What does the competition in your price range have?

Remodeling for resale doesn't make money back most of the time.

I would argue that stained is better than wood as far as resale especially considering painted is normally an upcharge. glazed also costs money you're probably not getting back.

I did a white kitchen in my house, it helped sell the house, but if I were doing it over again I'd do wood. you can do either nicely.

Remodel for yourself (within reason).

If the kitchen is worn but it doesnt bother you in particular, don't do anything if you know you are going to be selling within a few years and price accordingly. Return on investment for a typical kitchen is not 100% which means you always lose money and with the market the way it is, you may not make up the difference in the house price.

If you want to remodel it for yourself, do it to your own taste unless you want something really off the wall--and don't exceed what the neighbors are doing pricewise unless you can afford to lose something on the deal. Someone will either like it or not, and your townhouse is probably going to be pretty interchangeable with someone else's to the typical buyer --so yours will appeal to someone white or wood tone.

Restore the existing finish, change the hardware, and tweak a few accessories. If you're going to sell, it's rare that someone is goign to come in and say, OH... I love everything about that kitchen exactly the way it is. There will always be something they'll be thinking about changing "down the road". You're better off leaving the cabs and pricing it 20K below a like house that has more kitchen remodeling then you in your area.

I wouldn't do a total remodel for resale purposes. I might change to granite or quartz counters if you don't already have them, along with new faucet and sink.

If your oak cabinets are in good shape, I would hire a painter to paint them, update the counter top and hardware and appliances and call it DONE! Especially if you are selling shortly. I wouldn't sink a ton of $$ into a kitchen I would only get to enjoy for a short time.

And we bought a house that had nothing remodeled or updated in the 10 years since the house was built. We picked this home b/c it allowed us to personalize it. We have created a backyard oasis from a completely blank slate (we added everything from the flagstone patio to the fence to every bush/tree except for 2 in the yard). We also got to update the kitchen once already and now are getting to do a bigger/better update with it.

honestly, the reason why I'm not as thrilled with my white kitchen is ejbrymom's solution. I've seen so many people who painted their cabinets to "update" them, some decently and some not so.

Also it seems in my area wood has a higher percieved value than painted unless its that offwhite with glaze, and even then..

Also, I did Ikea with an MDF white painted door. Love the storeage, drawers etc. the doors don't have a nice feel to them.

Last weekend I was at a subdivision garage sale and went into a house that was for sale. We aren't looking to buy but I always like to look :)

Anyway, this house isn't that old (1994) and it had white laminate cabinets/countertops. The owner had 3 teenage daughters and I was shocked at how dirty and dingy the cabinets looked. And this is a house that is listed for nearly $600K.

Had these cabinets been oak and CLEAN, it would have made the kitchen look so much nicer.

I know this doesn't exactly answer your question, except I just want to say that a clean house would help put you above your competition.

I personally prefer stained over white painted cabinets. I know several people that hate white cabinets. I wouldn't paint your cabinets white just for resale.

My neighbor has oak cabinets and she wasn't looking to sell but she wanted to update her kitchen. She put tan brown granite (one of the less expensive colors) on her counters, black handles on the cabinets and a new lighting fixture over the island. It doesn't even look like the same kitchen.

Thank you all for responding. I have attached picutures. From all of your advice, I am thinking that due to the housing market unpredictability, it would be wise to keep what I have and spruce it up. Thinking about changing the island to a black island by Krafmaid to bring black into the kitchen. Adding a molding on the top of the cabinets with a black inset. Perhaps replacing the cabinets on top the microwave and on the sides of the microwave with the same black as the island. Perhpas a nice hood. Eventually replace the white appliances. Update knobs to a burnished antique.
I want to respond to everyone. Trying to figures out how to respond to everyone individually. Thank you so much

Here is a link that might be useful: Photobucket

Chocolatebunny, thanks for sharing your experience with your neighbor. It gives me hope that I can work with what I have. CHRisk327, I have seen a shabby white paint job where the paint was chipping when we were looking for a home. What came to mind first was, I have to do something right away. If it was oak, at least you could live with it. I get what you mean.

riverspots, I was thinking granite too. The problem with oak is that it has a lot of movement in it. Would you think an absolute black granite on the oak and if I did a black island do a cream with some black/cranberry--something fun???

If there are lots of townhouse units in your area that are twin to yours, being different might be more advantageous than being the same. Having a place be a better buy for the same price is the best way to sell within a large development suffering from a surfeit of For Sale signs.

If you're going to splurge on granite or another expensive surface, either make it a really personal decision and ignore resale OR think hard about practicality to make the kitchen more desirable for others.

Who will be your buyers? Those who are likely be busy on-the-go people needing a townhouse for convenience and low maintenance? A single person or empty nesters or single parent? Unless this is a luxury dwelling, townhouse and condo buyers in the next few years in our community are likely gonna be cash-strapped and shoppping for a deal. A distinctive design element such as an artistic molding or a gorgeous or efficient built-in item or railing or light fixture (or other element to make the place special) will be as important as the kitchen unless the kitchen is a disaster in decor or in layout. I agree that simple cleanliness and maintenance can be a deal-breaker when there are a lot of units on the market.

Although black and black-ish countertops are considered elegant and desirable from a design standpoint by many GWers, anything that needs dusting, shows fingerprints, needs special creams, etc. is not a plus when it comes to pleasing the masses, esp those with little kids, messy hubbies and hobbies, or no spare time. As for the movement issue and oak, it's a real issue. You don't want the countertops and the cupboards to duel with one another. One needs to be subordinate in the amount of energy it exudes. (Unless, of course, you're decorating to please yourself. Then you can have anything you can afford and the question of desirability is put off until you set price at selling time.)

I think the kitchen looks like it is in good shape. I am not sure that I would do anything more than change the hardware or paint the walls a color that coordinated with the countertop color.

I personally would rather buy a house that had a kitchen in decent original shape that I could live with until I changed it than buy a house that had a quick budget update of the cheapest granite on the market or an inferior paint job. And in my observation...and I have looked at probably 100 houses over the past couple of years...most homeowners don't do very good paint jobs on wood or trim and many professional painters don't do very good ones either...unless the painter is very good, and very expensive, and that may blow the budget anyway.

Your kitchen looks in great shape. I would do the following to update it for resale. I would either stain or glaze the cabinets a darker color or paint them. I would add new hardware and if your area warrants it, do granite countertops. If it doesn't, then I wouldn't even do granite. Then I'd stop.

Florantha, I get what you are saying about black granite and marks. I priced Wilsonart HD laminate from Lowes and Home Depot, it was $1,300 - $1,600 for 51 square feet installed. Some local grainte dealers have specials for about $3,000. What color/material would you suggest for the perimeter which would be oak? I have to get a new island (thinking black) due to the fact that our attempt to paint was not a success (long story). I did see a kitchen with similar colors with a silestone counter in "kona beige" which had some specs of black. I agree I need to add some details like an interesting light fixture over the island and some detailed crown molding on top of the cabinets. My goal would be to decorate to please overselves at the same time keeping in mind potential buyers of the future.

Palimpsest, thanks for the advice. I agree the kitchen and the adjacent family room need a paint color. I was thinking about BM Nantucket Gray or BM Baby Turtle. I really do not like the countertop color, it is really a greenish blue. Visitors tell me that they would change it. I think even the cheapest granite would look better than the horrible green laminate. Do you have a granite color in mind that would no look "cheap?"

cpartist, I want to begin looking at a company called Nhance (from Home Depot) that does wood restoring. Would you think a shade darker like in the cherry family? There are some neat expresso colors out there also. My floor is traditional oak. I have seen a kitchen done in a peppercorn stain with Delicatus white grainte. Not sure based on the rest of my house as you can see from the picutures would go. I do have many black accents. Not sure how to incorporate that. My living room is "loft sytle" from Ethan Allen. Still not finished with that. I guess I am overwhealmed.

lke2decor, I don't have any recommendations about what countertops are best for a kitchen, but I definitely don't think that rock countertops are a necessity for everyone.

We have a lot of countertop area and our 180FX Formica "antique mascarello" installation was $1500. This for the top of the line. For us, this product is just fine and there isn't a friend of mine who has anything else, including many with fancier houses. This is the lightest color of this product available, I think. It's absolutely great, if you want to camouflage everything, including jelly smears and such.

Dark, unmottled laminate has the same problems that rock has--dust and smears and such.

If I had decided to go with a more mod kitchen, I would have seriously considered a faux aluminum laminate. Very mod, very nutty fun. I also had about forty other favorite laminate items. I loved looking at all the options and used to deal out the samples like a card player who is addicted to cards.

Have fun stormin' the castle!

Florantha, just googled imaged your formica (attached). It is really nice. I am going to check it out at Lowes or Home Depot. Is that a spec of black I see in it? What are your cabinets like?

Here is a link that might be useful: goole images

I think any shade darker would work. I would consider a dark expresso since you have black accents. Or, do the cherry color with a black counter. Either would tie it all together. But, and here's a big but, if the neighborhood doesn't warrant granite, don't waste your money. Just find a nice laminate.

Floranta and cpartist. Taking both of your advice, here is a kitchen stained a little darker (cpartist) with a formica countertop (Florantha). Getting somewhere. I am very visual. Florantha, I know it is dark. I just need to pull black in somewhere. Will pulling black on hardware/lighting be enough. I also thought that the money I save by using lamiate, we can start to add stainless appliances.

Here is a link that might be useful: flickr

cpartist here is a visual of expresso cabinets with light counter. Florantha, do you think it would turn the retirement age couple away?? It is midnight. I am tired. My mind is like mush. Maybe tomorrow with a fresh mind I can sort this all out.

Here is a link that might be useful: flickr

I think that what people do not consider in the white/wood decision is light. We own a two family with identical floorplan in each unit. Our kitchen has white cabinets and the rental has medium tone maple with a glaze. Our cabinets are slab style and the others are raised panel. Our kitchen feels SO much brighter and fresher than the rental unit kitchen. Since your space looks like it might be a bit dark, white cabinets could really brighten it up. I would put a warm color on your walls to keep it from looking sterile. I will admit to a bias against wood, I think it looks dated. If your woodwork and trim throughout the townhouse (doors, window frames, etc) is white, I think the cabinets should be white too. If you have wood trim, the cabinets should be wood too, and in the same species and same finish. Just my opinion. Makes the house look pulled together. But do keep in mind about the light.

I'd go darker stained for your cabs and a medium to light countertop to balance them out. If not, then go with white painted cabs and a darker stained floor. You could then do a darker granite than with the wood cabs and still maintain a light look. If you are adding a black island, then maybe do a more cherry tone for the stain on your existing cabs with the black trim and molding you are considering.

I think a nickel or chrome finish for the hardware and a nice light fixture and you will really perk up the decor. I think your knobs look a little small and would rather see something bigger or ideally pulls with your cabs, but not bar pulls, unless you are trying for real contemporary. You can do a nice backsplash and work a little black liner or feature of sorts into that since that seems to be a priority.
You don't want to go too trendy if you are only staying short term and want to sell the kitchen as a "new" kitchen (we use "new" for up to 5 years old and "updated" for 5-15 years old). If you want your kitchen to be different and better than the ones they will compare it to, then you don't want the original look or to look like the current trends. Buyers want something they can point out as special. That does not mean it has to be expensive, just some element of unique.
I would not replace the appliances unless they are not functioning right.

And just to confuse you ;-) I'm going to offer a different option since you mentioned refinishing your cabinets.

Don't stain them at all. Give them a clear finish to protect them and nothing more. The natural finish will minimize oak's busy grain. The darker the stain, the more prominent the grain. Up to a point, that is. Oak grain becomes texture not pattern when it's stained very dark. That's a great look, too, and perhaps a treatment to consider for your island.

Next, replace the laminate with Wilsonart Oiled Soapstone. It really does look like the real thing but for a fraction of the cost. See the link below to see it is in a kitchen by GWer janie-k. I think it would awesome with natural oak cabinets and it would tie in with your range's black surface.

Here are two images that hopefully will give you an idea what natural oak cabs with oiled soapstone laminate might look like

I wouldn't do the solid dark backsplash between counter and upper cabinet but that's just me. That treatment always seems cave-like to me.

{{!gwi}}
Isn't this pretty? And yes, it's oak!

And here's a kitchen of natural oak paired with white appliances.
{{!gwi}}

Add new paint on your walls and new hardware on your cabinets and your kitchen would look great!

One last comment. People might like white cabinets but they usually prefer the sleek finish of white painted maple cabinets, not white painted oak cabinets. It's very difficult to disguise oak's strong grain. Back when I thought I'd only give my kitchen a face lift, I looked into hiring someone to paint my cabinets. They all warned me about the grain. I saw examples and didn't mind the grain showing but my friend disliked it a lot.

Here is a link that might be useful: Somewhat Finished, Somewhat Budget... White Vintage Kitchen

I agree with lisa a concerning painting oak cabinets. It does little for resale. We painted our oak bathroom cabinets in our last home right before selling to "update" our bathroom. I thought it really opened up the space, but picky buyers were not so agreeable. Almost all noted that the cabinets were older and would need replacing. If you can make your stained wood look fresher, go with that option first.

wood is not dated. what will be dated will be white painted cabinets in a shaker style. lol. I like the expresso with the whie.

I like all the suggestions you're getting re. freshening up the wood with a fresh transparent or slightly toned clear satin finish and keeping the counters fairly budget.

As a recent buyer I encourage you to stick with the wood rather than paint. I'm personally not a fan of white painted kitchen cabinets. (And I also hate granite, so there you go. :-) )

In my case, I'd much rather buy the kitchen as is for a lesser price and save my pennies for a total remodel of my own choosing - this is what I did with my own house purchase. The kitchen I bought looked like this, and the hideous salmon formica and vomitrocious paint really wasn't an issue with my remodel in mind:

Lisa a, I agree that if you have the grain showing in a white cabinet, it does not not give you that classic white cabinet look. I also agree with Joshct about how white opens up, however, if budget does not allow to do white, then I have to go with what I have. Another option is looking into refacing with white, but based on research,it can be costly. Lisa a, I have been gravitating toward a dark counter. The wilsonart oiled soapstone as well as Basalt Slate are definately an option. Liked the second image. Here is an island light that just striked my interest. Maybe I can take off from there. Imagining that with the oiled soaptone counter---what color pulls/knobs???

Here is a link that might be useful: lighting universe

Lisa a or anyone, if I go with the oiled soapstone on the perimeter, I need to figure out island selection. Island has to be replaced due to paint mess up. I could do an antiqued off white island with the same soapstone counter???? My gut is telling me in a smaller spaced kitchen, I should probably stick to the same counter material on perimeter and island. Thoughts anyone?

Here is an image of a wood kitchen, black countertop, white island

Here is a link that might be useful: google images

I am excited!!! Found an image that seems to communicate what we have been saying!

Here is a link that might be useful:

this is useful

Here is a link that might be useful: Formica 180FX discussion #1

We had our 25 year old oak cabinets painted off white about 9 months ago. I love it. Not nearly as expensive as replacing or even refacing. The painters used some type of grain filler before painting, which really produced a nice smooth door. I know the look has been done a million times, but we went with a black granite, orb hardware and white subway tile backsplash. The granite was in the lowest price group (impala black), so it was not that much different in price than the fancy formicas you are looking at. I did price those and found they were too expensive for laminate. We also did not want to go overboard on a full blown remodel since we don't think we will be here that long. But I definately think it was worth every penny for my own enjoyment and the potential resale. It just looks so much better.

lke2decor, that's a lovely kitchen! I think you may have found a way to give your kitchen an updated look without spending a lot of money. I like the simple white subway tile backsplash they added to that kitchen, too.

Good job finding that image.

I meant to add links to GW member kitchens who have either stained or painted their original oak cabinets a dark color so here they are now. I noticed that you have quite a few pieces that are painted black so perhaps giving your island the same treatment will tie the space together nicely.

{{!gwi}}
rtpaisley's black painted cabs

{{!gwi}}
girlwithaspirins' dark chocolate painted cabs

{{!gwi}}
enigmaquandary's black painted cabs

celticmoon's dark stained cabs

For some reason, oak's grain isn't as big a deal when it's painted or stained a very dark color. It becomes a welcome texture. IMO, of course.

I'm in review mode so I can't go back and check your posts but I seem to remember you asked about island counter, too. You can see that what's popular is a white or marble look or wood counters. Enigmaquandary purchased her beech butcherblock counters from Ikea. They are very reasonably priced.

like2decor ...
I agree with palimpsest: don't try to anticipate the resale market, and don't expect to get the money back. My neighborhood realtor (25+ years in the business) and my BIL realtor/contractor/house flipper (30+ years in the business) both say to get rid of the ugly, fix everything that is busted, clean the heck out of it and price it accordingly.

Your place is all pale and bland, which makes the countertops and cabinets very dominant. A change of paint and cabinet color would probably spiff you right up.

One reason your counters have a greenish tone is that they are next to orang-ish wood and the contrast emphasizes the green in the countertops. You need to have something that is MORE green and way less orangish to shove the countertops away from green. (color is 100% comparison)

If you painted the walls a greenish grey or dusty green, and stained the cabinets a browner color (or painted them a cool grey) the countertops would shift color away from green.

Have you thought about putting crown molding at the top of the cabinets?
That, plus solid surface countertop, change paint color, new hardware, and new lighting would make it a whole new kitchen. Maybe a new backsplash.
That would surely be easier and less costly than new cabinets, resurfacing, or restaining the cabinets.
Also, all the above can probably be done by you. That is, if you a a DIY type.
Good Luck

Dear Frances00,

Looks like new counter, hardware, backsplash, crown molding, lighting fixtures is the direction I am heading. I know I have to paint the boring white walls and add crown molding around the two rooms. If I go with a pretty neutral counter (black or tans), what color would you suggest? Nervous with a dark color due to the limited amount of windows--not much light. I was thinking about BM Manchester Tan. I love sage greens too. I really like Nantucket Gray and Baby Turtle. Maybe I can decrease their strength. Any thoughts????

like2decor,
In my area, there are alot of cheap Chinese import granite places where they sell precut granite. You can probably get the entire kitchen for $1000 to $2000, about the same as custom laminate price. I would not put in something like soapstone where the price will be significantly more than that. Like Palimpest said, when I am house hunting, I prefer to not pay for things that I see no value in. For example, a nice countertop on the cabinets that are not well built would fall in that category. I don't know how well your cabinets are built, but... My own rental condo unit's builder grade cabinets are not worth putting "expensive" counters on. The shelves are sagging because they cannot hold up to the weight and the boxes are very sad looking.

If your cabinets are not in good shape, I would not do anything. I would talk to the real estate agent and ask what is needed to sell the town house quick versus the highest price. Depending on people's circumstances, quick sale at slightly lower price is far better place to be than getting that last $ and not being able to sell for months/years. Sometimes, the fastest way to sell a property is to price it to move. If you haven't sunk alot of money in the property, you are more likely to price it to move..... Just a different perspective to chew on.

To answer your question, as far as granite colors go, I'm partial to the lighter ones with wood-even though the dark ones are striking. There are some not too expensive ones with a flaky pattern that wouldn't "fight" the oak grain like the granites with linear movement.

I do like a white sink-especially with white appliances. Especially since it's now dark in the morning. Too many long NE winters in a north-facing kitchen- I like a brighter look when I have a choice.

If you think you'll be moving sooner rather than later, I'd go with a mid-priced laminate.

kaismom, just to be clear, I was suggesting Wilsonart Oiled Soapstone laminate counters, not the real thing. It's not one of the more expensive laminates but it looks great IRL. You raise a good point, though, about the quality of the cabs.

lke2decor, you wrote that the cabs are worn, which I took to be a surface issue not a structural issue. Is this the case?

I'm not familiar with the colors you suggested but I think a warm tan or soft gold would look good with the earth tones you have in your rooms. That said, I have a hard time picking colors based on computer photos so I could be wrong. Whatever you choose, though, don't forget to check your paint choices against the cabinets (once they are cleaned up) so that you pick a color that compliments not fights the oak or emphasizes any underlying golden orange tones. As someone above pointed out, green can do that.

One paint tip I learned the hard way: before investing time and money into painting the rooms, buy a sample size and paint a large patch of it on the wall or a sample board (my local paint store sells blank poster board type stuff for this purpose). I can't tell you how many times I thought I'd found the right color based on a chip only to discover it was totally wrong on the wall. (If you paint the wall, you should cover it with primer before painting the walls with your final color choice.)

There's a product out called Restor-a-finish or something close to that. You can clean and then rub down your existing cabinets and that would brighten them up. The pre-fab granite slabs come in a variety of standard colors. I think something lighter like Santa Ceceila (?) would work. Ditto on lisa's idea to invest in paint samples. I purchased 11 different samples before settling. And yes, you can ask the store to make up a particular paint color at any strength you want. The color I ended up with was one of my choices at 50% strength.

Lisa a, I probably should have chose another word than "worn." Perhaps at the beginning stages of "fade." More so on the ones near the sliders. They really just need an oil or conditioner to spruce them up. Probably the product that remodelfla mentioned. There is even a company called Kitchen Tune Up that offers a reconditioning service that is fairly inexpensive from what I hear. The shelves in our our cabinets are in great shape. Want to pick up a sample of the Wilsonart Oiled soapstone and go hardware shopping. At least it is a start. The Kitchen Tune Up rep called me and mentioned a process called "redooring." He told me it was cheaper than refacing. You paint the frames with a pre-matched paint and you order the doors to match from them. Probably will not head in that direction, but will be interesting to look at the products and see prices. I do think that sometimes it pays to wait and if we decide to stay in a few years, we can do it the right way. So, after everyones help, I have to say replacing the laminate would make a difference as well as other easy changes mentioned previously. Paint color will be fun! I can bother everyone on the paint on the decorating blog when I get the counters installed.

Remodelfla, thanks for the input. Laminate shopping I will go. Do you think the restoring product is available at HD? I will also search on the web for it.

riverspots, never thought about the sink as far as matching the white appliances. It does make sense. At least I have that. The only thing that I hate about white sinks is that they stain and mark easily. Bought a plastic sink guard for the bottom (it can get in the way). I have to bleach it at least once a day. Oh well, as we can see nothing is ever perfect!

Remodelfla, found it on the web. They have a product called Restora a Shine also which might be what I need to add some shine to the cabinets near the sliders.

LOL-flipping through tv channels last night, guess who had oak cabinets and green countertops??--The Rosanne show.

Heres some info on the product in case anyone is interested.

http://www.howardproducts.com/restoras.htm

Here is a link that might be useful: google

Love this Island. Think it would open up the kitchen, rather than a solid piece of furniture.

http://www.crateandbarrel.com/furniture/dining-tables/french-kitchen-island/s566198

Here is a link that might be useful: Crate & Barrel

That's lovely although I can't visualize it in your kitchen.

Have you seen this IRL to make sure it's stable? A marble top weighs a lot so this piece could be top heavy, which could make it easier to tip over than a free-standing piece with a lower center of gravity.

Also, can you afford to give up the storage your current island provides? You could stash lovely baskets to hold some kitchen items on the bottom shelf but if you overdo it, I'm afraid it will scream "not enough storage space in this kitchen."

You can likely achieve the open feel without giving up all your storage by choosing something along these lines

gharexpert.com

Homes & Gardens

{{!gwi}}
Kitchens For Keeps

Don't know if the above are more country than you want (although you do have that lovely pine armoire) but hopefully these help you see what else is possible for (fingers crossed) less than $999. Or are you seeing this as a furniture investment that you take with you? If so, then future buyers might see dollar signs, knowing that they'd need to buy an island right off the bat.

But before you proceed with any of these ideas, including the marble topped island, make sure that the kitchen floor beneath your current island is finished. If not, you'll have extra costs, especially if it requires that you patch in wood (provided you can still get flooring to match) and/or refinish the whole to avoid the patched look.

Thanks for going the extra mile. I appreciate your expertise. I can see by your thoroughness, you have alot of experience. Stepping back, for all the points you have mentioned, it is not the right island. It was my emotions reacting to it, not the practicality. Maybe we can finish painting the current island. Question would be the bm dove white or black. With black the laminate soapstone will not go. I like the islands you sent. Will continue to brainstorm.

Oh, goodness, you give me too much credit! I'm not the expert here but I am good at research, turning up questions to ponder and thinking things through. It's mostly a good thing until I do it so much that I can't make a decision! LOL

I totally understand the emotional reaction. We all do it.

I think you could go with either white or black for the island. If white, go with the soapstone look-alike laminate. If black, go with a butcherblock top ala Ikea. Personally I like the black/butcherblock combo because I think it ties in with your other furnishings but that's my opinion. You'll need to decide not only which look you prefer but which one you can pull off as a DIY project (it sounds like you'll be painting the island cab not hiring a professional) and not have it look like a DIY project. Oh, and which look suits the style of your home best.

Not to muddy the waters but you could also choose a color for the island, perhaps the sage green you mentioned above and top it with the soapstone look-alike laminate.

There are a lot of painted cabs in many colors in the thread below. Worth checking out to see if you like a painted cabinet in something other than white or black.

Here is a link that might be useful: Any non-white painted kitchen cabinets?