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Dark Grey Quartz + Stained Cabinets = Dated? Too Dark?

11 years ago

Do you think the look of this kitchen, with wood cabinets and dark grey quartz/floor tile, is very "mid-2000s" and at risk of becoming dated quickly?

I am partial to this look but worried about resale value.

I'm also worried that it will look too dark in my kitchen, which only has 2 average-sized windows that only get a moderate amount of light.

If I decide to go with the same color combination, what are some things I can do to brighten up the room? I will have ample lighting (recessed, undercabinet, and overcabinet LEDs). Should I forgo a tile backsplash and paint the walls a brighter color?

FYI, the cabinets are Adel Medium Brown. Thanks everyone!

Comments (14)

  • 11 years ago

    I don't think it's dated.
    If something is dated, it might be the reddish wood tone. Seems there's a trend towards slightly grayish wood tones.

  • 11 years ago

    I think it's a beautiful and fairly timeless kitchen.

  • 11 years ago

    If you go on Houzz, they recently showed a windowed galley kitchen like this.

    I do think trends are toward lighter. As you said the dark quartz and floor may darken the effect.

    The Adel cabinets are nice. With a lighter quartz for reflection and lighter paint, you'd have a less darkened corridor look.

  • 11 years ago

    very sleek and modern. has a northwest/Seattle look to it.

    if you worry about resale, you will need to look at the homes in your area that sold fast for the highest price per square foot around the same size as your home.

    that will help with the local factor. I know that here in metro detroit tastes are generally 10-20 years behind and modern does not always sell well. In Montreal, what would would be considered a beautiful place here would be gutted as soon as the deal was closed.

  • 11 years ago

    My neighbor just did the Adel Cabinets for her kitchen with modern pulls and it is beautiful like the galley kitchen you just showed us. I feel it is a sleek modern look as the trend is either dark or light. I love the running bond tiled floor.
    That kitchen is not too dark due to all the windows.

  • 11 years ago

    This won't be too dated because it fits the house. And not too dark because of the windows. Can't say if it would work for yours!

    (I don't think it's all that dark, even if it didn't have the windows.)

    (And yeah if those pendants aren't already dated, they should be dated and thrown out. Blech!)

  • 11 years ago

    If some of the window space (which in the photo is actually dark due to all the trees) was replace by light walls (like the cream at the end of the left-hand counter), then I easily imaging a ligther/brighter kitchen. If you cover the window portions of the photo, I think you'll see what I mean.

  • 11 years ago

    I think its an amazing kitchen, and I immediately thought of Camerons's house in Ferris Bueler's Day Off. Is that house dated? No because it's fantastic and a very specific style of architecture. Sometimes beautiful is just beautiful like a piece of art which is what I see with this kitchen.

    It may seem trendy in a different setting though, but if you love it and it feels right with your house then do it. You just don't want to feel like you've gone through a portal as you walk into your kitchen.

  • 11 years ago

    If you don't have a lot of natural light, I would be worried that this kitchen would be dark - you could lighten up the stain on the wood, or get a lighter floor. And definitely paint the walls a light colour.

  • 11 years ago

    In this area, Shaker cabinets have been "in" for over 12 years. Some say it's classic, but I do wonder if folks will fatigue of it. I just removed the 12 year old Shaker cabinets from my kitchen and I certainly am tired of the look - for MY kitchen at least. I think it will continue to work in kitchens that have the architecture where it fits (doesn't in my home). I think that people will increasingly pick from either extreme of cabinet fronts - more complicated detail, or plain slab fronts.

    In the inspiration photo, the architecture is the star and the kitchen finishes complement it. I think it looks great, but I would not pick those finishes in a kitchen that was dark to begin with.

    Tile, do those finishes suit the style of your home?

  • 11 years ago

    Thank you everyone for all the feedback. I really like this look, but I'm worried I won't be able to achieve a similar look in my own kitchen.

    @feisty68: I don't know if this kitchen suits the style of my house. :-( I can't tell. My house has a Mansard roof and was built in 1868, but has very little architectural detail preserved.

    After reading all these posts and seeing pictures of white kitchens on Houzz, I'm starting to doubt my decision to go with Adel stained cabinets. I'm wondering if white cabinets would work better with the rest of the house, but I'm new this and really have no idea. :-(

  • 11 years ago

    What kind of house do you have? The kitchen looks perfect for the home in the picture you posted... modern, open style. Maybe not so much in, say, a Victorian home. Is your kitchen open to the rest of the house? That factors in as well, IMO. Mine is open to the LR so it needed to flow visually as much as it's possible for a kitchen to do so. If it was a more secluded kitchen then that changes things, too. Look at your space and see if you can feel what it is best suited to look like based on the style of the house, setting, blahdeblah, if that makes sense to you.

  • 11 years ago

    Tile, am I remembering correctly that you have a layout planned already? If you post it here, you may get more useful advice. In fact, there are a lot of benefits to keep all your kitchen stuff to one thread so that people can have the big picture in mind when they advise you.

  • 11 years ago

    @feisty68: thanks for reminding me. I wasn't able to find older threads, so I thought posting a new thread might help others in the same situation.

    The house was built in 1868 and has a Mansard roof. Very little architectural detail has been preserved on the inside. The first floor basically consists of three 13'x13' boxes connected by arched openings: a front living room with a bay window, a dining room, and the kitchen in the rear. All rooms have the same red oak flooring in a reddish tone very similar to Adel Medium Brown.

    The door on the east wall, which is being resized, leads to a tiny room (can be used as a pantry) on the north and the outside on the south. The nook on wall D leads to the dining room. The door on Wall C leads to a bathroom.


    http://kitchenplanner.ikea.com/US/UI/Pages/VPUI.htm?LoadDesign=8bf8333e60ed4994bff77dfdf111ee09&UIContext=Kitchen&IsSharedDesign=1

    Here is a link that might be useful: Link to Older Thread: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0420205914987.html