When one mistake is made, it’s best to not compound it by continuing to make more mistakes. In this case, unfortunately, you did the “cheap” option- DIY painting, without doing adequate prep since you skipped the deglossing/sanding and priming (cabinets need deglossed, sanded, and a high bonding primer applied 72 hours before painting. Then you need to be gentle with cabinets for a month while they fully cure). Painting over paint that is already peeling from the surface, is not an option- that will only create more weight on already non-bonded paint and cause it to peel even faster. You need to hire a professional, IMO, you are spending valuable money on materials, and also your time time (and time is money) only to do the job wrong. Even if you knew what to do, you wouldn’t have the physical practice to do it professionally. However if that isn’t an option, then if you’re going to DIY, at least use a chemical stripper to strip the cabinets down (wear hand and eye protection), then clean, let them dry, then sand cabinets, wipe off dust, apply a high bonding primer, wait 72 hours, then paint 2 full coats. Continuing to do the cheap route, will only continue to make your problem worse and cost you even more money later. It’s like saying “I didn’t replace a hose on my engine so now my car is shaking. But I don’t want to replace the hoses right. Can I just change my oil?” The answer, of course, is no, you need to do things the right way or it’ll cause more expensive problems later. I am big on investing myself, renting and flipping homes, etc, but taking shortcuts on prep is not a way to save money- it’s a way to quickly lose a lot more money. There’s no getting around doing them right. If cash isn’t available, perhaps find a contractor who can take payment after house is sold- or use credit card to hire contractor- etc.

All cabinets chip with normal wear and tear. Sharp 90 degree edges will always show that first. Sharp 90 degree edges should be avoided if at all possible. Edges should be slightly rounded over. Painted cabinets show normal chipping far worse than stained. If the project is not finished, touch ups have not yet been done. Those are normal wear spots for chipping to occur. Whether or not that is normal chipping depends on the processes and materials that were used. Site built and finished with house paint? Normal. Conversion varnish? Less normal, but not unheard of with those sharp edges. Learning how to touch these up is in your future as they will need that every so often. This is a teaching that your cabinet maker or installer should provide at the end of the project, along with how to adjust your doors and drawers to account for seasonal movement.

OP said, “The cabinet guy used Natura primer. He was waiting for us to choose paint. Then he did one coat of ecospec (without us asking) while waiting. Then we told him to use Aura. He agreed it was fine. So he did 2-3 coats of Aura on top. So it has: Natura primer BM Ecospec semi gloss. 2-3 coats of Aura satin” Despite what two different BM Reps have said, most here agree the Aura paint is junk for cabinets. I’m sure that is true. However, let’s just pretend that the steps to use Aura on cabinets that the BM Reps said to do (1 coat Primer and 2 coats Aura) is the proper way. In that case, didn’t the cabinet guy/painter (on his own) add an extra step with the BM Ecospec semi gloss? He also may have added an extra 3rd coat of Aura. That is against the manufacturers’ said guidelines. Wouldn’t that make painter responsible to fix this whole gigantic mess? I think this so-called cabinet guy should be responsible to sand down everything for FREE since he made the decision to add any extra steps. He should pay for a hotel for OP‘s family while it is being done, but of course that will never happen. The OP did NOT instruct the painter to add the extra steps. In fact, dispite being accused of this by someone repeatedly, the OP did not micromanage this hack on how to do his job painting the cabinets. Hack even agreed that using Aura was fine. This is solely on them in my un-expert opinion.

what colors do you like? I love blues and greens. I hate reds/browns. blue/gray could be a cooler hue of blue, but not actually gray. you have to pick the right one that works w/your wood tones. do the oak floors need to be refinished? Is the top coat scratched/worn? are there bare spots ? does it look tired and little worse for wear? If so, call out a wood flooring specialist (or two) and have them give you some estimates on refinishing. That should be done before picking a color for paint. (or countertops) From what I can see in the photos the floors look very yellow. that top coat may have ambered over time, making the wood appear more yellow. And I can see some scratches and beat up portions. I'd get them redone if I lived there. You could opt for a slight darker tone Or, a more natural finish. Bona Nordic seal But, I kind of like this one. Rustic Beige by Duraseal I photoshopped it here, showing you painted white bookcases (gave you two) I replaced that current mantle with a better looking reclaimed oak beam, and that red furniture just has to go! you want something a bit more neutral,,, you like any of this furniture? Natural oak floor^ natural and textured items. Here's your blue grays, with natural woven items, lighter wood, white walls This is a ton of maple ! after you decide on your floors, and get some furniture, decide on your colors in here. What if you painted the inside of the display cabinet a dark wrought Iron (this color is Iron Ore, SW) and brought in some soft gold handles (not knobs. you have tall cabinets so do some 6-7" pulls) and pendants? All of that would look amazing w/the above lighter furniture. you see how it's done here? the daker book cases? In your room, you could do the rest of the walls, around the fireplace even, with this softer white (I believe this is BM Swiss Coffee at 75%) I love the look of this room w/the natural red floors. (and yes, yours oculd look this shade) the other direction. see the matching dark island? (this is Studio McGee. look at her photos if you like this style. Emily Henderson is another one to view) If you opt for a lighter floor and the wrought iron island color, this color sofa w/the textured elements would look nice Here's your blue/gray soft white wall color and sofa, natural texture elements. Bluegray rug, soft whites, light camel sofa, lighter floors. You could paint over the brick to a white, wood beam mantle, and I gave you blueish gray cabinet color w/white upper shelving. looks like this Up to you what you want to do!