The first picture you posted is Cherry cabinets. I think it is a bit dark for your kitchen. A medium walnut, might be a better choice.

A natural cherry or walnut would be lovely. Forget espresso stained anything.

You could keep the brightness by going with darker wood on the bottom with a shade of white on the uppers. I have dark wood cabinets & am thinking of having the uppers painted white to brighten up the space.

@mary g 

Sympathies. Sounds like you are really worried about this. I don't see any problem with dark woods as long as you follow through with a few things like plenty of light fixtures and some bold color and whites. There's nothing wrong with any color...just have to tie it all together right.

My sister in Toronto has her house up for sale and is getting lots of negative comments from potential buyers that they dislike her traditional cherry kitchen cabinet colour. If it matters to you.

Get what YOU & your husband like , your taste , I wouldn’ t base my decision on the random comments on here. Yes, their comments can be helpful ( usually ) & they often can point out considerations you hadn’ t thought of, but in the end it’s YOUR house & you should select something that you & your husband like & are comfortable with. Forget trends, they fly by faster than many realize.

It’s all totally subjective, but in my opinion I think the kitchen in the white picture looks a lot bigger and updated than the same one in dark. However I do love natural wood color, and I agree with the posters suggesting a slightly lighter walnut as a good middle ground.

I love walnut left natural but IMO stained dark it looks like cheap espresso from China. As for your space the pics you show are BORING so what is it you want from the space ? I think kitchens can be very interesting with the right choices . Lighting is what makes a space bright not the color of the cabinets I do think if you go white I would be careful to make sure it works with all the other dar wood you see from the kitchen . You seem to have quite traditional style so IMO not a shaker style cabinet but a nice full overlay but recessed panel. I think you can do better for the layout and for sure all the base cabinest should be drawers especailly by the range for pots and pans .But I need a bit more info for instance what are your floors , are they the same as in the DR? I did not see your original floor plan and sorry but this should have really been added to that post. I dislike quartz always for counters and for sure in a space that is much more traditional.. Is that an induction range or just glass top? The fridge needs to be couter depth for sure . A close up of the floor would be great . BTW the coffee table is a been there done that a 100 times style can we maybe see the LR. I think it is okay to be traditional but not old fashioned . Your DR is okay but could be much nicer with a more interesting light fixture and a larger piece of art above the cabinet.The light is builder grade and there are so mant fabulous chandeliers that would work so much better and BTW hang the new one lower. Please do not leave the placemetns on the table just a nice boquet of fresh floower sfor a centerpiece , I buy them fresh once a week at the grocery store very affordable .I think this would be awesome for the DR. I do hope you are not doing the cabinet door you posted for the color

Thanks for the input, everyone!

cat_ky you're right, the 1st picture is more cherry finish than I intended. I've added a couple others, but suspect my aversion to mid-tone wood finishes is going to be a problem as the general consensus seems to be I'm going too dark.

Sheign thank you. I don't really care for cherry or a medium tone walnut left natural for my cabinets, although they are lovely, they're just not for me. I'd prefer white over those tones.

girlnamedgalez8a good luck with your decision on painting uppers a light colour. I like that look in other peoples' homes, but it's not really my taste and even less so my husbands :)

Thank you, K L and K Laurence , you're right, I just don't want to make a mistake, with all the work my husband will be putting in. I know I'd be happy with white, but I considered the dark wood as I could be happy with it as well. The more we discuss the process with wood finish vs painted, the more I realize both have their drawbacks, i.e. the different wood species we might use for the doors, how they might accept the stain, if the plywood veneer on the carcasses will take the stain the same way, fear of a blotchy finish, concern that my dark stain will obscure the woodgrain so what's the point, etc., etc...

Our home is a very modest raised bungalow on a property that's been in my family for over 100 years; we're in our early 60s and have no intention of leaving this place until they carry us out, so hopefully we'll be around for many trends to come and go. We're mildly concerned with what's going to remain in style (within reason) but on balance what appeals to us will be more important than trends. I think as long as we keep it fairly simple/classic in style and I back away from the deepest brown, either one will work. I just wanted to get opinions on whether the dark wood might make the kitchen too heavy looking. And if anyone wants to weigh in on my questions about the soffits I'd appreciate it.

" 1) Since the soffit must stay, should we also build a soffit above the new units on the east wall (above fridge & cabinets) or, if not, since there's no crown molding anywhere else, how would we top off cabinets if not with a soffit or crown?

2) Since the pantry in the corner by the doorway will be coming out, all of the uppers on that wall will be of regular depth. The soffit currently juts out over the pantry. I believe this jut should be removed so the soffit is straight across to the wall, with no jut of soffit sticking out since there will not be a pantry-depth cabinet under it anymore, is this right? We'll have to get the ceiling & wall touched up if it's removed, of course. Pic below:"

partim thanks for that information. My sister just sold her high-end place in King City. It had a really extreme, dark, heavy Tuscan kitchen, and the first thing they did before listing was to paint the cabinets white! We're in Muskoka, and unless it's a high-priced vacation property I think we might have a little more leeway as regards having the most up-to-date style ;)

Kit Barko I lean towards the white for spaciousness and light as well, and I had decided I wanted white for my (likely) final kitchen, since I've always had wood cabinets (a kind of spicy cinnamon oak for 20 years in our 1st house built in the late 80s, and now this golden oak for the past 13 years in our current house) and feel I am just done with medium-toned wood. If I can't make the dark wood work, I think we'll wind up with the white.

Patricia Colwell Consulting thanks for your input. Agreed, shaker style is not for me. Re layout, I believe the layout with measurements is in my previous post that I linked. We're satisfied that we've struck a balance and gone as far as we can to improve functionality without doing a major reno. I guess you could say we're going for better, not perfect. Yes kitchen & DR floor are the same.

As for your comments on my decor: Actually, the dining room light was just recently installed. It can't be centred over the table as the furniture doesn't allow for that, and the chandelier we had in there was at a lower height and made the off-centre position glaringly obvious. Hooking the chain to centre it over the table would look worse. I opted for something that wouldn't draw the eye quite so much.

We use the dining table 3 meals per day; removing the placemats every 5 hours would be tedious, besides which I quite enjoy them and like using a variety of placemats & napkins following the seasons. A family member is allergic to flowers in the house; I have a beautiful cutting garden and enjoy my flowers outdoors on our patio. Not sure what you mean about the coffee table style I like...I think it's traditional and classic, as is my LR furniture. We're a retired couple who just want our home to be uncluttered, calm, and restful while still being able to enjoy items & furnishings that we appreciate and which have meaning & are to our taste. Not everyone will have the same opinions, and that's great. As they say, beauty (or "boring") is in the eye of the beholder. Thanks for taking the time to respond.

You sound sold already on a medium toned or darker toned wood instead of white, so go for it. It is clearly more your taste. The white backsplash in the first picture is an important element as the surface reflects lights off of it and helps make that space feel lighter and less visually dense. I'd also keep in mind your flooring, which is busy, and a raised panel, which is a busy look (and pretty dated too.) Are these cabinets and your flooring going to go well together?

Keep on finding inspiration pics like the first one you posted that show a small space akin to yours to make sure you like the look in that size space.

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There ARE kitchens that are neither white...NOR wood : ) and lets use traditional vs the "old fashioned" word. Btw.....I wouldn't waste energy building THAT cocktail table. It is old fashioned, old lady. Back to the kitchen? green....blue......not to mention the many shades of white

There's something off about the combination of wood tone of the cabinets and the wood tone of the flooring. I noticed that you have white buil-ins in the room beyond. The white coordinates well with the flooring. I think painting your dark cabinets white will provide the same coordination. Painting will also brighten your kitchen and make it appear larger.

Kendrah Thanks for that picture, it's more in line with the size of my kitchen and I should have searched smaller spaces with dark cabinets before considering them. That's a lot of "dark" in a smaller space, one more aspect tipping me back to the original plan of white!

K L Thank you. I understand sometimes (as in our case) soffits are necessary, and I don't mind them. I was mainly wondering if we should build soffit over the new part as well, and you have answered that for me. I think it would look off if we tried a different height of cabinet or crown molding just in that section. As for the little jut of soffit on the other wall, I think it has to go once the pantry underneath it is gone! My husband was thinking of leaving it so that it would balance with the new soffit on the other side of the door, both sides being equal distance from the doorway, but we've decided trying to achieve that balance on either side of the door isn't going to work if it means having a jut of soffit sitting there with no cabinet underneath it!

JAN MOYER Thanks for the reply. I love seeing finishes other than white or wood in other kitchens, but it's too permanent a feature for me personally to go with a colour. I keep my furniture & large elements as neutral as possible so I can use accents to change colours with the seasons or what I feel like at any given time. I know a lot of colours can be considered a neutral, but my husband and I don't always agree on colours, so REALLY neutral is our safest bet. As for the coffee table, to each their own, I guess. I love antiques and furnishings in a classic style. If that's considered "old lady" to some people, so be it! My kids can trash it when I'm dead :)

Norwood Architects thank you. I may not have been clear in my post. The picture you refer to is not my kitchen, it's one I copied from a website to show the darker finish I was considering. This is our flooring, which runs through kitchen and dining room. The walls in both rooms are Benjamin Moore White Down, so just a slight contrast to the white trim. We do have a fair bit of white in the house (window casings & trim, raised panel interior doors, all with dark bronze hardware). After reading all of the feedback here, and going with my gut, I think white cabinets with dark bronze hardware and a few accessories to tie it in will be the best choice to make the kitchen look larger & brighter, as you mention, and is the look I'll be happy with. Thank you.

White cabinets with bronze hardware sounds beautiful. I have a smaller kitchen and had my cabinets made in the same color white as my wall color. It really helps to open the space. I also have a soffit on one side of the kitchen and not the other. The side without a soffit, the cabinets go all the way to the ceiling. I think it makes the room look larger and less chopped up. Because the cabinets and wall are the same color, you really don't notice that one side has a soffit and the other side doesn't. I actually do use the top shelf to store light things like bags of popcorn that I reach with long tongs!

I too like vintage furniture and antiques. I had one of my cabinets made with glass doors - no cross bars or anything, just a glass front. I store on the shelves silver and glass serving pieces and pitchers that were my grandmother's. My cabinets are simple shaker with a tiny bit of detail around the edges, and using brass knobs and showing off some of my antiques has struck the right balance for me of bringing a traditional feel to the room.

Here are a few pics of normal sized kitchens (what others call small) with white or off white cabinets and bronze hardware. I think it is a classic look. I like those that have a chrome or nickel faucet because it really lets the cabinet hardware stand out. Those with shaker doors, instead of raised panels, are cleaner and less chaotic looking in this sized space.

PS - I think it is incredible that your husband has the woodworking skills to build a coffee table like that.

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There are other colors besides white that you could paint your cabinets. Gray, a warm off-white or taupe would be quite elegant looking and would look great with your antiques. Evaluate undertones carefully.

Kendrah thanks for your comments. It's lovely that you can display and appreciate your grandmother's things; your kitchen sounds like it suits your purposes well. Thank you for the extra pictures. I never thought I would say it when we lived in a house twice this size, but I really like my "small" kitchen, and will like it even more when we get these improvements to function & storage made. I think we'll go with a brushed chrome or nickel faucet as we'll have a stainless steel sink. Yes, I'm very lucky my husband enjoys woodworking, and although the table design isn't nailed down 100%, I do know we want an oval shape with a leg style that compliments our antique end tables. Thanks again for your interest.

cupofkindnessgw we'll consider these other neutrals for sure. I'm looking at a lot of videos & reviews of whites & off-whites, and we plan to buy quarts of a few of our choices and try them on large boards in different areas the room, in all lights. I don't know if you've seen this site or not, but it's an amazing resource if a person wants more information than they ever thought existed about paint colours! https://thelandofcolor.com/

I love a "small" kitchen. It is much easier and more efficient to cook in. Nothing is more than three steps away and easy to reach. I currently have a galley kitchen and it has more counter space than I have ever had in any kitchen.

I think it is smart to start with countertops and then find a paint that goes well with it rather than the other way around. It allows you more choices. I used Corian in my last two kitchens. I thought it went out in the 80s, but man is it great stuff. Never stains. I got paint to match the corian and used it on the walls and cabinets. It really helps open up the feel of the kitchen. The Land of Color is great, though somewhat overwhelming!

The deal breaker for me with the dark cabinets is the soffit. It will make your ceilings appear even lower to go with dark uppers and a lighter painted soffit. I’d figure out a way to get the cabinets to the ceiling - clad with trim, etc if you insist on dark and if the actual soffit has to stay.

@mary g I also like my small kitchen and very small bathrooms. I like them to be efficient. Get in, get done, get out. Relax in the living room or family room or one of the patios. Those rooms are nice to have spacious. No, I admit sometimes I like a cozy room to sit in. I like my smaller living room sometimes. So you enjoy your small kitchen!

@mary g how about darker base cabinets like in a medium chocolate brown (doesn't have to be dark, just darker than white, a natural wood) and light uppers the color of your walls and soffits, whatever that is. Also, sometimes, making the soffits a transition color between walls and ceiling can give a neat effect...a barely there transition.