The color of new cherry cabinets is not the same as the color they will be in a few years. They get darker, and a bit yellower. Also, each piece is different, sometimes radically. You may end up with some dark pieces, mostly dark pieces, etc.
You might try painted, or get a lightly stained maple. I'm biased though; maple is my favorite. I've got cabinets with a spicey stain (for five years) and a Pedulla bass with just clearcoat (I think I got that in '96), and I've not noticed a change of color in either.

In the link, the second picture is natural, and the third one down is what I have for cabinets.

Here is a link that might be useful: Timberlake's Maple Wyoming Arch in Spice

If the kitchens you like are white, then go white. I don't think you can go wrong with a white kitchen. On the other hand, several years down the road if your wood cabs are getting old, you can always paint.

I found Picasa free, fast, and easy to use for uploading and managing photos.

Cabinfo - will the cherry get darker even with a stain? I have some cherry furniture and haven't noticed that happen, but perhaps it's been gradual. I hadn't considered maple, but maybe I should look at it as well.

Doraville - thanks so much for the Picasa tip! I just downloaded a couple of photos, so hopefully I did it right.

Here is a link that might be useful: Apartment

Hey, your kitchen is even smaller than mine! (7' x 10')

My old (ancient, decrepit, painted-over-so-many-times-the-doors-wouldn't-close) cabinets were white so there was no way I was doing white cabinets again. Initially I thought I would do a light-stained maple, but I couldn't find a color I liked. I put together a scrapbook of kitchens I liked and discovered that what I really wanted was a more medium-stained maple. I was afraid it would be too dark for my tiny kitchen, but it looks great - *very* happy with it.

That's me, though. You should do what most appeals to you. When you look at pictures, if the kitchens you like the best and feel are *your* kitchen have white cabinets, then go for it! It'll look great!

Charlikin - yes, it's pretty tiny! I think your kitchen looks great - congratulations!! I like the stain on your cabinets a lot and that was close to the color I was thinking I might want it I went with a stain.

You have a window in your kitchen (I won't even go into how jealous I am of that), but since I don't, I wonder how even that light of a stain will look in there. On the other hand, I will be opening up the wall into the DR / LR, so I should have a lot more light in there from that. Thoughts?

There was an incredibly tiny kitchen posted here some time ago that had *dark* cabinets - and it was gorgeous. It was also open to the living area, so that kept it from looking closed in. My kitchen is a straight galley - door at one end, window at the other, so I would never feel comfortable going dark in it. I was really concerned that the medium maple would be too dark - I don't get much light in the room, even with the window, but it actually doesn't look dark at all.

Funny about that window. There was a thread here about a year ago asking people what the "wow factor" was in their kitchen. I thought and thought and finally decided I had neglected to put in a wow factor. I was despondent about this until I mentioned it to a windowless-kitchen friend who said incredulously, "But you have a window! *That's* your wow factor!"

Ah, our city apartments with their tiny kitchens! Our standards are so different from the rest of the country's! ;-)

What about stained lowers and white uppers?

Here is a link that might be useful: {{!gwi}}

Charlikin -- my biggest regret was buying an apartment with a windowless kitchen. I guess it's not something you think about too much unless you don't have one. That definitely qualifies for the 'wow' factor in NY!

Sabjimata - I had thought about doing that, but I'm only going to have one wall of upper cabinets, because the other wall will be removed, so it wouldn't be very symmetrical. Would that look weird?

Stained lowers and white uppers - I don't think I would do it in that small a kitchen. I kind of think the simpler you keep things, the better...

In terms of color, given that your kitchen will be visible from the living room, what colors do you have there? Does it make any sense for the kitchen to try to coordinate with the LR and DR?

That's a good point about keeping it simple in a small kitchen.

In some ways, I think I could go with either white or wood cabinets as long as I keep the doors simple, but I'm so bad a picturing things that I'm just not sure. I think white will make the space more open and cheery, but wood might go a bit better with my furniture (but, isn't that true in most situations?). And, if I went with wood, I'm not sure whether maple or cherry would be better.

Here is a link that might be useful: Apartment

Tk

SOme links that may be helpful

Love this one
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://blstb.msn.com/i/D1/E655E3EBD364B3E5C49C602F362D9E.jpg&imgrefurl=http://lifestyle.msn.com/your-home/room-design/staticslideshowhb.aspx%3Fcp-documentid%3D20203862%26imageindex%3D2&usg=__cALUs0E_sEwhEzFC_iKknDry4hc=&h=300&w=300&sz=117&hl=en&start=53&sig2=JYhtdbojmp_7-Ac8Z53hnA&itbs=1&tbnid=DD6_-XHg_Es_bM:&tbnh=116&tbnw=116&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dtiny%2Bnyc%2Bgalley%2Bkitchens%26start%3D40%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26ndsp%3D20%26tbs%3Disch:1&ei=Dk_xS8ijMIP6lwf64PW4CA

Oops so big!

Here is a link that might be useful: tiny kitchens link

My galley kitchen is tiny as well, the white just seems to make it seems larger. After the redo, friends commented that
the kitchen seemed wider. I believe it was due to it being whiter.

Here is a little pic of my kitchen today.

see before & after slide show below.

Here is a link that might be useful: White galley

Have you taken the sweeby test? It might help.

Here is a link that might be useful: sweeby test

This is a very tiny white galley kitchen in a summer cottage.

a href="http://s127.photobucket.com/albums/p155/weperk/?action=view&current=newkitchen-1.jpg"; target="_blank">

Thanks for all of the postings - I'm loving this thread! Who knew there was a Sweeby test?

Jejvtr - I saw that kitchen on Apartment Therapy - it's AMAZING what they did with that space.

Caligal - your Ikea cabinets look great. Have you been happy with them?

Claudia - your new cabinets are beautiful! Are they custom? Are you happy with your contractor? Okay, now I'm really jealous....is that your outdoor space as well as a window? No fair! I'd love to hear about your appliance choices, etc.

What hard choices! A small kitchen is a real challenge. A part of me thinks white cabs with dark counter would look good, but it would be an awful lot of white in a small space, particularly if the frig remained white. Maybe light cabs would be better. Good luck and keep us updated.

I just saw this on another post and thought it may be useful. Scrow down in blog to see picts.

Here is a link that might be useful: white cabs

tkingny--I wish that was my outdoor space! I am actually 1 flight above it. It is a roof. (but I do have a window box-lol) The cabinets are Kraftmaid Layton ("semi" custom). I purchased the Bosch 18" dishwasher and the Bertazzoni 24" (after doing research on this site I found good reviews) I am very happy with my contractor (doug gibson) and he lives in Manhattan as well.

Since your kitchen will open up to the LR and you will have cabinets on the LR side I think that would pretty much be your deciding factor depending on what color scheme you in the LR.

Claudia, what is your countertop? ceasarstone? color? Looks gorgeous :)

Hello - Thank you -the counter top is Silestone White North. It actually has little speckles all over and I selected it over a solid color because the solid shows every speck of dust and I knew that would drive me crazy!

This is the other side of the room and I found a nice 24" GE fridge that has a curve to it.

doraville - I love the backsplash and counters in that white kitchen link.

Claudia - great countertops. It looks thick - is it a double thickness? I like you floor as well. What did you use? Did you find a good source here in NY, or did you purchase online or through your contractor?

tking, yes I have been very happy with the IKEA cabinets and drawers. I have been living with my remodel for a year and a half now and have zero complaints. I just wish I would have done it sooner. I lived with the awful "before" kitchen for 15 years!

My kitchen is still very small. Adding the 12" deep pantries and drawers behind my dining area has really made it seem much larger. I also added cabinets below the breakfast bar area. My walls didn't move, but my storage almost doubled.

I have "always" been drawn to white kitchens myself. Online, in magazines, & in model homes, white wins hands down for me! I find it much easier to keep clean. See a spot... wipe it up. My old cabinets hid spills too well. Good luck to you in whatever YOU decide!

Claudia...looks great! Love your counters.

Okay guys, I am sticking to my guns that I think white uppers would look good, especially with white hardware and a white backsplash. My idea is to have the uppers disappear so it doesn't feel like a cave. But I am sure it won't anyway, especially with just one wall of uppers.

But I accept everyone's dissenting opinion ;)

I LOVE this white galley kitchen with Plain and Fancy cabinets and jet mist counters.

Here is a link that might be useful: Jet mist kitchen

Still a ways out but I'm planning white uppers on one side of my galley kitchen (open shelves on the other) with a light stained wood for all the base cabinets. No window but I have breakfast bar that open to the living\dining on one side. I have had white painted lowers and I'm not a fan but I like white kitchens.

Deee, As an aside, thanks for posting the link to the Plain and Fancy kitchen -- it is gorgeous. The website for the NYC kitchen design company has so many other pretty kitchens as well. Thanks!