Personally, I love darker wood. We have built 3 houses, and the last two we picked dark wood cabinets. It just makes the kitchen warm and rich. Friends have a lighter wood, and it is filthy. They have kids so, there are marks and scrapes on the cabinets. Dirt seems to show easily.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Doesn't white or paint automatically cheapen the look of the kitchen? I think so.

OP, maybe you can change it to light wood, to lighten it up.

No, it doesn't in my opinion. I know that you usually have to pay extra for white.

White cabinets often aren't made of high quality wood although yours may be. Not pp. I personally wouldn't do white at this point in time, it's too trendy currently ( yes, I know ten posters will now insist it's timeless, I don't agree)

Anonymous wrote:

Doesn't white or paint automatically cheapen the look of the kitchen? I think so.

OP, maybe you can change it to light wood, to lighten it up.

No, it doesn't in my opinion. I know that you usually have to pay extra for white.

Your cherry cabinets sound beautiful! Update the hardware or something. Don't paint quality wood cabinets!

We're so fickle nowadays that no matter what you pick, it's already outdated. I would not replace perfectly good, high-quality cabinets for that reason. It's just wasteful.

We saw a lot of painted grey cabinets when we were house hunting recently. They all looked beautiful in photos and like a DIY project up close. Even the best paint jobs had chips and since grey is a newish trend and these houses were newly listed, I don't they were painted too long ago so I don't expect them to age well.

I don't like the cabinets in the house we bought though either so I'm also thinking about staining them. I'm disappointed to read that espresso is "so 90s". So what is the next trend?

Anonymous wrote:I would love to see a picture. I think the style of cabinet dates the look more than the material of cabinet.

+1. OP you could need new hardware, paint, countertops or flooring. Don't think it's just the cherry that dates it. I had cherry in my last house and I used an interior designer. It wasn't dated because nothing was dated around it.

Just keep them. Do something else to update your kitchen. Painted cabinets really don't look good as what you've described you already have.

I would love to see a picture. I think the style of cabinet dates the look more than the material of cabinet.

Doesn't white or paint automatically cheapen the look of the kitchen? I think so.

OP, maybe you can change it to light wood, to lighten it up.

Anonymous wrote:Painted cabinets are going out of style. You paint to extend the life of worn cabinets or if the quality of wood is loq.

Low not loq

Painted cabinets are going out of style. You paint to extend the life of worn cabinets or if the quality of wood is loq.

Anonymous wrote:Cherry is not "timeless." Cherry is distinctly 80s/early 90s, as oak is 70s/early 80s, and espresso finish is early 90s. In interior design there's hardly any such thing as "timeless." White shaker cabinets are as close as it gets, but even those only look right in certain homes. Good luck OP - and don't donate them. Sell them. You'll get good money.

I agree.

Paint or get new cabinet doors.

And that is why when I renovate my kitchen I will go with Ikea - I know I will want to change in 15 years or so.

Cherry is not "timeless." Cherry is distinctly 80s/early 90s, as oak is 70s/early 80s, and espresso finish is early 90s. In interior design there's hardly any such thing as "timeless." White shaker cabinets are as close as it gets, but even those only look right in certain homes. Good luck OP - and don't donate them. Sell them. You'll get good money.