Uppers - do the same color as the trim in semi-gloss

Lowers - do Olympus White in semi-glass

Consider changing the squiggly knobs over the rangetop

See if you can remove the ornamental woodwork over the rangetop.

Now that is an interesting thought.

The wood is pretty and in excellent condition (the part we can see, unless your dog chewed up what we can't see or you splashed clorox all over another part.)

If you don't like your counters and your backsplash and you are going to replace them anyway, would you consider doing that and keeping your cabinets as is?

The wood is in great shape, I just don’t like the color against the grays and blues we did throughout the rest of the house. I can get the cabinets painted for under $2k, and I’m going to whitewash the tile backsplash myself (there’s not a lot of it - the kitchen isn’t that big and is open to the main living space). We aren’t looking to renovate this room for a few years, just looking to update the colors a bit for now.

The wood looks good!

Actually, so does the counter.

It reminds me of mica schist, and how it shimmers and flakes so nicely.

At least from what I remember when I went rock collecting with my brother more years ago than I care to say.

Well, your counter has lovely shades of shimmery gray that work perfectly with your wall paint.

What doesn't work is your backsplash.

Would you think about doing the backsplash (however you want to do them) first before painting the cabinets?

Yes, definitely doing the backsplash first since that’s just a small area. I was hoping for a more modern look with a quick paint update, until we live in the house a while longer and decide what we really want for a kitchen redesign down the line (I’m only here a few months so far). If we paint the cabinets, I’d also plan to replace the hardware.

Your picture only shows one area of the kitchen. How many cabinets do you have?

The only way you will get a quality paint job for under $2K, is that you have a VERY small kitchen, or you're doing all the work yourself.

Have you gotten bids from a cabinet refinisher? What products will be used?

Please peruse online, there are lots of modern kitchens with cherry cabinets and your type of counters, too.

They do have different hardware not cup pulls, though, and not the curvaceous wood ornaments.

Although do check out if removing them will damage the cabinets.

Here are contemporary kitchens with cherry wood cabinets, the first three have shaker cabs like yours, the last is slab front.

"I can get the cabinets painted for under $2k"

Be careful and be sure the proper prep work will be done as that is way to cheap for the correct job hired out.

I have a painter I’ve used who is great, and does all the proper prep, so no concerns there. Here’s a better view of the kitchen looking toward the breakfast area. There’s not a ton of cabinets. I’m also getting new light fixtures - the red globes are horrible. I was also thinking of potentially having the island be a different shade than the wall cabinets, just a thought.

“Painters” should never touch cabinets. You want a *cabinet finisher*. You’re setting yourself up for major tears. Major regrets too. Peeling and chipping and painted hardware.

You need to read the Guides in this Group, that show DIYers how to get almost pro results. Realize that it takes a month for a homeowner to accomplish, and costs almost 2K in materials by the time you practice enough with a sprayer to get good at it. Pros are faster, use better tools, and get better results, with industrial wood coatings like Renner, Milesi, Ilva, Envirolak, Centurion, etc. . You can get the equivalent to better than a factory finish, in a refinish. With the right pro. Or you can get in home vandalism, where they don’t even remove the doors, or clean them. https://www.facebook.com/groups/PaintingKitchenCabinetsforProfit/

The cabinets are not the problem in that kitchen. Grays are over and out. Wood is back as being the most sought after fnish, and those are right in line with that look. Slapping a gawdawful 2K craptastic paint job on them would be criminal.

It sounds like the paint quote is for interior trim paint done by a painter who does trim. That will look good for a short time. Then it'll chip and everything will look worse than current.

Benjamin Moore Advance or Cabinet Coat are products designed for cabinets. SW has urethane hybrid Emerald. It dries faster for recoat. A painter will want that for easier for him workflow. Two coats in one day. Advance takes longer to dry but dries harder and levels better for a better long-term product for you. Link to comparison. Don't choose a painter who wants to use Emerald. BM can match any SW color.

Color- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fU5ZUjQAkdA

Advance is a cabinet paint for a price point in refinishing cabinets. You can spend a lot more for a somewhat better finished product. Why do that here? If you want high gloss Fine Paints of Europe is in the same price range.

Advance is NOT a cabinet coating. It is a trim paint. It is an amateur’s choice. Any professional cabinet finisher should be using much higher quality, and more durable, materials than that.

Ok so takeaways so far are to do more research on products to be used and decide if it’s worth it. The issue is that I do not like the cherry and want a brighter look.

I would do it in steps. Backsplash first. Lights, second.

Sometimes, that will be all you need to brighten a room. If it is not enough for you, then take the next step.

I'm in the same camp of others here in favor of current cabinets but a redo on countertops and backsplash. This kitchen reminds me of yours--same flooring, too.

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just be sure. you have a nice space ,,,, wall color/ countertop in lighter/ are things to re-invigorate the cherry. Cherry never goes out of style in my opinion and handles many revisions in the space very well. Good Luck. Note traditional/ modern/ transitional.

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I would look at undercabinet lights and improving your lighting scheme in the kitchen overall. To me, it's the backsplash and the scrollwork on the cabinets that are an issue.

First, I would lose the backsplash.

Try to avoid making your kitchen and house look like everyone else's. I understand the pull of IG and HGTV.

Food for thought, light greys, sage greens and creams are recommended complementary colors to cherry.

I know someone who had her lovely wooden cabinets painted white and (god help me) is planning to install travertine tiles because she liked them when she first saw them 15 years ago. And since she doesn't look at design in general, she has no idea or interest in anything that might be a better option. Eek!

imho cherry cabinets are a hard colour to make look good with other finishes and you have a yellow floor red cabi ets yellow gold backsplash and grey walls with white trim so a lot going on and no unity, just paint them to anihilate that colour!

Agree with verbo. Gray is yesterday and your troubles blending the kitchen are stemming from the ”grays and blues we added throughout the house.” I guess you left the most expensive room for last?

Your cherrywood cabinets are beautiful and the dark countertop goes well with them. The backsplash doesn’t. If I had to have those cabinets painted, though, I’d go with white.

Have you read this current thread about the person who wants to unpaint her cherry cabinets? : Houzz Link

From everything that I have read, your $2K paint job will be either terrible or the last time your painter paints cabinets (I am giving him/her the benefit of the doubt that she would do a good job for the quoted price even though he/she has terribly underestimated the work to be done).

I think you cabinets are beautiful and that you are right to pause on this process.

Cherry is a beautiful wood with the right colors around it but your cabinets are definitely singing a different song than your walls. I don't think you need to feel guilty about painting them because they don't work with the look you want. Personally I love gray cabinets if they are on the warmer side.

You should make large samples of the possible colors to make sure you like the look with your countertops and walls. Making sure your painter is willing to do all the right prep and use the right paint is great advice.

I think $2k is way, way too low to paint the amount of cabinets you have. I have probably less than half of yours and I was quoted $4-5k - 4 years ago. (This was not from my regular painter.) I think money is better spent towards changing granite (I have similar and understand how dark it is) and the backsplash. It’ll make a bigger difference.

This is one of those Design Dilemmas where wall paint color chosen before any else now requires a big change on basic features or "givens" that came with the house, in this case cabinets. Sometimes it's flooring, wood trim, brick fireplace, etc. Because the OP chose gray/blue wall paint, cabinets need to be changed to "go with" wall paint. Fine, that's what the OP likes. But wall paint should be chosen last, not first.

I'd like to suggest to new homeowners who might be on a budget but who have "givens" they're not crazy about like wood cabinets, wood flooring color, wood trim, to hire a color consultant before moving in. In this case a color consultant would charge considerably less than-the $2000 this OP is going to pay for painting cabinets that are very attractive, though not to her. Choose furnishings and a palette for pillows, curtains, art also that harmonize with the "givens."

The results of this approach can be a home that looks and feels holistic, that flows, that's integrated, though maybe not the latest trendy color, i.e. gray right now. This approach can save a lot of money up front, result in a lovely home, until the new homeowners has lived there a long time and can make changes. It's different if the givens are in bad shape and would have to be changed to be liveable. But if basics like, flooring, trim, and cabinets are in great shape, it's a budget friendly idea to choose a palette that works with them instead of just going with the latest trendy paint color.

The key part that everyone is forgetting is the OP only needs these to last for a few years until a full kitchen remodel. Yes, for $2k it will probably be a pretty crappy job that won't last, but they don't need it to. They just are doing this as an intermediate step.

I think what will happen is you will paint the cabinets grey and then realize that the counters are what makes the space look so oppressive and dark, not the cherry cabinets. I be once you do the cabinet painting you will want to redo the entire space even sooner.

Elsewhere in this forum is a post from someone who is wanting to strip off the paint from the cherry cabinets they put on only a few short years ago. ... because of all the beautiful cherry kitchens they've been seeing lately. Re "change cabinets to go with blue/gray" no this is a false premise. Color schemes that mix up blues and or grays and wood tones are not only possible, but commonly done. The wood becomes in effect a contrasting accent color that livens up what would otherwise be a dreary expanse of gray, gray , and more gray. Due to the red tones in cherry youd want to look closely at the specific blues and grays though to be sure they all worked together in a synergistic kind of way.

"OP only needs these to last for a few years until a full kitchen remodel" All the more reason to leave them be, and paint kitchen walls instead to create more liveable color relationships. If you donate to Restore (a good idea, esp. if they are good quality) they will be worth more without a budget paint job on them.

You have a lot of cabinets, really. Even hiring the painting out, it will be a disruptive mess. I have had both painted and wood cabinets, and the painted are significantly more work to keep clean.

You say that you may be considereing a full reno in the future? In that case, I would absolutely not paint those cabinets. You say they are in good shape, and they look great.

The backsplash to me is the biggest issue, and I don't think painting that tile will look good. It would still have the same texture and design. Why not get a few of those stick-on tile backspalsh pieces to experiment with, or some sample tile boards, and hold them up? I would spend money on making that a nice clean modern white backsplash, whatever it took.

I would *maybe* consider painting the cabinets on the island only.

Obviously, new lights, maybe repeat the stainless finish on the ceiling fan.

Try different hardware finishes, and maybe larger bar pulls. A cooler tone would tie in more.

In the close-up photo the countertop looks more cool, but in the big picture it reads more green and I don't love it with the nook wall color. Big bucks to replace countertop, but if I were willing to spend $2K, that's where it would go. (Although seems like a lot for a few years only... I would hold off probably.). What about painting the nook? Small area, way cheaper than painting cabinets!! Just a color adjustment so it is still consistent and flows with the rest of your house, but less clash with countertop/kitchen. Even just a good white.

Then rugs and accessories that kid of tie things together.

Also, I get how it might be kind of frustrating to post asking about paint colors and then get all this unsolicited advice in another direction, so I apologize! :) You have a nice kitchen and great space to work with. Good luck!

.....Just looked at pic and had another budget thought....In addition to above suggestions, maybe just replace island countertop with a clean white quartz. Would want to do similar edge profile to tie together.

Sometimes the problem Design Dilemma can be solved in other ways than the OP might have thought of. Or other readers of similar Dilemmas can learn alternative ways to fix a problem. Often, the main problem isn't the one the OP is asking about. That's why Commentors sometimes chime in with advice like fixing layout first, then get a rug/table/whatever; swapping living room/dining room; or changing out countertop instead of painting cabinets, or changing wall color instead of cabinet finish; or even changing to better lightbulbs before doing anything else.

It's important for any OP to show well-lit photos from all four corners of a room and adjacent spaces. Many a Commentor has found extra storage or countertops by seeing a sideboard off in a corner of some other room.

They look beautiful, it would be a shame to turn them into something drab IMHO the floor is clashing with everything however.

Since this is intended to be only a temporary fix, why not just do your same white on the walls thats everywhere else in the house (per your original post) and the whitewash of the back splash and call it a day. White + black + woodtones + metallic is a simple, easy, and very neutral combination for a kitchen That's what you stated your plan was in your original post, minus the painting of the cabinetry. If there's blue and gray elsewhere in the house thats fine, it doesnt have to be adjacent to the red-brown cabs. Switching the pulls to the bar type as seen in some of the posts above will give you all the updating you need.

Wow, haven’t looked back at this in a few days. Thanks for all the feedback. Background info, we’ve only lived here for a few months. We have painted the whole house (very much needed), refinished the floors - and chose that color, and addressed some other things that had to get done. We wanted to live in it before doing any major renovation to see how we use the space and decide what we really want to invest in, as this will be our home for many years. Now back to the design dilemma…

The issue with painting just the kitchen, is that we have an open living space attached to it, so the Olympus White (gray) walls carry throughout the entire main part of the house (living room, foyer, kitchen, and hallways). The dining room off the other side of the kitchen is 2 shades down on the same paint palette (SW morning fog). We love the way those colors look in the space with the white trim, and we also love the floor color we chose.

We really had no intention of keeping cherry cabinets long term, since I just don’t care for the red tones at all. I do like the look of wood cabinets, but definitely want a different color entirely, and not sure it would be possible or worth it to refinish these in a different color. We will eventually do a larger kitchen remodel down the line, so I was looking for an easy cosmetic fix to make the space look more cohesive in the meantime. I was initially thinking white cabinets but wasn’t 100% sure about that either.

For now, we decided to try our hand at whitewashing the backsplash, since the beige is killing me (this whole house was beige and brown when we bought it). Next is to change the lighting. After that we’ll see what we have to work with and I’ll get some more quotes and ideas on the cabinets before taking the plunge.

Here’s pics of the dining room just to give a better idea of what’s on the other side of the kitchen, and the entry way adjacent to that so you can see the colors without the distractions in the kitchen.

moving away from the gloomy grays would be the best thing for your home. the cherry is perfectly appropriate. Your home is traditional. embellishing/furnishing each area will/and should be a project for a long time frame. Beautiful warm traditional rooms...no grays. At least Get an interior decorator so your grays dont turn the home into a funeral parlor .

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Those are beautiful Herb and I would add if someone likes grays these can be easily incorporated into a cohesive color scheme, using the 60-30-10 rule to determine proportions of ea. color. One of my favs is golds, grays + whites. Its the gray upon gray upon gray that starts to look a bit funereal. Monochromatic schemes can look good, but they need to make up for lack of color variation with a good mix of different lights and darks, tones, textures, etc. Dont see that in so many of these gray gray and more gray threads. In the case of OP Ive seen blue gray + red-orange + white done in an intentional way that looked great (Ikea used to have a lot of that in fabrics etc. not sure what they have now) Maybe just apply that color scheme to the kitchen and call it a day?

if desired.....GRAY... with some warmth: in kitchen with WOOD..in living spaces with warmer textiles/furnishings. GRAY needs care and restricted doses.

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Well just figured I’d share an update if anyone is interested. I whitewashed the backsplash, and it makes a huge difference. I still need to paint over the little red and yellow tiles over the stove (black like the others), and next I’ll change the light fixtures. Aside from that I’m holding off on the cabinets for now and will wait until we decide on a more long-term plan for the space. Thanks for taking a look!

Goodness, that's kind of impressive. Makes your cabinets look even better....damn.

So what did you use to whitewash the tile?

Thanks! And I agree - the cabinets look way better with the brighter white for sure! I used Heirloom Traditiona All-in-one paint in the color Cashmere. I made a 75% paint 25% water mix, and used an oval paint brush to get in the grout and give the tile a good coat, then a foam roller to make sure there were no streaks. I did it section by section and took my time, then went back with a tiny brush to do touch ups on the grout around the prep area where it was taped. I still have to seal it (even though the paint company says you don’t have to), but then I’m done!

Heirloom Traditions* I meant.

Amazing how such a little thing makes a big difference! I like how the black dots relate to the counter top adding further to a more cohesive look.

your good work and patience was worth it. you could almost leave the colored squares considering the unique colored pendants. and I'm not trying to be cute...indeed, seriously.

Love it!