So are you up for replacing things like counters, backsplash, etc as well or would all other elements be required to stay and you just mess with the cabinet color? Also would you paint uppers and lowers, just uppers, just lowers? Do you want to go lighter or darker? WHat do you LIKE about them and what do you not like about them? Keep in mind painting them will cover the grain in the wood. WOuld you be willing to restain them as opposed to painting?

I am only considering redoing the cabinets. My countertops are soapstone and will be staying as well as my creamy crackle backsplash tile. I am considering painting uppers and lowers or just the uppers. That is where I am hoping suggestions will help me with this. Thanks.

I will pass on something my cabinetmaker said. (I got cherry cabs from him.) I told him I was so excited to get rid of my painted cabs, because I was always washing them. Although, I said, they weren't going to be any less dirty - I just wouldn't notice as much. He said his own personal preference was for wood rather than paint. He said that when you have paint, you're looking at the finish, so anything on top of the finish or any mar in the finish (like chips, etc.) you see more. With wood, you see through the finish to the grain of the wood, so you aren't looking at the surface. I thought this was pretty insightful, and probably true. Paint lovers, don't jump on me. I have a friend with new white cabs, and she loves them and says they are very easy to keep clean. But mine were 1961 Woodmode that we had painted almond in 1990. Especially around the knobs, we were always touching up, and I washed the doors at least monthly. I don't know if a repaint job can be as lasting as factory enamel. Maybe it can with newer techniques.

You have a nice juxtaposition of white wood walls with black frames, phone and dark furniture in your eating area. Looking at that, as well as your cabs and lovely soapstone and backsplash, I'd consider starting with painting the uppers white.

If it turns out you think the base cabinets don't blend fully in, then you could consider painting them in a color you think will go.

I cannot tell from the pics but is there some sort of actual design in the middle of the cabinets? Or is it just the wood grain itself reading as verticle lines?
I'm not sure if this is in style or not any longer, but i think it would be a fun addition to simply paint the insets of the cabinets that are by the range the same color as the lowers.
If the tiles are cream, I think painting the uppers white would look odd, if you paint them cream they'll blend in to much with the back splash and disappear.
If you are looking for a change, maybe just paint the lowers(I'm assuming these are already painted)a new color. A green would be really pretty.

Ginny20- my lower cabs are painted a hunter green color and have been very durable but of course it is a factory finish. I'm really not sure how a repaint will hold up on my cabinets. I do really think the uppers need paint as I am just not liking the stain. I'm really not wanting to stain them either.

SparklingWater- Your suggestion is an option that I am definitely considering. Instead of a white, I am thinking of a color more the exact color of my backsplash or a tad darker than the backsplash.

bahacca-the lines that you are seeing is beaded board in the frame of my upper cabinets. The lower cabinets are a dark geen.