lukkiirish -- funny, the winds breath IS one of my fave colors. (and to anyone who is looking for a magic white/grey paint, I swear, it really is just the most wondrous color!). I also have it on my bedroom ceiling with camouflage on the walls and a white crown molding. I did look at it as a potential color for the cabinets but decided against it when DD and DH said they think white/off white/cream cabinets are "boring" and "trendy". Winds Breath did seem too look good with my counters....i just asked dh to go paint a board and i am gonna check it out. the raffia cream i really like. i think i like it on the wall better than the cabinets, i don't think i like it next to stainless as much as maybe something else. eandhl2 i have considered some pale yellows. One color I looked at was sugar cookie (benjamin moore) but i never did pursue it. When i abandoned the white/cream idea, i abandoned pale yellow. i am not sure what my reasoning was. tinam61 i have talked to some people about the cabinets. They were painters first and designers second (or maybe third or fourth). They really didn't care if i painted them purple or ochre or white. They were interested in the painting, not in the aesthetic. Not sure I would have trusted their aesthetic anyway...even if they were so inclined to discuss it. My3dogs (Maine zone 5A) i do like the pic you posted. I think the grey in the pic is cooler than i want, but i would like to see berkshire beige on the cabinets. i am going to look and see if i can find a picture.

Your cabinets are lovely, must you paint them? If you must, I agree with choosing something else first, such as the granite. If you're doing your backsplash too, perhaps go tile shopping. If you fall in love with something, it will help narrow down your paint choices. Easier to do it that way as paint choices are much larger than granite/ tile choices.

Gray IS neutral, as are beige based and off white colors. Why invest in "trends"? Invest in a more timeless color that is not subject to fashions trends. That is sound advice when building a wardrobe or adding elements to your home. Who cares what "NO ONE" wants? The real question is to ask what it is that YOU want? "NO ONE" does not live there....you do. You cannot go wrong with a neutral and non dictating base color. You can always add accent colors. Those should be the trendy colors---the accent colors. They are usually the things that are more easily changed out. This kitchen needs more that just a change of color for the cabinets, though. It is almost a moot point. I agree that painting them is not always a good choice. I had painted some cabinets in my kitchen at one time. Once you opened the cabinet door, you saw that it was really an old cabinet. Unless you are going to go behind the doors and renew that space as well, you might as well not waste your money and time. They almost never look good. I have seen some that do. But, most times it is not a good look. Besides, the finishes on a new cabinet door are finishes that I could never attain from using ordinary paint. And, to get such a resistant and smooth factory finish as what is on my KitchenMaid cabinets would require materials and tools and techniques that are not readily available to me, the DIY person. One advantage for you is that your doors are a slab door and are easier to work with. The two colors that you chose are beautiful. It looks like what ever is on your floor has a gray tone to it.

There are some articles online about removing permanent marker from wood. Try to remove it and do simple things first as you may change your mind about what you want to do as you progress. See what you think after the walls are cleaned up / painted. I would next paint the backsplash. I would look into cladding the island in beadboard - not sure if that can be done - there are some construction adhesives that stick to about anything. I have oak cabinets and am fine with them - but I am not living with all the other surfaces. I might remove all the uppers on the sink wall. My kitchen has about half the cabinets yours does and I get along fine - with 4 kids:) This is my wood kitchens idea book with both new and older refreshed wood kitchens. It might give you some ideas as to paint or working with the older cabinets - especially if a few years turns into 10 years and a new kitchen is still not in the budget. https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/75202366/list/wood-kitchens Sometimes a new house has unexpected expensive cost - new roof or furnace and the more cosmetic projects have to wait. I live happily with my oak cabinets, but I agree that there are surfaces in your kitchen which would drive me batty, and if nothing else I would attack with paint those areas before the cabinets.