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Are you sure the cabinets are oak? One photo made me think maple, which would be good news. Maple paints much better, whereas the grain on oak makes it hard to get a smooth finish.

Is this a DIY job, or are you hiring a professional cabinet painter? The latter is expensive, but the former is a lot of work.

the light Taupe sound nice with that countertop.

Hiring professional.

Definitely do not look like honey oak cabinets - and will be easier to paint because the grain will not need to be filled in prior to adding paint.

You reaaly should post photos that show the entire kitchen - will be more helpful than the htree close up pics that you’ve added.

Stand back and show the entire kitchen from all angles, please?

Those cabinets look like maple!

Here is how to post a Design Dilemma to get the best results. You need to show the whole space—all four sides of an entire space—even if it’s about one specific Dilemma.

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6417709/unofficial-design-dilemma-boot-camp

Keep in mind that you're inviting some design pros and people with a design eye into your home via photos. If they walked into your actual space, they would take in all of it: all four sides, doorways, floors, windows, ceiling, trim--the "givens"--then the features that can be changed--furnishings, paint, art, rugs, decor items, etc. It's all one first impression. Same thing with photos. That's why it's important to provide well lit photos of the entire space, taken from all sides of a room regardless of the size of your problem.

I'm not at home.

Having seen the whole room, I would not paint the cabinets. They look quite good, as is. A good paint job by a cabinet pro (not a house painter) will cost you $$$$. What is dating your kitchen are the chandelier, island seats, and that thing behind the stove.

I would replace the backsplash and investigate replacing the OTR microwave with a true vent hood. These simple changes will cost you far less and yield a nice change.

I agree with latifolia's comment. Your cabinets, flooring and counters all blend so I wouldn't paint the cabinets either. They are partial overlay raised panel style and not to the ceiling so your professional painting $ could be better used by changing the backsplash, installing new lighting and a real vent hood for updates with high impact.

I like the cabinets, as is, for now. If you are looking forward to new fixtures and flooring, I would do the floors first, but that's my thought and not yours. Back to a paint color.

I looked at smokey taupe...lovely, so why not paint the cabinets smokey taupe, but choose a gloss finish. Same color will help disguise the fact that the cabs don't go to the ceiling. I like the soft stainless finish on the hardware. Looks good with the appliances.

Nice cabinets! I would go to Benjamin Moore or S.willians … got few samples … paint large boards to see this one looks the best … at different lights (daytime and nighttime). Put the paint swatches against the white board to help you decide better if you are stuck. Maria Killam (she is on Insta and has a website) explains the best how to select beige, gray and taupe based on the undertones in your floor and backsplash. She sells some of the swatches … listen to her videos to get the idea.

I love your granite, and I love your backsplash (caveat, I can't see what exactly is behind the range). Expresso cabinets would look great, but not my kitchen

Your cabinets, flooring and counters all seem to look good together! And, the flooring seems "bossy" in the space, so I wouldn't paint cabinets until you decide what you will do for the floor in the future. If you do

For the money, instead of painting the cabinets, paint your floor grout a color close to the tiles, replace the backsplash with a creamy that goes well with the floors and countertops, update the lighting, and change out the cabinet hardware.

The cabinets appear to be maple, not oak. They also appear to be in very good condition. They look good in your kitchen. I would definitely keep the cabinets, and I would not paint them. I also would change out the over range microwave for a regular stove hood.

I took another look … what I think bothers you is the clash between cabinets which are in yellow-beige color group and backsplash,floor and countertop which are also in beige but in different color group. The backsplash,floor and countertop seem to match together but they clash with cabinets. So you either change the color of cabinets or keep the cabinets and change backsplash,floor and countertop…. when you go to Benjamin Moore and show them the picture of your kitchen, they will give you sample paints…. paint the swatches on cardboard and see which matches the best. Painting cabinets might be an easier option than changing backsplash,floor and countertop. If you do not want to paint than you can strip + stain to complement the backsplash,floor and countertop. The process of selecting stain is the same as paint; get samples and some maple wood … stain and see which one would be the best match. A third option is to replace the doors…. I think is it called “facelift for the cabinets”. You can contact Home Depot and they will send someone with sample doors and tell you the process.

IMO espresso cabinets ar ewhat came from cheap chinese crap where the wood never was all the same so the cabinets were done the darkest color to hide the different woods . Your cabinets are nice nd why ruin them just to have a change. Having cbinets apint is reallt expensive and in your casr all wrong.IMO get much better lighting all LED 4000K and the whole space will look new .

Honestly, your cabinets seem fine with countertops, floors, and pale gray wall color. You would make a huge impact if you changed your island pendant, "boob" ceiling light, and possibly your dining set, and counter stools, which are too fussy for the cabinets.

Please read my instructions again for posting a Design Dilemma. PLEASE SHOW DINING SET SIDE. WE NEED TO SEE ALL FOUR SIDES!!!! I have a feeling the dining set, plus the lighting, is making the room seem fussy and not well lit. (Pay attention to what Patricia Colwell said about lightbulbs.)

Notice how bright and clean looking this kitchen is--same palette as yours but open and airier.

Notice pendant over light wood table:

Yeah, kind of out there for your style, but what comfortable chairs, great light wood table, interesting light. Again, we don't know the rest of the space, so this might not work. This is why you need to SHOW ALL FOUR SIDES OF THE SPACE.

I liked elcieg's suggestion to use the same Smokey Taupe wall colour on the cabinets with a different sheen. I presume you used either a matte of eggshell finish for the walls so you'd be able to use a satin finish for the cabinets. On my screen, the floor tiles seem to coordinate. Here's an idea of what the tone on tone could look like...

Your 20 year old maple cabinets are now in style again. I can certainly understand the desire for a change, but you should consider the whole room, not just the cabinets. Even if you cannot afford to do everything now, do consider what others are saying about the order in which you make changes or you will back yourself into a corner. Instead of saving money and doing things piece by piece, you could end up with good money slowly spent on what turns out to be a hodge podge re-do.

Unless you have a very high end professional cabinet painter (not house painter), the paint job will not last long and will chip fast. How much were you quoted and what was the process they described for painting? A good paint job that will last could cost as much as new cabinets or new counters.

What is your current budget for this phase of your kitchen redo? I'd save up and keep your cabinets as they are and put in a new floor, solid surface counters (think Corian - they are not very expensive) and update your faucet, boob light, hanging light, and table and chair set.

As Kendrah mentioned wood cabinets are now back in style. Instead of painting would you consider replacing the countertop and backsplash? I've put a few ideas together below of different things you could do depending on your kitchen (we can't see the entire room) such as modifying your island, replacing hardware and lighting, etc...