My kitchen is my disaster area in my house.  Has been for a few years!! OK, start at the beginning..
Our dogs sleep in the kitchen and this is the area where they stay to dry off after a walk.  Now, my dogs are usually filthy after a walk but I will give them a rub over with a towel and let them snooze in their beds in the kitchen.
We also (family of 6) eat in the kitchen for all meals.
So, about 2 years ago, we got a new kitchen fitted.  I wanted white cabinets with a nice wooden(light) worktop.  Took hubby with me and we came home having bought, walnut cabinets, black glossy worktop and black gloss cabinets for the walls.  Also, red tiles! Result = dark, dingy kitchen which I HATE.
So, we are now kitchen shopping again but on a major budget.  My question is -
Should we get walnut wall cabinets and different tiles to lighten slightly.  I love how I don't need to wipe the doors everyday with the walnut as I did with the cream colour we had before.
Or should I just bite the bullet and get something light?
What would you do?
Bear in mind.... filthy dogs, teenage and small kids, not much natural light, tight budget.

I'm not brave enough to go white like I wanted either cos I don't want to spend all day wiping it down.....HELP please! I'm at my wits end.

Don't go light on the cabinets that are at ground level, I've got limed oak and that's bad enough with just us and one dog (we have a similar situation to you regarding usage).

I think putting light coloured wall tiles on will help. Can you just change the doors of the wall cabinets or do you have to buy new ones? What's your lighting like? Do you have under wall cabinet lights or similar. Lighting can help it feel brighter, though of course you have to have them on.. Light colured reflective surfaces will help to bounce the light about and maker it seem lighter.

We decided to go for bespoke coloured glass splash back which look really nice and do reflect light. We are just selling the house so have a picture although it doesn't show the splash backs at their best but you will get the idea hopefully and it also helps by having extra bright led under cabinet lighting

http://m.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/photos/35136660

We went for a hand painted kitchen - FAB move! as it is hand painted by the company and we could be bold with colour choice knowing we can paint over if weget bored (or it gets too dogy).

Quite expensive in the short term - but in the long tem 12 years later it looks brand new still and when its tired i can re paint rather than buy a new one - so in the long run cheaper than several low budget kitchens :-)

Ghost, I actually thought of painting the kitchen door cos I quite like the 'sweet' look in a kitchen (baby blue cabinets were what we had before) but I'm not sure it would wash as much as I wash mine? And I prefer the matt look as opposed to the shiney satin.

LJS, I love your kitchen, it looks so smart but my kitchen space is like a cave! So dingy.  I much prefer the purple splashbacks but then, I never have been a fan of red(my tiles)
Hmmm, think I'll go have a wander through B&Q tonight and get some inspiration.
My kitchen is B&Q so it would only be the fronts I'd be replacing. :)

My new kitchen is walnut which like you I love with the dogs.

You can lighten things with light worktops and also lighter tiles and flooring (floors always need cleaning regardless if they are light or dark). 

I have the kitchen walls tiled up to 4'6" in a biscuit (actually B&Q! plain gloss tiles in Sand colour which they don't do anymore) with chocolate coloured grout.

My floors are in a wood block effect tile.  Walls above tile and cabinets a custard yellow.

Oooo, Brainless, you've gave me great ideas! Keep the walnut but lighten the worktops? And maybe white uptop?...hmmm.  I'm going in the morning as they can do a computer pic of what it will look like in my colours to give me a better idea.  I have no imagination.
The walnut really works with the dirty dogs flicking muck about :)

There is a kitchen company (the one I bought from, Scope Walnut) that has an on-line tool like that.  her it is try it out: http://www.diy-kitchens.com/style-kitchen-tool/

Walnut, biscuit and chocolate, custard................

Did you have a food theme in mind when you chose?

Always food on my mind, they say dogs are like their owners

We have a white (milk colour)  painted finish on the kitchen doors and on panelling on the walls below the worktops with black worktops.   Black range cooker.

The cupboard doors and panelling are forever being washed,  but never quite look clean anymore,  I think the finish has lost it's ability to repel staining.    Wish I'd gone for Maple or Antique Pine doors,  at least they would hide some of the worst of it.

Worse still,  the black Range always looks like ti needs a clean too,  even after it's just been cleaned.  

I still wouldn't swap my  dogs and family for a pristine house though.

Brainless, You are a GENUIS!! I love this tool!
I'm going to go total walnut cabinets with either a slightly darker wood or light worktop and nice beige/creamy tiles.  Floor, I'm still undecided but at least I've manage to make a decision regarding the units!
Thank you so much x

That sounds lovely,  and very practical :-)

I have a laminate worktop in that medium gray granite effect closest to the laminate Dune in that tool, the light worktop really helps in keeping the kitchen light, and of course worktops need regular cleaning so go for matt.

My kitchen is in antique pine which hasn't been very practical for dogs. Has been marked a lot with scratches from dogs nails and they can't really be disguised. The worst bit is the doors aren't flat, they have intricate panelling on them and dirt gets in the grooves. I think I should've chosen another colour granite worktop as well. The black shows every speck of dust (same story with owning a black car lol).

I have light oak which doesn't seem to show up the marks much - except as someone else said - they are not flat and the dust settles on the ridges - plus with wood you do have to be careful handling with wet hands - especially on the door to the dishwasher - damp just makes horrible black marks in the grooves.   My worst choice is a travertine floor which now it is 4 years old is starting to show up grime - the grouting is discoloured on the main pathways through the kitchen and also all those dips in the stone.  I know it should have been resealed but how can you do that when you always have dogs around!

> the grouting is discoloured on the main pathways through the kitchen and also all those dips in the stone

I find the best thing is to use an old fashioned scrubbing brush every so often :)

Or a steam cleaner with a pointy nozzel

Hi you can buy Universal Grout Cleaner which is very good.

Yes Daisy - a scrubbing brush is what I use - and plenty of elbow grease -

I have never tried a steam cleaner though!  Umm - mustn't hijack this thread.  Sorry.

Also replace the white grout on floors with Brown or grey

> Also replace the white grout on floors with Brown or grey

I've got grey grout but it still looks dirty if not cleaned :) :)

nah pointy nozzle steam cleaner no elbow grease require and its fun !

> pointy nozzle steam cleaner no elbow grease require and its fun

A scrubbing brush is a lot cheaper and is good exercise (or so I tell myself !)

That's true :)

ceejay, hijack away! I'm always interested in tips for keeping my dirty dog house cleaner or isn't the muck normal? Isn't splatters of mud up your hallway normal? Isn't a pack of lint rollers at the front door normal? Isn't kitchen cupboard doors covered in nose prints normal?lol

The mud up the walks drives me insane !

I

You forgot the bottom 12-18" of all door frames, edges of chair seats and bottom foot or more of any full length net curtain !!!

There's a lot to be said to painting the house mud coloured.

Mine is blinkin mud coloured and can still see it!!!lol 
I think I'm going to start ignoring all my non-doggy friends/family.  These are the people that make me think my house is filthy!lol  Everyone else thinks it's normal.
Tattyead, I have no long curtains in my house as my last pair of floor length curtains were just hair collectors!  Trying to make my life easier.

Got no choice in the sitting room at the front of the house, the window is floor to about 8" below ceiling and is 8 ft across cost a fortune for curtains

Keep talking about having bottom half bricked in and a 'normal' size window instead but pennies haven't stretched that far yet.

I like visiting dog owning friends as their house usually looks like mine

You don't know the worst of it - look away any faint hearted - I have a little widdler in my house - just loves to mark after Meg - he can't get his own way over anything else - I mop every mark I see and then treat it with urine destroyer - or so I thought!  I was browsing in Pets at home and saw a little uv torch for picking up urine spots on the carpet - I was absolutely horrified at the state of my carpets!   I have yellow ochre and orange carpets all through the house except the ground floor where it is stone - and my husband's study has a red carpet (the sitting room is on the first floor)  My work room carpet is dreadful - he has widdled everywhere.  I know if I get the stain when it is fresh it mostly comes out - but nothing moves it if it is old.  Thankfully it doesn't show under normal light - but what does my house smell like!!!!!!     I have used stain remover and shampooed the carpet but it still remains :-(

But funnily enough he never seems to have done it in my husband's study with the red carpet!   Meg also likes to sit on the chair in the corner there so thought he might target that - but no.

Oh Ceejay!!! This made me laugh and laugh!!!! Cheeky little widdler

One of the things I notice not having large hairy dogs anymore, is the lack of a tide mark along the hall wall , it's no doubt still there, just lower down and out of my eye line , and if I can't see it, it ain't there

Ahhh, it's not my house that's dirty, its my dogs that are too tall!!!