IMO- While I agree with 82mainstreet about painting cabinets white and not expresso, I also believe you won't be happy unless the color combo pleases you. - First, what do you want to accomplish? Are you intending to live in the home for a long time? Or are you painting for resale? - If you are painting for resale, then classic white for your cabinets is your best choice. It has wider appeal. A future owner will find it easier to change the wall color than the cabinets. - If you are planning to stay in the house, you can be more personal in your color choices. - But be wary of fads, especially when painting cabinets. It is much easier to paint walls. From your photo, it looks like your cabinets are nicely finished wood. Personally, I wouldn't change that unless they are damaged. I would just update the wall color, but that is just my opinion. If you do paint the cabinets, don't be swayed by fad colors. I would still recommend white or maybe a pale cream. That way, if you get tired of your color combo in the future, you only have to change the walls to update the room. - Unless you are changing your appliances and flooring, very dark cabinets will probably make your kitchen feel overwhelmingly dark and warm. - Consider your lighting and how you want your kitchen to feel. Does your kitchen feel too warm or too cool when your work in it? - White will give your room a light and airy feel especially if paired with cool blues and greens. If that seems to make the room feel too cold, white or cream can be warmed up with a bright wall color like apricot, lime green or turquoise. Try looking through magazines for color combos you like...or look inside your own closet for colors that make you feel good.

I'd be tempted to try painting the walls man cave first. I think it could look stunning with your cabinets and go a long way toward making your kitchen look sleek. If you have the $$ for it, I'd consider changing out your countertops to something less yellow. If you find a laminate you like in stock at a big box store you can change out the counter yourself for just a couple hundred dollars - and it's easier than painting the cabinets. While you have the countertop off, maybe put up a new backsplash behind the sink - something high contrast with both lights and darks in it. And ... voila! New kitchen!

Yeah I posted it twice. I couldn't get it to upload a pic from my phone so I did it on the

First house had a kitchen with natural maple cabs. No stain. Looked great after 30 years, though they did yellow some..which is the nature of maple. Present house has bathrooms with stained maple cabs. While they’re not horrible, I did learn the hard way that maple can be very splotchy when stained.