Usually, cabinets are painted the same white as the wood work. But, I'm not lovin' that white. I'd spend a few dollars and paint the trim, ceiling and cabinets all the same white, approproate finishes. S W recommends Snowbound as a coordinate. Back splash, use the quartz and run it right up under the cabinets. Luckily, I found this photo...egret on walls, snowbound

I agree with going with SW Egret White, it'll be a different sheen and be a nice subtle look. Nice with your flooring. The Polished Nickel may bring out the gray/greige undertones, if that is what you are after. Brass would warm it up.

You are right to hold off on the backsplash until you see the finished look, you may want to go white or a completely different direction depending on your lighting.

Congratulations! Share the results when it's completed.

... replacing the refrigerator with a counter depth?

what are the cabs being painted WITH? plain old paint? I'd rethink that one.

and are those cabs actual wood? don't waste money painting cheap cabs.

You want a professional cab painter who sprays w/a pre-cat lacquer at their shop. if they're using regular SW paint on site (for doors and drawers) they're not a pro cab specialist.

What price did they quote you?

You plan on Staining the island darker? why not paint? who is refinishing it? you'll have to sand off the complete finish of whats already there before applying something else. (quite frankly, with that wood and finish, painting it will be a better option. it's a ton of work to that correctly w/stain)

Also, look into trimming out that island for a more finished look. this should be done prior to painting. (and if you can make it larger, do that)

diff ways to trim it out. you can search online for DIY trim to kitchen islands

don't forget the ends of the cabs too. trim them out in whatever design you like, but just finish them!

Verify again which method they use to paint (for example, you mentioned refacing. refacing w/what kind of materials? i had mine done w/solid maple rails and stiles w/an MDF center panel, and solid maple drawer fronts. everything was sprayed back at their shop, except the bases obviously.

these were all sanded, primed, sanded AGAIN, and then sprayed. ( I color matched a shade brighter than BM Simply White)

I don't have a pic before the doors/drawers were painted, since they were all at his shop, but I did opt for the 45 degree beveled edge on the shaker. so much easier to keep clean!

This was my before (and a double pantry off to the left you can't see)

I had drawers put in the island, micro moved below oven, and a custom vent hood made, plus a few other things. because my top drawers were shaker and I wanted everything to match, the painter suggested refacing everything. the cost was $2200 more. not a bad deal. (but I paid close to 13K for the everything seen here, just the painting of the cabs and hood.)

It's been 8 years and I don't have any chips or peeling.

I can't stress enough about the prep work on you base cabs, and the process and paint type they use. you have to ask about every detailed step.

AND ALWAYS, have them paint a sample door for you so you can see how it looks in your space. ALWAYS! this way you can sign off on the color. can't tell you how many people don't get a sample done first and are unhappy w/the finished result.

Have you chosen your slab yet? Taj can range from warmer gold tones to cooler gray tones. you'll need to choose your white paint color based upon the SLAB you choose, and your flooring. (are you keeping that floor?) you want a white that compliments the floor and the Taj that you pick.

paint some sample white colors on pieces of wood and take those (and a flooring piece if you have a spare) to the stone yard

Read this and some of the other links she has on white paint:

https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/the-3-best-white-paint-colors-for-cabinets-trim/

Taj:

https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/taj-mahal-the-quartzite-countertop-thats-rocking-kitchen-design/

Yes this is the slab...hard to tell in this photo but the veining has more taupe than grey

that's all you took from my comment? lol.

nothing about the painting process or anything else? mkay.

the slab appears to have taupe undertones. stay away warmer whites or yellow based whites. you want a white w/red or pink undertone, something that works w/taupe

these should also work w/your flooring colors

I'd pick one of these colors for the island

I didn't have the chance to address everything at the time but appreciate the insight.

- Cabinet refacing company is using cabinets that are a mix of of real wood and engineered

- I don't know the specifics of their painting process but they are very highly rated in the area. It's too late now to change any of that and i'm confident in the decision I made to pick them so just looking for the paint color suggestions for cabinetry - thanks for that!

They can either paint or stain the island and I felt staining made more sense since already wood but I can def change that if I want

you don't know the specifics but trust the rating"?

Using a mix of real wood and engineered?? huh? engineered wood is real wood, it's just thin veneer layers over a solid plywood.

solid wood is solid wood. (like I mentioned on mine)

MDF is a fiberboard, normally used for center panels when painting because real wood will expand and contract, leading to cracks in the finish.

Are you aware of any of this or are you just "trusting this company" ?

So, you don't want to ask them which products and prep methods they use?

do you even know what TYPE of paint from SW they are using? (there's more than one type)

What price did they give you for painting and refacing those cabs? i'm curious.

IMO if painted cabinets were the plan those new parts should have been MDF and SW no matter paint is never my choice. Now I think the safest is to match the wall color if wall painting is not in the plan. I would stay away from 2 toned cabinetry and also mixing metals and with all stainless appliances I would stick with that color metal if timeless is the aim.Are pullouts behind doors planned for the cabinets ? I do think you should have waited but too late now. My first big purchase would be a counter depth fidge since all else in thta layout stays.

I would not base my whole kitchen remodel design on a wall color that was picked by the previous owners.

That is the easiest thing to change.

^^^what chispa said. Why would you go through all that work and expense on painting your cabinets to blend with a color you didn't select in the first place?

If that were my kitchen, I'd focus on changing the flooring before anything else. It looks to be a plastic laminate in an unattractive gray color. I'd replace it with either engineered hardwood or site-finished hardwood in a medium brown color. Then I'd choose a cabinet color that works with that. You'll have a much more classic, timeless kitchen.

pick a cabinet color about the shade of the back of the chair in the view shown of your space. taj mahal could be a little tricky with your floors so the chalky white like that is probably the best bet. your decisions are mostly made so trying to work with what you have going..I'd leave the island the same paint color as the perimeter.

taj mahal w the chalky shade of white cabinet paint....to try to work w your floors as well.

Quartzite Taj Mahal · More Info

Is that quartz (machine made) or quartzite (natural stone) ?

It seems like you have already made some very important choices and placed deposits on them, which likely means there is no going back from those choices. I understand that what you don't know , you don't know. All you can do is move forward from here and thats okay.

Lets cut to the chase , based on everything you have said and the fact that you are not willing to change anything, the simple solution is to choose the cabinet color that your interior trim and doors are painted in. IDK if you mentioned that color or if you know it but it should be an easy match even if you don't.

If you were to do this, this is basically what you will end up with. I have used your counter choice, matched your trim color, used the heritage brass for hardware and lights and the polished nickel for your faucet.

What colors do you plan on using throughout your home? Are you wanting any color in the kitchen or to keep it totally neutral. If you give me an idea I can incororate it into the rendering for you.

Now if you really want design advice on how to improve this , you have been given sound advice.

things that can still be changed and are really glaringly obvious from looking at your photo and not even addressing the how and why of the choices thus far.......

1. your fridge needs to be counter depth

2. backsplash , again color or neutral? taking the counter up or having a tile? whatever you do eliminate the 4 " curb it has no place there

3. yes the flooring isn't ideal but my bet is if you aren't willing to paint the walls you certainly wont replace the flooring, correct me if I am wrong.

4 . your bare window, add a window treatment to bring some life into the space

5 would you consider modifying your existing cabinets by taking them to the ceiling? adding a decorative hood? placing your microwave in a lower cabinet?

The possibilities.....

@Rithi K Congratulations on your new home! So many decisions to make when you move, please don't be daunted by all the advice you are getting. In a perfect world with unlimited funds all of this advice is great but you haven't told us your budget so my assumption is that what you are changing is maxing that budget or will be once you select the backsplash as you indicated you will do once everything is in place.

The choices you're making do seem to be improvements. Just look at @Design Interior South first pic above. It's easy to feel we've made mistakes when renovating when other voices enter, but the very best news is, "You know how to actually make a decision!"

I agree, paint the cabinets the same color as your trim. Staining the island might be tricky as it likely has different wood types in it and will not take the stain evenly. I suggest painting it when you do the cabinets but it's your home, you do you!

All the very best to you in your new home.

Thanks all and especially @tozmo1...you hit the nail on the head haha. If budget were unlimited that would be a different story!

I am with everyone on the flooring...I also don't love it, but the previous owners also just had them done prior to selling and it's just not in the budget to change them. We feel updating the kitchen will have much more impact than changing the floors which although are not to my taste, are at least brand new and look much nicer in person.

Good point about the wall color though...I wouldn't re-paint the entire house but I could paint just the kitchen/adjoining open space rooms if it means the cabinets would be best in a certain color.

The interior trim color is extra white. I personally don't love how stark white it was and was instead thinking along the lines of Shoji White/White Duck/Natural Linen or even the same Egret White which a couple people recommended above which I hadn't considered. But I do def see your point that it will blend more seamlessly being the same color so I will add that opiton to the mix!

Thanks for the advice on the island...I'll have a think about what to do with this instead. Def not tied to staining but I do like it contrasting in some way.

Rather than paint the walls, it might be easier to paint the trim in SW Alabaster and then do the cabinets in SW Alabaster too. I had some family room cabinets painted in SW Alabaster and they look great. It's a much brighter white than it appears below,

If your cabinet painters are good ones they can probably advise on the feasibility of restaining the island. Or, pick a complimentary darker color like the urbane bronze Beth H suggested.

Actually extra white is really not stark. Its LRV of 86 knocks the starkness of it down and is really a mid range white. My own kitchen is extra white with pure white trim and it actually feels soothing. If you go too creamy on your cabinets it is going to throw you wall color off and you extra white trim which is a cooler white is going to make your cabinets look dingy unless. If you want to warm up the space consider doing Extra White on your perimenter and painting the island a warmer tone of taupe which will compliment your counters

My kitchen with extra white cabinets and pure white trim

A project where we used Extra White and did the island and hood in BM Pashmina counters Taj Mahal Quartz

If your goal is not to paint then use the trim color. If you start painting trim in one area you will need to continue through out the entire home. Your floor plan appears to be open so where are your stopping points for walls and trims?

Some inspro with Alabaster SW

how are you judging various whites ? You are doing cabinet paint/counters /backsplash...you have to be certain you have the correct lighting upgrades completed .. As well, bring all samples of materials into the upgraded lit space to judge.

try SW Amazing gray for cabinetry.