Wow- you really are the best. Thank you. You have helped me so much. I am going to the paint store to sample golden tan. And I took the bold step (for me) of asking the painter to take on other work for a week or so until I am certain. I think that alone will make it easier for me to make a choice without the stress of having to do it so quickly. I will let you know what we go with!

The only decorating I've seen of yours is on RMS and it's your girls' bedroom and I absolutely love it. It is bold, brave, cheery, and very cute. How could anyone be depressed in there? When I view the second group of pictures it's like "ok, yeah, so what?" But when I view the first group with the red fridge it's like, "FUN!" Heaven knows kitchens are drudgery enough. Put some fun in there. If you ever remodel, or get bored, well, you know what they say... it's only paint. They will always sell white appliance paint. Take it outside, mask it off and spray away. Or sell it. The point is, it's not permanent. It's not fatal. Indulge yourself -- get that red fridge and all your friends will envy your moxy and will oooo and aaaah over it for years to come. Why have a house that looks like everyone else's? Where's the fun in that?

Whether you go with white or dark cabinets (personally, I prefer the dark, even with white appliances) is your choice. However, keep in mind that if your cabinets are in good shape, they will outlive your appliances. You're not enamored of white cabinets, do you want to commit yourself to them "forever"? Unless you plan to redo your kitchen when the appliances die, you will have a similar decision to make when you need new appliances...and they won't die all at once, so you'll be re-committing to the color over and over again. If the cabinets are in good shape and painting is intended to be your only redo of them in the foreseeable future, then paint them the color you want, not to match your appliances. As Rosie mentioned, you can paint the appliances if they really bother you (using, I think, appliance or auto paint or a paint meant for metal). The bottom line is this: If the cabinets are not going to be replaced when your appliances die, paint them to please you, not the appliances. Then, for your appliances....(1) patiently wait for them to die and replace them with black or stainless, (2) sell them on Craigslist and then buy new, or (3) paint them now. I would wait b/f I decided what to do w/the appliances until you've painted your cabinets...then make the decision based on how you think they look! (If it were me and I didn't like them, I would probably go with option (2) or (3).) (If your cabinets are in only fair or poor condition, then you may be replacing them sooner than you think/plan! So, if you're willing to live with white for a couple of years, then it might not be so bad. Oh, and if they are in only fair or poor condition, don't put an expensive countertop on them now...it would be a waste of money b/c existing countertops very, very rarely fit new cabinets...even w/the same layout...and if you end up replacing cabinets, I recommend looking closely at your layout and changing it to be more functional if it's not ideal now.) Good luck!

Personally, I like the mix of more browns in the granite..like the picture instead of an all black counter. If you have contemporary taste, then the all black may suit you better though. We did have a black granite counter once in our other house...it was HORRIBLE for keeping clean! Everything showed!!! The browns in the other granite will help cover up some of that issue.