I just did my top kitchen cabs in sofielund and love it. In terms of color, for sure stay in a grayish hue. We stained the floors classic grey. Any brown that even remotely has yellow in it will look funky. Not sure about eggplant/teal. I will attach my kitchen. Maybe a bluish-grey.

Rereading this, I might consider making the pop color items on the table, throw pillows, etc. We have incorporated black/brown in our open kitchen/dining/great room too, but we also added hi gloss white cabinets (Besta) throughout. I will say that orange goes well with both sofielund and the black/brown in my estimation, although a whole wall of it might be a bit much. Maybe highlights of whatever pop color you choose.

Thanks for that! We're beginners when it comes to decorating as this is our first house! We dont have to have the feature wall and may just get coloured accesories for the room to give it a bit of colour, as usggested like cushions etc. That way if we get bored we can always change the theme without having to re-paint!

Would you say that white would be better wall tiles wise? Our entire kitchen is sofielund, so base cabinets and high cabinets, and we're a little concerned it will look fairly dark with a black worktop, but we thought of either white tiles or grey ones, and either option would be shiny not matt tiles. The walls we have painted in a neutral cream.

Floor wise, we want to go for vinyl, we thought tiles would be too cold as we're not investing in under floor heating, and vinyl is easy to clean with young children and easier to replace (not to mention cheaper!). Again im stuck on colours though! I think shiny tiles on the floor would have looked really nice, but practically i dont think it would have been right for us.

It looks like Lindy used white or cream tiles in her backsplash, and I think it looks fantastic - and very contemporary, which I assume is the look you want with the modern cabinets. So, yes, white or cream subway is the way to go there. You don't want to compete with the grain of the cabinet wood, and the black countertop will be making a statement of its own. Your floor color should be harmonious with the cabinets. I'm sure it costs more, but you can now get vinyl flooring in a hardwood look, and I understand it looks great. Pic below is vinyl flooring from Shaw Flooring - actually, the colors look like they could work in your home! You are absolutely right that the best way to work in the color is through accessories. They are cheap and easy to replace when you get tired of the color. So, to that end, maybe you should consider a nice neutral for your walls. Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter is hugely popular these days - supposedly the perfect greige. It would indeed look good with your kitchen decor, and a few pieces of bright artwork, pillows and a throw or two in your favourite colors is about all you need to bring your space to life! Pic 2 is Elephant Tusk, pic 3 is Natural Linen, pic 4 is Revere Pewter.

Here's Revere Pewter in a room. Also Gray Horse, Jute, White Chocolate. All Ben Moore.

Thanks Karemore! I appreciate your comments! I agree with karemore's feedback and might also add that blue-gray and orange are popular combos now. The key is to really make sure that blue blends with the sofielund. Not sure if you have it in yet, but it is definitely an unusual color. Subtle but different than many wood colors.

I personally would go with white tiles in kitchen, but it's more of a personal preference. For me, it creates a really clean look with the sofielund and dark counter. And yes, you're right, the dark counter will darken the room. But as Karemore said there are creams that will look white but give some warmth. Just don't get any yellow tones in the cream.

There are some great vinyls out there. Vinyl has come a long way. Good call.

Thanks both so much! We don't have it in yet as we're building it ourselves, we have the carcasses up at the moment!

Just came across this pic of a kitchen with white subway tile and a dark grout. I thought it would look good in your kitchen since you are doing black counters.