Are you just moving into this house? If so, I'd suggest living there for 6-12 months before sinking thousands of dollars into a cabinet paint job. Find out how the layout works for you, whether you like working in the space and whether it fits your needs. You might find that the dark cabinets perk right up with different paint, or that a light counter would be a better use of funds. But be sure you don't want to make substantive changes to the function before you get into the looks of the place.

No, no, no…

Yes, wait on doing anything before considering big changes. Your cabinets are very handsome and shouldn't be painted. If you have the budget later on, then consider getting lighter countertops. In the photo below, the island is painted to harmonize with flooring. Again, wait on changes to see how the kitchen actually feels.

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My impression is that all your kitchen lighting is dim, are they on dimmers turned way down? No matter what you do a good investment will be good undercabinet lighting and seeing if your pendants can take more wattage. Also on the ceiling are those speakers, or can lights? Improve your lighting and see what you think after a month.

Those are real estate listing photos of a home you just bought?

It will never be bright minus a lot of electricity, no matter the paint color. It's an interior kitchen a covered patio outside, and distant from the other light sources. .

Move in......live with it a bit.

I might spring for a new counter-depth fridge before doing anything else. If those are 16" tiles, there's only about that much space between it and the island. Doesn't look like you can get the freezer drawers open very far... Or had it been pulled out for the photo?

Go with ash white and paint the borders with smoke grey.

Painting cabinetry is expensive and in the end not a lasting fix. After living in your kitchen for sometime consider the most cost effective long term solutions to your goal. #1 lighting. #2 counter tops #3 painting the walls. If you feel the hardware is 'not you' swap it out. Easy little face lift but not cheap for what you get. Your current cabinetry is a tish DARK but it's on trend=wood tone. Gray is a HARD NO. White cabinets are classic in many areas of the country. As a fad they are waning in the rest. I think young people dream of their perfect kitchen. By the time they can afford it--IT'S DATED. Your dream needs to catch up to this decade.

kitchen has generous size and scale. I'd leave the cabinets..no issue w those.. The dining zone needs interior design help. Hiring someone to help create a vision for/with you can be money well spent. Here are different venues for the adjacent dining but currently does not take advantage of potential ...... lacking detail , whether subtle or bold would be your preference.

Shown below: two light fixtures gives more focus and color in small doses has impact.

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wainscotting for wall treatment in otherwise rather simplified situation:

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nice depth and character w darker wall/ special led lighting gives sophisticated palette.

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Living in the space awhile before making design changes is a good move. New wall paint is fine, but consider leaving the cabinets as-is for now.

I agree with @Jenny that the kitchen lighting looks dim. There is a lot of shadowing around the island. Replace all kitchen ceiling light fixtures (maybe larger fixtures than island pendants), maybe add more recessed lights. The cabinet underlighting and backsplash look very yellow so the bulb color may need to be changed.

I can’t see your backsplash or counters well but that’s another area to look at.

I also agree with @herbflavor that the dining area could use some design help. The light fixture looks too high off the table top. Adding a rug and larger, more striking art work would elevate the area.

In the fireplace area, the over cabinet lighting looks yellow (check bulb color), the art/frame tv position over the fireplace looks high and look at whether the fan needs removal or replacement with another fan or a chandelier.

Consider adding more photos of the dining and fireplace areas if you would like feedback on those areas (with your furniture, not listing photos).

IMO not near enough lighting for that size of kitchen. Paint does not make a space brighter only lighting can do that add pot lights get all the same bulbs in LED 4000K that will instantly brighten the space . It will cost a fortune to paint those cabinets and IMO a waste of money since the kitchen is dated and from what I see a barrier island too. Wai until you can save to redo the kitchen with all drawers for base cabinets all one level for the eating bar and the same flooring from the rest of the house in the kitchen and eating area.

This is amazing! Thanks for all your comments! Yes we are buying this home closing in a few days , wanted to get work done before moving in so i dont have to live in a construction zone. I really do want dark countertops. I’ve lived with white countertops the last 6 years and after this not a huge fan. I’m thinking lighting and painting are going to be the key to begin.

I would paint the walls and change out the counters and backsplash, BUT I would live with it first to get a feel for how the layout actually works for my family and how the natural light affects the space.

Painting the cabinets before seeing how the layout works may end up like setting 15K on fire when you cannot live with the layout in a year.....................

@millworkman true

I think you will be surprised and happy with new lighting fixtures.

I would improve the lighting. And, I don't think gray or white cabinets will go with your flooring so I wouldn't choose either of those colors for cabinetry.

White cabinets with that flooring is a no-go. If you don't want white countertops, then consider dramatic, patterned countertops with white background.

Not sure why you posted. It would've been helpful to know you didn't want white countertops since you didn't mention it or that you want to do this work before you move in. Were you looking for advice or approval of what you already decided, that you were going to paint the cabinets before you moved in? Since you have no windows right in the kitchen, the only way to get light in there is with new lighting and light countertops.

I really do want dark countertops. I’ve lived with white countertops the last 6 years and after this not a huge fan. I’m thinking lighting and painting are going to be the key to begin.

It's a beautiful kitchen. I like the idea of a gray with your flooring. How about going with a warm shade that leans towards a greenish gray. A change of backsplash would be necessary too. Make the wall by the dining area a statement wall with a panel wall or big art work or something to make it pop.

Another vote for starting with light fixtures - the one over the island to be exact. And painting the walls. See if the layout works- then think about countertops. Wait to paint the cabinets.

I never understand those biga** refrigerators that overwhelm everything.....

I am just laughing I have never understood the need for a giant fridge in a country where there is a supermarket on every corner I run a ctaring biz from my home I do have the fridgadaire commercial all fridge all freezer columns but if I no longer would do catring and moved I would not do that again For just ourselves I shop alsmost daily and do not want to have to hunt for stuff in my fridge that is so deep things get lost. It's funny to go to Europe and see tiny fridges serving great cooks I think that is where I learned to shop every day.

I'd personally experiment with different bulbs to help improve the lighting, change the fixture over the island, add some patterned runners in front of the sink and cooktop that make me smile and live with it for a bit.

Gray is waning in popularity and your walls, floors and trim are warm. Do your self a favor and find a warm color that you love. It will be much easier to decorate.

(The giant fridge in the first picture is a photography distortion, if you look at the other pictures the size is conventional.)

I’m laughing at the comments regarding the refrigerator’s size. That’s obviously a panoramic shot (& not a very well done one ) that has exaggerated the width. BTW, there wasn’t a question posted regarding the refrigerator’s size so the comments are irrelevant.

@K Laurence: You're right about the panorama shot of the humongous fridge. I didn't know you could get that size in a house.

But I beg to differ that "extra" comments are ever irrelevent. Very often when a Design Dilemma poster feels a space is "off" they believe a certain element is the problem. However, good design takes in all features of a space. Sometimes a change in layout changes the whole feeling of a room even though the DD poster asked about, say, the fireplace surround. Everything in a well-designed room needs to be proportional, connected, balanced, and harmonious. That fridge takes up a huge section of the far wall and its visual space. It may be advisable to consider balancing that feature with finishes, colors, etc. to the right that minimize the impact of huge appliance. Certainly the new lighting so many Commentors have suggested will pull the focus off the fridge.