The knobs are better but the cabinets or backsplash need to change. There is a company called Nu Hance and they refinish cabinets reasonably if you are not up to doing it yourself. Might be time for an upgraded more modern look like dark chocholate which will make it more contemporary or live with it and just get new stainless appliances. I know that would bother me too so I understand because the kitchen is the heart of the home and you have to look at it everyday. Overall, it is still a nice kitchen.

I think you can rescue the space if you change the cabinets to a darker charcoal grey stain or paint that still lets the woodgrain through. The backsplash, counter and flooring should all be in similar shade tones to be cohesive and flow and blend nicely. But the cabinets would look so much better I think if they are darker. Good luck

The backsplash is the ONLY problem! I like your idea of replacing the cabinet knobs with the black but nothing will help as long as that backsplash is there. It detracks from your stately granite. The granite compliments the cabinets. Your kitchen is beautiful! I would chalk up the busy backsplash as a minor mistake and remove it. I would put up something close to the light natural shades in your granite. I hope you post an "after" backsplash picture!

The backsplash is very modern and your kitchen is more traditional. I would paint the cabinets an espresso to warm things up and give a balance to your modern and traditional. I had the same problem with mine. Previous homeowners put in a modern backsplash and left the traditional original cabinets. I had to paint them. Check out my Before and After. Hope this helps Good Luck :)

Honestly, I'd get rid of the back splash for a softer look. Otherwise, your back splash is so bold...you would need to re-work your kitchen to fit the backs plash. I've just done the same thing myself and am going to have to "gear up" to tear down the backs plash I just put up. It's best!

Yesssssssssssss-the backsplash must go. The stone is too yellow and is just Wrong! Love your cabs and granite-would change the backsplash to a mix/pattern, but more in the taupe/gray hues. Attaching pics-I recommend ordering a sample(s) and see how they look with the cabs, counter, and floor.
Hope this is helpful. Good Luck!
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If you are going to replace the backsplash, remove one of your drawer fronts and take it with you to pick out the tile, so you can be sure they will blend together.

Black hardware is an improvement, so would stainless steel appliances be, but the real solution is a new backsplash. Buy 1 sq ft of tile you like; apply it to a sq ft of plywood and grout it - then check to see how it looks because grout color can make or break a tile job and very few folks have the eye to see if there is harmony between all the goings on before the job gets done. Painting your cabinets is not really an option - you will have dissatisfaction with the performance of the finish in no time - the kitchen is too high traffic. Plus there will be food spills and cleaning products in touch with the cabinets. If you walls are drywall it may be easier to just rip it out as well and put in new drywall. While the walls are open you may want to consider adiing soffit lighting. Or you can tile overtop the existing tiles if it works space wise at the counter level.

If you rip out the back splash, consider taking the back granite board also, out , it deters from the back splash and makes it look too busy . get a few tile patterns that you like and try them out just tacking them to a thin wood board, you can return them when you have made a choice. The heftier handle are also a better choice. Please consider decluttering your counter , that also contributes to the busy look.Put those pots and pans away, regretfully they add nothing to calm the look of the busy counter.good luck

The backsplash is in the wrong colour tones for the countertop and cabinetries. Stay in the neutral tones. I hope you have the budget to replace your backsplash. Look into the beautiful backsplashes here on Houzz; you will be amazed on how many options there are.
Keep in mind you can install your tiles vertical or horizontal; you can make your own pattern. Move the tiles around and play with them until you and your hubby are happy with the design you both have created. You will be much happier with the results, have fun, and think outside the box.

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Personally, I rather like it , but it does have a very busy mid-century feel to it. Maybe not what you were going for but could be fun. Toning it down is one option as suggested above.

Playing it up with turquoise accents (maybe with a touch of yellow and black) accents to play off of the pinkish and brown colors is another--maybe less stuff on the counter :) if you can, some utensil crocks and organizer caddies and a rug and dishtowels. Bring some in if you have it and see what you think.

Or you could go shrieking the other way!

Bright white to counteract all the color could be nice and goes with the appliances.

Yes! I agree with other comments. Change the backsplash altogether. It's better to be crazy and change it to something that you really like than to keep it and go crazy looking at it everyday. You will be happier with the change. Just do it!

I actually like the countertop-tile combo but the cabinets don't match.

Has anyone commented on the quality of light? The color your lightbulbs may be the problem. I was surprised at the variety of tone that different types of bulbs can make -- I was trying to paint a foyer that dusty muted aqua, and all my paint was coming out green until I changed the lightbulbs!

Experiment with different types of bulbs. You would be surprised at what a difference they can make. A warm incandescent (not daylight) will subdue any pinkish hues.

You have mis-matched pink beige (cabinets) with yellow beige (backsplash) and I think the counter has yet a different tone, not sure. Backsplash has to go, it's far toooo busy with the countertop. A solid color tile for the backsplash so it won't compete with the countertop is a trick. However, nothing will ever look good until you paint those pink cabinets with a yellow undertone. A white or dark brown might work as long as they have a yellow undertone so all of the pieces have the same foundational color. if you don't want to paint them, you could strip them and re-stain them with a YELLOW tone stain. Check out the blog of a professional designer who explains pink and yellow beige the best... Maria Killam.com.

Consider painting the ceiling a dark color with the dark hardware! The more ways you incorporate the cooler tones they won't pop so much and will become more consistent to the eye. You can upload your photos on color tool sites such as Benjamin Moore and color in your ceiling to give you a visual. Painting the ceiling is the new trend, be bold!

This will sound so simple you'll think I'm crazy, but I have those small flourescent under counter lights from HD, not sure if that's what you have, I changed out the bulbs to the warmer color and it changed the tone of my granite backsplash. Gave it a rosier tan look rather than a greenish tan, try one fixture if you can, it may save you a lot of labor. Other than that, I do think the whitewashed cabinets are giving your kitchen a very '80's-90's look.

I think you could soften the contract with some accessories. If the stainless steel appliances would spread the color across the room, accessories would do the same thing. Only cheaper and more fun than redoing your project!

I think your kitchen is lovely. The dark knobs made a big difference.

Your problem is the backsplash does not gowith the cabinets at all. The cabinets are kind of traditional and the backsplash is very modernistist, almost loud. It's not the grout. Darkening up the wood with paint or stain would help a lot, but if you can't do that you can't solve the problem. You have too many colors and textures going on at once. Like a plaid skirt with a print blouse and a lot of jewelry. In a desperation move, to tone down the backsplash, you can use tinted lucite or glass panels screwed in over it to soften the appearance and blunt the texture.

Hey Jill, have you considered putting a mirror in as the splash back ? Might be a good cost effective fix, high cleaning issues though
Good luck cheers Adrian
Adrian Ramsay design house

Had a friend that had a mirror backsplash. Nothing is worse then seeing two of everything in the kitchen. She ripped it out in l989.

well thats almose 20 years ago things come round haha, its best if you use a tinted mirror and as they has a small upstand it of granite it could work, and i agree bench top items need to less not more to make it work, cheers tennis

To save money, you can just paint over it if you can or get new tile installed. These pictures are of my kitchen. I like my kitchen because I can cook with my mother which is really fun. So that's why you should like YOUR kitchen, so don't go overboard about how it looks. Try my advice! By the way, here is my kitchen!

I was thinking about putting a backsplash in, I just painted my cabinets, but I think a back splash would be too busy as well. I am glad I saw this. I do like that glass tile though. Good luck

Glass mosaic tile back splashes have the appeal and functionally of a lava lamp for me.

you'll have a great kitchen soon I'm sure. replacing the tile would be the best since you said it was only 200 and a DIY project. If you are going to leave the granite 3" backsplash find tile that blends well with it. Normally that 3" backsplash is not included installed with the counter top. Your granite is pretty. And I do like the darker pulls. good luck with this space

Yeah, I just figured that it's marble or mosaic! You can't paint over that! My fault, try tile or some roses and accessories. Wait scratch roses! Paintings that are abstract may work!

Your granite has a lot of movement and goes well with the cabinets. Suggest removing the tile backsplash and replacing it with the same granite, if still available. This would calm the space. The kitchen as a whole is too busy and the first thing that catches the eye is the pot & lid arrangement, which is fine if it works for you.

I would encourage removing 2 or more cabinet doors, drawing attention to you dishes, glassware etc. It will give depth to your room. Stand a large wooden tray or possible a large white platter in front of the back splash & remove all small appliances and small objects, leave the fruit bowl you are ok, just aren't there yet. Good luck!

you could use both the tray & platter, yes the fruit bowl will no doubt need to be in front of the large white platter to keep it from falling. Go for the minamal look since your backsplash is busy. Try removing the lids. You can always put lids &cabinet doors back up...try it!

Ok I would suggest you pain the ceiling/walls a color that brings out one of the tile colors. I would go with a greenish color. (light) It is rather difficult to give you an exact color as computer colors are sometimes "off"

Aja is right, your color palette does not work and that is why it "feels"off. White washed oak is extremely difficult to get it to work with almost anything. I see the counter top has same pink in it. This is why professionals exist, even a consultation with an interior designer for 1 hour would have helped you, this was a tough one.

Adrian, she had a tinted mirror and still ripped it out but I guess everything comes back in time including big shoulder pads one day too. LOL I did not understand the rest of your info. Is mirror really coming back and what does bench top mean?

haha tennis ill send you some sholder pads!! or you could go out to the shops and get them they are back!!
re bench top items, i notice in her photo she has quite a few things on the bench top, toaster knife block etc, your comment that seeing 2 of everything is too much i agree mirrors work best with almost nothing on the bench,
unfortunately for Jill the tiles she chose and the bench dont work very well together, best option would be strip them off the wall and cry a little, then put up either painted glass or a big neutral colored tile so there is almost no grout , you could do a mosaic as well with very subtle color.

there is so much going on with the gain in the cabinets as well as the grain in the granite that you dont need to add any more patterns, less is more
cheapest fix - big tiles most expensive where i am would be the glass.
tip: if its a pattern i always get 1 sheet of the tiles before buying and have a look in situ and see what the light etc does to the look.

cheers adrian

re mirror and its comeback, ive used it in kick boards under cabs for a few years if i want the cabs to look like they are disconected ie floating from the floor makes a lighter feeling to the room, aslo i have seen and used it in splash backs a couple of timesin modern kitchens, and will quite often use it in homes on a full wall etc..
cheers adrian

Adrian, to each their own. I see you are from Australia. I LOVE your wording for things (bench top). Took me a minute to figure that one out. I still feel like that is an 80's look and I don't think her kitchen is that kind of house. I have a mirrored wall in my powder room that the previous owners put up. You can only imagine what a mirror wall reflects in a small powder room as you are sitting on the toilet. I hung 95 inch curtains on either side from a tension rod and reflection covers the toilet when sitting. Who would want to look at yourself doing that LOL. Good solution for me. Yes, she can do a mirror in her kitchen but then everything on top of her counter top needs to go and who really lives like that. She probably has a family and needs a few things out so to see two toasters, two coffee makers, two refrigerators, two ovens, two husbands, four kids, LOL I'm getting dizzy justing thinking about it. I am not a big fan of it in kitchens unless you have something beautiful to reflect.

A mirrored backsplash brings light and glimmer into the kitchen — one of the darkest rooms in the house.

Houzz has over 65,000 photos using mirrored backsplashes.

I looked at those pictures Aja and I did notice that most, if not all, of those pictures were of kitchens that had nothing on the counters that a family uses day to day and more of a "show" kitchen. Some were of bar units which I would agree would look nice mirrored because you would only display a few things. Some pictures were very contemporary which I don't mind but I think Jill's house is not like that. I think we should just agree to disagree on this one. I would like to see what Jill decides but we all agreed that the backsplash needs to go.

Hey im keen to see what she does,
such a shame to spend time and money on the tiles,
i get plenty of these kind of issues from clients
to many patterns, wrong colour tones etc then..... once they have spent way to much money they call a designer who then works to fix it on a smaller budget as they have already spent most of it themselfs

i think this site HOUZZ is a great place to ask advice before you start, then choose someone whos comments you like and get a separate conversation going with them and engage them if you need to..
cheers adrian
and good luck jill

It's not the color of the backsplash or the counter. It is definitely the pink undertones of the cabinets. Even the beautiful granite counter top will struggle to fit in until you update the finish on the cabinets. If your hubs won't agree to paint, consider sanding and staining them. We sanded and stained every cabinet in our home. It was worth the work!
The back splash is a bit busy for my taste, but not worth ripping it out. Concentrate on convincing your husband, then dealing with the cabinets;-)
Good luck.
Good

Okay, I know by this point you've had more advice than you need, but here's my two cents anyway. While I agree that the whitewashed look of the cabinets is a bit dated and hard to work with because of the slightly pinkish tone, I understand wanting to keep them. The granite works well with the cabinets as they are (and will also work well if you ever decide you want to paint them). It is only the backsplash that is creating problems. I think if you went with something very, very neutral and simple--a plain ceramic subway tile in a soft ivory color with just a hint of brown in the undertones rather than yellow (The Subway Tile Company has a color called "bone" that could work) or even a purer white to go with the appliances--then there wouldn't be anything clashing. The whole effect of the kitchen would still be a bit pinkish because of the cabinets, but it would all harmonize. I do think the darker handles are an improvement, by the way.

Perhaps if you have LOTs of people opposing the cabinetry, it will help to sway your husband on the color. Sorry, but I agree that the cool-toned whitewashed wood (yes, it is pinkish) is competing with the busy backsplash, which has a lot of yellow. It's not the grout. Either the cabinet color or the backsplash should be changed. A friend of mine stripped her oak cabinets and had them stained a rich espresso. They look spectacular. And yes, you can still see the wood grain. If not, then rip out the backsplash and replace it something less busy and contrasting (but not mirrors!). Good luck!

Though I like the backsplash, it does clash with the granite. If you replace the backsplash, I think that you could go dark with another material. I think subway tiles are a great choice, as they are classic enough that they will last for years-unless you tire of them, of course. Everything in your kitchen, except the backsplash right now, is lighter in color. So that is why I think you should make the backsplash darker. If you chose a slate color, that would probably coordinate with the "veins" in the granite, and it might help to tone down the pink tint that is coming from the combination of the cabinets and the granite.

what about using a faux tin backsplash. multiple color/patterns, you can buy sample pieces at lowes or home depot and easily test it out - if you decide you like the look, search for them online though - much cheaper.

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Hi I would have your cabinets painted . Faux finishers are doing a lot of cabinets these days and they look great. My friend had hers done. They can paint and paint and glaze , distress and make like another species of wood

Unfortunately, I also say remove the backsplash. It would be the easiest and least expensive way . It will change everything to really look nice. The cabinets and granite looks very nice. I also see that you have 4 inch of granite going up the back which is great so therefore all you have to do is remove backsplash and paint the wall in back and leave it for a while.

I think the cabinets are to light for the counter top. I would look into redoing the cabinets to a darker, richer color. Maybe a cherry or mahogany color. (Rustoleum transformations has a beautiful color called "Cabernet"). Or,..... Redo the back splash to a more solid, darker color. That way it would separate all the "light" color flow.