Get what you like not what your KD likes. Do you think that the granite goes with the appliances - that's all that really matters - it's your kitchen and you'll have to live with your choices. Also, it's more likely you'll end up replacing the appliances sometime in the future, not the granite.

I agree with Weissman...you're the one who will live with it, not your KD. Not to mention, maybe I don't understand, but I'm not sure why she doesn't think bisque will go with the black. Sounds fine to me. We have creamy cabinets and black appliances and it looks great (or so I thought....)

I agree with the others -- do what you want. I think the combination sounds nice.

If you don't like the look of the bisque appliances after the kitchen is complete, you could eventually sell them on Craig's List and buy new appliances. It would be much harder to change your granite.

Polished absolute black is beautiful but I've been reading here recently that some people find it to be tough to keep clean looking, as smudges show easily. It's very hard and doesn't stain, though.

As others have said, I'd ignore the KD and go with what you like.

i have absolute black on my island and i love it. get what you want. appliances can be changed out easier than granite, unless these appliances are really expensive professional appliances? I just bought all viking appliances and don't have any intention on ever getting rid of them.

another option, if your cabs are being custom made, would be to have the cabinet maker make wood panels to cover the appliances. could this be done?

Black goes with everything so I am sure it will look good, you should do what you want. I can see though why the KD likes the Venetian Gold better, it is a combination of all the colors of your kitchen and pulls everything together. My choice would be the Venetian Gold

Well, I agree with your KD and everyone who posted! LOL! Yes, bisque appliances definately do not go with cherry cabinets and black granite. THey're going to look like giant beige blobs against the wood and black. Would I let that stop me from getting the granite that I loved? Absolutely NOT! Frigo designs will make you a custom appliance panel cover so that they can appear to be stainless or black, both of which would work beautifully.

BTW, I don't know how new or expensive "too new and expensive" means to you, but if your fridge or DW are older than 7 years, and the fridge is not a built in, energy savings alone will help to defray the cost of replacing it. And, there's also "shopping" on Craig's List or Habitat Restore for models that WILL go with cherry and stainless, and then you can donate or sell your bisque piece by piece as you find your bargains.

Bottom line is, if you LOVE cherry and black, go with cherry and black and just plan on doing something creative with the bisque. Or plan on replacing the bisque as time and budget allow. Appliances are far more temporary than are beautiful well made cabinets and a countertop literally set in stone!

I agree with Morton - try them out, if you don't like them, sell them on Craigslist. When we were getting ready for our reno I put our appliances on CL and they were gone in 2 days.

Without seeing it all together I'd say that bisque would be less than ideal - but if they don't work out it's alot easier to change the appliances than to change the granite.

Not really a voice of dissent, but have you considered how much darker your kitchen will be with black vs gold granite?

Our old kitchen had cream laminate counters and cabs, our new kitchen has maple and cherry cabs and black granite and is so much darker. We have the lights on in there all the time during winter, something we never did before.

Get cherry cabinets with lots of beigey sapwood, it will pick up the bisque of the appliances. Only kidding!

I would have the beadboard island painted a very light creamy beige and with the blond tones in the maple flooring, the appliances will meld more.

We just built a house last year. Every single decision that I made against my gut feeling I regretted later. Whether it was changing the size of a window or placement of lights or whatever, many times I allowed myself to be swayed by the KD or GC or even plumber, and later on wished I'd gone with my original plan.

Cherry and black look fabulous together. If your island is "bisque" it will coordinate with your appliances, and if you don't like it you can cover them or change them out. If you are worried about it being too dark, you can play with backsplash and paint colors and install plenty of lighting. YOU have to see this kitchen every day, the KD does not.

Thank you all for taking the time to give me some answers & opinions. I am usually not so wishy-washy & make my decisions myself & am pretty happy with the results. Ever since the home store designer almost bullied me into buying 2 huge, pink La-Z-Boy recliners for the new living room in this house & they were hideous, I decided I knew as much as "they" did. (another story).
I have considered that black will make the kitchen darker, & also I have read on here about the dust & smudges.
I had also thought about changing appliances down the road, or of appliance panels. So much to think about!
To live-wire: The appliances are maybe 3 yrs old & the fridge is counter-depth. It was Energy Star rated @ the time. They are all GE Profile, so not the most expensive, too much so for "us" to replace right now.
Thanks again & please keep the ideas coming!

Amidst all the support you are getting, I have to be bluntly honest -- the visual of bisque appliances in a cherry/black kitchen makes me positively shudder. Sorry.

That said, I could live with it for a few years. I would always have the strong intent, however, to change out to stainless steel in the future. The previous poster who said appliances are easier to change than counters is absolutely right. So if you love AB, go for it.

Maybe you could put one of the Pepto-Bismol recliners in the kitchen to distract from the beige appliances ..? ;-)

That's a great story, and such a perfect illustration of how easily we become overwhelmed with all the home-building decision making.

Seriously, I agree that it's vastly easier to change or re-panel your appliances than it is to change out your granite counters. Have you considered getting wooden panels for the appliances that match the cherry cabinets, bypassing the entire matchy-matchy question? Not sure how possible it is to retrofit them as they are now, but as livewire mentioned, Frigo designs is one place (among several) that sells custom appliance panels in any color or metal you desire. frigo.com

Good luck!

I think it's the bisque and cherry combination that's getting to me, not the granite. Your fridge would be easy to have painted, probably your DW too. Oven may or may not be, depending on which parts are glass.

Cherry cabinets with AB countertops says 'elegant and sophisticated' to me.

sweeby--that answer throws me a bit. We were originally going with maple cabinets in a darker stain. We didn't like the look of the maple--it always looked sorta fake to us for some reason.
What if we did did the Venetian Gold on the perimeter & Absolute Black on the island? Too much going on?
It seems that the bisque appliances are messing up everything--the cherry, the granite. What else could I go with these appliances?
Thanks so much!

How good are the cabinets? Will they last 20 years or more? How long will you be in the house? Are you planning to move within 5 years? How important is having it be just right now?

The granite, especially absolute black, should last as long as the cupboards, if not longer. The appliances, while newish, are actually almost halfway through their average lifespans.

If this is your forever house, if this is your last kitchen, if you can be patient, the easy answer is to go for what you like and live with the biscuit appliances until you can replace them.

If you're planning to move within a few years, these are the appliances you want to sell with the house, so make the kitchen match them.

The hard part is if you're staying, but you want everything just right now rather than later. In that case, your tastes are outstripping your budget. Do look into the possibility of changing the color of the appliances, but paint, panels, etc., rarely look crisp, and designer ready. You could look seriously at what it would cost to sell the pieces you have and replace them. You might find a deal or two that make it reachable if you care enough.

I won't do the two colors just to get a piece of the one you like. Do it if that's the look that you really want. Otherwise, you can get a small slab of the absolute black and use it as a trivet if what you're looking for is a piece of the one that got away. It'll look better.

Perhaps, the thing to do is to wait a year and save up to get what you really want?

Every single decision that I made against my gut feeling I regretted later.

I promptly wrote that on my white board so that I will remember that every day (and for 'real life' as well, not just kitchen renos). Thanks for posting it.

First...........

Is this your forever home or do you at least plan to stay in it for 8 years or more? OR is it a transient/temporary home that you plan to sell in 5 years or less?

Forever Home or 8+ years: Remodel w/quality components that you love! (Sounds like the Cherry & AB granite...I have this combination and I love it! I find it easy to keep clean...but I do wipe the counters down at least once a day.)

Transient/Temporary home: Remodel with middle of the road or less components & something to match your appliances...and then plan on leaving those appliances when you sell so you don't run into this issue again!

Now the questions to help you decide what to do...........

What's the most expensive item in the kitchen? Cabinets
Next? Granite
Close to last? Individual appliances (Kitchen faucets will generally cost less than the appliances...)

What will last the longest looking great and functioning? Granite
Next? Cabinets
Dead last (tie): Appliances & kitchen faucets

So, what does this tell you? If you can afford the cabinets & granite that you love now, then get them now. Worry about the appliances later. The appliances will begin to die off in the next few years (possibly next 3 or 4 years)...do you want to be tied to this color forever? Live with it for now, it's temporary!

No, bisque appliances are not what I would choose to go w/the cabinets & granite, but have patience....you will get what you want sooner than you think, unfortunately (I say "unfortunately" b/c it seems most appliances don't last that long any more!) Besides, if you do this then as you go you can also upgrade appliances since you will only be buying one at a time...and most upgraded appliance lines seem to carry stainless steel, black, and white...not bisque.

Do you have GE Monogram, GE Profile, or the standard GE appliances?

go with what you want. the bisque appliances won't ruin the look of your cabs/granite. they are just a slight creamier look than white. they aren't as stark and sterile looking as white or SS. When it's all put together they'll look fine.

i like bisque - it's what i'm going with - i dislike SS, black and white appliances. Who knows what will be out in a yr or 2 - maybe something you like better.

i certainly wouldn't trust anyone who thought 2 pink chairs in my LR would be a good thing. unless i was doing a pink LR!

have you tried putting a sample of your cabinet color and the granite up to one of your bisque appliances? what do you think when you see them together?

I don't think Sweeby was trying to get you to reconsider the cabinet choice -- just saying that with all the black & White kitchens out there, black and bisque is not as jarring as cherry and bisque might be.

I'm with the majority here -- it wouldn't be what I would pick to go together, but get the cabinets and granite you love. They stay the longest, cost the most and are most difficult and costly to replace. You should love them both. Since you are using existing appliances, try them. My dad put a bisque fridge in cherry toned kitchen with stainless DW, cooktop and oven. In his case, the fridge is at the end of a wall and kind of blends in with the wall color. I would have done stainless, but it turned out no to be that big a deal. As several have pointed out, you can paint some appliances, get panels for others (DWs especially can often be easily changed out). Look at those options first and then see if there's one appliance you most wan to replace and look at resale, moving sales or scratch and dent options. If you have working appliances, you can take your time to explore your options.

You must have walked into that furniture store the day they decided to have a contest to see who could unload the pink loungers. Be glad you trusted your gut and make this choice to please you too. The counters are more permanent than the appliances, you can't paint granite or panel it --- listen to your heart and not your KD.

Okay for the sake of the other side of the argument I'm going to say this: I don't like black and bisque with cherry. It's your kitchen though and if you think you'll like it, then do it. This is just my opinion and doesn't count for more than one person but I don't think the black granite will be as pretty, with the bisque, as a lighter, creamier colored granite.

And truthfully, most granite is soooooo gorgeous once it's installed, you'll probably fall in love with whatever stone you put in. Why not put in a stone that will compliment what you have already: cherry and bisque.

I just read you asked what other color stones would go with the cherry and bisque. Well there are lots. I have a stone that has red/rust and creamy colors in it along with greys (I have bisque appliances now too but know the grey streaks mean I could put SS in down the road). the name of the stone is crema bordeaux. This is just one example of a stone that will look gorgeous with cherry and bisque. I put a photo. Don't get confused by my bisque cabinets. This stone would look great with cherry.

Do you really want granite? Do you know how hard it is to maintain? You have to seal it, and periodically reseal it. And you'll constantly be polishing it -- every little mark with show, especially if the granite is shiny black.

I think it will "go" in your kitchen. It will not clash with your appliances, although it might not be the optimal blend. But if you are a serious cook, and do a lot of prepping on your counters, you will be a slave to that granite.

*sigh*

You do not have to seal all granites...as a matter of fact, Absolute Black is one of the granites that not only doesn't need to be sealed, but it should NOT be sealed!! (it leaves a film on it)

No, you don't have to constantly polish it...unless you're someone who has to have a magazine-perfect house at all times (and then anything you get will need to be polished!) I simply wipe my counters down every day as always and they're fine. They're practically bullet-proof. We've dropped cans, spilled all kinds of stuff (vinegar, ketchup, grape juice, OJ, etc.) on them and no problems whatsoever! [As you can tell, our family is a little klutzy...OK, mostly me!]

Oh, and don't polish the AB either, I tried that once...never again. It left an oily film on the granite. I clean mine w/detergent & water and, occasionally (maybe every couple of weeks), I use Method granite cleaner.

Granite is one of the lowest maintainance surfaces that still has a very high level of durability. It's popular for it's functionality as well as beauty. Sealing, IF a granite is one that needs it, is a fairly simple and quick task. It's no more work than spraying cleaner on your counters and wiping them down. The biggest plus to granite is that you can have a huge piece of Mother Nature's artwork right in your home! Man made materials can be functional and beautiful as well, but none have come close to achieving the visual depth and natural variability of millions of years old polished rocks!

I'm not convinced bisque won't go. If it doesn't, swap out the appliances later, being careful not to ding your very classy AB granite.

Really now, if your appliances won't match, is your creamy island going to match? Of course that cream island matches, and since it does, so do those darn appliances (make sure that island matches them appliances pretty well!).

Thanks buehl and live wire oak for the quick clarification on granite. We are just about to order granite and haus proud's comment jumped out at me as different info than my research.

Steff, rest easy. While I tested one grantie that had staining issues, it was a light and less popular one -- maybe not a true granite. I suspect that finding the right sealer for it might have done the trick, but I moved on to marble. Even it isn't that troublesome. I have a black granite on my island (Cambrian black) and love it. I consider it worry free and the lowest maintenance surface I've had in a kitchen.

Hi all! I am so grateful for all your comments. We had this house built 19 yrs ago. I am 55 & just retired from teaching. My husband is in county politics, so we plan on being here awhile. Our son is grown & the house is too big for the two of us, but to sell & buy smaller what we want would be about the same money. I figure this is my last kitchen so I need to do it up right. The cabinets will be good quality for around here. Custom made by a popular area cabinetmaker, or a small company in the next county. Kitchen Jewels from Jasper, IN--anyone heard of them?
Someone asked--our appliances are GE Profile.
WE went to the local Parade of Homes today & every house we saw was dark cabinets, dark counters, & dark or SS appliances. Now I'm not sure I like that look all put together. Our kitchen is fairly small with one over the sink window. It opens completely into the dining room & it opens into a sunroom.
(I found out later why the saleslady wanted me to order the pink chairs--she wanted to see them to see if she wanted them in her house!! She could have had mine!)
I won't mind the cleaning of the black granite. I would wipe down my counters anyway.
Some of you said my appliances will be wearing out soon. Not the stove--it is never used. I am a non-cook. Hate to cook. That may get me kicked off this forum with my very first post!

"every house we saw was dark cabinets, dark counters, & dark or SS appliances. Now I'm not sure I like that look all put together."

There is your answer right there. Every morning when you walk into your kitchen, what do you want to see? I agree with the person above who said if a creamy island matches, if creamy granite matches, then so do creamy appliances if that's what you like. (I have corian on my perimeter counters, much maligned on GW but that's what I wanted and I love it!)

My old cheapest-Kenmore-line kitchen appliances lasted 12 years, used and abused every day. The stove and dw are still in that house, which sold in 2 days last week. :)

If you go back to the lighter counters, you will have the look my parents have. They have a stainless cooktop and dish washer, but a bisque fridge and that's the main one you see.

The comments are more that the appliances will age and need replacement sooner than a countertop -- where even a cheap tile or laminate can last 20 years. Granite could be there until the house falls down. Even if you never use them, the appliances will fail at some point prior to that. ;-)

You're doing the right thing -- keep looking. Go flip through magazines on on the Finished Kitchens Blog and find the look that keeps appealing to you most. If it includes bisque appliances, you're set. If not, get what you want for the more permanent choices and work in one at a time when you find a deal too good to pass up. If you don't cook, your options are many more than if you do -- and you can go less expensive instead of wanting the most expensive options and the latest features -- you can be happy with last years model or the one before at a bargain price. Consider yourself lucky there.

Just keep looking. Your answer will make itself clear.

We are getting ready to start a complete kitchen remodel and originally were planning both the cabs and island cabinets with a medium cherry with SS appliances. We were originally planning to go with a lighter granite on the cabs and a dark granite on the island to be more of a show piece. We just found a beautiful granite called "Copacabana" that is black, gold, carmel and cream. We are now thinking of making the island cabs cream with glazing which is a great contrast with the granite...and using the same granite throughout.

I would not worry about your bisque appliances so much now. Although it will be an issue if/when you sell the home. As many have said, you will be walking into this room many times a day. You don't want to regret it every day so do what you like now.

It seems ridiculous to get a granite you like less just to match middle-aged appliances. Even if you love them and would replace them with the same color, it's still risky to make your choice based on a color that may not be available in the future (it's been getting harder to find, and may further succumb to economic pressure to reduce inventories.)

Everyone has different color sensitivities. So go with yours, not your designer's, because you are the one who will be living with it.

While you're designing it, keep in mind that as we age we not only need additional lighting, but we also benefit from sharp color contrasts between counters and floors.

I googled "bisque appliances, cherry cabinets" and got this image. Imagine it with dark countertops. If this helps visualize...

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/xZFuVjGNNACxxU80jXnOMA