Kitchen update dilemma

13 years ago

last modified: 13 years ago

We are updating our kitchen and would appreciate some collective advice.

We continue to design out the country-style of our 1984 home to a more contemporary look and feel. For this kitchen update we will be:
1) painting the cabinets, and potentially updating hardware (color is Benjamin Moore http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/herbalescape)
2) removing the dual mode backsplash and replacing with a single type of tile,
3) adding under cabinet lighting
4) painting the walls (color TBD)
5) painting the crown moulding ~white

Attached photos include pictures of kitchen, counter top and backsplash, close up of granite ( for color), current choice and example of painted cabinet, and tentative backsplash tile.

Please help on potential tile options, color for walls and moulding, edits to cabinet hardware or color. Thanks!

Featured Answer

feeny

13 years ago

I think you are making some lovely choices for an update. Here's a similar kitchen with painted cabinets like yours (just to give a sense of the visual effect), and I think the subway tiles you are considering are a nicer choice than the backsplash in the photo. I'd probably pull a color out of your granite for the walls--a light gray perhaps?

Creative Cabinets and Faux Finishes, LLC · More Info

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Comments (13)

User
13 years ago
I agree, I think your choices are really great, and your current hardware is fine. For the walls I would choose a color a couple shades lighter than the cabinets, and, if you are up for it, my personal preference for the fixtures above island would be "classic schoolhouse", not that it will modernize it, I think it would look smashing, though!:)

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feeny
13 years ago
last modified: 13 years ago
Love the Schoolhouse pendant! But Aggie, I'm not understanding something in your post. Could you be more specific about what you mean when you say "For the walls I would choose a color a couple shades lighter than the cabinets" ? That would mean a stark white, wouldn't it? Did you mean a couple shades darker? Or a couple shades lighter than the counters, perhaps? I just want to make sure this isn't a typo, and if not, that we all understand exactly what you are recommending.
User
13 years ago
last modified: 13 years ago
:) my understanding is that the poster chose a gray paint for the cabinets, so I was thinking a diluted version of that for the walls. Yes, almost white, but still gray.
feeny
13 years ago
Got it. The painted sample cabinet looks white on my monitor, so you see why I was confused.
PRO
Stoneshop
13 years ago
You are definately on the right track! I love your cabinet color choice, and the crackle subway tile is beautiful. Do you know the color name of your granite? In some photos it looks like an Uba Tuba, in others more gray, and another black. Adding under cabinet lighting is an excellent choice.
User
13 years ago
i guess " a couple shades" is a rather arbitrary term....
PRO
Brickwood Builders, Inc.
13 years ago
It is difficult to tell if the granite is Uba Tuba or if it is Verde Butterfly. If it is Butterfly, then it will have some white specs in it and I would agree with the backsplash selection. If it is Uba Tuba, then it has no white at all and it will have wam tones (goldish browns) and I would use a warmer backsplash tile.
bahluwalia
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks for the fast feedback, the cabinet color is http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/herbalescape

The counter is Uba Tuba.
PRO
INTERIORS by Charissa LLC
13 years ago
The granite looks like Verde Butterfly maybe? If so, this accent tile is absolutely beautiful with it and would provide you with alot of paint color options. I've mixed it with 4x4 tumbled travertine and used the linear mosaic as a liner and made 2x2 dots out of the 5/8 x 5/8 mosaic.

http://products.daltile.com/zoompopup.cfm?img=/images/products/zoom/DT_F010_Illumini_Meadow.jpg

http://products.daltile.com/zoompopup.cfm?img=/images/products/zoom/DT_F014_Illumini_Meadow.jpg
PRO
Brickwood Builders, Inc.
13 years ago
I love the crackle subway tile, but would take it to a warmer tone with the Uba Tuba granite.
PRO
Stoneshop
13 years ago
Upon reconsideration, I agree with Deborah. The white may be too stark against the Uba Tuba which has some gold tones in it. The crackle subway is beautiful, but perhaps in an almond tone would look nicer. If you get a sample of a warmer subway tile and view it in your home side by side with your current sample, it would be very beneficial to your selection process.
nevadan
13 years ago
You already have too many wood tones and too much texture. Keep it simple on the backsplash and counter. Maybe have the same granite for both and avoid a florid pattern.