Some visuals to get you thinking

SW Dover White and SW Enduring Bronze

SW Dover White and SW Plum Brown

SW Dover White and SW Black Bean

SW Dover White and SW Virtual Taupe

SW Virtual Taupe

SW Tony Taupe

SW Dover White and SW Tony Taupe

White with blue? Or green?
You can do white uppers color on the lowers and island. Or white everything color on just the island.
I’d also add hardware. Great space with a lot of potential for the future

No black appliances, they gobble up light and honestly always look cheap. Stay with stainless , plain old stainless and you won't go wrong. Make sure all the bulbs are LEDs 4000K and IMO do not choose a color until you are in the space since the lighting has to be considered and that counter also. I have no idea of your style I also do not think these are walnut cabinets they are much too light .What is the material on the counters ? More info gets more help but usually before doing anything as major as painting cabinets should be decided after living in the space for at least 3-6 months . No point in spending $$$$$ on a kitchen that does not function for you. BTW painting cabinets is IMO never a DIY job so be prepared for a huge expense to do these properly.

@Melissa this is awesome! Thank you so much for the visuals.. Helps a lot. How did you do that? It's it a software I need exactly that. By the way this showed me that my gut with white was kind of right. It takes away the personality of the room.

@HU-187528210
Yes! White with blue was one of my wishes. But more white upper cabinets, and light honey oak on the bottom and island.
Or as you said white everything except the island.

@Patricia I know what you mean with the appliances. The previous owner just bought the oven, microwave and dishwasher no point changing them. I bought the fridge a black stainless steel to match them but look more elegant than plastic. Also the lights are 4k. You are very right about staying there before changing the colors. I guess I'm a bit carried away with the idea of new feel of kitchen before moving in but I see what you mean. I am in no way attempting a DIY.. I was going to engage a reputed service company.

@HU-469669671 agree on getting a good painter. I'm talking to someone with very good reviews and referenced by family. This is all only if I get anyone good before my move in else I'm going to do it later.

Thank you so for the suggestions.. Very helpful

Sherwin Williams site has the visualizer tool ColorSnap® Visualizer for Web (sherwin-williams.com)

The cabinets looks good. I would just add some hardware to them. After everyone on earth paints their cabinets white, some other style will come along to make us spend more money so we won’t be “dated”.

I'm on the no paint team. Add hardware, use the money for stainless steel appliances and maybe change out the pendants and dining room light

The photos of the current kitchen look so much better than the inspiration photos. The current kitchen has warmth. The others look dead and lifeless.

Looks like the popular vote is keep everything as is and change out the appliances. Given this is my first house and my first imagination of what things can be I think that approach seems safest.

You can get a different appearance with your OAK cabinets if you apply BriWax in Dark Brown

First that is not DARK. Second the wood is most likely medium stained red oak. Wood is the most updated preferred choice in cabinetry. People discovered it's how you know you have real solid wood and not some cheap composite. Wood is REAL and is always beautiful. Oak will show the grain and will not give you the typical smooth white finish that is popular down south. Painting is a fad that is on it's way out so if you don't like 'old' I would not paint. I will always disagree with stainless choices. All I hear is co-workers complaining about the up keep. It's cold and industrial. Never ever would I have it. Almond is no longer an option so white if you love white so much would be the way to go.

The counters look white and gray, yes? (Some of the photos make it look beige.) If so, I'd go with a dark blue or a dark gray.

Hale Navy and Kensington Blue from Benjamin Moore are both great colors:

Hale Navy with Chantilly Lace uppers:

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Kensington Blue:

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Our son did his oak cabinets himself...Firstly, he’s very handy and completely redid the bathrooms in his house...After sanding he put on a wood filler, then more sanding, then

two coats of primer, then two coats of paint...all done with a spray painter.

The color is a very light grey and it looks great. It was very labor intensified.

the first two pics are before...the other pics are after.

The mantle over the window was my design.

Oops, the pics

How about just painting the island? And remove the upper cabinet to the left of the sink window. Add some hardware, 2 different ones for drawers and cabinets.

We think going with stainless steel appliances might work well, and if you want to update some we might suggest putting in new lighting and under cabinet lighting.

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Wow! Looks great and close to my kitchen. Thank you.
Yes we are shifting one appliance at a time to stainless steel and change the lights.