Look back at the picture on Tuesday from mark Rachel. I think it looks great!!!

Groveraxle did a great job with her mockups. I love the colored islands with the whitish backsplashes.

I like the dark blue, and I like the green, but in a darker green.

And to continue the retro feel, what would look great over the island would be pendants similar to the schoolhouse look like this- (if you were inclined to change your pendant)

8-Inch Schoolhouse Mini-Pendant Light with Chain · More Info

They come in all sizes, all finishes, suspended from a chains as shown or from an adjustable stem.

I actually love the current pendants. I wouldn't change them.

Stefanie, if you have any specific color you want to see, let me know. If you can post a color swatch, that would be great. Now that I have all the parts of your kitchen taped off (metaphorically, of course), it only takes a minute to change the colors.

I didn't read all the posts, but, I would paint the stools the same color as the island.

@Groveraxle
Can you make a picture with my cabinets in white and island navy?

two totally different looks! now i have to figure out which one i like better! ugh! THANK YOU groveraxle!

wow! the white cabinets, blue island and wood floor look great. imo much better than the competing wood tones. maybe think about a stainless/black hood as well.

I love this thread. My favorite photo of all is the one Stefanie found, with the pale green island, the green backsplash , and the light wood floors. I’d do butcher block, or soft white countertop. Totally fresh, lighter, and pretty without the ***expensive*** and not DH-friendly white cabinet painting adventure. Put the money into the counters and flooring.

Really nice kitchen.

Wouldn't paint the cabinets -- with the possible exception of the island base cabinet ... if you want to add your favorite bold color. Painting wood cabinets is usually something done to cheaper cabinets. Anything painted will inevitably need repainting and can begin to look awful as it gets to that point.

The mostly white kitchen is way too white. The wall and the base cabinet the same color is a much better look.

Wow I love the white.

"Painting wood cabinets is usually something done to cheaper cabinets''. No. It's something done to wood stained cabinets that you are tired of the color.

I think the white kitchen will look fine with the house style but I would be conscious of making sure that the white is warm enough to work with your warm trim and the warm great room. I love white kitchens and wood floors and I think they look great together. IMO, coordinating stained wood floors and stained wood cabinets is tougher to pull off.

You've been given so many good options. It is going to be tough to make a choice!

A white kitchen certainly fits the character of the house. In fact it's perfect!

@groveraxle can you do one more picture and then i won't ask again, White cabinets with the current island (no paint)? please

put the dog in, groveraxle!

White cabinets, unpainted island.

Just some thoughts - the house has the warm wood trim throughout. It is possible to do a white kitchen and keep the trim wood - I have some pics, but it does require some extra thought to make sure it pulls together.

Next thought - maple paints up better than most wood cabinets. It does not have the problem with grain texture that oak does. However, wood moves with changes in humidity and temp. This often causes hairline cracks in the paint at the joints over time. This bother some and not others and is one reason I advise against painting wood interior doors - lots of joints - and why new white interior doors are solid core MDF, not wood. This is also why most factory painted cabinets are MDF or a mix of MDF and wood parts - the MDF is more stable to changes in temp - though not much more stable to humidity. A factory finish is also much more durable than the usual paint job done on previously finished cabinets.

That said, there are lots of people who are very pleased with their previously wood cabinets that were painted. This is often dependent on the quality of the job ($$$) and the activity level in the kitchen. It is important to be aware of the possible problems so you can make an informed decision.

WELL after a lot of discussion we have decided to get new kitchen cabinets instead of spending a lot of money to go with something we don't 'Love".

BUT now im even more confused!!!

i want the space to feel brighter but maybe without going white. We are also going to replace all the baseboards and trim in the upstairs.

Back to the drawing board!!

and THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH for your suggestions! you've all been a lot of help!!!

Purely a matter of your own preference.

If I had a vote, I would go with the dark one. Much more striking looking.

Make the cabinets all one height.

Go dark. DITCH IMMEDIATELY the up down kludge of multiple cabinet heights, go to the ceiling for all.. Get a PRO range, and stainless hood. Lose the very narrow upper cabinets both sides of sink window..........if divided light, paint the grids/casing to match cabinetry.

All white with the dark blue island! I say this because of the prior photo shopped pics of your kitchen with the high ceilings. All white will look less choppy and brighter. I think navy uppers will have a similar effect to your current wood cabinets.

Definitely all one cabinet height on the uppers.

Agree with Kathi. Make your uppers go as high as possible, but all to the same height, not staggered. Personal preference: I like the light wood cabinets, and would lose the 2 small cabinets on either side of the beautiful window. Leave space for window trim and/or gorgeous tile surround.

All white, blue island. Agree about the cabinet heights- they should all be to the ceiling, or at LEAST all the same.

@Stefanie Pistulka - (good name BTW...I'm a Stephanie as well;-)

I'm going to be blunt but pleasant about it ('cause I'm Canadian and that's the way we roll;-P). Here's how you have gotten yourself into this pickle. It is simple...it is easy....

You are drawn to dark. It is that simple. You like drama. And dark is drama...but then you fight it because you want "light and airy". Hmmmm. Something has to give. The mock-ups you are showing are all DRAMATIC.... because they have DARK as the focal point!

You don't want all white (which is the lightest, the brightest, the most cheerful cabinet option available). I prefer the look of transitional in your situation. And transitional often includes:

1. White or off-white cabinetry (with or without glass inserts in some of the doors)
2. Wood highlights (like butcher block counter tops or natural wood flooring)
3. A snick of country (like lighting - just like your INSPIRATION photo for the kitchen you like that you think matches your kitchen)
4. Some natural stone colour (like a slate counter top or slate floors)

Once you add in all of these elements together, you get your inspiration photo you posted on March 6th. Notice all the elements. The light green glass tile takes the place of a stone accent.

And one more thing: the SIZE of the window. The amount of natural light in your inspiration photo is almost double the amount of your current window size. I'm not one to suggest changing out a window (because of ALL the extra costs)....but that is part of what you are drawn to....the NATURAL LIGHT.

Your kitchen is a BIG room with a SMALL window. And that small window is causing lack of natural lighting. It is part of the "issue" and part of the reason why you are trying to brighten up your space....yet you are still drawn to dark because that is your personal taste. The window is not allowing you to express your natural tastes because the room isn't getting enough light to allow a dramatic kitchen to "shine".

If a new window isn't in the budget (they rarely are), you might want to look into solar tubes or some other way to bring in natural lighting. It seems to be the missing piece in this puzzle.

Just make sure that what you do in the kitchen flows with the rest of the space. Unless you plan on lightening up the great room, I think that some of your lighter choices are going to make the kitchen look like it belongs in a different house. Perhaps you could do the island top in the same stain color as the beams to help tie things together.

Oh, Dog, yes, get rid of the different cabinet heights and depths. You don't need to busy a kitchen up with detail that serves no purpose.

Vastly better, although I think the hood and cabs should be the same height. The window looks 100% better without those two narrow cabs flanking it, too. BTW, I would swap the fridge and the tall pantry cabinet so that your fridge doesn't open into that wall (and so the pantry cabinet isn't between your fridge and your landing space for prep items).

That looks great! Your window even looks bigger without the cabinets flanking it!

Can I ask if the new cabinets are better quality than the old cabinets?

To be honest, I like the original(ish) idea. I love your cabinets...I loved the idea of painting the island only...

If anyone showed me the new design next to the old design and asked...I would think that the "old" was actually the new one.

I love that!