I don't know if I'll be that much help since I'm wrestling with a similar situation, but we're planning to keep our doors oak to tie in with the oak in our dining room, but all of our cabinetry and trim will be white. I have saved lots of magazine photos that show mixing of painted and stained woods, so I know that other people successfully marry the two. I think if I had your kitchen and wanted white cabs, I'd leave the doors and trim oak, and maybe switch the blinds to white? Maybe someone can Photoshop your photos and show you what some different options would look like?

I am open to all of your wonderful ideas, and don't worry about criticism, I want your opinions!!!

Well, since you asked... ;o) I also wanted to say that if I had your kitchen and wanted white cabs, there's no way I'd spend money on new ones if I were planning to keep the footprint the same. Your current cabinets are a classic, current style (minus the honey oak color) and would look great painted white! Maybe you could use some of what you'd save and order (or have custom built) some short cabs to stack above your uppers to give you the height you want. You could have all of them professionally painted and still be way below the cost of all new ones.

If you do opt to take them out, you could definitely sell them or donate them to Habitat or something. :o)

I am not a fan of oak, but I think your kitchen is VERY nice.

I agree you could have them painted white, take the crown off and add cabs to the ceiling, maybe change the door style so you feel like you got a total cabinet change. But to trash those cabinets would be such a waste. I wish my old kitchen had a layout I could have worked with- it was a disaster!

HTH! :)

Paint them white (or any color you want) or gel stain them to darker. No need to waste cabinets that you like (other than the color. If you want to go all the way to the ceiling you could just add boxes up there. There's a few kitchens around here that have done that. The ones I love are the ones that installed lighted, glass front cabs in that space. Give you more storage but not too much extra weight.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with mixing woods or finishes. Just go with what you love.

To be 100% honest, I hate oak but LOVE your kitchen. It is very very nice. Honestly I think you have 1 of 2 options. Just update the one you have with the new lighting, a new backsplash and maybe some new knobs (though like I said it's really nice already) or I would do white. Don't do dark walnut, I think it would look very wierd with your oak. White is always safe to do, you can keep your oak trim and mix with white and it will look very nice especially with your dark granite. But honestly I think your cabinets are in terrific shape and your kitchen already looks like it had the makeover. I guess I'm so used to seeing the original 1950's kitchens in my neighborhood.

PS You are a very good housekeeper and decorator. Your house is so perfect and cozy, I wouldn't change a thing!

Here's another picture. I think you would be fine leaving all the trim (baseboards, interior doors, etc) natural oak...it will still match the floors. The darker cabinets would be a nice contrast. Your counters look dark...right? If so, I'd use a lighter backsplash and possibly undercabinet lighting to brighten it all up. Dark cabinets will tend to darken things a bit, but the space is open and airy enough that I think it would be fine.

I agree with everyone else that you should keep your cabinets. They look like they're in excellent shape and you can add the additional glass boxes at the top to take them to the ceiling.

You should probably take a cabinet door and stain it darker to see if that is the direction you want to take and if not try the paint alternative next.

There are lots of us on the forum and blog that have painted their old cabinets. (I am one of them - I had country oak cabinets and painted them cream with a heavy chocolate glaze. I am really happy being rid of my old oak cabinets.)

I would change the cabinets first and then decide if you can keep the doors and trim in the oak stain or if you think they would look better painted.

Good luck and I hope you'll post photos after you finish your kitchen.

Those cabinets of yours just scream "QUALITY" to me. Your not considering changing the footprint,I agree on that,it's a nice layout. I just don't think new cabinets are necessary. If your just bored with the look then change the color. Stain or paint. I think others that come into your home will like the look you already have!!! This is all about "you" wanting a change. The granite and stainless steel is VERY up-to-date!

Ugh your "before" kitchen is nicer than my "after" kitchen will be!! I agree with everyone else-- paint or stain those puppies! I think either cream or dark will look gorgeous in your home, so go with whatever look you like better. If you're dead-set on spending money, add decorative glass-front cabinet boxes to the top. That would really give it a "wow" factor beyond what it already has. I can only afford new oak cabinets in my remodel, but I'm hoping for a look similar to ccoombs1. While white kitchens are stunning, I find dark kitchens to be so warm, comforting and "rich."

All that said, if you DO decide to get all new cabinets, can I please have your current ones?? :)

Your granite looks like mine did in our last home, Antique Labrador. I hated my oak cabs w/ the granite because it didn't "pop" like the contrast of ccombs1 dark cabs and lighter granite. So I had my oak cabs painted a "distressed" creamy color and it turned out AWESOME! Suddenly everyone noticed our granite and the white creamy against the dark looked so good. So MY advice is to paint the cabs.

I kinda disagree that you should paint the cabinets...first. They really are beautiful and I think you *will* get into a mess where you can't stop ie. you'd have to "carry it through the whole main level". I just can't see painting that beautiful stained wood for white paint that will not wear as well on all the trim and doors etc (not the cabinet doors because I think painted cabinets do wear very well), but trim that gets kicked and bumped by the vacuum etc, I think you're better off with your stained wood. ASIDE from it being beautiful.

Why not try painting the walls of the kitchen area? Maybe something bold, like the red in your table?? That would certainly give it some pop. Your wall color is very similar to your cabinets, it's very nice, but maybe it's just some contrast that you need. I'd go after the walls first before jumping on the cabinets.

Thank you everyone for all of the terrific ideas. I agree that I think I can work with the current cabinets and either paint them or stain them darker. I am just really scared to have them painted! I would pay to have them done professionally. A few follow-up items:

1. Another idea I had is to either stain the island dark or enamel paint the island either white or dark brown and then leave the other cabinets light as is.

2. I never even thought of adding boxes to the top of the cabinets, which is a great idea and way better than getting all new cabinets. I will probably implement this idea for sure.

3. ccoombs1 - Thanks for posting pics. Are your white trim and doors oak? Also, do you have any information on the shelf you have above your cooktop - where did you find it, how is it mounted?

4. I have some extra cabinet doors so I think I will have my painter stain one dark and enamel the other one so I can make a decision.

I love this board and everyone's helpful opinions. I will definitely post pictures when we are done.

I think your kitchen is very nice like it is. I would not paint them. I like white cabinets but I think the grain on Oak makes them hard to paint and look good. If you are looking for contrast in the oaks I would stain them darker. I think ccoombs are beautiful. Here is a pictute of jamielo beautiful kitchen where they blended stained and painted beautifully.

A beautiful ivory cream paint finish on your cabinets would look incredible. Maybe even a bit of handglazing in a toffee colour...

The countertops would pop nicely and there'd be a good degree of contrast between the cabinets and the floor.

It's a great room !

I just thought I would update everyone on "my plan". I received so much great advice on this forum it really made the decision easier. I plan to KEEP and EMBRACE my oak cabinets. I will stain the island a very dark java gel stain. I will then live with that for a while and decide if I will stain the other cabinets dark or leave them light. Let's hope it goes well. I will post pictures whenever I get done!

My inspiration color is from projectsneverend kitchen:

I think that will look terrific.

Just some other ideas:

If you do stain them darker, you should consider painting the walls an light off-white, or very light grey color to make more contrast between the cabinetry and the other space, add in some white subway tile backsplash. Also, consider removing your lights and replacing them with some multi-colored italian blown glass pendants, and put some new pulls on the cabinetry. I saw someone post some pictures of pewter cabinet pulls earlier and they looked great.

Good luck & post pictures when you're done!

:) I feel giddy having my teeny kitchen be an inspiration pic!

Please post pics of your project and make sure to check out celticmoon's tips on gel stain as well as mine.

Good luck!

I don't think it would look weird to paint your kitchen trim white and have the rest of the main floor keep its oak trim... that was my instinct at the top of the thread and then the photo posted by marybeth1 confirmed it.

When we moved into our previous 1926 house, the woodwork was all old varnished fir. Everyone was like, oh, I love that trim! But: it was not an architect-designed house (I think it was a Sears kit house, actually) and I didn't love calling attention to the doors and windows, which were not thoughtfully placed, with the dark trim. I painted it all BM White Dove, and suddenly the house was open, airy, and gorgeous... filled with light. It was an amazing transformation. Everyone who'd been trying to convince me not to paint it wound up saying they were wrong. Now, your house is already pretty airy looking, and your trim is lighter to start with.... but my point is that if you want white trim in the kitchen, do it!!!

I think your kitchen is beautiful! Keep the cabinets and stain them a little darker. I think white would be too washed out.

I'm so glad to hear you are keeping your cabinets - they are beautiful. I know oak isn't popular right now but like most everything else it will come around again. Dark cabinetry wasn't popular when I planned my kitchen but I did it any way because it went well with the rest of the woodwork in my house. Well, guess what - now dark cabinetry and woodwork is back in vogue.

It would be such a waste to get rid of those cabinets and I personally am not a fan of painting nice quality wood cabinetry - which yours appears to be. It reminds me of beautiful old homes with fantastic woodwork - that someone painted when that was the latest trend - what a waste.

Hopefully what you have planned for the island will give you the look you're hoping for but I think your kitchen looks very nice as it currently is.

There's just something about a white kitchen that is soooo classy. I think I'd seriously do a rich off white on the cabinets.

That's your current kitchen right? well it will be a mess to add dark oak in it, your kitchen it wonderful and nice so you don't need to worry anything in it anymore, your kitchen perfectly matched the color of your living room, simplicity sometimes is the best design, so better stick up with your current kitchen design.

Here is a link that might be useful: henricsen butler

Not sure why everyone is always wanting to change something that is already beautiful. Keep what you have and be happy with it. What you have is gorgeous. Everyone is caught up in the redesigning of everything because of TV. It's all a waist of money for just wanting a change. It's just like technology, it changes every second. Wait 10 years, what you have will be back in style