Outdoor Repairs- Check! Kitchen Remodel Beginning

My outdoor repairs are now completed, by the original guy, surprisingly. I was just about to make a call to #2 when I received his bid. It feels GREAT to have everything fixed out there!!

On to the kitchen! We've signed the contract. Monday, I'll start working with the designer. We'll be deciding colors and materials. She will even shop with me, like they do on HGTV. Fancy!

Since we are refacing existing cabinets, sadly it looks like we'll have to forego the darker stain and have them painted instead. It turns out, oak grain shows through even dark stain, and it won't match my new cabinet doors ('cuz I am NOT getting oak doors). How much do I hate white kitchen cabinets? They are by far the most popular kitchen cabinet color. It's always been very cold and commercial looking to me. Hopefully, the designer can help me learn to love them next week.

I've looked at painting them another color, but most other colors make kitchens look very country cottage, which isn't my style.

So. White cabinets. Do you match the cabinets to your white trim? Go for a completely different white than the trim? Go off-white so they don't match at all? *sigh*

On the bright side, my kitchen is dark and could use the lighter backdrop.

Here are a couple of white kitchens I like:

All white cabs with black quartz, dark floor, beige backsplash

Dark island with white quartz, other cabs white with black quartz, dark floor

All white cabs, black quartz on lowers, white quartz on island

I'm leaning towards the last one at the moment.

I did want a warm, red/orange/dark green sort of backsplash. With white cabinets and a high contrast backsplash though, all you see when you look at the kitchen is the backsplash. It's not great. I think a beige backsplash is actually the one I like best with white cabinets. It's not white to blend in with the cabinets, and not contrasting, so it doesn't draw your eye directly to it.

We'll see what happens when we talk to the designer! Could be totally different next week when we actually start shopping.