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That’s certainly one choice; but as jmmom stated, it depends on the quality of the cabinets. These days, a lot of kitchen cabinets are not made entirely of wood. The cabinet doors are usually (but not always) solid wood, but the boxes are often made of a pressed and formed wood product (particleboard). Sometimes the entire cabinets and doors are made of laminate over particleboard.</p>
<p>If these cabinets are in a house you’re considering buying, you really have to find out how the cabinets are made. If they’re laminate/particleboard, I wouldn’t touch them. If they’re wood doors/particleboard boxes or wood doors/wood boxes, you may have another option: replace the doors and re-face the cabinet fronts with a wood veneer (much cheaper than replacing all the cabinets, and it looks very nice if done right). If they’re solid wood, you can strip, sand, and re-stain or paint. That last is still a huge, time-consuming job. Cheaper if you do it yourself, but would you want to?</p>
<p>We just did an entire kitchen remodel from the subfloor and bare drywall out. Originally I wanted glazed white wood cabinets, stainless appliances, white apron sink, marble countertops, cherry island, and Wedgewood blue walls and accents. Didn’t happen. DH put the kabosh on painted wood. Also, all the contractors who bid said that white cabinets scream “cheap” and “remodel” (I don’t agree as new glazed white wood cabinets are extremely popular right now and are NOT cheap). So we went with solid wood maple cabinets in a lighter stain (a little darker than “natural”) and solid black granite countertops with fingerprint-resistant stainless appliances. Big stainless undermount sink. The stove has a black cooktop and oversized black-tinted oven door. Refrigerator sides are black. Walls are a creamy medium beige. Floor is 18-inch textured ceramic tile laid on the diagonal and kind of pulls everything together with streaks of light rust, beige, and what looks like natural slate running throughout. The overall effect is natural materials and very soothing. Lighting makes a big difference too. We have multiple can lights (recessed) in the “work” area, pendants over the peninsula (didn’t do an island), and matching chandelier in the dining area. Even with the large expanse of black countertop and accents it never feels dark. Probably the lighter cabinets, floor, sink, walls, and appliances provide enough contrast.</p>
<p>Hope you find something you like, or at least can live with!</p>