I really love the look of those cabinets (except the color!) I could see a cream/tan color or a light blue with perhaps a darker color blue/grey on the bottom with lighter on top.

bright red goes so well with a light blue wall, or an avocado and white would do nicely for a two-toned approach.

you might consider staining the cabinets rather than painting them (if they are wood and not laminate). I think a darker stain would help them coordinate with the countertop and floor. The current stain is way too yellow.

While removing the countertop is too expensive, I would think about removing the small granit backsplash. I think without it the impact of the countertop will be smaller and it might seem more modern too.

I think the cabinets and counter top could work as is with the right color paint on the walls.

As someone else mentioned, if those are solid wood cabinets, staine them, don't paint them.

I agree with dmh - I think a stain on the cabinets would look nice. Probably a bit easier to upkeep as well.

Lots of stain colors available. Stains are fairly easy to layer and mix as well. We did a storage bench with a bit of green blended into an espresso shade. Turned out really nice.

I think a soft greige would be lovely. Benjamin Moore Baby Fawn OC-15? http://www.myperfectcolor.com/en/color/102995_Benjamin-Moore-OC-15-Baby-Fawn

I have the same, exact cabinets but with black granite. I actually see them fairly often so I am pretty sure they are just off the shelf Home Depot.... I would love to do something with mine too but hesitate because - they are in good condition and don't want to muck them up...

Please do not paint your walls pale blue. Any book on color theory will tell you blue is the worst color to use in areas where food is cooked and consumed. It literally kills appetite. The cabinets are not bad. You should be able to remove the splash, and install a tile backsplash. Subway tile in a matte cream or ivory with slightly darker grout would look good. Add more contemporary hardware to the cabinets. If you are able to add stainless appliances someday, that will also make a difference. A few changes will make this look elegant...painting the cabs two-tone will have the opposite effect.

White or cream, sage green, grey, or even a yellow would all look nice with the countertops. Or, like others have said, stain them darker if you want something more modern looking.

I don't know if you can paint the cabinets...they look like stock cabinets, so I'm not sure of the quality of the wood. I'd be careful about doing that without knowing whether it would really work. Could you stain them instead? The wood is a little too red for my taste, but I love the floors you have

I don't mind the jade, but I think you could definitely work with it if you don't like it. If it's the greenness you don't like, you can change the backsplash to complement the appliances and make the green darker. The granite reflects the color of the walls so a dark backsplash would dull the green a little.

I say get a quote for new countertops. You might be surprised at the cost. If you are not fond of the granite that is currently there (which I understand) it is not like painting your cabinets will solve that problem. I could be wrong but painting the walls blue might only serve to accentuate the granite and cause for clashing.
Research your countertop options before jumping full force into painting/staining. Arm yourself will all of the knowledge and options first (I wish I did more of that). I have all too often looked for the cheaper or quicker (sometimes they go hand in hand as well) option only to grow tired of it or see the folly of my ways after some months or years. Good luck!

Greenish-gray. So they blend with the countertops but lighter so there's still some contrast. I agree with fulinlin - take that lip off the back of the countertops and put up a tile backsplash, or at least paint (not the same color as the cabinets). Then I'd paint your walls a light greenish-blue, so you keep the green thing going (you can't escape it unless you get rid of those counters, so embrace it). I'm not a big fan of the different color tops and bottoms, but if you really want to do it, then paint the bottoms a dark grey, not quite charcoal but like elephant gray and then do the green-gray lighter on top. Since you have so much wall to paint, it's hard to do really light on the top cabinets unless you want them to blend in with the wall, otherwise you've got too many different colors of paint you're trying to blend together and also keep the granite in check - that's why I think it might not be worth it to try the 2-tone thing.

I replaced my countertops with wood counters from IKEA (love them)...total cost about $350 for material (a friend helped me install them) and painted my cabinets white. Looks great and cheap!

I like *obleak1's* solution! That's the winner by a longshot.

I also went to pastry school and know that blue is the worst for the appetite.

As for the yellow tones in the cabinets: if you like them (and I do) don't touch the color! At somepoint redo the floors to something more pleasing to you.

The cool modern woods are not everybody's cup of tea and trends come and go. Pick which the tone of wood you like.

Painting the cabinets won't turn this kitchen into the kitchen of your dreams (an airy, white contemporary kitchen, i'm guessing), and they'll ding and scratch. You could save for a new kitchen someday, or new countertops (quartz starts at about $3800), but meanwhile, these cabinets are rather nice. I see what you mean about the granite, and agree with the person who suggested removing the granite backsplash if poss. to reduce its visual impact. I would change the cabinet hardware and put in a shiny cream backsplash. I second the vote for subway tile with darker grout. Then I'd paint the kitchen a cool neutral from Farrow & Ball, maybe Strong White. The yellow walls are making the green of the counter appear even more green.

I painted cheap-o wood cabinets from home depot and they looked fantastic. You need to sand off the polyeurethane first, then prime, then do several coats of semi gloss or high gloss paint. It took me about a week to do mine by myself, with time to take doors off their hinges and let all the coats dry. (I painted the insides too, which is probably optional but I was happy I did).

It costs almost nothing and it's like having a new kitchen.... In fact 6 months later I had a plumber apologize for getting dirt on my "new" cabinets during a routine repair--they were 10 years old but with fresh paint and hardware really did look new.

I'd suggest a soft sage green for kitchen walls lower cabinets, warm gray on walls and cream on upper cabinets.

It's not like these cabinets are tiger eye maple. I hate the look of lots of interior wood and I love painted woodwork. So much lighter, brighter and crisper. As you point out, the color of the counters looks terrible with these cabinets.

Pick a light green for lower cabinets that coordinates with a light green from seams in your granite and I think the whole thing will look a whole lot better.

Nothing looks nicer than freshly painted cabinets. Save some extra paint for touch ups. And maybe splurge on some fancy looking bin pulls for the drawers.

Yes do not paint the walls blue. I would not do anything to the kitchen. Sometimes we have to learn to live with what we have. There is nothing wrong with it and many would love to have something as good.

I think you could add a nice backsplash in to your liking...maybe some kind of tile. Painting the kitchen in a neutral but noticeable color would be nice too. Add accessories and there you have it. It does not need much.

Since my marriage 31 years ago, I have always had my kitchen painted some shade of blue: royal (in the 80's), Wedgewood (in the 90's), lavender (in the last house). I have never suffered even the slightest loss of appetite, so my new kitchen has a blue future, too: probably Little Greene's Bone China Blue.
In this case, though, I'd go for whites and charcoals, or maybe a grey-green to neutralise that countertop.

i have the same cabinets and i love my kitchen - which is good since i rent.

One big difference between my cabinets and yours is that my top cabinets have glass windows in the doors. I think this opens up the space, creates more light (from the reflection off the glass) and is more "modern," in my view. So, getting glass may help diminish the wood + it's color for you.

I second the opinion that you should stain the cabinets a dark Espresso.

The cabinets look fine, I would paint the walls surrounding them.

I don't see any clashing between the cabinets and countertop--this seems a pretty common combination; you'd be crazy to replace anything. this is way nicer than 90% of places I've lived.

you should try painting the area around the cabinets first; if that doesn't work consider a backsplash.

The cabinets and the counter aren't the problem - it's that nasty backsplash.

That's the thing I'd get rid of and replace.

My aunt just painted her cabinets black and they look beautiful. I think a nice dark stain or black would really make your counter tops pop! I didnt read any of the other comments sorry if I'm repeating options :D

I disagree with the blue. My kitchen and dining rooms are both complementary shades of blue and it looks gorgeous. I do think blue will clash with the countertops though. I would second the gray suggestion, maybe a nice warm slate (with this color you wouldn't even need to change the cabinet color).

I would find a backsplash that you love and add that to the wall to bring your paint color and the countertops into unison.

Also, if the only reason you want the kitchen blue as well as the room it conjoins with is because you're afraid it will clash, complementary colors with a solid division line would look fabulous together, in my opinion. I'd need to see the two conjoining rooms to offer more suggestions though.

My dining room is very visible from both my kitchen and living room so I used three complementary colors (blue in the kitchen, darker blue and beige [divided by white chair rail] in the dining and the same beige in the living). White trim sections off each space.

Easier job is painting the wall, not cabinets.
Walls are like canvas, all flat not detailed like cabinet doors.
Wall has more color selection to choose.
Light colors would be sufficient.

I agree with others to stain the cabinets a darker color. I feel like the wall color is too yellowish & creamy, I'd go with a white with no yellow tone. I don't think there is a need to match the blue from your living area, white will contrast nicely with a darker cabinet.

I honestly don't think there is any way a pale blue is going to go well with those green countertops but that's just me... neither of those tones/colors are in my taste to begin with.

I recently read a blog post where someone addressed a similar issue in their kitchen. The end result is lovely.

http://firewifekatie.blogspot.com/

hey guys thanks so much for your input. a good friend recommended staining them just today so i'm definitely going to consider that! also i've totally reconsidered the blue since posting the question. i think it WILL clash with the counters. you guys are right. i think i will go with more of a beige on the walls. and see what works with that in the conjoining room. i spent some time in the ace hotel today and saw a wonderful color palette downstairs. the green from the counters was even there! everything else was grey, slate beige and cream. i'm thinking some version of this with maybe more brown undertones.

thank you all so much for your input. so much good advice to be found here!

as far as actual colors go, i'm thinking maybe ben moore soft chamois on the cabinets (if i don't stain) and maybe sandy hook gray on the walls or revere pewter. anyone have experience with those colors?

i'll put up some photos when it's done...some day. thanks again!

@wheaton
Don't be obnoxious. If the person living there does not like it and has the means to do something about it, there are things wrong with it and little reason to settle.

I wouldn't go two-tone, and am also in the white/cream/grey camp. Ideally, I'd say stain the wood dark brown/expresso, but that would probably clash with the floors, so I think you're better off going light.

I think a nice mink colored subway tile with a dark grout could be really nice as a backsplash and maybe do a dark rich (almst black stain) on the cabinets or perhaps paint them a light olive color. At this point I'd go with a white wall to make the other colors really pop.

I had similar cabinets and a corian countertop in jade green. My first impulse was to paint the cabinets for a more modern look, but instead, I put subway tiles on the backsplash and changed out the door hardware to a more streamlined look. In the end, I think I'm happy we decided not to paint the cabinets. I think we achieved a warm look that feels more modern. So my big advice is to live with it as it is for a while and focus on the backsplash and wall color before touching the cabinets. You may find that you begin to appreciate the wood after a while.

Yes! I was hoping you'd lose the blue idea, because that was never going to mesh with your kitchen. You can do a gorgeous blue somewhere else, and I'm sure it will be lovely. Now, if I may...

...it ain't gonna be long, IMO, before the "paint your uppers and lowers different colors" is clearly seen as the trend that it is and becomes passe. At which point you'll have to decide which color you like better, get your painting stuff out again, paint half your cabinets again, and hope that the keeper half of the first paint job still looks new enough to "match" the second. Personally, I'd pass on that one. But I'm lazy and I tend to take the long view.

I see the problem with the counter tops! I think the problem with replacing them is that you feel guilty getting rid of something that is so expensive. If your going to get rid of them, an inexpensive option would be the Lagan butcher block at ikea (its the cheapest one and it looks really nice once you wood-treat it). I'm sure there is somewhere you can trade in your existing counter tops for their value. However if you are going to keep the green counter top, go really neutral. White, cream, black, charcoal. Those will offset the green and make it look luxurious, not dated.

Lol, thanks for the mention Danica123, I was just going to post a link about our kitchen cabinet painting project!

I'd say paint them, for sure, unless you want to do a really dark stain to cut out the conflicting orange color. The orange is really going to stand out if you paint your walls blue. Maybe do a brown in the blue/orange combo family, but more toward the blue end?

Anyway, here's a link to our project:

Our painted kitchen cabinets project

Discard that awful mat immediately! And definitely paint the cabinets! Whether they're solid or laminate wood -- the point is, you don't like the color. Chalk paint by Annie Sloane is designed for just this type of task; it's beautiful and easy to work with (no priming!). I recommend Old White on both upper and lower cabinets. Second, change all the hardware. Third, adhere a stainless steel panel/sheet over your black dishwasher; it costs pennies but will give you the high-end look. Lastly, paint the walls a soft butter yellow (something brighter than the current beige). This will complement the green counters, white cabinets and blue that you plan for the living room.

I think your counters and cabinets are fine, but the paint and the backsplash clash horribly with each other and the counter/backsplash combination. Imagine the paint and backsplash as something more complementary to the cabinets and counters and I think you could leave the expensive parts of the kitchen alone.

Oh, and ditch the light fixture. That yellowish incandescent glow is not doing the wood or the countertops any favors. A crisp halogen light would be my choice.

Shoot, I don't think that link worked. Here it is again...

How our painted kitchen cabinets turned out...

The cabinets and counter are fine, and don't clash; work with them. Actually, it is a very nice kitchen, reminiscent of Ruth Reichl's kitchen in California (not as nice wood, but similar tones, and similar stone counter). The backsplash though is terrible -- because it is blue-tinted tile, which clashes terribly with everything else -- the warm yellow tones of the wood and greens in the stone (not to mention the yellow of the walls).

If you want to introduce blue into this palette, and do not have the money to gut and re-do the kitchen (which would be a waste), then I would advise you to paint the walls a beautiful milky white (not cream, which is too yellow).

Then, introduce a beautiful dramatic blue feature wall somewhere. Splurge on Yves Klein blue wall paint from http://ktcolorusa.com/.

Here is my recommendation for the backsplash:
New Gunmetal, in Concave Diamond

http://www.annsacks.com/onlinecatalog/program.jsp?cat=268004&coll=268204&prg=270604

Work with what is there...

high gloss White on top, satin black on bottom. Removing panels out of some of the doors and replacing with glass would look good too. Adding shelves or dish rack above sink would help too. Why are there short cabinets above sink?

thanks again everyone. by the way, i feel the need to mention that i took this photo before moving in so nothing is mine. that "awful mat" will definitely be going! :)

@jane jones. i thought about the stainless cover on the dishwasher. are they standard sizes already and where can i pick one up? i do plan to replace the the appliances to ss eventually but won't be able to do that right away.

i totally think the back splash is awful! i think i'll just have to find a way to get rid of it.

We are just finishing up a major strip/fix/pain job on our cabinets and we did two tone with SW paint, Casa Blanca on top with Thunder Gray on the bottom. I would really encourage you to look at Thunder Gray, it's a great neutral that would work with your blue paint and your green counter tops and it really helps to ground our lower cabinets. Good luck!!

Congrats on your new place!

Yes, by all means, remove the existing granite backsplash, and replace with something else to your liking. It will reduce the impact of the Jade granite.

Blue wall paint will clash terribly with the jade granite. (Which we nearly selected ourselves, but fortunately passed on it.) Sounds like you've already talked yourself out of that one!

I've never heard about blue color being bad in kitchen/dining spaces. Honestly, it sounds like an old wives' tale.

Think of it the other way around: If you were looking to lose weight through diet and someone told you you could drop pounds by painting your kitchen and dining room blue, would you believe it? Or would you suspect a scam?

Exactly.

Ashley, check the manufacturer of your DW. Some have interchangable door panels.

Or....hold off on this aspect a bit. You didn't mention the color of your fridge, but I can see the stove is black - and looks relatively new. You may be better off with the cohesive black set rather than a rainbow patchwork.

Try doing a storyboard for your kitchen. Grab snapshots of various appliance colors, cabinet colors and backsplash options. Play around with the mix until you get a look that works for you.

As a prior poster mentioned to, glass insets in at least a couple of the upper cabinets will lighten the look A LOT. There are very heavily patterned glasses out there now that make it almost impossible to see the content of the cabinet.

Best of luck and congrats on the new home!

I just want to mention that you might want to live with it for a year before you decide anything, paint the walls sure, but leave everything else. As a newish homeowner (I bought my place in March last year) with a very similar kitchen problem I have changed my mind...oh...5000 times and am still deciding but the longer I live with the place the more I am able to narrow things down. I'm really glad I didn't do anything else right when I bought the place.

GRANITE BACKSPLASH REMOVAL FYI

The existing backsplash very well could be hiding some interesting wall unevenness.You could have a gap larger than any new wall tile you chose to replace it with between the wall and countertop which would well... undermine the reason to have a backsplash in the first place and cause for major water issues down the line. Also I have no idea how I would remove mine without leaving too much residue/detritus from the grout/adhesive. The last thing I wanted in my kitchen was a granite backsplash under my subway tile backsplash but it offered the best option as my walls are anything but plumb (60 year old house). Just sayin'.... again good luck with it!

even though the colors are bad the kitchen is nice! and airy!
backsplash: i don't know what they were thinking with the blue and green granite/tile backsplash. however i would save any removal or replacement of those for when you redo the granite one day (or maybe you will move out before that day comes) as per the previous post, there might be some undesirable consequences to the removal. also it is still a very practical backsplash, i really didnt notice it until reading comments.

cabinets: i agree with you that they should be painted. my first inclination is white on top (not too warm/creamy because that wont look good against the blue tile) and a medium -darker olive on the bottom. i think it'd be a chic combo (and white/olive together makes me think of italy)and with the dark olive on bottom, kind of make the countertop (not my fave either) blend in a bit and look less garish. i would use white porcelain and silver drawer pulls on the bottom, and some very light blueish crystal ones on the white upper cabinets. then keep a green plant of your choice up on top. for the walls i think just leave them or paint them white. these are the type of porcelain drawer pulls that i think would look nice on olive doors: http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=77423&parentid=BAYNOTE
or these for a little edge: http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=073921&catId=HOME-HARDWARE&pushId=HOME-HARDWARE&popId=HOME&navAction=top&navCount=108&color=010&isProduct=true&fromCategoryPage=true&isSubcategory=true&subCategoryId=HOME-HARDWARE-KNOBS

if those blue flowers are part of the tile backsplash (and if you dont like them) you could buy sticky mirrors in cute shapes (usually used on walls like wall decals) we are living in a temporary place which is very dated so i have heart shaped stick on mirrors in random places on my kitchen backsplash where ever there were 80's flowers tiles mixed in with the plain ones. to me it really neutralized the look! doesnt hurt that i love cute and shiny things though

@ashdav: I believe you can pick up SS panels at places like Home Depot or any construction retailer. They do come in "standard sizes" (or rolls) but they'll still likely be too large. The vendor can cut them down to size for a small fee or you can trim them yourself using tin snips or metal shears. Finally, use construction adhesive to glue panel to the appliance.

P.S. I couldn't tell that your backsplash was blue/blueish. (Based on others' comments, that's what it seems to be, though I still can't make it out.) Why not paint those too? Nowadays, you can paint/spray paint almost any surface with the right product and top coat.