I agree. You're really doing yourself a favor by cleaning the surfaces first before painting.

Nicolette
http://www.furnitureanddesignideas.com/

I like the wood cabinets, personally. I think they'd be fine with the yellow walls you're looking at. Or even white walls and dark wood. Personally, I'd put hardware on them but that's just me. Maybe some pretty glass knobs like you can get from Anthropologie?

Definitely give them a good cleaning and a chance to grown on you. Painting them isn't going to be easily reversed if you decide later that you like wood cabinets.

If you decide to paint, I think a light grey would look great with your counter top and flooring. I've also seen several instances where the lower cabinets are painted a dark shade than the uppers - it's a nice effect! I'm not a fan of the yellow however, it seems quite bright. But to each their own!

What is going on at the top of the cabinets? Can that plastic-y looking glass stuff be removed? If so, if you put some white or bright bowls or cookware up the it would help it feel less heavy.

I really like the paint color you chose for the walls. I love cheery, yellow kitchen.

The cabinets look like they could be decent if cleaned.

What are you doing with the tile above the sink? Is it staying or going?

What is your overall style? Are you embracing the more vintage-y vibe or are you trying to make it something else?

yeah, i'm not really a big fan of the yellow. i'd go with a pale bluish grey which looks awesome with wood. but if you were to paint the cabinets, i fully agree with alaylam. i believe there was even a post here not too long ago about a temporary kitchen fix and the bottom cabinets were a darker grey with a lighter top.

btw, the tiles above the sink look like they'd clash with just about everything and the glass has got to go.

try undiluted TKO orange for cleaning any sticky residue. it's environmentally friendly, super strong and smells like a freshly peeled orange to boot.

http://www.tkoorange.com/

Love yellow, love gray, and think they'd look good together. Definitely paint!

Your cabinets appear to be beautiful! Are they cherry?

I certainly wouldn't paint them - I'd definitely get rid of the dark wallpaper, clean out the interiors and paint the insides in a cream, pale grey or pale teal oil-based paint, and replace the '70s bottle-bottom sliding panels in the soffit cabinets with some veneered sliding MDF panels or frosted resin/glass panels perhaps with interesting inlays such as these:

http://www.archiexpo.com/prod/3form/resin-decorative-panel-4510-20620.html#prod_20620

http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/product.php?pid=241&

If you want to keep your kitchen light, don't choose dark countertops or dark floor tile - Why not consider solid white Corian or cream-colored Silestone counters with tumbled marble/limestone tiles as your backsplash, and limestone floors? Whatever counters you choose, don't let them put in the 4" backsplash. Just run your new tile from the counter all the way up.

Yellow isn't my favorite color so I'm probably not objective with this - but I don't think that this sunny room wants a warm color since it appears to get alot of sunlight. If you do go yellow, choose a cooler/greyed tone than you think you want because yellow is the most reflective color and it can get oppressive very easily. Personally, I'd stick w/ cooler shades such as pale greens or teals to offset the plentiful daylight and contrast w/ the lovely wooden cabinetry.

Whatever you do, don't get hardware from IKEA: it will instantly cheapen your kitchen. There are so many other resources out there for reasonably priced and far more interesting cabinet hardware. I would consider chunky antiqued brass/bronze knobs - located dead-center of each door/drawer panel for a cool vintage-60's/Regency appearance. These are all under $2 a knob:

http://www.modularkitchencabinets.com/knobs/knob-filigree-1-1-2-diameter-_WLD-P117-AB.php

http://www.modularkitchencabinets.com/knobs/knob-1-1-4-diameter-_WLD-P8199-LP.php

http://www.modularkitchencabinets.com/knobs/knob-1-1-2-diameter-_WLD-P119-AB.php

http://www.modularkitchencabinets.com/knobs/knob-1-1-2-diameter-_WLD-P126-AB.php

http://www.modularkitchencabinets.com/knobs/conquest-knob-1-1-8-diameter-_WLD-P14402-LB.php

There are always colored stains too!

I haven't been able to overhaul my kitchen yet, but I needed to do something in the interim. After stripping a million layers of varnish off, I stained my kitchen cabinets "Cherry Blossom" aka Magenta. Here's a pic:

http://workplaygardencook.blogspot.com/2009/05/mini-kitchen-makeovernew-ceiling-fan.html

I agree with bepsf.

i think the cabinets are beautiful, don't paint them.
consider frosted glass or light colored panels above them. get rid of the wall paper. and choose a lighter color counter top and floor.

Don't paint the cabinets. The big problem is the wood panelling, wallpaper, and those curtains. The wood is beautiful and classic. DO NOT PAINT THE WOOD.

Did anyone point out that the cabinets in the photo of your paint color appear to be about the same shade of wood as your cabinets? If not, let me be the first! I agree with those who recommended not painting but adding good hardware, and doing away with the wood paneling and that weirdness up above the cabinets. And the window treatment. And that man under your sink!

Clean the cabinets, paint the walls, and then reassess if you want to paint the cabinets too. My guess is that with the lovely yellow and the new granite and clean wood, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

I would not paint the cabinets, just add some nice hardware. Since there is so much stainless steel maybe brushed nickel hardware might work better.

I would consider using all creamy white Caesar Stone for counter tops, its really beautiful and wears well plus it would really open the space up, you don't want dark horizontal surfaces it darkens everything.
http://www.caesarstoneus.com/catalog/product.cfm?ProductID=35

Yes take out the wallcovering and those sliding plastic doors above. I like the idea of resin, 3Form is very expensive though. Leaving them open as someone suggested is an idea as well, I guess it depends on how you want that top part to function.

I would get so tired of yellow after a year and maybe going with a rich soft grey would be more timeless.

You can then add yellow as an accent maybe your kitchen tools can be yellow, bowls and what nots.

The pendent light fixture needs updating and get rid of those curtains.

I forgot to say cork floors would be nice and work with the cabinets. Not too dark and not too light.

Natural cabinets leave as is, cream white counters, grey walls, new hardware, accent with yellow.

Well, I personally think you should keep the gorgeous cabinets (paint or refinish the insides if dingy). Install more lighting (not necessarily getting rid of not-too-bad pendant lamp) under counter, etc. Get rid of valance and curtain. Install microwave & venting hood over stove. Modernize counters and paint the walls a deep red or orange. Cork floors, a fabulous idea.

LoriSF--

You're so right - Cork floors are a fabulous idea!

oh my goodness, paint those things pronto. i love woodgrain, don't get me wrong, but that's probably the grossest shade of wood i can imagine. it looks like cheap 80s laminate.

white would be fine, just make sure you get a paint that it scrubbable; kitchens get dirty. also, the store areas above the cabinets will probably look fine if you clean them and paint the inside white as well. hopefully the yellow plexiglass won't clash with the yellow walls.

The wooden cabinetry seems solid, well-made and inoffensive. I'd be far more interested in redoing the walls (including a new backsplash), getting rid of that hokey wooden valance thing over the sink, ditching the curtains, and swapping out the 70s yellow glass panels. Depending on your finances (and storage needs) you may even like to consider taking down all of the overhead cupboards and replacing them with a few open shelves, which will make the room look less top-heavy.

I think your yellow paint choice might look rather charming against the wood and a dark grey floor. But I agree that you should also consider a green, a blue or a warm white.

I'm with bepsf: Don't paint!!! The wood cabinets are actually very nice. If you must, take off the doors on the top cabinets for open shelving and contact-paper the insides white. Get rid of the wood panelling, tiling, drapes and window valance and make those spaces white, light and modern (I'm thinking white subway tile backsplash?) to offset the older style of the cabinets. Update with good chrome hardware.

Basically, keep the cabinets (I'd keep the greenish plastic/glass panels on top too, I love the way they look here) and make everything else light and sleek. Replace the light with a statement pendant lamp.

It all comes down to what you want. If you want a rural feeling (think french countryside) of you kitchen, I think you should keep them.

If you want a cleaner, more "modern" look, you should paint them, probably white.

It's really just a matter of what kind of style you want in your kitchen.

Just as a side note - if you do go with the dark counters and floors, expect them to look dirty all the time. My parents have very dark green on their counters and floors and every time they make a piece of toast the counters and floors need to be cleaned.

Clean them and let the natural wood grain remain. It'll add an organic touch to balance the floors and counters. I'd bet that once you paint the walls you won't feel like the cabinets are too dark (especially if a good scrub brings them up a shade or two). If they are still dark, I'd advocate stripping them and refinishing them with a lighter stain.

I think the cabinets are attractive. Give them a good cleaning and live with it for a week. I'd invest in some under cabinet lighting to keep the keep it brighter.

I would clean the cabinets, add sexy hardware and continue with the rest of the renovations and then see how it looks. You can always paint them later.

Hi all. I'm the originator of this post and thanks for all your comments. I really would like to paint the cabinets, but to save myself a lot of time and effort I think I'm leaving them and will just attempt to give them a good cleaning and add some nice hardware. I believe they are real wood cabinets and perhaps at another time I can strip them and refinish. I'll have to reassess once they are cleaned.

The floor has been purchased and the countertops are being made, so those really can't be changed. They were picked because I figured the cabinets would be white.

The soffit thing is coming down. They are actually ugly green, plasticy sliding panels. Not sure what we are doing up there yet. The curtains are already gone, wood paneling and wallpaper will be gone. The strange backsplash above the sink is actually red brick vinyl flooring, which will be removed. The whole room will have new drywall, before rehanging and leveling the cabinets.

There will be an undermount sink and a nice Kohler faucet. Eventually we hope to add some sort of tile backsplash and perhaps a stainless panel behind the stove.

I think you need to pick a lighter countertop or change the wall color to a cooler yellow.

Don't paint the cabinets, replace the top sliding doors to frosted glass, and pick one of these two options:

Lighter Cream/white based countertop current warm yellow
Current cool dark grey countertop cooler yellow

Definitely add some knobs, I suggest adding them at the dead center on the bottom.
Super long and straight modern knobs hung horizontally in bottom center, if you want to go modern. Classic round knobs with character (I saw some good ones from the link suggested above) if you want classic.

That floor tile is going to show everything, black is not a great choice for kitchens or bathrooms.

Upon further inspection turns out that the cabinets are laminate and not wood at all. And definitely not in the best condition.