Hi Kaysee,
We did a major kitchen renno 1.5 years ago with white cabinets. I have 3 boys all under the age of 11... haven't had a single regret choosing white. As a matter of fact a neighbor copied our same kitchen and they have 4 small kids. White is classic. Good luck!

Thanks Jenn! Can I ask what kind of cabinets they are - custom painted/sprayed or off-the-shelf from a cabinet place? I wonder if that makes a difference in how durable they are. I guess there are probably ways to patch them if something gets scratched or chipped. Thanks again.

My advise:
-Do not use Thermafoil/PVC. Go painted, little higher in price 100% better product!
-White is not and will never be outdated, looks great! White tends to get the best feedback in any showroom I have worked in, and you can do so much with the accent colours. A darker cabinet stain can show more finger prints than white!
-Karen has a good idea about the two toned, if you are doing an island, you get best of both worlds! The cream/chantilly white looks fantastic as well, with a medium stained maple/cherry.
-Keep your appliance colours in mind, sometime white cabs and white appliances can look dated....and it is always hard to match white.
-Good Luck!

Usually the lower cabinets get the most wear. Why not do lowers in the med brown and white on top? Wood does tend to show less wear as long as it's not super dark. If you do an all white kitchen definitely do solid wood so it can be resprayed if necessary.

http://st.houzz.com/simages/60590_0_4-8330-traditional-kitchen.jpg

Thank you everyone for the terrific responses; I really appreciate your ideas! Good advice to go for solid wood painted so can be resprayed. I thought about dark on bottom and white on top (with dark island) but we have wood floors so I thought the variety of colors of wood and paint might be over the top. You've given me much to mull over. I'll post a photo when we're done...in a few months. Thanks!

I'm doing a huge kitchen renovation as well. Good luck with yours. I used painted creamy white cabinets for the perimeter and a mink/dark brown island. I find that "white" kitchens are classic and will never go out of style. I would not worry too much about the kids. A simply wipe down with a wet cloth with mild detergent will do the trick. What got used most during the "tiny" years was our Ikea farmhouse kitchen table - from art projects with glitter to huge family holiday gatherings. I would consider using a kitchen table that can withstand that kind of abuse. After 17 years the Ikea is still going strong!

Be sure that the custom shop has the equipment to 'bake the finish' like the factory will do. I have seen reputable custom shops that delivered product with bugs or dust in the finish. The main difference between them is factory you will see a vertical seam where two cabinets are next to each other. but you will se that with custom also most of the time.

hello, we did a kitchen reno a few years back and picked off white and they have help up beautifully, they wipe down easily. i say get what you love! good luck!

Sorry for the late reply... we did choose custom made cabinets. I believe the wood was Alder which was then sprayed/lacquered. There have been a few chips that have occured by me and I have some touch up paint provided by the company. So far, so good!

I'm not sure I thanked everyone...once again I really appreciate you taking the time to respond to my message. We've decided on a mix - all wood on once side where there is lots of light and painted white/cream wood cabinets where there is a long wall of cabinets. That way the wood won't overpower. We haven't decided yet whether the island in between will be wood or white/cream. Right now I'm leaning toward the latter. Thanks again!