We need photos.

Would it look strange to leave the middle top cabinet stained, and paint the two upper sides and lowers? Might do a wine frig to replace the wine rack so would be reworking.

Thinking that I would leave these stained since appliances are black and I'm not a fan of the stark contrast with white cabinets.

Paint the crown or leave it stained?

Paint the lower cabinets to match wainscoting in dining room?

Paint the side upper cabinets and lowers and leave taller middle cabinet stained (match the treatment in wetbar)?

Would think that this last cabinet (upper right) should match the short uppers in other areas...paint or stain?

Paint or stain island?

Might have it in the budget to replace granite in this area only. Would white quartz with black and brown veining work with uba tuba on perimeter?

What is your goal for this project?

I think that randomly painting some of your cabinets white will be a huge mistake.

I agree with chispa. The wood is still great shape. Although a bit dated, it is a lovely kitchen.

I would redo the backsplash.

I personally am not a fan of the wood molding. I would rather see that painted the same as the walls.

I wouldn’t change island to a quartz. No, it would not work with the Uba Tuba.

How can you paint those beautiful cabinets?? I would leave them as is!! Beautiful kitchen.

Thanks to each of you for your comments.

I personally really like the look of mixing stain and painted cabinets. I realize that not everyone will agree.

I have seen many photos of kitchens on Houzz (uploaded below) that have mixed stain and white painted cabinets.

My kitchen layout is different, so that's why I was asking for opinions on what would look best with my specific layout.

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I'm joining the don't paint the cabinets voices. Those are gorgeous wood cabinets.

How about if you get a carpenter to remove all of the excess upper cabinet in the center of the corner cabinet? The have him match the existing crown trim by the ceiling.

Put in a different backsplash that is very simple.

I think you could have a great looking kitchen if you just do some minor revisions.

It seems to me that you are trying to impose 2020 trends like marbled quartz and mixed cabinetry finishes on a kitchen where this won't work. Just my opinion.

It is unfortunate that Houzz doesn't date the photos. Sometimes if you look at the questions below the photos it can give you a clue ... in this case 2012, 2013 and 2013. The last photo might be newer based on cabinet style and huge pendant, but notice they kept the 2 colors separate and didn't color block them like the older photos. I don't think any of those kitchens looked great either, but I could live with the last one.

Bottom line it is your house and kitchen, so you can do whatever you want!

Thanks for your comments. The crown actually ties into cabinetry at multiple points around the room including the floor to wall cabinets around appliances.

chispa, keeping the two finishes separate would actually be the easiest solution.

However, most of the more recent photos that I have seen have a more "random" approach to wood accent cabinets. So I am not sure that more random vs opposites sides of kitchen is a matter of older vs current trends.

A few designer sites have actually said NOT to separate finishes by sides of the kitchen since it would look like two separate kitchens!

Leaving the wall with appliances and the wet bar in stain finish and painting both uppers and lowers in the L-shape would also potentially solve the issue of crown molding and allow it to flow from the arched wall around the L-shape and over the slider.

I was leaning toward not painting the island, but possibly replacing the granite.

When we moved into our house in 2012 we changed out the countertops to black granite with white quartz veining. We made a rash decision and have lived with it for all these years. It really darkens our kitchen. Rather than going through replacing all the granite we found a company that does epoxy resin over granite. They are coming tomorrow for an estimate and I'm excited to see what the new prospect might be once they do a mock up/test board with the finish we chose. It might be a solution to your granite.

What has been done more recently is stained lowers and white uppers, but the kitchens are usually not as "frilly" as yours.

“A few designer sites have actually said NOT to separate finishes by sides of the kitchen since it would look like two separate kitchens!“

That separation made me first think it was a kosher kitchen.

Interspersing white cabinets between stained cabinets does not look good. Just because there are pictures does not make it correct or attractive. You can choose all white for the uppers and all stained for the lowers.

That backsplash does not suit the kitchen. Once you’ve implemented your cabinet changes, i would change that as well.

If your goal is to eliminate the tuscan vibe, you may be able to just have those frilly header pieces removed over the cabinets (no idea what they’re called but there are two of them that i can see) and voila! you”ll just have a nice wood kitchen.

Refreshed and updated decor first. the room beyond w med blue and pillars ??? work on wall colors to unite the spaces . backsplash and hardware change . maybe new counters. some color w floor runners . cabinets are classic and should remain as they are a solid foundation for tweaking things around the two spaces. interior designer would love a chance w the two spaces . that approach would give huge results not paint on cabs.

I think you can give your kitchen a fresh look with a new backsplash (something light & clean), new lighting, then de-clutter - take items off the cabinet tops, & add a few runners. I'm not a fan of the inspo pics you posted so I don't think painting some cabs white is a good move b/c in general, I think your cabinets looks very nice.

IMO start with changing the lighting to all LED 4000K bulbs then see what might work IMO the pics you show of mixed wood and painted cabinets IMO look off , I happen to love UbaTuba granite but it does not play well with white IMO.I find the dark crown really off putting and stop before you make a mistake you will regret. I guess that Tuscan feel is everywhere that I see . I really dislike the blue and stark white in the DR nex to the warm wood in the kitchen I guess I would paint the DR a more pale green to work with the granite in the kitchen and also with the dining table I find that stark white trim sort of off by itself with no regard for the surrounding areas. If you want to do something in the kitchen alone I think the drk crown needs to match the cabinets or do it to mach the walls,A new backspalsh will do wonders .

Your kitchen is beautiful, and there is no way, I would paint any of those cabinets. I am not fond of the backsplash, like some of the others. I would remove that runner on one of the counters, and a few other things, but, its all just a matter of cosmetics. I would also change all those outlets on your backsplash etc, to another color, so they blend into the backsplash, instead of standing out like a sore thumb.

I would love to know what you did with your kitchen. Please post photos.