman shade and a lively indoor outdoor rug by your sink.

Make sure your countertop and subway tile whites work well together. Some whites have cool gray undertones, some have warm cream undertones and it's hard to mix the two. I would use warm whites in your space. Bring samples to your kitchen and get a good look at them in your space.

I'm not sure how old your appliances are. When you are ready to update, I would look at counter depth fridges and a sleek stainless range hood. They will also help modernize the space.

@ deegw great advice , thank you!

Often older oak cabinets come with other things people don’t like: partial overlay, arched doors, poor layout.

The only thing that matters is that you like your cabinets, whether they are gray, white, oak, maple, whatever.

Yes, white grout with a white tile back splash, and a white countertop. Look at warm whites, not cool whites.

I think your stain is fine, especially if they are well built cabinets. Oak is expensive, and I would never paint it. Cheaper cabinets must be painted, plus you have to repaint them in a few years. Stained oak is forgiving too. They will get just as dirty, but you can't really tell like you will with painted cabinets. The last time I looked at 4 oak doors at Lowe's, they wanted over $1200.00. They were large doors, but geez!

With that said, I love some of the painted cabinets on this sight. Drool worthy!

Your home should reflect your personality. I know one couple who has a white on white house - the entire house is shades of white. It is beautiful and fits them. He is a Chemist who became a hospital laboratory manager and then became the hospital administrator. She worked in a nuclear power plant. They are wound as tight as they come. They are at least 30 minutes early for every party or gathering. Christmas cards are addressed and ready to be mailed by Nov. 1. The husband advised me to be careful not to apply too much fertilizer on my lawn last summer - he had fertilized per the directions on the bag and had to mow his lawn daily as it grew too fast.

Sorry - I fertilized mine and mowed every Saturday. Opps - I guess it was messy by Monday???

I love purple. I am painting my bedroom a deep eggplant purple. The rest of my home is taupe and purples and teals and deep reds. Those are the colors I love. When I do laundry I usually have one load of purples and reds.

My sister has one of the most beautiful homes I have ever seen. It was judged to be the best new build in our county the year it was built. She has 5 different species of wood in her living room along with green carpet.

We don't live in the pages of a magazine. We live in our homes. Every room you walk into in your home should make your heart sing.

I just read a post the other day and tried to keep my head from spinning - someone was asking what color to paint her kitchen and was told "Duck White is one of the most popular . . . " The OP had just said that another color that was far less gray was too gray, but answered that she would probably go with Duck White. I wanted to post "WHY?", but let it go.

If you like wood, you should keep your wood. If you love carpet you should have carpet. If you hate gray - don't paint your house gray!. If you have 5 kids and just want to sleep in your bedroom and never have sex again - paint your bedroom some very restful color. If you want your bedroom to be a sultry den of lust, pick colors that make you feel sexy and beautiful.

If you want your kitchen to be warm and inviting and love yellow - paint your walls yellow! If you are more comfortable in a laboratory you may like a white kitchen better.

Personally I prefer stained wood cabinetry over painted. Oak isn't my favorite wood, but that's just a personal preference. My cabinets are knotty alder but have yellowed so the color isn't far from what a golden oak color would be. They're about 20yrs old (chosen by previous owner) but I really like them. I definitely won't be painting them. If you like your oak cabinets, keep them!

Well I kept mine:)

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

Here is my wood kitchens idea book with both new and older, refreshed kitchens.

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

I agree with others who say to use a light grout. Darker grout can be too busy in a small wood kitchen. Marble looks good with oak - a sort of vintage look reminiscent of oak wooden washstands with marble tops. However, for me personally, I did not want to deal with the patina of marble, so went with quartz.

@jhmarie I Love your wood kitchens idea book! I definitely see how the white countertops have a clean, well suited appeal with the wood cabinets 😊 Love your kitchen cabinets as well!

I love my stained oak cabinets. They are 25 yrs old and look as good as the day they were installed. You don't get that durability with paint

I'm glad jhmarie posted the honey oak with the white appliances. My last house had honey oak cabinets. I couldn't find my pics of it on my phone. I really preferred the white over the SS for the appliances. The cold gray just doesn't look as well with the warm cabinets as the white. I agree with rose my oak cabinets were 24 years old when we sold the house and I'm sure the new owner will get at least another 24 years out of them.

I would like quarter sawn oak mission or craftsman style cabinets, but I need a craftsman house to go with them.

Jhmarie, i love the plates on your upper walls. I have some handpainted bowl-like antique plates (oxymoron?) that I would love to put on walls.

For hanging plates - I originally used the yellow disc plate hangers, but the one over the sink fell down:( I think it was affected by steam from the hot water when washing dishes. I've been switching over to the metal ones.

Great idea.

We used Cambria Highgate counters and then Marble backsplash. Our oak looks great.

Our second home we had beautiful oak cabinets. I had all ivory appliances. They were such an upgrade from the 1940s pine cabinets I had in our first home. I would take the oak back any day!!

IMO you should have been more careful in your fridge selection. They are not all the same depth and yours really sticks out.

Consider a low profile microwave over the range. That will exhaust and provide you with countertop space if your microwave is positioned there.

We were going to buy a counter depth fridge however , we got a $300.00 deal for a $3,800.00 brand new LG fridge so it sticking out was the compromise haha 🤷🏻‍♀️

I tore out 25-yr-old builder grade oak cabinets, and replaced them with custom oak cabinets. I didn't even consider anything else.

Before:

AnnKH your kitchen is stunning! Those ceiling height , wall cabinets make all the difference and agreed, no need to even consider painted . Thanks so much for sharing 😊

If your walls won't be painted white, wouldn't it look funny with new white? would the walls look dingy in comparison...

Natural green tile?

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Eversebz We plan on painting the kitchen walls white ( BM Simply White ) along with the rest of our home 😊 But yes, I agree if we weren’t , white subway tile might make the walls look dingy

Btw, although the green tile isn’t my taste, that’s a great combination with honey oak cabinets !

I found white and grey/ black cement tiles. Would that be of interest instead of all white? Idk if all white could much change the vibe of your kitchen... [sorry?] :)

An accent that I've seen a little, is window trim painted in an accent color - consider a color you have in your home, used a few times nearby too.

@everdebz love those ideas , thank you much for sharing , something I will definitely keep in mind!