I had to check out your thread on the kitchen forum so I didn't sound redundant.

I know it's tough, but I would decide on which appliance color first, then pick a countertop.

I see both the white and SS working in your kitchen, but since the cabinets are already a bone color, I would go SS as I personally don't like trying to match whites.

I am a fan of contrasts - light cabinets/dark countertops and vice versa. My sister has this quartz in her kitchen called Vela Brown (DuPont Zodiac) and it's a beautiful chocolate brown. She also has SS appliances.

{{!gwi}}

If you want something not so dark, I think Zodiaq Nutmeg would be very pretty. My Home Depot has a display of this and it's beautiful.

{{!gwi}}

Here's a pic from the Zodiaq site that has bone cabinets, SS appliances and the Nutmeg countertop:
{{!gwi}}

Of course soapstone is beautiful too. I think you need a dark color to anchor your countertops.

What are your accent colors? Since mine is red I did white subway tiel with dark red diamonds thrown in.

Do you want your kitchen to "pop?" If so, I'd definitely go for a bold color for the backsplash.

I like the light green on your walls. I'm not a green fan except for the lighter shades. Red is very pretty with green, also a pale yellow.

What material countertops are you planning? I wouldn't do black.

What about the bone colored (forget the real name) for the appliances? It wouldn't break up your kitchen the way SS or black would do.

I have creamy/bone color cabinets with white appliances and they looke fine.

Stinky, I was going to get you a picture of my new SSL fridge and completely forgot. I'm so sorry. It's too dark now but I promise promise I will get it for you tomorrow. I love the gray sides.

Simple strong honed black granite for the counters.

IF possible at all -- white ceramic butlers sink.

Butcherblock for the island countertop.

White subway tiles for the backsplash.

White or stainless appliances.

Jan at Rosemary Cottage

Chocolatebunny (love your name!) thanks so much. I just love that pic you posted. The sample swatches are also beautiful! Thanks for the tips about contrast. A consensus seems to be emerging about the counters being bolder. That's helpful, as I think I've leaned toward a more monochromatic look in the past.

Oakley, thanks for the ideas. Would love to see your kitchen sometime if you have a chance to post a pic. Glad you like my shade of green! Would like to do quartz for the counter, but am open to suggestions. Clueless about what color, but I know I'm getting good advice here!

Lukki, thanks, I would love to see your fridge!

Teacats, wow, you really have that vision thing, don't you? Love it! Your ideas sound gorgeous. Filing those away. I do love subway tile more than anything for a backsplash. Love the idea of wood as a contrasting material for the island.

Do you lean toward either white or stainless more for the appliances? If I did white appliances, the Bone cabinets wouldn't bother you, or would you paint them whiter? With white appliances, guess you'd do true white subway tile. If I did stainless appliances, would you do cream subway tile or true white? I know I'm asking a lot of questions!

Thanks!

Love your cabinets. I vote for ss appliances and granite counters. I love black granite but just visited my sister and realized how much her gorgeous black counters show every little fingerprint! Her counters weren't honed though so maybe those are more forgiving than a shiny finish.

How about a medium toned caramel or gray granite? My counters are a medium tan/brown/gray color and they don't show fingerprints as much.

Inspiring posting from the blog Cote de Texas -- with amazing eye candy photos .....

Here is a link that might be useful: Cote de Texas blog -- wonderful posting about elements for kitchens

Oh how I love your cabinets! I want to paint my maple ones, one of these days.

I'll tell you the vision I have in my head, once I paint my cabinets a creamy white, is a dark counter and dark appliances. I have all black appliances now and love them but I know that's not everyone's thing.

Had to throw it into the mix, though. :)

Keep the cabinets bone white, but do an antiquing or tobacco stain on them, to give them depth and highlight the design, especially if you are keeping the dark hardware (hinges). Then dark countertops, and dark appliances. Maybe paint your table dark, too!

Your kitchen is fresh and pretty....
Ditto Jan/Teacats~~~

The kitchen is often said to be the heart of the home. Designing a kitchen is an exciting opportunity to bring your personality into your home and create a room where you can feel at home in.

I also like Teacats idea. I would make sure to do the countertop dark for sure to add some contrast.

I like the idea of stain on the white cabinets too.

Stinky, your kitchen has a lot of similarity to ours (cabinet and wall color as well as similar colored hardwood), so I thought I'd share what we did. Our kitchen is nothing as glamorous as the Cote de Texas kitchens (which are drool worthy!), but I love it. We mixed black and stainless for the appliances (stainless fridge, DW and hood, and black range and microwave). I hope this helps a little!

Juddgirl, I'm glad you alerted me to fingerprint probs with granite! Never would have thought about that, so now will be on the lookout. Thanks!

Teacats, the COTE blog is extraordinary! It is the Godiva of kitchen eye candy. Thanks for the link! What fine examples of kitchen design. The text is helpful too, as the " whats & whys" of the elements are discussed. A keeper in my files for sure!

Susan, thanks for the compliment. You want to paint maple? I thought that was one of the woods that everybody wanted in the kitchen right now! ( But personally, I love a painted cabinet!) Thanks for your input about contrast in the room.

Les, thanks, I so value your opinion. Dark, all around, eh? Even the table? Like the sound of antiquing on the cabinets. Will have to look into that.

Thanks, Loribee! Nice to hear from you. That's sweet of you to say. Yes, Teacat's choices are beautiful & classic, yes?

Shee, thanks for stopping back...yes, Les & Teacats have super ideas. I always value your input...you have such a good eye!

Hoosiergirl, I am extremely flattered that you see ANY similarity between our kitchens! Yours is wonderful. Thanks for the pic. I DO see what you mean upon closer inspection, there are *some* similarities! Yours is a great example of the darker materials mixing with the light cabinetry. Noticed the one glass door on the cabinets really adds a touch of elegance. Nice! Your drawers are so pretty. I see that your island is different than the perimeter. That's a great island...the way it wraps around...I like that. Great job!

This is so helpful. I see that there is some variation of opinion regarding appliance color, but 100% consensus about dark countertops! Interesting! I'm getting the impression most people really mean "dark" too! Good to know. W/out this feedback I probably would have chosen much lighter countertops. Thanks so much.

Here's a picture of Zodiaq Nutmeg that we used in our kitchen remodel.