I don't like painted kitchen cabinets, what will look good with dark floors?

[busymama7]

We need to re do our kitchen. It is currently 90s blond maple which I actually don't hate although I know it is dated.   Seems like the style is painted cabinets and while I do think it can look nice, I feel like it's trendy and won't hold the test of time. I really like wood.  I want the grain and such of the wood to show.  Our floors are dark wood- look vinyl plank.   I am having a hard time even thinking what I want for the kitchen.  I was browsing some gray stained cabinets and kinda liking that.  I do like a bit of rustic/farmhouse look so maybe that would work   

 

We plan to live here pretty much forever and I just want something very very classic.   I suppose white could give me that but the clean factor of that with our big family just makes me shy away.  Every little fingerprint and such shows on white.   And I just like wood.  But I'm being told that wood cabinets are out of style.  

[PeterPan]

Maybe if you're pulling everything else out go ahead and change out the flooring? Just seems like that's such a small cost compared to cabinets. I wouldn't buy $$$ cabinets to match flooring you don't love. And yeah, I think the trend has gone away from dark flooring. That's ridiculous to say WOOD cabinets are out, lol. 

https://studio-mcgee.com/historic-netflix-kitchen-remodel/  Here, I just got done watching this whole series. She's constantly mixing up wood, painted, all kinds of colors and textures.

https://studio-mcgee.com/the-crestview-house-the-guesthouse/  Oh this one is similar to yours!! Would be really ironic if your cabinets would look fine and fresh with new flooring and maybe new counters. 

[busymama7]

5 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

Maybe if you're pulling everything else out go ahead and change out the flooring? Just seems like that's such a small cost compared to cabinets. I wouldn't buy $$$ cabinets to match flooring you don't love. And yeah, I think the trend has gone away from dark flooring. That's ridiculous to say WOOD cabinets are out, lol. 

https://studio-mcgee.com/historic-netflix-kitchen-remodel/  Here, I just got done watching this whole series. She's constantly mixing up wood, painted, all kinds of colors and textures.

https://studio-mcgee.com/the-crestview-house-the-guesthouse/  Oh this one is similar to yours!! Would be really ironic if your cabinets would look fine and fresh with new flooring and maybe new counters. 

Flooring is new and the entire nearly 4,000 sq ft is done in the same.  I love the flooring. Just trying to decide what I want for the kitchen.  And I just don't think I want the painted look but I'm getting push back being told it's dated to use wood finishes.  

ETA: there were other reasons in the home that we went with dark flooring and yeah that might be outdated too but I do like it so maybe I don't care what's in style anyways 😂

Edited March 20, 2021 by busymama7

[prairiewindmomma]

Grey is going out of style. Seriously.

If you want to be super trendy, go for an earthy green color.

But if you like wood, keep the wood. It’s actually trending back in. I am seeing a ton of white oak and walnut everywhere in the up & coming stuff... 

[KathyBC]

Blond maple? I love it. If you like it and don't need to stay up with the latest trends for some reason, keep it!
Is it the wood or the style of door? Maybe you could get new doors in a similar wood with a more current line to them? Some new, brighter pulls?

[busymama7]

8 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Grey is going out of style. Seriously.

If you want to be super trendy, go for an earthy green color.

But if you like wood, keep the wood. It’s actually trending back in. I am seeing a ton of white oak and walnut everywhere in the up & coming stuff... 

Good to know. I will search those two options.  I do like gray and have a greige color on the walls except the kitchen is a light aqua.  But I really don't want to go a trend with the actual cabinets.  

It is open floor plan with dark floors everywhere and tons of natural light 

[busymama7]

Just now, KathyBC said:

Blond maple? I love it. If you like it and don't need to stay up with the latest trends for some reason, keep it!
Is it the wood or the style of door? Maybe you could get new doors in a similar wood with a more current line to them? Some new, brighter pulls?

So the current ones have an almost pink tinge.   I really don't not like them but they are falling apart.  Counters are even worse and we don't want to replace counters without doing the cabinets first.  

[KathyBC]

Just now, busymama7 said:

So the current ones have an almost pink tinge.   I really don't not like them but they are falling apart.  Counters are even worse and we don't want to replace counters without doing the cabinets first.  

That makes sense. It is overwhelming, but nice to get something that suits your family! We went with birch cabinets for the bright wood grain. And lighter flecked countertops.

[fairfarmhand]

4 minutes ago, KathyBC said:

That makes sense. It is overwhelming, but nice to get something that suits your family! We went with birch cabinets for the bright wood grain. And lighter flecked countertops.

I would go with birch too.

And if you like wood grain, go with wood grain. Seriously, following trends with kitchens is ridiculous when one can spend $20K on cabinetry. It's not like youre buying a sofa that you'll replace in five to ten years. 

Go with quality. Go with somewhat simple styles (nothing too ornate because that gets dated as well). Your hardware can look dated over time, but those are easy to swap out to change the look of the kitchen. As is lighting. Also, go simple on your tile backsplash. Anything too decorative can go out of style. 

[RootAnn]

54 minutes ago, busymama7 said:

ETA: there were other reasons in the home that we went with dark flooring and yeah that might be outdated too but I do like it so maybe I don't care what's in style anyways 😂

I don't care about style, just what I like. We are going with a golden oak for cabinets & the grey look for the floor because DH didn't want wood-on-wood. The kids call the new floor color Murder Mystery Mansion.

Counters will be a white/grey quartz fleck to get some light in there. I have no idea how it is going to look, but I'm super excited for a new kitchen.  (I've been in tiny kitchen-ville for almost 18 years. This will open it up & give me more storage. Yay!)

I think wood cabinets will always end up coming back in style.

[cjzimmer1]

16 minutes ago, RootAnn said:

I don't care about style, just what I like. We are going with a golden oak for cabinets & the grey look for the floor because DH didn't want wood-on-wood. The kids call the new floor color Murder Mystery Mansion.

Counters will be a white/grey quartz fleck to get some light in there. I have no idea how it is going to look, but I'm super excited for a new kitchen.  (I've been in tiny kitchen-ville for almost 18 years. This will open it up & give me more storage. Yay!)

I think wood cabinets will always end up coming back in style.

This is how I approach things too.  My house would not be appealing to many buyers but I love every aspect of it.  My main living areas are sponged rolled with 2 tones of blue.  My sister informs me "that's such a 90's look".  Oh well I love the way it looks.  Others rooms are done in a dark mauve, a deep blue/teal, a bathroom is green and gray (which I've been told is going out of style but since I didn't know it was IN style that is a non issue to me).  Most of my floors are either gray or blue (with the exception of the mauve room that has a mauve/burgandy carpet).  I have *gasp* sheet vinyl in many rooms of my house.  I could have had some of the new fancier "in style" product but I chose sheet vinyl because it meets MY needs.  I have a laminate countertop in my kitchen.  While it's starting to show a little wear, I'm no where near ready to replace it.  My wood is all golden oak.  It's fine, I hate painted cabinets and having grown up with the dark brown wood of the 70's, the dark wood is not appealing to me and you will never ever ever find a white cabinet in my house. There is not a single wall or floor in my house that is any shade of beige, brown, tan, or white.  We have color EVERYWHERE.  I realize if you want to sell your house soon than it makes sense to try to appeal to the masses but if your plan is to stay long term, than absolutely put it what you love and don't worry about what someone else decides is "in style" right now.

Edited March 20, 2021 by cjzimmer1

[matrips]

We have white wood cabinets, but they are super smooth and really easy to wipe clean.  They don’t get near as dirty as I would have thought.  
 

We replaced the 1990’s golden oak cabinets (previous owner) which matched the golden oak hardwood floor.  Just too much of the same color; I needed a contrast and something brighter.  Plus the new cabinets are bigger and I opted for tons of drawers which I absolutely love!

[fairfarmhand]

20 minutes ago, cjzimmer1 said:

This is how I approach things too.  My house would not be appealing to many buyers but I love every aspect of it.  My main living areas are sponged rolled with 2 tones of blue.  My sister informs me "that's such a 90's look".  Oh well I love the way it looks.  Others rooms are done in a dark mauve, a deep blue/teal, a bathroom is green and gray (which I've been told is going out of style but since I didn't know it was IN style that is a non issue to me).  Most of my floors are either gray or blue (with the exception of the mauve room that has a mauve/burgandy carpet).  I have *gasp* sheet vinyl in many rooms of my house.  I could have had some of the new fancier "in style" product but I chose sheet vinyl because it meets MY needs.  I have a laminate countertop in my kitchen.  While it's starting to show a little wear, I'm no where near ready to replace it.  My wood is all golden oak.  It's fine, I hate painted cabinets and having grown up with the dark brown wood of the 70's, the dark wood is not appealing to me and you will never ever ever find a white cabinet in my house. There is not a single wall or floor in my house that is any shade of beige, brown, tan, or white.  We have color EVERYWHERE.  I realize if you want to sell your house soon than it makes sense to try to appeal to the masses but if your plan is to stay long term, than absolutely put it what you love and don't worry about what someone else decides is "in style" right now.

SAME!

I don't care what's in style, I'm the lady who has to live with it and clean it.

My cabinets are a medium toned oak that's probably out of style but I love them. They're quality, custom cabinets. 

My walls are yellow in the living areas and various shades of blue in the other areas. Carpet (that will be replaced with hardwoods this summer) are a forest green. I've loved that carpet but it's worn now. The only beige is the berber carpet in our bonus room.  I have a couple of gray kid bedrooms, but I don't care for the gray living areas that are so popular right now. I want warm, welcoming, energy in my living areas. 

But Yes...COLOR. 

[Bootsie]

what type of counter tops are you planning on doing?  If I had dark wood floors and wanted a woodtone cabinet, how light I would like the cabinets would have a lot to do with the counter top.

[busymama7]

Yes I want to get what I like but it is a HUGE investment and it is scary to get something that might actually look really bad even though I like it 😂we aren't moving in the anywhere near future so that isn't a concern. But I want it to look nice and modern etc.  Like I know I won't do golden oak because I think that is too dated.  So I want current and nice but not painted which is what I'm seeing everywhere.  White is a on the table but I just don't like it as much as I like wood grain, natural look 

[busymama7]

7 minutes ago, Bootsie said:

what type of counter tops are you planning on doing?  If I had dark wood floors and wanted a woodtone cabinet, how light I would like the cabinets would have a lot to do with the counter top.

Don't know yet.  But I am planning on a light wood.  There is a ton of natural light but I don't want dark cabinets on dark floors. 

[fairfarmhand]

2 minutes ago, busymama7 said:

Yes I want to get what I like but it is a HUGE investment and it is scary to get something that might actually look really bad even though I like it 😂we aren't moving in the anywhere near future so that isn't a concern. But I want it to look nice and modern etc.  Like I know I won't do golden oak because I think that is too dated.  So I want current and nice but not painted which is what I'm seeing everywhere.  White is a on the table but I just don't like it as much as I like wood grain, natural look 

This is nice and I think would stay fresh for a long long time.

Edited March 20, 2021 by fairfarmhand

[busymama7]

7 minutes ago, fairfarmhand said:

This is nice and I think would stay fresh for a long long time.

Yes I love that.  I am hesitant about white countertops because we have them now and hate them. But they are laminate and I am sure going with a slab of something more natural would probably be fine? Would it stain like crazy?

[fairfarmhand]

2 minutes ago, busymama7 said:

Yes I love that.  I am hesitant about white countertops because we have them now and hate them. But they are laminate and I am sure going with a slab of something more natural would probably be fine? Would it stain like crazy?

We have granite, installed last year and it's a midtone speckledy thing. No stains over the course of the year,

[Pippen]

56 minutes ago, fairfarmhand said:

SAME!

I don't care what's in style, I'm the lady who has to live with it and clean it.

My cabinets are a medium toned oak that's probably out of style but I love them. They're quality, custom cabinets. 

My walls are yellow in the living areas and various shades of blue in the other areas. Carpet (that will be replaced with hardwoods this summer) are a forest green. I've loved that carpet but it's worn now. The only beige is the berber carpet in our bonus room.  I have a couple of gray kid bedrooms, but I don't care for the gray living areas that are so popular right now. I want warm, welcoming, energy in my living areas. 

But Yes...COLOR. 

I'm starting to look around at ideas because my house is desperate for updating. I have 1970's butcherblock laminate countertop, which I thought I'd hate but don't. It's practically indestructible.

[cjzimmer1]

1 hour ago, busymama7 said:

Yes I want to get what I like but it is a HUGE investment and it is scary to get something that might actually look really bad even though I like it 😂we aren't moving in the anywhere near future so that isn't a concern. But I want it to look nice and modern etc.  Like I know I won't do golden oak because I think that is too dated.  So I want current and nice but not painted which is what I'm seeing everywhere.  White is a on the table but I just don't like it as much as I like wood grain, natural look 

Even if painted is popular get wood.  It's what makes you happy and that's all that matters.  Have you considered hickory wood?  I know it tends to be more expensive but it's a nice light wood (especially if you leave it natural) and it has lots of interesting grain patterns.  My parents did there whole kitchen in it.  I actually have my kitchen table done it it too because it's a very durable wood (but I have mine stained to the tone of golden oak so it's blends in better).  I do like the pattern of hickory better than oak.

[busymama7]

1 minute ago, cjzimmer1 said:

Even if painted is popular get wood.  It's what makes you happy and that's all that matters.  Have you considered hickory wood?  I know it tends to be more expensive but it's a nice light wood (especially if you leave it natural) and it has lots of interesting grain patterns.  My parents did there whole kitchen in it.  I actually have my kitchen table done it it too because it's a very durable wood (but I have mine stained to the tone of golden oak so it's blends in better).  I do like the pattern of hickory better than oak.

Yes I was looking at some hickory today.  Stopped by home depot for another reason and wasn't impressed by anything I saw there.  We are planning to us a custom cabinets place. Thats why we have waited so long to do the kitchen. We want to do it really well and a more expensive way. Thats why I can't screw it up 😬😕

[cjzimmer1]

6 minutes ago, busymama7 said:

Yes I was looking at some hickory today.  Stopped by home depot for another reason and wasn't impressed by anything I saw there.  We are planning to us a custom cabinets place. Thats why we have waited so long to do the kitchen. We want to do it really well and a more expensive way. Thats why I can't screw it up 😬😕

Any chance you have an Amish community near you?  My parents had them build custom cabinets and they were cheaper than some of the stock cabinets in stores. Plus they did amazing workmanship.

[busymama7]

5 minutes ago, cjzimmer1 said:

Any chance you have an Amish community near you?  My parents had them build custom cabinets and they were cheaper than some of the stock cabinets in stores. Plus they did amazing workmanship.

Nope. Bummer I would have totally done that!

[Ellie]

4 hours ago, busymama7 said:

We need to re do our kitchen. It is currently 90s blond maple which I actually don't hate although I know it is dated.   Seems like the style is painted cabinets and while I do think it can look nice, I feel like it's trendy and won't hold the test of time. I really like wood.  I want the grain and such of the wood to show.  Our floors are dark wood- look vinyl plank.   I am having a hard time even thinking what I want for the kitchen.  I was browsing some gray stained cabinets and kinda liking that.  I do like a bit of rustic/farmhouse look so maybe that would work   

 

We plan to live here pretty much forever and I just want something very very classic.   I suppose white could give me that but the clean factor of that with our big family just makes me shy away.  Every little fingerprint and such shows on white.   And I just like wood.  But I'm being told that wood cabinets are out of style.  

Painted cabinets have been around forever. It may become trendy periodically, but because people have rediscovered it, not because it's new and trendy. 🙂

But it's ok if you don't want them.

Wood cabinets are never, ever going to be out of style. Goodness. The style of cabinets might change, or the style or color of the hardware, but natural wood-finished cabinets? No.

FTRl, all the woodwork in my home is painted white. I feel like I can see when and where the dirty fingerprints are, whereas it's not so obvious on darker cabinets, especially wood, and I know they would be just as dirty.

You could stain your maple in a tone that complements the floors--a darker wood tone, not grey, because grey is a trendy color. 🙂  

[KathyBC]

Countertops like this maybe

[busymama7]

19 minutes ago, Ellie said:

Painted cabinets have been around forever. It may become trendy periodically, but because people have rediscovered it, not because it's new and trendy. 🙂

But it's ok if you don't want them.

Wood cabinets are never, ever going to be out of style. Goodness. The style of cabinets might change, or the style or color of the hardware, but natural wood-finished cabinets? No.

FTRl, all the woodwork in my home is painted white. I feel like I can see when and where the dirty fingerprints are, whereas it's not so obvious on darker cabinets, especially wood, and I know they would be just as dirty.

You could stain your maple in a tone that complements the floors--a darker wood tone, not grey, because grey is a trendy color. 🙂  

Yeah I know gray is trendy. I do like it though so I guess the difference is I just don't care for the painted wood look 🤷‍♀️.  I am browsing and seeing more and more that I like so I think I will be able to find a wood cabinet that works. We can't just update what we have because there is a lot that is broken and severely worn finishes etc.  They were original to the house in 1990.  It's time for new

[busymama7]

11 minutes ago, KathyBC said:

Countertops like this maybe

I like those! I don't care for it with the floor because it's too close to the same tones but I think with my floors it could look really nice. 

[Teaching3bears]

Off-white/light taupe/cream cabinets don’t seem to go out of style and would be more forgiving than white.  They go really well with dark floors.

[Laura Corin]

I think whatever you like would look good, so long as the cabinets are not too similar in colour to the floor. If there is enough contrast that it doesn't look as if you are trying to match the colours, it will be fine.

[BlsdMama]

We were in a higher end cabinet place yesterday for our bathroom remodel. They were using a lot of birch (made by Bertch, lol) in there. My favorite though was a medium tone walnut. Walnut of gorgeous wood. I feel oak is going through a time of unappreciation. I love oak. 

[ktgrok]

I really like the grey/brown stains, weathered grey, etc. 

[ktgrok]

11 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Grey is going out of style. Seriously.

If you want to be super trendy, go for an earthy green color.

But if you like wood, keep the wood. It’s actually trending back in. I am seeing a ton of white oak and walnut everywhere in the up & coming stuff... 

Well, heck! I like grey! What about grey granite counters?

10 hours ago, matrips said:

We have white wood cabinets, but they are super smooth and really easy to wipe clean.  They don’t get near as dirty as I would have thought.  
 

 

Oh, interesting! I actually really really like the look of painted white cabinets, but assumed it would be murder to keep them clean. 

9 hours ago, fairfarmhand said:

This is nice and I think would stay fresh for a long long time.

I like the shade/tone but does remind me of Ikea flat pack stuff, lol. 

[ktgrok]

You can play around with this design tool to see what cabinets/counters/floors look good together. It's not great, but might help. https://www.marondahomes.com/fl/orlando/design-center.html

[Carrie12345]

17 minutes ago, ktgrok said:

11 hours ago, matrips said:

 

Oh, interesting! I actually really really like the look of painted white cabinets, but assumed it would be murder to keep them clean

I haven’t made a final decision yet, but I’m likely going with painted white cabinets (at a fairly high cost for someone who has painted her own cabinets, but I just want it done, and done well.) In my limited experience, things that are black in my house are always more of a pain than things that are white.   
And my goal isn’t to hide dirtiness, but to notice it and clean it. The black handles on my fridge don’t look all that filthy from my grimy kids right now, but almost every time I touch them, I can feel it. 🤮. And then once I’m cooking or eating, I forget to go back because I don’t really see it. I need visual cues, lol.

[Katy]

Painted is so trendy the next trend will definitely be stained again.  I don’t think maple was ever so trendy it looks dated, but it could definitely look worn. 
 

Could you post a picture so we could look at it? Then we might be able to tell you how to make it look updated without redoing cabinets. 

[Lawyer&Mom]

My painted cabinets are at least 30 years old.  So if it’s trendy now, it’s still a classic look.  But so is wood.  So go with what you like.  Except *all* gray.  That’s going to look super dated soon. 

[ktgrok]

50 minutes ago, Lawyer&Mom said:

My painted cabinets are at least 30 years old.  So if it’s trendy now, it’s still a classic look.  But so is wood.  So go with what you like.  Except *all* gray.  That’s going to look super dated soon. 

Story of my life....just behind the trends. I love light grey painted cabinets, lol. 

[prairiewindmomma]

Ktgrok—the only grey countertops that I am still seeing trending are a concrete look. 
 

Subway tile is also looking really dated. If you need to use it for budget reasons, stack it rather than brick lay.

[ktgrok]

Just now, prairiewindmomma said:

Ktgrok—the only grey countertops that I am still seeing trending are a concrete look. 
 

Subway tile is also looking really dated. If you need to use it for budget reasons, stack it rather than brick lay.

Luckily, I've always hated subway tile. To me it has always looked dated - it was in the bathrooms at old school buildings, etc. 

 

[catz]

The thing about having a dated look in some homes is about trying to match your home's era and vibe to a design choice.  Like I don't think subway tile looks dated in pre-1920 era homes when paired with other fixtures that are reminiscent of the era.  Subway tile was trendy and being put in a lot of newer homes for a while, which now is looking dated in some homes depending on how it is done.  I have subway tile in an 1915 home bathroom (with a glass tile boarder) and I've been super happy with it for many years.  If I lived in our last house (1990's), I would have never selected that tile for a bathroom.  

So  I think it would be hard to just say put X with dark flooring.  It depends on what the rest of your house, trim, windows, fixtures, era of home, style of flooring to me.  I think choices that "match" a home's era and other decor better will not get dated like picking the most cutting edge choice will.  

[busymama7]

1 minute ago, FuzzyCatz said:

The thing about having a dated look in some homes is about trying to match your home's era and vibe to a design choice.  Like I don't think subway tile looks dated in pre-1920 era homes when paired with other fixtures that are reminiscent of the era.  Subway tile was trendy and being put in a lot of newer homes for a while, which now is looking dated in some homes depending on how it is done.  I have subway tile in an 1915 home bathroom (with a glass tile boarder) and I've been super happy with it for many years.  If I lived in our last house (1990's), I would have never selected that tile for a bathroom.  

So  I think it would be hard to just say put X with dark flooring.  It depends on what the rest of your house, trim, windows, fixtures, era of home, style of flooring to me.  I think choices that "match" a home's era and other decor better will not get dated like picking the most cutting edge choice will.  

This is *really* good advice.  As I said, the dark flooring may be going out of style but it definitely fit the home and I get a million compliments every time someone walks in.  I dont know how to describe the home though as a style so I will try to figure out how to upload some photos after we get it clean today 😊. I like the rustic look a lot but I'm not sure it fits very well so may need to avoid that.  

[Carrie12345]

52 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Ktgrok—the only grey countertops that I am still seeing trending are a concrete look. 
 

Subway tile is also looking really dated. If you need to use it for budget reasons, stack it rather than brick lay.

An RE agent on TikTok had a great take on the concept of “trends” that matched my experience.  When looking at listings, real houses were NOT mostly white/grey, subway tile, quartz counters. They were either in need of full or nearly full remodeling, our they were perfectly functional and too high quality to tear out like an eccentric millionaire. They may have leaned toward the trends of the era in which they were built, but almost none of the quality built ones could equate to the concept of walking into a lime green or rust orange kitchen.

We might joke about 60s or 80s (and even :::cough, cough::: 90s home trends, but just about any kitchen built in the 2020s is going to be recognized as a kitchen built in the 2020s eventually, regardless of the specific features we think we’re choosing outside of magazine trends.

Cerulean Blue, anyone? “In fact, you’re wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room from a pile of stuff.”

[Lawyer&Mom]

2 hours ago, ktgrok said:

Story of my life....just behind the trends. I love light grey painted cabinets, lol. 

Paint your cabinets gray!  (But maybe not gray walls and floors and cabinets too!)

[RootAnn]

https://sebringdesignbuild.com/top-trends-in-kitchen-cabinetry-design/

I think wood will always be in style just like @Ellie mentioned. Plus, things go in & out of style. (Subway tile was definitely still "in" four months ago when we were picking materials. We didn't end up going with it for our backsplash, but I was tempted.) 

[matrips]

Our white wood cabinets are not ‘textured/grainy’ like our oak ones were.  They are very very smooth which makes them easy to clean. It must be how the factory applied the paint.  If we had just painted over our oak cabinets, I don’t think it would look at all similar. So if you look at white cabinets, keep that in mind.  Maybe even test the door panels in the stores with grimy hands and a rag 🙂. 
 

We went with a simple shaker style- the little ledge does collect dust.  Easy to wipe, but still. However, I like the style.  Only a completely smooth door/drawer front would catch nothing.

[matrips]

2 hours ago, RootAnn said:

https://sebringdesignbuild.com/top-trends-in-kitchen-cabinetry-design/

I think wood will always be in style just like @Ellie mentioned. Plus, things go in & out of style. (Subway tile was definitely still "in" four months ago when we were picking materials. We didn't end up going with it for our backsplash, but I was tempted.) 

I hated subway tile and refused to even look at it.  Until I went through so many samples of backsplash tile that looked so pretty in the store, but just looked so busy at home and took away from our counters or kind of clashed.  I went through tons of photos online and I liked clean and plain backsplash.  Who knew.  😂

So I have 3”x6” white tiles.  And not all white tiles are the same white🙄 I had to go through a few different whites to work with our counter.  And I love the clean simple look. 

[busymama7]

1 hour ago, matrips said:

Our white wood cabinets are not ‘textured/grainy’ like our oak ones were.  They are very very smooth which makes them easy to clean. It must be how the factory applied the paint.  If we had just painted over our oak cabinets, I don’t think it would look at all similar. So if you look at white cabinets, keep that in mind.  Maybe even test the door panels in the stores with grimy hands and a rag 🙂. 
 

We went with a simple shaker style- the little ledge does collect dust.  Easy to wipe, but still. However, I like the style.  Only a completely smooth door/drawer front would catch nothing.

I still don't want to be looking a grimy doors or wiping them pretty much daily.  We had white storage cabinets in our old house and they always looked dirty unless I constantly wiped them and I just dont have time for that. Well I dont want to spend my time wiping cabinet doors daily or even weekly.  🤷‍♀️

[Bootsie]

11 hours ago, Lawyer&Mom said:

My painted cabinets are at least 30 years old.  So if it’s trendy now, it’s still a classic look.  But so is wood.  So go with what you like.  Except *all* gray.  That’s going to look super dated soon. 

Both of my grandmothers had painted cabinets when I was a child in the 1960's--and they had probably been that way LONG before that.  My aunt has had painted cabinets my entire life.  So, it is a classic look to me.  

[Ellie]

13 hours ago, ktgrok said:

Luckily, I've always hated subway tile. To me it has always looked dated - it was in the bathrooms at old school buildings, etc.

Yes! It looks like, you know, tiles in a subway. An old subway, with graffiti all over it...