Also, are white cabinets a nightmare to keep clean?

I say it's never too bright for white! It will make your nice wooden window stand out (paint the walls too)

Sunlight is never a problem for any color of cabinet. It makes everything look bright and cheerful. I don't find white cabinets the least bit difficult to keep clean (and I've had white kitchens for the last 18 years), but I suppose if I had a house full of small children with peanut-buttery fingers I might feel differently.

I think white would be an amazing finish. The amount of sunlight will enhance the brightness. White is a colour of cabinetry that does need a bit more attention to spills. This will be vastly different from what you've experiences...simply because you are moving from a dark wood to a white. I guess "nightmares" are personal and come down to personality types. Many people simply wipe spills away when they see them...but don't fret about it.. Other people feel that the entire kitchen must be sanitize the instant they see coffee drips on their cupboards. It is a personality thing.

If you are going to paint, try to work with a colour that is closest to your fridge/stove. the other option is to work with a gray with white accents to keep the clash of whites down to a dull roar. There are many, many options out there for "white" kitchens that aren't completely "white".

The cupboards - are they lamimates? Is there a veneer on them? You may have to find the proper primer/sealer to work with if they can not be sanded down to raw wood (like a solid build).

Yes. The cabinets are a laminate type surface. They are solid and in great condition.

I agree, if I choose white, I want it to match my appliance white. Thanks to HOUZZ photos, I decided that pretty quickly. What type of paint do you recommend? Flat-glossy?

We are thinking a beige/tan/khaki (?) color for the walls and white trim. What about our backsplash and the yellow part above the cupboards?

I was thinking dark wood countertops......

What about a slate/grey bluish color cabinets with a honey toned wood countertop and the white appliances? The laminate might be hard to cover with white. Unless the appliances are being replaced - then I love the white/cream color idea

I have a gloss white kitchen in a room that gets morning sun and love it . Always fresh and clean looking. Fussy mouldings and finishes make kitchens hard to clean.
I suggest you paint all the existing kitchen gloss white or semi gloss if the surfaces are not so good.
Your space looks like an island bar would fit well instead of the table and give you extra counter space . This could be set up easily with some kitchen cupboards ( kit or premade) and a top with an overhang for stools. If you wanted to add some wood into the room, this top could be timber or butcher block.

Color on the cabinets is not my first choice but I have considered it. I'm just so over the wood grain in this kitchen (the walls are paneled in the same wood grain!) that we have lived with for ten years now. Hence why I lean towards nice bright white ;)

We do not plan to replace the flooring so I would like all colors to work with the existing floor.

The appliances are not getting replaced. We hope to get a couple more years out of them.

Yes (anniau). The pedestal table you see is a temporary fix. This is more a kitchen transform than remodel. Our budget is tight. Some day we would like to have a custom island where this table now stands.

Here are other views. We are taking out the wall in the first image.

Quite understand and I like the approach of painting the cupboards and walls. It will totally transform your space. Do you need to replace the bench tops? From the photo they look white?

Yes. Countertops are laminate, white with speckles of brown and grey. Im leaning towards ikea Pragel (walnut).

Great space and will be amazingly light with the wall down.
Re the island, I have seen these made from 2 standard IKEA and similar kitchen deep drawer or cupboard base units with a standard IKEA table top and another table top cut down to back the cupboards. Very cost effective.

Walnut will go well with the white. How much of the timber walls are you keeping in the expanded room? Previous owners must have been big wood fans

Honestly, I do not plan on keeping any of the wood paneling.

The house is mid century (the family we bought it from built it) but I am not sure if the kitchen is original or was redecorated at some point after. I bet they payed a pretty penny for the cabinets. They are well made and in perfect condition after all these years!

We bought it in 2004 and have done nothing except replace the floor.

Now. What color pulls and hinges?

consider a white with a gray tint. If you have that much light perhaps a medium gray, it will look nice with white appliances.

SD-with the gray tint in the cabinets would you still paint the walls a tan/beige/khaki hue?

kizzymay, given the colour of the floor tile, I think white with the light would be to bright, lol. The other consideration is what you want to achieve and the time/effort of sanding the cabinets may be going to extremes for what you stated is wanted.

A possible option would be to remove the wall cabinets, sand/paint them, remove the wall paneling, & reattach the wall cabinets. By leaving the base cabinets as is you're providing a contrast between the tile floor and white countertop while lightening the overall appearance of the room. Live with it a while and decide later if you want to sand and paint the base cabinets, also.

Kizzy take a look at clique studios kitchen website -they have a color called harbor - which is a gray/blue- the color would make the white appliances and the floor pop. There was a pic from House Beautiful (I can't find it now ) where the lower cabinets were a gray/blue and the uppers a creamy white- the countertop was dark wood tone -your kitchen with the light floor and white appliances- and white cabinets may end up looking like a hospital OR- lol. I like the previous idea - start with the uppers - if you do those white you can paint the soffitt the same color so it would blend. -stand back and decide on the lowers. The wall color needs to wait until the cabinets are done as it may change. Good luck!

We painted our paneling in our nook area to get by until we remodel this next year. it made a huge difference....Best of luck! I also did a practice run on the bar area to see how much it would upgrade the in-between remodel. Happy I did it! Now you can see I have quite a lot of work ahead of me for the rest of the kitchen;)

Acroteria-we hope to replace the floor, in a year or two, with wood in a darkish finish. I like the idea of trying something out before jumping into it.

I really appreciate ozwalla1's photos. I am a visual person. And that's why I love HOUZZ.

I agree with sue2029. The wall color will be decided when the cabinets are done.

Looking through the idea photos on 'clique studio's' site I found this one. It is a good example of what I do and don't want.

I don't want a light countertop with white cabinets and I don't want white walls with white cabinets. I like black knobs and I like black or dark countertops.

White cabinets would be perfect! The color will open up your entire space. Please remember there are many colors and levels of white. You should keep in mind the colors in your flooring when you choose the right shade of white. Trust your gut; it is already telling you the direction to follow. Can't wait to see the "after" pictures.

Be sure to go to a professional paint store like Sherwin Williams and they can tell you the best way to paint the cabinets. They have products that level the paint so that you will not have brush strokes. Take one of the doors with you. I think the white is going to look amazing. I think you should go with a gloss they are usually easier to clean. I like the idea of the black pulls and hinges. When you put in an island you could paint it black for some contrast.

White is easy to keep clean; you can always see where there is something you need to clean. Don't let that stop you...it's a simple wipe. I highly suggest you consult a cabinet professional. There is a process to changing cabinet color and doing it the right way. You want to do it once and above all, correctly.

I have white cabinets also and when you see a spill, you wipe it. BM has an advance paint for cabinets and furniture. It has self levelling properties to diminish brush strokes. Don't skimp on the prep work. Surface has to be grease and dust free, and then two coats of primer. Some painters swear by oil based paints for durability, but they can yellow over time. Happened to me. I painted my previous cabinets which were as dark as yours and laminate with a latex kitchen melamine and they turned out great. In fact they are in the garage now.

White cabinetry will open up your kitchen. Don't be afraid to go white, there are also others light colors you can choose from. Here is some inspiration:





If you're in the area and would like to get some advice from some professionals, come join us for breakfast and check out our free kitchen session every 2nd Saturday of the month: http://leichtnewyork.com/how-much-will-your-kitchen-cost-class-registration

Let us know if you have any questions. Wishing you all the best!

Love your inspiration photo, why not just go for exactly this?
It is all very achievable with your kitchen and will tone with the existing floors. I prefer the black and white scheme to the walnut and white, plus you can have more fun changing accent colours. Happy painting.