IMO refacing old cabinets is nver a good investment , what not just paint them if the color is yellowing ? I do not understand the reason for a tan color if you already do not like the yellow tones . Have you tried just changing the light bulbs to LED 4000K pretty cheap try befor spending a fortune for a kitchen that looks like it could use more storage for sur e.That backsplash with that counter is all wrong so really not sure how painting the cabinets will help. or replacing the doors with a new color . Those horrible flourecent bulbs need to go for sure no matter what so cahnge all the bulbs in all the light first then see how much money you really want tp spend on this space to really not make it one bit better

You have already defined the problem. Your backsplash and countertops are two different undertones, one very warm, the other very cool.

Any white is going to enhance the problem. It will either be too stark and gray for the countertops or too yellow/orange for the backsplash.

Your choices of Manchester Tan or Muslin would probably work better with the combination than a true white.

With your countertops I think Muslin, with it's subtle orange undertone would be better than Manchester Tan, which can push ever so slightly toward green.

I would wait for budget to allow for a refresh of the entire kitchen, cabinets, backsplash and countertop. Until then, leave the cabinets alone, repaint the ceiling and walls to freshen the space. Too much contrast makes the cabinets look dreary.

At the very least, paint the soffit the same color as the cabinets. No gray.

explain this "nothing in the kitchen can be changed" .. a 20 yr old kitchen is approaching time for a renovation ....when you consider the older cabinets and the yellowing and a few other issues....However you dont show the fridge wall or the island details or possibly a pantry somewhere so its hard to give the best advice. The best right now could be what others are trying to impress...dont spend money to reface those. details of the WHOLE space and the situation / timeline/ budget gets you solid valuable recommendations.

Maybe she has to reface because maybe the cabinets are thermofoil material?

Regardless, I agree with all the above comments.

And I second to paint the soffits to match the cabinets.

You could also replace just the countertop to match better with the backsplash.

I don't know how new the mother of pearl backsplash is - but either it OR your countertops need to go. It's cheaper to replace the backsplash than purchase new countertops. However, if you like your backsplash a lot more than your countertops, then maybe it makes sense to replace your countertops. There are prefab countertops that aren't very expensive - however, you would have to do something else for your island (the prefab ones are all 25" or 26" wide). You could do a really pretty wood countertop for you island.

Personally, I would paint the cabinets for now and replace the backsplash if I was doing a budget update to your kitchen. That would be the least expensive (if you are willing to learn how to prep and use a sprayer on your cabinets vs. hiring a pro to finish them). I would also make your soffit look like an extension of your cabinets (add some crown moulding + use the same paint sheen as your cabinets to make the drywall look like it's made out of wood). Having your cabinets reach the ceiling will also help update your kitchen (you could remove the soffit if there aren't pipes/vents running through them - and then you could add wood + crown moulding to have them reach the ceiling - but that would be quite a bit more work than simply adding crown/trim + disguising the drywall so it looks like wood).

Not all 20 year old cabinets need to be replaced. I am renovating my kitchen shortly - and I had four (out of five) different contractors tell me what nice cabinets I have, and that I should think about replacing the doors instead of buying new cabinets (+I could have some of the lowers with doors converted into drawers).

My kitchen is u shaped - but with one wall (exterior) that is angled (larger than 90 degrees). The cabinets were custom - and have no odd fillers (just appropriately sized ones at the inside 90 degree upper and lower corners in order to avoid any issues with pulling out drawers/having enough room to open doors). Buying new ones that would fit correctly would be expensive - I was surprised when the contractors commented about simply replacing the doors and having the boxes painted out.

What is the condition of your current kitchen cabinets? You could paint them DIY if you will replace them in a few years. However, if they are in good condition + you will keep them for several years, having a pro finish them is a good idea. At the very least, you could purchase a paint sprayer + use a professional cabinet refinishing product (example, Milesi 2k - or their 1k product which is supposed to be pretty good - or a product from Renner). You can practice spraying on cardboard in order to get the hang of using a sprayer if you haven't used one before (you also don't have to spend a ton of $ on a sprayer - many blogger use inexpensive sprayers to refinish furniture that they sell or to paint cabinets in their own homes).

On Facebook, there is a group that discusses painting issues + provides advice to homeowners who want to finish their own cabinets vs. hiring someone. The pros on there seem very nice + helpful (my sister and I were reading through posts because she was thinking about painting her bathroom vanity).

Sorry for the LONG comment - just wanted to pass along some ideas to think about re: updating your kitchen!

Here's an idea of a kitchen done in BM Muslin can look like but cannot tell by your pictures if your backspash works with your countertop but it's an easy fix if it doesn't.

This is how mother of pearl backsplash looks like , I think with the phone picture of my kitchen it looks weird and more gray. It has both gray and yellow undertones. The undertone changes depending on the light in the kitchen, but it is predominantly white. When we look at the backsplash in person we love it as light flickers and it shines. Granite is old fashioned but we cannot change it. Soffit color can be changed with the cabinets color. And we are thinking of crown moulding on top of cabinets. Soffit cannot be removed. so please suggest if we should do BM muslin or BM manchester tan. BM muslin goes more with countertop and BM manchester tan goes with backsplash. So I am confused. So far 2 people has selected BM muslin above.

Here is another kitchen i found on internet with similar mother of pearl, cabinets are yellow though. our floors look exactly the same.

[houzz=https://www.houzz.com/photos/amazing-backsplash-with-mother-of-pearl-tile-pem0036-traditional-kitchen-san-diego-phvw-vp~4601265]

Order a sample of each from Samplize and look at them in your kitchen with your lighting placed on the upper cabinets and then on the lower cabinets, look at it next to the backsplash and next to the countertop and next to your flooring. Look at the colors on different walls and at different times of the day.

My gut says that Muslin will be better, but I am often surprised when I see all the colors together.

Honestly, I don't think money on refacing cabinets will be well spent because the counter and splash will still look so terrible next to each other. I'd just live with the yellowing cabinets and save up until you are able to change a few more elements of your kitchen at the same time, for example refacing and new counters, or refacing and new splash.

Also, changing your halogen bulbs is going to completely change what undertones you see in your kitchen. I'd get a 3000K led bulb.

sounds like you just want/need validation on the BM Muslin.

your inspo picture looks better lit than your room. Lighter is always better if you don't have the natural light to brighten it up. Go with the Muslin!

The ONLY way for you to know what color , is to get a sample of each ( not a tiny square ) and hold it up in your space. We are looking at everything on phones or computers and do not see the true colors of your space and your lighting.

I will not comment on doing a refacing. If you feel that is the right thing for you, then so be it. However I do encourage all my customers to get a kitchen remodel of new cabinets priced out so you can see the true difference in costs so you can make an educated decision.

Good luck

When I owned my last home I had my kitchen refaced vs getting new cabinets. This was 25 years ago and the difference in cost was huge.

I am planning on renovating my current kitchen and priced new Ikea cabinets vs refacing and their was almost no difference.