Minnesota. :-)

Look at lots of pictures and see what you think is really pretty - being realistic about your lifestyle and budget:) See if a pattern emerges. I do like white kitchens, but I like wood better - and there are some beautiful wood kitchens out there. I like light kitchens too, so if you are thinking of wood, consider where your kitchen will be in your new home and be sure you do good lighting and have some windows. Many new homes seem to plant the kitchen in the middle without any direct sunlight.

As far as trends go, while white has dominated the last many years, wood kitchens are making a resurgence. They never went away, just as white will never go away - my grandmother had a white kitchen in 1920. You should go with what draws you, not what is trendy. One reason I will probably never have a white kitchen is I too live where it is snowy and gray a good chunk of the year. I feel warm and cozy in my wood kitchen - there is plenty of gray and white outside.

This light white oak is the newest trend in kitchens - I like it a lot, but fear anything trendy - I don't want to have the same kitchen as the rest of the block - so I still like the warmer wood tones.

Combining wood with lots of windows and white keeps it light:

Thank you! I stumbled upon a "two toned" kitchen idea. Considering this option, too. Might be the best of both worlds for us. I appreciate the feedback!

Love the two tone kitchen. I recently did it similar to what you have in the picture. I like the wood stained darker on the bottom with the lighter painted cabinets on top. Some minor advise if you go in this direction. I have a wall with two large items - pantry and refrigerator with side panels. I decided to do them both in the darker stain. Between the two is a lower and upper cabinet. My original plan had all uppers in the light paint but when reviewing molding I realized I needed to decide how to do the molding (all darker stain, paint or combo). I made change to make the upper cabinet on this one wall the same as the pantry and refrigerator surround so that I have the darker molding on that wall and the side of the kitchen with the light upper cabinets has the light painted molding. In addition I changed the doors on the center cabinet to be glass and had the inside painted the same as the painted cabinets. This helped to tie the two sides of the room together. Also added internal lighting to cabinet. Good luck with your decision.

Jhmarie’s first picture is so gorgeous. Perfectly on trend in a way and classic in another.

Your pick also needs to fit the house style. I went with dark wood cabinets because it fits my Spanish style house. The cabinets now match the existing wood beams in the house. I don't think you would be able to tell if the kitchen was done today or 18 years ago. I lightened things up with light counters and will also be doing a light backsplash. I like white too, but it would not have looked right in this house. The whole gray trend would have looked really silly in this house.