No idea on the wood of the cabinets, but I can offer some insight on the staining question -- my husband and I just finished gel staining ours this afternoon! We used GF Java, and contrary to what you're thinking, the stain doesn't look "painted on" unless you...paint it on, and you don't need to strip your cabinets. Our kitchen and bath cabinets started as this (in my opinion) horrible, orangey/honey colored oak. First, we did the bathroom cabinets, which we wanted lighter than the kitchen. To get this look, we applied the stain with a foam brush, and immediately wiped it off with painters rags. We only needed one coat. For the kitchen, we wanted to get them as dark as possible to hide the wood grain, as we plan to go with a busier granite counter top. To get this look, we meticulously painted three thin coats on with a polyester brush. For both techniques, we started by washing the cabinets thoroughly with TSP and warm water. After they dried, we sanded the finish off with medium grit sandpaper (120 sheets and a 150 block, to be precise). The beauty of gel, is that you don't have to have a totally barren surface for it to take. Next, we dusted everything off with terry towels to eliminate debris. Then you just apply the stain using whichever technique you prefer. If you do more than one coat, make sure to very lightly buff the surface with steel wool between each layer of stain. We sealed with two coats of GF polyurethane in a satin finish. It took time, but was actually really easy -- and we love both looks!

You guys r so gr8, ,, thanks for responding:) It's just a tough decision.... But I think you are right olychick! Once painted it would b very difficult to go back. I just wasn't sure if light stain was "in" theses days... I have had that table for so long...would not mind a new one to tell the truth! Nosoccermom, thanks so much for the photos!! They r beautiful! No we haven't selected hardware until we decide the finish. If white was going to go with the cup style brushed nickle drawer handles & matching knobs on cabinets... But if stained light might go with something a little more contemporary, even though our house is a traditional 1976 model... Not sure if we should do that because may be selling it soon... Have to keep in mind the masses... Live wire, you r so right.. Little contrast in here... Guess I'm afraid... I love to paint& Contrast is what I struggle with in my paintings also! I think with the dark countertops (though not much of It) would that not be too much dark?? Plus since it is so open to living R that is mostly whites & tans ( one whole wall is a painted off white brick fireplace... Hmmm, I don't like Mid tone brown stains at all.. Reminds me of the 70 cabinets we had when we purchased this place... But DO like the Very dark almost black stains... Something to think about for sure...

Hi Mary! What did you decide? How did it turn out? We just did this and went brown on the floors - Dark Walnut. A little darker than our cabinets. Our cherry cabinets are lighter than yours though.

Here's the little square swatch on top of the counter. We definitely aren't afraid of using color or repainting, but cabinets is a lot of work so we will probably just continue the Medici Ivory trim paint over most of the kitchen and reserve a muted olive for the island as an accent only.