Hi Jbax, Finishes are so complex these days, it is hard to pin down. I would get some sample boards and try before you do the furniture. It is definitely stained with some kind of antiquing and from the pic it looks like it might be lightly distressed as well. I would start with a stain as my base....lightly and randomly sand back some areas (not all the way through)....then try a dark wax or ebony stain in areas you want to accent and random spots. hope that helps.

While there are water based products that can be thinned with water, I've always preferred oil based paint/primer for whitewashing/pickling, thinned with turpentine or mineral spirits. The ratio really depends on the look you want, and especially the hardness/porosity of the wood. Typically, I brush or wipe on with a rag, and then wipe back off with a rag to the desired amount of pigment left on the wood and in crevices and details. With wood as hard and dense as Maple, you'll need to experiment how long to leave it on for the results you want. You can always go back and add more over it until you're pleased. Personally, I would choose a wood other than Maple with a more open grain, and or softer if specifically wanting to whitewash, but that does not mean it can't be done! White Oak is beautiful whitewashed/pickled, Red oak is nice too, but has a tendency to go pink, so adding some blue or gray in the thinned mix can help mitigate the effect. Laquer is typically sprayed on, as it dries in minutes, and can be re-coated several times in one process. There are also brushing laquers that have a slower dry time, I've used Deft brand and it works well. Most top coats are available in a matte finish, satin is just a notch above matte on the gloss scale, and is a bit more wipeable for a kitchen. Pine in the kitchen... (also on the T&G sloped ceiling that you can't see) Pine paneling in the family room... Pine wall unit and ceiling in my home office. I wanted the ceiling to contrast the cabinet and crown a bit, so used very little pigment, and wiped off quickly...

Fortunately you have the doors and drawer fronts so you are matching only secondary parts. That is possible as a close match is all that is required since the two surfaces won't be perfectly aligned. I have done this a few times and built a large colllection of dyes, toners, shellacs and stains from miscellaneous sources. First I must warn you this won't be cheap because the quality products are not cheap and you may need to buy a few different items to get a passable match. I suggest starting at Rockler or similar as they will be the best chance of good advice, with a true paint store a second possibility. My local paint store will attempt stain matching but their system only gets you part of the way and the rest is trial and error. When I attempted to match the stain for birch doors, I started with a two x four sheet of cabinet grade birch plywood (ReStore find!) and taped sections with painter's tape. After doing a first round with some different bases of bare wood, dyes and shellacs, then I went the other direction with different colors of stains ending up with a grid pattern. At that point, I picked the best two matches and did larger samples to completion. Be sure to write the relevant info on the sections of painters tape as it is hard to remember once you move the boards around. You may find that the solid pieces of the face frame take stain differently than the veneer panels of the finished sides and back. Most importantly, be sure to have enough material to finish the job once you find the magic combination. If you mix stains together, make plenty as you do not want to run out. I prefer staining pieces before gluing, otherwise be very, very careful to get all the glue cleaned off unstained pieces.

Where did the cabinets come from. IMO most espresso cabinets were from China since there they use many different woods when doing cabinets and hence the espresso stain to blend in all the different materials. No matter what the gel stain needs to be removed . IMO you strip and paint them A huge job made worse by now needing to strip the gel too but the only way. I however suggest getting this done professionally and no matter how many you tubes show you DIY unless you have stripped and sanded and sparyed and apinted many cabinets DIY does not stand up likre afactory finish and very often does not look great. I guess since they are bathroom cabinets you could try in the smallest one to try DIY but no way in a kitchen. To have them done right will not be cheap so check out the cost of replacement too .