Hi Kiki! What sort of floor are you putting in? A wood floor will warm up the room quite a bit.

Have you checked out the FKB? There are so many of us with white / cream perimeter and black / dark island cabinets.

My kitchen is pretty stark: pure white perimeter cabs with a pure black island. We do have ebony-stained floors.

redroze has a bunch of photos here on GW of her lovely kitchen. It also has pure white perimeter cabs with a gorgeous dark stained island: she has a v. pretty granite which marries the two -- you should definitely look for her kitchen.

Another which pops to mind (and there are many, but this is what I can summon up at present) is alliern -- her perimeter cabs are creamy and her island is stained dark; she has marble on the dark island and soapstone on the creamy cabs.

I'm grateful my island is a different color than the perimeter: in my kitchen if the island were also white it would be way too much like Nurse Ratched -- too much blinding white!

rmkitchen - Your kitchen is beautiful! I loved reading all the details about it and it looks truly stunning! I hope mine turns out as good as yours.

I had seen some of the finshed kitchens, but just now learned how to hover and see without having to open them all. I'll check out redroze too.

Found it!

Here's alliern's kitchen.

Hello Kiki!!! First things first, I love being mentioned by my buddy Rmkitchen. She is a pro at getting the right, relevant information to you quickly. She's also got a great sense of style. We love RM!!

I do think my granite would be of use to you, if not the same granite but my overall approach. I also wanted to marry the two things - I knew I'd go white cabinets, dark island. I thought from all the granites I saw, that the warm coloured granites like Santa Cecilia and Kashmir Gold, would work well to bridge that gap between the dark and light.

My granite, Bianco Antico, just "works" with both colours. It's cooler than the granites I mentioned above, so you need to decide if you want warm vs cool. I myself, love the feel of moody, old-fashioned, vintage, antique-looking things, and I get that feeling from our granite. It also feels somewhat more "formal" than the warmer granites which come off more "casual"...I feel that way about warm golden hardwoods vs greyish brown hardwoods. Not sure if everyone feels this way too though!!

I had considered doing one counter on the island - and a different counter colour on the perimeters. I've seen this look great, both in magazines and on Garden Web.

But you know, I really like how it turned out when we used the same granite on both colours of cabinets. It ties things together. Note that we did do a wood top on our dark desk area, and I feel that this change in counter type does work well and adds variety.

You were worried about the contrast - I think that having dark wood floors helps to soften the contrast between the two cabinet types. I also kind of like the contrast as it makes a dramatic statement.

Anyway, I can go on and on. Good luck!

Hmmm...interesting that Rmkitchen described my granite as cool. Maybe it's a subjective thing? It's weird, but I think the granite reads both cool and warm at the same time. Cool because of the grey and white tones, warm because the grey has a taupe hue to it and there are red bits. Here's a close-up for you.

Must be getting me confused with someone else: I described redroze's granite as warm.

Oops RM, I meant to write that you had described my granite as warm...where I had described it above as cool. Turns out we're both right!!

rm - still love that kitchen of yours. Stunning !!
redroze -- I have said it once and I will say it again.... BEAUTIFUL granite, and the whole kitchen.

kiki - I Have the same combo as well. My "white" is definitely cream though.
I will give you a few pics. Still a ways to go.

Acountryfarm...why have I never seen your kitchen before?? It is gorgeous, those beadboard doors make my heart flutter. I see how the cream cabinets work better with the yellow walls. The cobblestone floor pattern works really well with your layout - it feels bright, airy and with a historic importance with the architectural details in the ceiling and columns. Thanks for the eye candy!!

You all have such beautiful kitchens - white or cream with the dark island being my favorite. I can't wait to see Acountryfarm's kitchen when it's finished!

Your kitchens are beautful. I also have cream colored cabinets and a black island. I am in the process of replacing countertops. I have a granite (sample) Bella Cottis (something like that) which is very similar to the golden beach just a little more whitish - less brown - and more black specs, which looks great with the black island. My floors are hardwood, somewhat dark. I love the contrast.