I really like white for bathrooms - it looks so clean and fresh. I grew up in a house with a painted white vanity in the bathroom. But it was painted with a brush, so when the time came, we just repainted it. It would be hard to touch up something with a sprayed finish. Perhaps the better question is which finish would be more durable? The stained and varnished wood is tough to touch up, too. White actually shows alot less dirt than black does IMO. However, a light or mid-toned wood would probably still hide more than white.

HI Stacys, Go for what you and your DH love. Don't worry too much about resale. As long as you are not doing something shocking most homes sell if priced right. If you love dark countertops-with light stained cabinets do that,if you prefer white painted cabs do that. Your the one living in your home, using your kitchen and spending your money so make it a place you love to spend time in. ~boxerpups Meanwhile here are light stained cabs and dark counters. If you want sometime else I am sure I can post it for you. This Old House Soapstone Google images Cabinet Inovations housetohome Craftman kitchen This Old House Ash Creek images cherry kitchen Cherry and Gray Kim Ammie Blue Tile HGTV Penchar 2 Bijpu blue green backsplash Kitchen 700 SusanJBlonMosaics Silver Brow UK

I have always loved white cabinets but I also have always loved maple stained cherry or natural cherry cabinets. I have always loved the shaker look. Due to no window over my sink in the kitchen and not a lot of light, I want my kitchen to be bright and cheery so I finally decided to go with white cabinets. So far I am learning towards Shiloh's Polar White as I find it the perfect white as it is not too white but not too creamy. I had a golden oak bedroom set but in 2007 when the platform bed fell apart, I bought Durham Solid Maple Bedroom furniture with a Wesley Allan Headboard. I love the Sand White washed out finish. I love how bright and happy my small bedroom is. Well it is small for a Master Bedroom but still a decent size for me.

Monkey,,,a few suggestions. Only you can decide if your 20 year old knotty pine cabs are worth keeping as is. It's not like they're made from some exotic wood, so do what you like. You have to look at them everyday. while they may look ok in the photos, perhaps you see more wear and damage than we do. The inspo pics above are gorgeous, but those cabs are a nice oak. has a different tone than your knotty pine. try the other small changes first and see how you like it. you could always install a beadboard backsplash, paint it, and see how you like it. For the record, I don't think a white tile will make your kitchen too bright. for the countertops, there are a few DIY options other than painting them that you can try. One is Ardex concrete. it's a skim coat you can do right over whats there. if you google it, many videos and pics will come up on how to do it. It's not that difficult. you can even tint it black so you get a similar dark charcoal looking counter. The other is to remove what you have and make your own wood countertops out of doug fir beams. Also how-to's online. These are just options for you to consider. I'm not saying any one is better than the other. painting the cabs. you don't have that many to do, so it can be done, if you follow the proper prep instructions. I won't get into here, but if you do decide to go that route, let me know as I have one of the best online tutorials I can give you. Again, I'm only offering you options. People come on here and say, 'do this" or 'my god don't paint those',,, It's your home. Do what makes you happy. here are a few knotty pine kitchens, some natural, some painted. with your black countertop, if you don't want to have white tile, do a natural slate in these black/rust colored tones. they'd be a perfect match. Paint the surrounding walls a light cream to keep things from getting too dark. I think black appliances look great w/pine this is a laminate top and a travertine splash. if you do want to paint the cabs, or even the walls, this color would look fine. natural, glass in a few of the uppers, new lighting and granite. the sage green is beautiful w/your floors. You could always do just the lower cabs in this color, or do the entire lot. white splash, walls and butcher block or lighter countertop, you'd have a beautiful kitchen. below, she did a beadboard backsplash w/some open shelving.