I would do it again. I don't mind surfaces that show dirt and smudges but I like to keep them clean and I can see where the dirt is. Don't get me started on my dark counters that hide so much that I have to find missed drips by my sense of touch.

I think the only thing I mind about white cabinets is a bit of paranoia that they will chip and scratch and look dreadful. I used to have a load of paranoia, but, now that I've had white cabs for a year and they still look in mint condition, my anxiety has subsided substantially.

Another thing...I love the look of white cabs. But I'm pretty sure that if I ever get to redo my kitchen I will do all in my power and budget to get quarter-sawn oak.

I think a certain amount of the decision has to do with what the house looks like.

The point, for me, with white is that you see the blobs and wipe them off, before they've had a chance to harden and set like cement until you decide to do a spring clean of your cabinet doors. . . .

We had dark cherry before, and not until I was thinking of selling them on craigslist and took pictures of them did I realize how completely scuzzy they were. Not fingerprints, not blobs of tomato sauce, just years and years of opening and shutting them with soapy/greasy/icky hands, then the grease left over from the recirculating fan, then more layers, etc. I WISH we had done a spring clean of the cabinet doors that sara_the_brit_etc. refers to. There's no way we would have allowed white cabinets to get anywhere near that stage.

That said, we got natural cherry and I just am diligent about cleaning especially around the handles, because of the gross factor from the previous kitchen.

Ugh.

We have 6 children, 4 still at home and we put in white cabinets. I would do it again, especially since we need a brighter space. Besides, they are not common where I live!

I used to have white cabinets and I loved them. I now have light maple cabinets and I love those also but if I remodeled from scratch I would have no problem doing white again. They were beautiful.