You are behind the 8ball with your plan. Soft white is out dark and moody is in. I would want lighter also but going opposite of the moving trend seems risky.

You want to paint the cabinets? White is classic for cabinetry and still the most popular.

That said, it is all about what you prefer.

You still have the floor to contend with. At this point, it all coordinates.

I don’t see lighting. Adding lighting will certainly help to brighten.

One project that I did had very similar countertops and the color I painted the cabinets was SW Westinghouse White. It's not a stark white and works well with the brown tone. It would certainly lighten up the kitchen. If you paint much at all and have some patience you can do it yourself. I'd paint the outer cabinets first and possible leave the island untouched.

Thank you so much.

That is very dark. I'd change it too.

It's really going to depend on the lighting in your house. If you want white cabinets, than look at a warmer white to go with your floor and countertop - BM White Dove or BM Simply White come to mind. You can even go a shade darker and look at SW Agreeable gray though depending on the light, it can look more gray than taupe.

For backspash - I used Bedrosians Chloe tile in White. They're cheaper than Zellige and provide some interest over plain white subway tiles. Good Luck!

Would you please describe the floor tile situation? I’m confused by the picture.

If you are looking for bang for your buck, I’d leave the cabinets and install better lighting (ceiling and under-cabinet), change the counters and change the backsplash. But, I think I’d also want to tackle those floors depending on what you say is going on there.

Turn on the lights!

You are behind the 8ball with your plan. Soft white is out dark and moody is in. I would want lighter also but going opposite of the moving trend seems risky.

I disagree. 'dark and moody' isn't in, as it's never been out. Neither are white cabs whether soft white or a brisk white. What's out are cabinets/granite/tile from 2003.

it's dark. I'd change it. And I did!

mine was dark (keep in mind i have all the lights on in this pic)

Got rid of all the dated trim work

I painted the cabs (refaced the doors/drawers), new tile, new countertops and new flooring.

mims, what is your budget? Are you cabs solid wood and in good condition? (don't even think about painting particle board or veneered cabinets. it's a waste)

Can you DIY the demo? if you can (and we did w/ours) demo the backsplash tile, get rid of the scallop over the sink area, and that plate rack over the stove top (why?? Is there an actual vent there?) you'd save some money. if you decide to change out the countertops, or at least change out the island top, you'll also save.

Do you plan on keeping the tile floors?

Hi Beth. I really like your idea of removing the scallop over sink. Didn’t think of that. Rack is over sink is not a vent.. The cabinets are birch.. all in good conditon but after 20 years dull and some scratches. . Was not planning to change the countertop. I will definitely change the backsplash. However the island could be an option but that would be costly. I’d rather change my flooring. I do not like my ceramic tiles. I want to lighten up the kitchen with a soft white.. I’m just starting to get ideas, however not very good at it. Love the second picture. I do not like the gold. I like oil rub bronze or black for faucet and knobs.

A lot depends on your budget and the quality of work you are looking for. I've heard countless times that low ball cabinet painters and DIY jobs often peel easily and end up looking ragged around the edge in a few years. In fact, the may soon look worse than the dull areas and scratches you have now.

If your goal is to lighten up the kitchen on a tight budget, I'd get a new backsplash and counters, remove the trim above the sink, get new counter chairs, and new hardware. Also, make sure you are using good quality bulbs that are at least 3000 - 3500K.

I think painting your cabinets and changing the backsplash is a good idea. If you’re keeping the countertop, you may want to consider “ivory” paints. Our house has a ton of gorgeous walnut stained wood trim and I used SW Antique white on my walls. It looks great. Also look at SW Creamy (it can look kinda yellow without good lighting) as another option.

The floors will fight your updated kitchen if the cabinets and backsplash are new. Any plans for that?

And white cabinets never really go out of style. Every generation “discovers” it. Keep us posted.

Thank you.. much appreciated …yes my next project is removing the ceramic floors .

Need advice on restarting my wood cabinets. I’m thinking about changing color and back splash. My granite counter is brown. Also considering on changing my tiles. Want to lighten up kitchen. Thinking of a soft white..

Thoughts:

- What you have now is awfully dark; I understand your desire to go lighter. If you go with a soft white, which could work out well, definitely paint with a primer first. Paint always goes on better with a primer, but with that dark-dark color to cover, it's 100% necessary. I personally would prefer a soft color ... like a pale blue or sage green, but that's 100% personal preference.

- I agree with removing the scallop over the sink ... maybe the two small cabinets flanking the window too. It won't bring in any more light, but it'll feel like the window is larger.

- The brown countertop would work with white cabinets.

- In a perfect world, your countertop would relate to your floor. And yours does.

- Consider that ceramic flooring is quite difficult to remove ... if it's in good condition, I'd try hard to like what you have. It looks quite simple and classic. Perhaps floor mats?

- Definitely think through your lighting while you're still in the planning stage.

Soft white is out dark and moody is in.

Trends are stupid. Ignore them. Go with what you like and what works for the room /overall house.

White is a color, not a style. White cabinets in a wide variety of styles have been popular over the years ... doesn't make them classic.

mims, call in a kitchen cabinet painting company. get some estimates. look online like yelp for reviews of the company. that's how I found mine. getting a pro to paint those cabs correctly shouldn't be cheap (not if you want the paint to last) They will all need to be removed (the fronts) and taken back to their shop for sanding and priming, then spraying. If they don't do this, find another company. You should also get a warranty.

The base pieces they will do on site and will look something like this. (do it before you get the new floors laid if possible)

if you like a softer white, look at something like this one, BM Soft Chamois

You can do matte black or ORB hardware

This one is Panda White and Grizzle Gray on the island. Maybe you want a diff island color?

This paint color is BM Natural Cream

This one is SW Alabaster. it's a creamier white. shown w/matte black accents

If you post a good picture of your granite, I can help you narrow down some colors.

Can't tell what you have.

you don't have a large countertop space. If you have access to pre-fab countertops, you could pick up a 9'X24" granite or quartz for about $600. depends what you want. the installer will cut them on site to fit for another 1K or so. So realistically, if you can access pre fabs, or even small remnant pieces, you could have new countertops for 2K or so.

or just do the perimeter new, and get a nice walnut butcher block for the island

I like the dark island w/walnut. these have white uppers and dark lowers.

Do a white quartz perimeter countertop. (info on prefabs below)

for the colors:

Try Simply White and Wrought Iron. I did that combo on mine.

Cosmas (amazon) matte black hardware.

try and add in some shelves in the corner if you like.

lastly, before painting, add some simple trim work to the panels of your island. This will give them a much more finished look when painted

plain mdf pieces.

You can see the diff it makes

Do all 3 sides. this one is a simple plank/shiplap style.

Pick your floors first. Do you want to do the entire area to match the living space or have just a diff tile in the kitchen? if you need help picking something, post a pic of the entire space.

I think if you did the white perimeter and painted the island black or a soft dark charcoal, add a butcher block (not this exact one. a nice oiled walnut would look nice)

I think it would look very good.

Just like this:

or, if you like the idea of having everything white, try getting a diff granite that lightens it up a bit.

I know you can find this granite in a pre-fab.

I'd check around at some stone yards first and see what they have. hundreds of prefab quartz:

pre-fabs, half slabs, offer to pay in cash,,,,all of those can save you a lot of money.

you could easily find a remnant piece for that island for less than $500. they throw away pieces the size of your island. get the measurements, go to stone yards and ask them for small leftovers. they will cut it to fit your island, and polish all 4 sides. Not a big deal to do. hell, you can even install it yourself.

pre-fabs look like this, and come in all materials and colors. they already have a finished edge.

Lots of good suggestions here! I’d definitely paint the cabs….you’ll be amazed at the difference in your space! We just had a large bookcase unit painted in our lower level….it made the room look really dark. We used BM Dove Wing, a soft, warm grayish white….its very pretty and neutral. Obviously you’ll need to try all paint suggestions next to your countertops, then decide. Good luck!

What is your budget? I think changing cabinets to white will likely lead to wanting to change counters and floors.

I gave you the wrong paint color. The color I used was SW Westhighland White, not Westinghouse. Here's a quite view of what changing out the color can do for your kitchen.

I wondered about that…we had Westhighland White on our last house’s windows (ext trim), it’s a very pretty white.

First you lighten a kitchen or any space with better lighting . Start there with a good lighting plan and I like all LED 4000K bulbs in kitchens for sure .The cost for having those cabinets painted will be high and to be honest I rarely think painting outdated cabinets is money well spent. BTW moody dark kitchens will never be "in" a kitchen needs to be bright to work properly . I think try the new lighting first then see what else needs to have changed . Doing the floors is a big ticket item too. You need to plan for an actul hood for the cooktop for sure . Yes to changing the backsplash not matter what else you change .A gas cooktop with no venting is very bad . I think you need to share with us some clue as to the budget for sure.

Thank you for the comments and suggestions ! I appreciate all your efforts to help me with this project.

Based on my budget, it seems like changing the countertops might be too expensive at the moment. However, I do you want to lighten the cabinets ( estimate about 7000$) and change the backsplash. I think Lightening the cabinets can give my kitchen a fresh and updated look. As for the backsplash, I can remove the old one and do my own backsplash, which can save me some money.( I’ve done it before).
My estimate budget for kitchen and flooring 16k.🙏🏻

Once kitchen done: In terms of the flooring, I want to change the ceramic floor to a good quality vinyl. I can remove the ceramic tiles , however will hire a professional company to install the new vinyl flooring.

Now, let's talk about colors. Since i want to lighten the cabinets, I will have to consider my granit counter, brown with specks of grey beige, off white, black.

My brother can do the plumbing and electrical work , as it will save me some money on hiring professionals for those tasks. I have added other pictures. Again thank you for your replies and inputs.

Now that we've seen your kitchen with the lights on, I think I would replace the flooring and BS, remove the plate divider above the range, and add a hood.

Who wants to keep all their kitchen lights on all the time just so one doesn’t feel as though one is in a cave?? Some people don’t like dark cabinets, and people are allowed to have their own tastes and follow them, no?

I think changing floors, counters and backsplash would be The best improvements for your budget.

I think your cabinets are great! I wouldn’t paint them. I would put my money towards a new floor, backsplash, under cabinet lighting and a runner in front of the sink. I also would remove the curved piece above the sink. Then I would focus on styling your countertops. Add a small lamp in the corner, a vintage vase with some greenery, a vintage crock with cooking utensils, etc. Right now you really don’t have any contrast which I think needs to be added. I would suggest watching Hannah Naylor on YouTube for how to style your countertops. She is a master at styling at an affordable price. Good luck!