with various tones in the floor you can go darker w paint for the lowers. Primarily the issue is the counter because one pic it looks like tans come through...the other shows more gray. I would price out new lowers as an option also because there not many and you can get a better island at the same time. does the island need to be elongated? are stools not working due to square shape ?? .....I like the maple wood and the beuatiful floor best of all.....if you dont want new counters and new lowers which would allow any tone of choice....wood or painted.......then i'd paint darker but not black color... below-----one is dark blusih gray the other a gunmetal shade. this will work for all lowers and island. But I really would price new lowers and yes new counter. You have an open situation so get it just the way you want even if a bit more effort and a little more money.

darker tones work with your floor and stained cabinets.

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@arcy_gw it was built in 2020…… I agree! do you think I can strip the white to show just natural wood?

The orangey maple wood does not work with the floors, so please don't do more of that. Painted cabinets aren't "out" and wood isn't "in." Certain wood finishes, like white oak, are trending, but not orange maple.

Finding a green that would goneith your counter will be tricky. Since the white seems to work, I would do it all in a soft white.

You can get a to match the lightest color in the granite.

I have giallo in my NY kitchen. We used a cream tile to transition.

We have since repainted the walls Elmira White.

@eld6161 was your hardware always stainless steel or did you change it?

IMO no color just match the base since right now the top cabinets are dark and overpowering the space usually the dark is on the bottom and the white on top, I see no reason to remove the backsplash so what are planning to replace it with ? I for sure would not do green or blue for the cabinets . Chnsge the hardware if you can easily find replacements to fit where the old ones are .

I think a dark colour for the base cabinets would work nicely and look more balanced than the white. The wood of the wall cabinets doesn't really coordinate with the flooring so I wouldn't do the same wood for the base cabinets. That being said, here's the look with a dark gray/black, a roman shade, and a washable runner. Walls in a warm white.

I would also go with all white or for a darker color for the bottom cabinets. But most importantly, I would consider getting rid of the crown molding and extending the cabinets to the ceiling by using gypsum boards that are then painted in the color of the cabinets (a friend of mine did that in her kitchen) to create a calmer look.

You could go bold and add color with backsplash tiles (as I did in our kitchen. I also extended the cabinets to the ceiling. There are tutorials online about how to paint countertops or stencil the backsplash, if you like DiY).

I can not fathom that kitchen was done in 2020.......: (

At any rate:

Decide firmly the counter top before you do a single thing! Why? Because something is making you want a color in the kitchen. There is no blue, no green for cabinet or walls that will be successful with the counter TOPS.

Now......The only answer for now? Paint the cabinetry to white, all.....and do nothing for a backsplash, Leave the riser in place until your counter top decision is firm, and selected. Match the wall color to the cabinets, and that

s that. No to the panty hose shade on there now.

If you just moved in, just bought the house? Think about what you REALLY want and how far up the road that might be.

The flaws in this kitchen are several

The dishwasher is wrong side of sink, there's no hood and venting, and........there is the issue of the HI/LO busy busy at the uppers. The cabinets were a cobble together mistake from the get go. Perhaps you are second owner?

The point? Don't dribble money away, pecking at this, if what you want is a whole different kitchen.......it will simply put you at more dollar distance: )

Since the cabinets aren't that old, I would look at having both uppers & lowers painted a nicer white that compliments with floor and countertop. The current white looks too harsh but maybe it's my monitor. Perhaps look at SW Shoji White and Aesthetic White for cabinet compliment to countertop. Then maybe the island can be a soft accent color. Change cabinet hardware to something else, just not black.

Thanks everyone for your input- we are the second owners. I am also leaning towards getting rid of the 3 upper cabinets to the right of the window and adding open shelving? Painting the other cabinets that are left as a white with white on the wall………

I’m hopeful to eventually add a hood , move microwave into island or to a hutch. There’s no closets or storage in the kitchen this is it

You say it's a busy kitchen but you can afford to delete usable storage for display????? 2020 maybe when the house was built but that kitchen look is not more than five years old. They did an 'update' by painting the lowers. The uneven uppers are 2020 but the white lower--for sure newer. Kitchens that have room for a hood and microwave not over the stove are twice the size of yours with huge amounts of storage. We need to see a drawing of your dream kitchen and where you plan to take the footage from because that footprint is not going to give you all you want.

if you don’t have a pantry, i am not sure about giving up cabinets for open shelving?

(I am always the negative nancy on open shelving - had it years ago in a tiny cottage kitchen and had to rinse everything before using + every 2 weeks everything had to come off and the shelves wiped down - in my experience, that trend is hard to live with)

Based on what you describe it sounds to me like you're in the imagination stages. You have a nice usable kitchen so I would take some time to create a detail design plan for basically a complete remodel after your wants/needs are more finalized and a related budget is factored in. Storage space is a premium need in your space so I would skip the shelving idea.

IF you want what you want?

You bite a 15 k - 20k bullet.

You rid yourself of the tops, put either a light or dark on the perimeter....Call that 5k in a honed plain Virginia Mist granite, and then put a wood top on the island and save a few bucks. A really, really good paint job? Allow 8 to 10k depending your area, and how PRO the job

Backsplash 2k roughly

Green feels a lot newer than blue......

I didn't see a budget mentioned.

It would be interesting to see what the room(s) look like adjacent to the current kitchen- I'm a believer in rooms flowing, esp if open design.

The countertop looks like it has flecks of tan in it? You can make it work if you like it and coordinate with it.

As a fan of moody colors, I woud suggest a deep charcoal on the lower cabinets, keep the uppers as is, but change the hardware from black. You could update the pendant lights (easy). And the suggestion of a runner between the oven and island is a good one.

Counter stools at the end of the island can make a big difference- after any changes are done, then select. And paint the walls a creamy white.

Backsplash? It does serve a purpose.

As far as removing the far right cabinet in favor of open shelving- something to dust and loss of storage.

Trends are funny- you can read decorating trends all week long and the suggestions are all over the map. Do you tend to be a little on the traditional side- that is the look of the uppers.

How long have you lived in the house? How does the kitchen layout function for your needs? How much money do you have to invest in this current cosmetic makeover? Are you planning on someday doing a large renovation?

Paint the uppers, lowers, and walls the same white. The wonky heights of the uppers won't be as bothersome when they are the same color as the walls. You need the storage. Don't get rid of them. FYI - An inexpensive cabinet paint job won't last long before it chips. If you want this cosmetic makeover to last 5-7 years invest in a quality paint job.

Change your black hardware to polished chrome. Lots of good inexpensive polished chrome hardware and it will immediately help your look.

Then live with all of this until you can save up for an actual kitchen renovation. One that will make your kitchen more functional.

I don't think sage or blue have much to do with the counters so I'd not paint the cabinets that color. But if you love those colors use them in pendents in this first cosmetic go round with white walls and white cabinets.

After you have made all of these cosmetic changes then live with it for a few months and decide if you really need to add a backsplash or if the 4" will suffice with the white walls. I bet it does.

Two stools you love will go a long way as well.

The uppers are fighting with the lowers regardless of what color you choose, they both should be the same. There is no blue or green in your counters but imo I wouldn't change them bc of budget, hassle, etc. unless you HATE them. So if it were me, I would change the uppers to white and bring in color elsewhere. IF you do decide to change the cabinets to colored, You have to match something to the counter and wall so maybe painting the wall is an option? I would just search around on Houzz or on a house sell site like Zillow to peek into how others may have done things.

I think the problem is that the upper cabinets are incredibly busy with different heights, different depths and over the top crown molding. Nothing short of replacing them with a simpler design will help fix the kitchen’s appearance. Obviously, this is going to be expensive so I would wait until you have the money for a full remodel before doing anything. Then you can redo the kitchen the way you want it to be.

Hi M Griz, you have a fabulous kitchen there, it just needs a little bit of cohesion. It's not that the two-toned colors don't work, it's that they are in the wrong place. Normally, one would use a darker stained bottom and lighter stain on top cabs. When using painted cabs, white/cream on uppers, and a contrasting color on base cabs.

I wouldn't paint the upper cabs, it will just be too white with nothing "grounding" the kitchen. There is a fairly easy fix that you can do mostly yourself, with a small portion sent out to "the pros." For your base cabs, cover the sides and all exposed parts with the exception of drawers and doors with wood beadboard paneling--comes in 4' x 8' sheets at Home Depot & Lowe's. Stain to match the uppers. In the grand scheme of things, beadboard paneling is fairly inexpensive. So, grab a sheet or two, stain them to match the uppers and tack them up on the sides of the island and base cabs next to the stove. See how it looks, see it you can "live with" the color. If you see your kitchen is more cohesive and not "busy", Then send out the doors and drawer fronts to a company that specializes in that work. They will also come out and put a new veneer on the base cabinet faces, so everything will match.

You should be able to remove the granite backsplash fairly easily, but where it is glued to the wall, you'll probably pull off the paper from the drywall. A backsplash with "bling" will really dress up the area. Take a piece of the granite backsplash with you when you go to look for tile. A glass mosaic would look great, pick out the colors from the granite that you like and "match up" the backsplash tile.

Love your glass-front upper cabs, but if your kitchen seems "busy", like there's just too much going on, maybe try making the glass less "clear" . There are a lot of different glass panels you can buy to replace, but before spending that much money, try applying a decorative cling film that are made for windows. Lots of styles at Home Depot and it's cheaper than getting all new glass. Your kitchen looks great--I wouldn't change anything else :-)

If you cook, even occasionally, open shelving will make your life more difficult. Cooking oils and steam travel everywhere, and they seem to be attracted to any speck of dust in your home. Also, the cabinets you want to remove are different sizes, so when you put up shelves to take the place, you will more easily notice the lopsided place...oh, and to look right, you'd have to take the backsplash all the way up to the ceiling before installing open shelves.

Good luck and let us know how everything comes out!

Just pulled appliances out to start priming and found out the original color cabinets on the bottom are black! Any opinions on if I should just plan to strip the off white and leave black cabinets on bottom until we have full kitchen renovation?

You will have a mess if you try to strip the bottom. May take both colors off.

I think you have to paint over the white you now have, cannot strip.

This is what it will look like in all black.

Hi M Griz, you can take one of the cabinet doors off and try stripping just the inside of the door. I am guessing that the previous owners sanded the base cabs, primed and then painted, so stripping it down to black probably won't work because the black has been sanded down slightly. I wouldn't have chosen painted base cabs and stained uppers, but the previous owners did--and, frankly, I think the base cabs look a LOT better in black than they do in white. So, yeah, try a test strip on the inside of a cabinet door, see how much you can strip it down. Sand first, see how much comes off. Then CAREFULLY apply a stripping paste/gel. You really don't know the quality of the wood used in those cabs, so chemical strippers may damage it. If you can get it down to the black layer, even though it will be sanded and splotchy, you will be able to paint on a DARK primer and then black paint. You'll have to resign yourself to the fact that you'll have to repaint. Once you're done painting the base cabs black, you can start planning for your new kitchen.

I wouldn't mess with trying to strip the lower cabinets but would have them professionally painted. The black rendition that @lisedv posted for the lower cabinets looks nice! Paint the walls a lighter/softer shade of taupe. Once done, save up for a future remodel of whatever else ails you :)

You can't strip one layer you strip down to wood. If you like the black--then paint away but you only change the color of your busy-ness it doesn't unbusy your kitchen.