I have a two tone kitchen, so I love the look. As for the area with fridge, I'd go with all stained. Something doesn't feel right with the two tone there.

I am in the middle of a two-tone renovation, and we took the stained cabinet up around the fridge, like an armoire, but have the adjacent uppers light like the rest of the uppers. Just another option...

I am visiting my in-laws right now and the have a two-tone kitchen. They stained the crown moulding at the top of the cabinets and it looks really nice. I can snap a picture if you'd like. I agree that all stained looks better on fridge wall.

I was thinking the same thing about the fridge--have the fridge cabinet all stained.

I'd go all stained on the fridge wall. It balances the stained range hood.

What Majra suggested. Or how about the fridge white and only lowers stained?

[Kitchen Cabinets[(https://www.houzz.com/products/kitchen-cabinetry-prbr0-br~t_437) by Abbotsford Kitchen & Bath Designers Arts Custom Woodcrafting Inc.
{{!gwi}}

Here is a link that might be useful: two-tone

The stained hood is throwing me off. If the fridge cabs are light, I think the hood should be, too. It may work in stain if you balance it with the stained frige cabs.

Either way, it really looks nice!!

Nancy

I think the stained range hood looks out of place, and kind of random in either scenario. Both options work for the fridge run, they are just different.

Agree with the hood. I'd do it white as it really sticks out as is.

The stained hood sticks out like a sore thumb, and actually breaks the pattern. I kind of like the fridge in stained cabs because then all the appliances are in stained. I think I'd prefer a stainless hood.

Thanks for the thoughts!

Majra: so if you have stained fridge cab next to painted uppers, what are you doing about the molding?

mpagmom: So they have all the crown stained in the whole kitchen?

I think I did the hood stained originally b/c, since I was doing all stained across the way, I thought the fridge wall uppers needed something to relate to. I don't think it's a sore thumb, really. I mean, it's basically the same color as copper (in the renderings) and lots of people put copper with light uppers. Though I will say it wasn't my first idea - I originally envisioned it painted.

I don't want a stainless hood. I'm trying to go warmer, and I think a big stainless hood (granted, not that big b/c my kitchen isn't that big!) will be too cold - I've got enough stainless with the DW and the fridge for my taste.

I'll see if KD can get me some edits to post with the options suggested. I rally want this to work, but I just am not good with 'design' so I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to pull it off! LOL

OT, but I like the cabinet to the right of the fridge, opening to the dining room. I'm doing the same thing!

annkh: Yes! That was all KD's idea. Putting side access on the kitchen side so I can put most used items there. But since I wanted a shallow pantry, he suggested turning would allow it to be the same depth as the fridge cab and would look best. Also, I'm concerned with the 'loss' of formal DR by opening the space up, so I feel this gives it a little bit more finished feel - like it's a china hutch or something. (That's probably all in my head but...lol)

I told you KD was good with the pics!!

So here is a painted hood (note, it's a paneled DW in this photo as he played around with that and didn't have time to change it before sending to me).

Here is the stained fridge. I think the area where the two moldings come together looks fine. YMMV! :)

Here is the view from the DR with both fridge options and the white hood.
Stain:

Paint:

Kathy, yes, I regret calling the hood a sore thumb. But being so dark and big up top, it kinda defeats the white uppers/stained lowers theme and so it calls attention to itself. If that's intended, then you should keep it that way.

I snapped a quick picture (sorry for the poor quality) to show you what it is like. The rest of the trim in the house is white. It ties it all together and balances the design well.

This post was edited by mpagmom on Thu, Jun 13, 13 at 16:41

linelle - I'm thick skinned and don't care what people say - I wouldn't ask for opinions if I didn't want them! I guess it just surprised me that so many shared your opinion of it sticking out. Of course it does! You are right - it's a big brown thing in a sea of white! :) And this is my problem with 'design' - I never can figure out what I want!

Let's see...if i had a huge space and wasn't worried about crazy kids messing up my painted bases and my husband actually liked painted cabs, I'd probably go for something like this.

Since I do have crazy kids, a smaller space and an anti-painted cabs DH, I was drawn to the two tones. However, all the one's I've seen have had a range nicely centered and so it was painted and looked the focal point it was intended to be. For example:

So I think there is the issue...the range/hood is not centered/big enough to be a great focal point like my two-tone inspiration pics and I'm not doing all paint so that a contrasting hood works perfectly.

What's a confused woman to do?? :) Help GW, you're my only hope!

Kathy, I didn't even notice that your stove wasn't centered. I do love both of the inspiration photos immediately above this post. Even though the first one has a darker hood up top. :) The thing is, the hood housing spans the gap between the adjacent uppers. I prefer that look to the hood shape you currently show.

My two moulding colors meet just like in your drawing. It does not look funky at all. Heres a quick pic, please excuse the unpainted ceiling and lack of a fridge. We are still mid-renovation.

I love the look of the stained hood, and would pair it with the stained fridge surround.

Nice looking kitchen. Good luck whatever you decide.

You probably will get quite a wide range of opinions. I would prefer the white painted hood and probably all white fridge cabs (but not sure about that). I think someone has a two-toned kitchen on GW with the fridge wall all stained. It's one the more frequent posters, but I can't remember who.

What about a stainless hood?

I like the "painted" hood and the fridge area all whitish.

So KD put in a mantel hood in paint to address the thoughts on it not spanning the space. I agree it looks better than the chimney in painted, but it seems a little big and boxy to me...which I supposed is exactly what it is! :) He also did a stainless and I just don't like it for my kitchen.

Any thoughts from the 'don't like the brown hood' crew?

What about an angled hood, like in the photos you posted?

I like this last version of the hood much better than the previous painted version.

You should check out My2LittleFishies old threads for all the feedback she got on her two-tone combinations. The difference isn't as stark since it was yellow/white not stained/white but it should help.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fishies Feedback

I don't like the angled look in wood, personally. I don't like that they are skinny at the top and then the extra space between top and cabs is taken up with a slab of wood.

And while I would love a copper hood like I posted the other day, it's not in the budget.

I much prefer the white range hood - and brown for the fridge cabinet and tall pantry, with all the lowers stained and all the uppers white. For some reason, I think that your fridge wall looks best that way. I also think it helps unify the space to bring a bit of the stained finish up around the fridge.

If you were doing a copper hood in actual copper (or stainless) it's a bit different than doing the same cabinet material in a different finish, and I think that is why people think it looks off while another different material would not.

I'm not sure if I was clear. I meant a hood that angles forward when you look at it, not a triangle shape. Kind of like the copper hood. Or maybe something like this:

How to make copper hood with copper sheeting.
Here: http://finishedkitchens.blogspot.com/2005/11/allison0704s-kitchen.html and link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: copper hood

It really is a matter of personal opinion... so I'll give you mine. :-)

I plan on doing this to my kitchen when I get around to replacing cabs and counters. In the meantime, I did some painting of the old crappy ones I have to make sure I like it.

My plan is to have my fridge wall be entirely stained (kinda similar cab construction as what you have)...

the working part of my L and island... bottoms stained and uppers in a soft white. I'd like to play with the moulding a bit more than you did - do you see how there are 2 parts of your crown - a flat piece and then the fluted part that goes to the ceiling -- on the fridge wall, the crown would all be stained.... on the L part, the flat piece I want stained and then the fluted part a soft white to match the uppers.

and as to your hood. I personally don't like hoods that are a single unit unto itself - I want it connected to the cabs on either side. Perhaps your KD can come up with a less boxy hood option?

anyway, as I said, it is definitely a personal opinion.

and for what it's worth, after painting my old cabs in this manner, I KNOW I love it... :-). (and that knowledge is definitely necessary to convince dh -- when I first told him what I wanted to do his response was "you want to do WHAT?!?!?")

I'm in the no-to-stained-hood crew. While I think the hood box looks better in white *and* spanning the space between the adjacent cabs, I don't care for the way it extends out into the kitchen, esp. at ceiling level with its own crown. I prefer it be angled back into the ceiling/wall join.

I know copper isn't in your budget and you say you don't like stainless hoods, at least not in your kitchen. But all your appliances are stainless and a hood is an appliance (to me), so it would be consistent and shouldn't interfere with your white/stained motif.

Well, it's done! I'm going with the stained chimney! We have to order on Monday (price increase with cab company happens Tuesday so I'm pushing the order). Guess taggie and I can like the stained hood together and everyone else can look at the granite or something! LOL
And I am doing stain around fridge and pantry.

KD was just here, we did a lot of pictures and envisioning things and I just kept coming back to the stained. The mantel was too big - we were taking it to a 24" depth and then the shelf on it was 4" more and it's just too big.

nosoccer - that is the type of hood I was referring to. It looks fine in that picture b/c it's a giant hood (probably 48-52"?) At 36" it looks like a pyramid to me. And no way I could DIY a range hood and I'm not sure it's my GC's forte, either! :)

lawjedi-You are right, we all have opinions! :) Unfortunately, the cabinet company only makes certain hood styles, so the KD can't do much about that.

linelle - totally get your point about the hood being an appliance. But I hate the fact that I'll have a giant stainless fridge, too. And I only got a stainless DW recently b/c I was convinced I wasn't going to open to the DR and the DW would be hidden. I'm kicking myself I didn't get the panel-ready. Just not a big fan of stainless, but didn't see white (or black!) working in this kitchen.

Thanks, again, everyone! I'm sure I'll be back with BS/flooring/paint issues!

Even though I was in another camp, I like your decisiveness. Enough of the oh no, I just can't decide, what'll I ever do? I have a feeling it will look a whole lot better than the rendering on which we were basing our opinions. I like that you're doing stain around the fridge. Keep us posted as your kitchen takes shape.

Here's mine. I still need to do a reveal if I can ever find the time.

Congrats on a decision made! I know it will look great.

Jansin62, I look forward to a real reveal!