The bright white and gray do not work well with your floor or the warm wood of the cabinets.

To fix it, repaint with a warmer color. I wouldn't paint the cabinets at all--the wood is very nice looking.

Love your cabinets. Gorgeous....but yes warm white is nice...try Benjamin Moore Cloud white.....pleasant.

The paint color is the problem, making the room cold and a little lifeless. Show pictures of the whole room on all sides and some lively people here will be able to give you suggestions. Then you try foam board paint as sample to find the color that works best with the light in the kitchen and the happy lifestyle you want in your home.

Oops! The gray paint color is the problem. (Can’t edit from my IPad).

this it how it lookes like. the kitchen itself is dark, we were thinking that repainting to white we open it and make it more bright. not the case, I think. Hate the floor , that is something I wuld like to redo.

There are so many ways to brighten a space and for sure better than painting what loook like awesome cabinets. Take some pics from further back so we can see the whole space please before you really mess this up. Post here in comments DO NOT start another post For sure the stark white does in no way work with the floors I can see,The gray walls do not work either.

Thanks I now see the pics .

The kitchen is dark, because you need to work on the lighting in your kitchen. The lighting you have now is just casting shadows around the room. Once you get the lighting corrected you can work on the kitchen. A beautiful runner for the floor, till you change it, is a good option.

• first paint - de-gray-ify the space. That clashes.
• Consider softening the trim color.
• Light - light - light. Your fixture is too splotchy and not providing anywere near enough light. LEDs are easy to work with and get good light output from.
• flooring - change it - maybe a light color (marmoleum?)
• Counters - consider going light

Do not - under any circumstances - paint those great cabinets.

Yes, to painting your cabinetry a warmer white and a big yes to adding lighting. Make sure the actual bulbs you use are warmer.

Before you consider painting out those cabinets, see it in an app painted out. Flat white panels, is what I guess you will see. Is that what you want.
Consider also that your not changing the floor right away.
Don’t do a thing till you figure out your lighting. No painting of walls, cabinets etc.

Show us your inspiration pictures.

The problem here was never the cabinets!

The problem, an interior kitchen with awful lighting and dark counter tops and backsplash, could be solved by addressing those two issues.

Get the paint off the cabinets. Start there as with those sharp edges, and slab fronts? They are not a candidate for any diy job.

Recessed lighting, under cabinet lighting......get a qualified electrician in there! I see wood on the ceiling? That might be the thing needing paint! However, we don't know the extent of the wood, to other spaces.

At this point? Back up, start over. Post more pictures of the areas around the kitchen from as many directions as possible. Make sure we can see all the floors: )

Listen to @Jan

Paint the walls, trim, and black cabinet the same color - a warmer white paint that looks good with the cabinets. Replace the floor if it is in the budget. If not, you need to take it into consideration when selecting paint color.

Your wood ceiling is absorbing your light instead of reflecting it back downwards. It seems a shame to paint it, however. And the awning on your outside space is blocking a lot of light from coming in your door and windows. So you need to get as much lighting in where you can to compensate for it.

You need light fixtures with bright bulbs that send the light everywhere instead of in spots like what you have now. Do you have two lights above the sink that are not currently on? Can you add a j-box in the ceiling near the end of the kitchen where the black cabinet is? Do you have undercabinet lighting? Could you add strips of hidden lighting to the tops of your cabinet that light the ceiling? Are all of your kitchen lights on the same switch? I'd put all but under cabinet on the same switch so you always have lots of lights on.

Am I missing something? I don’t see any painted cabinets, just the doors and walls

They began to paint, Diana. I think we're seeing the before they began pics, other than the gray wall and white entry door in one picture.

Agree to not painting the cabinets! Start changing the room by painting it a creamy white instead of the gray - that gray is bringing down the whole look! Then, go to a big box store and get grout stain in a color that matches the creamy color in your floor tiles, and paint the grout lines. I did this in my kitchen and it totally makes the tile (which I don't particularly like) blend into the background. You really need better lighting - cans on the ceiling, and undercab lights. Until you can change the lighting, at least redirect some of the existing bulbs so that they better disperse light around the room.

Beautiful cabinets. Please don’t paint them. Love the wood and black together. Brighter lights. More lights (on a dimmer). Warm white walls - I am a fan of SW Greek Villa.

Please post progress pictures!

Where is the OP 🤷‍♀️

Please fill us in…. Where are you at with this project?

An electrician can easily add wafer LEDs, spaced along the counter edges (easier install than cans/recessed, with the same effect) to add appropriate lighting.

I rather like the drama of the black counter and backsplash with the cabinets as they are. But in the first photo that is in the comments, it looks like some other walls/soffits are also gray - is that correct? Not a good choice with the cabinets (even if you did change the flooring.) A warm toned paint is what is needed - there are warm grays, if you must stick with gray, but I would vote for a warm white to best set off the beautiful cabinets.

I can’t make out what your backsplash is, but it’s dark. Under cabinet lighting is a must.
The overhead lights create too much reflection. Get LED softer lights. No grey or back accessories.

Yes thank goodness you stopped after only painting the walls, the garage and pantry doors, and trim!

Those cabinets look very nice!

Are they laminate?

Seems like painting the faux wood and black laminate is not your average DIY project. How were you planning to paint them?

I agree with everyone about repainting the walls, trim, and doors a soft warm white. I think I would do it all the same color white, but with different sheens. Like maybe do the doors and trim in a satin or semi-gloss and then the wall in eggshell or matte?

I hate painting wood, but I think I would go ahead and paint the wood ceiling (Flat sheen) if you think that would help lighten things up.

Then of course as you said, change out the floor to a more modern style. If after all that, it is still too dark, the next thing would be to change out the black backsplash. Maybe back painted glass in the same white color as the walls?

thanks everyone for all the comments, to clarify, we did not repainted all of the cabinets. We just did garage door and 2 pantry cabinets next to garage door. We are not going to continue repainting the rest of the cabinets. (realized the white was mistake). I agree to change the wall paint ( do not want to have it grayish , it is actually bluish grayish now) and thinking maybe to fix the garage door with wrap? what are your thoughts? to strip the color down, not sure if it works without damage. are you suggesting to leave the dark brown paint trim around cabinets or changing to something else? Have to also decide what type and color of floor to choose? any suggestions appreciated. With adding lights must agree too.

It also seems to me that the paneling on the ceiling is part of what is making your kitchen look darker. So personally, I would either paint it or take it off first, and then see how that changes the light.

I saw this kitchen and thought of yours! I am not a Pro. I am going to leave the brown trim question up to the Pros.

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are you suggesting to leave the dark brown paint trim around cabinets or changing to something else?

I'd do a warm white on the walls and use the same on the trim. The cabinets will pop beautifully against white trim, the dark brown is sucking light out of the room, and I'm just a stickler for wall and trim color painted the same, especially in a small space.

Show exactly where the dark trim is.
Is it just at the top of the cabinets?
Does it surround the cabinets?
Is it also at the bottom of the cabinets?

I would photo shop it first before painting anything more.

Or tape paper the color you are thinking of painting the trim to the trim and see what you think.

White and gray color scheme will make your floor look dingy. I would repaint the walls in a light sage green color and leave the cabinets as they are. I think the change that would have the biggest impact in this space is the backsplash - if you can remove the black slab and install lighter color tile plus add under cabinet lighting, it would go a long way to making the space feel lighter. Also consider painting the ceiling white.

Spend money on a warm wood floor ( or even a better quality luxury vinyl plank ) - copper or warm metal light fixtures wouldn't hurt - consider keeping base cabinets wood and paint wall cabinets in a warm grey

What is the flooring in the room that leads in to this room?

I would just paint the walls first, then give it some time to get used to that change before doing anything else (except, get an electrician in to add lighting as I suggested, and start shopping -not buying yet- for a new floor if you want.)

I suspect with lighter and more appropriate toned walls, the space won't seem so dark. I like the wood on the ceiling, and the dark brown trim - which is why I say to have a pause after the walls are painted and lights installed, to see if you need to do anything to them.

You could ask in the painting forum here on Houzz about if you could remove the paint from the already painted pantries. Probably it would be fine to just re-paint with the color that you choose for the walls - use eggshell sheen for the walls, and satin or semi-gloss for the baseboards and door.

Hi so little update here. We painted wall with warmer paint.

Looks better to me now!

Now we want to strip down white from door that we did to put it back to original look. any suggestion what to use ? we tried aceton and alcohol but it takes so much time, any idea wht wuld be more effective without damaging? It is white acrylic paint.

what you also think about door trim color?

Paint the door and trim the same color as the walls, in a satin finish.

Are you talking about the cabinet door to the left that we can’t really see in this picture?

🤦‍♀️editing
Door to the right

Njmomma, yes I think you are right that it is the door with the long handle to the right that is the pantry door that used to match the cabinets.

Dominika, that wall color does look much better!

Is the bright white you painted the doors and trim also throughout the house?

I like Diana’s idea of painting the trim and entry doors in the same color as the wall, but in a satin (or if you prefer a semi gloss) finish. It would look best if they didn’t stand out, so you can focus on the pretty cabinets.

You could do a slightly lighter color then the wall for the trim, if you don’t like that idea of matching the trim and wall, but it needs to be a warmer shade so it compliments the wall color.

The white that is there now is too bright and too cool of a white. It looks really stark and I don’t think it compliments the wall color or kitchen.

I am not sure if the cool white or the wall color is making making the flooring look more pink, but I think you are replacing the tile iirc.

I am sorry, I am no help on stripping the paint off the pantry door, but there is a painting forum you could try posting on as well.

Hope it turns out ok. I think you are on the right track and the kitchen will be beautiful!

I can’t help you either on stripping the paint off that cabinet. Try the Painting Form or maybe @Beth if she sees your thread may be able to help you.

Please keep us in the loop.

Can’t wait to see how you update your kitchen.

I'm loving your new kitchen wall color. Really warm and beautiful, looks fantastic with the ceiling too. I would paint the doors and trim the same color as the walls but a glossier sheen. This is a small corner with a lot going on visually and blocks of different door and trim colors make it look chaotic. I have a very narrow galley kitchen with two doors and have painted the trim and doors the same color as the walls.

Remind me though what your original doors looked like. What is underneath this white paint if you strip it?

Did you prime first? Sand? Just paint?

@Kendra
The cabinet door that was painted is to the right of the picture. You can hardly see the cabinet door. It has long handles on it. It looked like the wood cabinets posted prior to painting.

Is this correct: The wood cabinet door you painted white is at the end of the kitchen and when facing the stove it is to the left of the stove, it is diagonally across from the fridge, and there is an actual door that is next to? Is that the only cabinet door at that end of the kitchen? Do the other cabinet doors begin to the left of the fridge and the right of the stove?

If this is correct and there are no other cabinets touching the cabinet you painted, being the lazy person I am, I would also paint this now white cabinet to be the same beige color as the walls, and paint the doors and trim the same beige too. That whole end of your kitchen will then be a unified color. I'd play around with possibly having a different handle or hardware for that potentially beige painted cabinet door so it looks separate for and different than the rest of the wood cabinets and less like a wood cabinet that was painted accidentally.

Do you know what the cabinet finish is? Are they wood, laminate, something else? (If you said upthread, I missed it.)

Citristrip is reputed to be safe on a variety of materials, including some plastics. You could send a message on the company's website to ask if it would be safe and effective on your cabinets, whatever they are.

And do a test spot to see how the door reacts. It you just painted the door, it might not be that difficult to get the paint off. But if you sanded and primed, that would be more difficult to remove.