I don't know much about design, but I will say that I LOVE your inspiration photo! Beautiful!

How about a combo of stainless counters and end grain wood (walnut??)

I vote for cherry counters, like they show on the island. It works so well with the new englandy blue.

Thanks everyone -
re the wooden counters - I love the look, but I am afraid of damage - are they practical?
I cook a lot and have little kids (toddler boys!) and I am deathly afraid they will look like an old wooden cutting board in two shakes. Thoughts?

I love all the inspirational pics. That magazine spread is beautiful. I can't speak to wood counter tops b/c I don't have them but having small kids and a toddler boy, I'd be a little nervous too. However, it doesn't look like you have a sitting counter top space in your design so I doubt your boys would be in a situation when they are bored and happen to have a butter knife to carve their name into the c-tops. (I actually did this to my mom's breakfast table when I was about 5 or 6.) So maybe it would be okay. I like the idea of wood, or a brown so that it makes the blue/grey cabinets more warm.

Love your new apartment (saw LR in Decorating). fwiw, when we bought our first home we repainted the kitchen cabinets a blue very similar to yours. Had it and loved it for 12 years. Wasn't tired of it when we remodeled, but the timing was right (adding a second story and the house was a mess already, so why not).

Fast forward more years than I'd like to count - in our new home, we have a F&B French Gray antique pine island finished with Good Stuff for Wood. Our three children are now young adults, but DH isn't the easiest on things. We love our wood counter, but if you want "pristine" then wood is not the material for you... then neither would marble or limestone.

There are numerous threads here on marble counters and staining.

Be sure you know if code would allow wood on either side of the cooking surface - our would not have, and we are in unincorporated county. City codes are usually more strict.

When I saw your tile, I immediately thought of Blue and White Mural Kitchen, which has marble counters. Be sure to look at other blue kitchens on the website, as well as the Damask Pattern Tile Kitchen and Hand Painted Tiles - first, second and last two pictures). All feature their gorgeous tiles as the only tile used in the kitchen - just a thought, instead of using the subway tile too. Would be a striking statement.

With that combo I'd be looking at Caesarstone. It's super durable and will blend. The star of the kitchen is the tile and the cabinet color and I love the look.

People here do love their wood counters but I've had them in 2 kitchens and didn't like the way they attracted dirt. I think the Caesar is much less maintenance.

Also, I just reviewed Michael Smith's (White House decorator) book on kitchens and baths and in researching saw quotes from him recommending Caesarstone too. He did a kitchen in Portugual with active tile and it's spectacular.

I love that combination! The blue will be gorgeous. I made some last minute changes too and I was so glad I did!

This is gorgeous. Go for it!

I saw that same magazine spread recently and loved that kitchen, too. I think your choices look great. That tile is fabulous. I agree with the Caesarstone recommendation. It will look sleek and clean with your other choices.

I understand fully the about face with a major decision because we changed over our design after sitting on the decision for months.

Though it looks like I'm in short company, I would be very concerned about the area being too dark.

You yourself said you "LOVE white kitchens". What is it that you love and ask yourself how much would you mind giving that up. The blue is beautiful, but is your area too closed off to pull it off? Could you use a lot of the blue as accents?

I too love white kitchen, but it just wasn't "working" for our house, since it opens to the main living area. We are using black, yes black, but we are being careful to not having it feel cave like. We are creating 2 new windows and the kitchen opens up to a 12' bank of windows in the great room and 16' (octogonal shape) in the dinette.

Is it truly an absolute that you must make a decision now? If you delay it, how long would it delay the kitchen?

Since you are in a countdown, I'm just throwing out ideas.

The blue is one of my favorite colors, and the tile and wood counters would complement it beautifully.

I am wondering, though, about all that color, from floor to nearly ceiling, on four walls in a long narrow space.

I think it will work, but you will need LOTS of light. Under cabinet lighting and overhead lights. My experience and what I've read is that recessed lighting does not light the face of cabinets very well. And you really want the cabs to glow. The large areas of patterned tile with a lot of cream or white in it will brighten things, of course.

What does the window wall look like? Will there be cabs there?

Behind the stove are you planning a stainless backsplash? Looks like it. Or could you do a pattern arranging the two tiles somehow other than checkerboard style and perhaps use a narrow white tile to form a box around it?

Would one or two glass front doors with lights behind add light and variety?

LOVE IT! I would just change the trash so it was on the opposite side of DW...scrape, rinse, load

Thank you all so much for the input!
@Allison0704 We are absolutely planning on the tile all over. The subway was the old black and white design and the elevations have not yet been updated. Glad to hear you never got sick of the blue in your old kitchen! Oh, and wow, that Damask pattern kitchen is AMAZING!

@Aloha2009 - I too am really concerned about the darkness in the space. The Window wall has no uppers, just counter and a shallow base cabinet. Also, there is bare wall to the left of the Range due to a structural column. Both of these would be painted with a light color. We also chose a light floor tile which I hope will lighten it up since we have a really wide aisle, almost 6 feet! But I hear you, I am still worried! Thats why I was considering a light grey/white countertop, maybe a super white granite. But I am concerned that it will make the space cold despite the tiles. Also, worried Granite will be too busy next to the tiles.

@ Bellsmom - we do have some glass cabinets bookending the sink wall and plain wall space on both the range and window walls. Great idea on the lights inside!

Any other counter suggestions, maybe to lighten it up without the busyness of granite? If Ceasarstone, like so many of you love, what color?

Thanks again for everyones great encouragement and advice!

I am with Bellsmom - I love the inspiration picture and I think it works in part because the kitchen is large, the wall with the hood is not blue and there are two large flanking windows to break up the dark. Your kitchen is more narrow, there are a lot of cabinets and there is only one window at the end - how light filled does your kitchen become through the day? Perhaps consider the wall oven wall cabinets a different color?

For counters I agree caesarstone would look great.

I know how difficult these decisions are! Good luck.

I think that when you make any huge change, you need time to digest it. We did several radical shifts, but all when we had time to really live with the idea first.

When you asked about the counters, my first thought was to go light like they did on the perimeter. If you go dark, you risk the kitchen coming off as dark. Those blue cabs are a very strong element and will make the room darker than the white wood. I'd consider doing white uppers, or even better, open shelves for the"topless" look. Open shelves would make the bs tile an even better feature element. If you love that color blue, you could also still do white cabs, but use that color for the wall and use the same bs tiles with the blue pattern to keep it light.

There is a recent thread about Marble look a likes where the pros and cons of the manmade versions are discussed. We have Corian Rain Cloud precisely because we have 2 young boys in the house and we knew they'd find a way to ruin marble. We did not want the inevitable grief. Our counters are not faux marble, but give off a pleasant vibe of movement and variation like marble does. It is not going to fool anyone unless from a very big distance and they weren't meant to be imposters. They are their own breed.

That's great. Will be gorgeous.

fwiw, our blue kitchen was also small and U-shaped. Sink was under window. Fridge and stove were exactly like yours. Only one window (over the sink), as cabinets were above/around cooktop (wall came down when we remodeled to open to breakfast room). We only had one large overhead (fluorescent *cough*cough*) and one halogen can over the sink. Never felt closed in to us - it was charming and comfortable.

IMHO the look you are going for is country estate, eg high end country.

Nothing is lovelier than wood in such a kitchen. I had a 17' cherry counter for 8 years in my old house (with three kids from infant on). It wore so well that I was emboldened in my new kitchen to use cherry everywhere, including around the sink, with an integrated drainboard. 7 months, no problem, and i love them. In Europe wood, everywhere, is de rigeur.

Would I cut on them directly? No. Put a hot pan on them? No. But nor would i with any other surface, if only because it is messy, and to me, unhygienic.

They use marine varnish which is guaranteed, period, forever, no maintenance. It is a westchester company.

Here is a link that might be useful: read the bullet points in re durability

Rachel, how about closing your eyes for a few minutes and thinking about each of your proposed kitchen designs.

Your first pic was the white cabinets but you were already bored with it before it even got started. Envisioning the white kitchen, what (if anything) could you do to make it everything you want it to be. Would it always be a boring kitchen that leaves you wishing you had been more daring.

The blue cabinets have caught your eye and you can't shake the excitement. When you close you eyes with the various ideas of tile, counters etc, would you forever feel penned into a dark tunnel? Could you add some elements that would balance out the dark, or would you long for the freshness of a brighter kitchen?

The two looks are very different from one another, so I think it boils down to the feel you want from you kitchen - long term.

Here is the wood counter in our old house. This January it will be nine years old. Three kids, lots of cooking. When I put it in, everyone told me I had to do granite around the sink. I hated the granite from day 1 till i moved.
This time, I have wood around my sink.

I know some will not like this comment, but I do not think a man made product is the right choice for your market.

{{!gwi}}

I love blue rooms ... I used to have more photos (probably still do, but I got a new computer and can't yet find everything, lol), but here are a few for visualizing elements. The third one isn't a kitchen, but it is an enclosed space with blue floor to ceiling.

What about stainless for a counter? Or unoiled soapstone, so it stays a soft gray? That would look awesome with the tiles but still not too dark. I think that first photo sorta shows both.

If you liked black and white, you might find one if my inspiration pic useful.
I ended up only using the blue on a washed beadboard inside my glass cabs, but I still love this kitchen. You might find the toned down colors a good bridge between your old scheme and new one?

Here is a link that might be useful: blue/cream/b/w kitchen

First, I love the blue!! It reminds me of our first house and the kitchen cabinets that I painted blue myself. It was a labor of love. When we sold it, we had two offers on the first day. I like to think it was because they loved my blue kitchen too :-)

I also think lighter counters would look great but some natural wood would tie in nicely and warm it, like in the pictures below. I think they say those counters are Ceasarstone but I don't think they specify the color.

Good luck with whatever you choose!

[contemporary kitchen design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2103) by other metros interior designer Atmosphere Interior Design Inc.

[contemporary kitchen design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2103) by other metros interior designer Atmosphere Interior Design Inc.

@mtnrdredux - I hear you on our market. We do see a lot of man mades here, but generally only in an ultra modern kitchen. That is definitely a good point. I am pretty sure I cannot have wood next to my range top, so I still (!) need to find counter alternatives. The toned down kitchen is gorgeous, but does not really do it for me. I think its go bold or go home on the blue idea for me.

Blue is my favorite color, and I think what appeals is that this would feel more like 'my' kitchen rather than what is expected in the space. But, I clearly have not digested it yet!

@segbrown - I love that pic with the blue bottoms and grey tops, but I am not sure if that would look off in my space.
@muskokascp - I also thought of using our Edgecomb grey on the fridge wall. Instead (I probably should have mentioned this earlier) We will do our banquette area in that color. The banquette is on the left, across the two doorways from kitchen. So that sort of breaks it up. Most of the fridge wall is stainless anyway since our fridge is a giant 48"!

@dianalo - I am still leaning towards the light (carrera or similar) over here too. What do you think of Superwhite Granite? too busy?
@Allison0704 - thanks again for the encouragement!
I feel like I just cannot make this decision!!!!

Just so you understand, I wasn't posting to show a different upper cabinet; I love the all-blue scheme. I was trying to show how different counter materials (and other elements) go with the blue. I stopped oiling my soapstone ... it isn't light gray, but it's not dark either. Still might be too dark in your kitchen.

Anyway, I definitely don't advise light on top cabinets (if that is what you were hearing). I think it's a great kitchen plan, and the counter decision shouldn't stop the cabinet decision; several ideas would look beautiful, imo.

The blue cabinets are lovely. I like the idea of doing a wood counter on the island, but think the perimeter would look best with white/off white natural stone. Carrara or other marble would be lovely, but Madre Perla or White Princess quartzite would also have the right look and be more stain and etch resistant.

Michael Smith, who just redid the White House just recommended Caesarstone very strongly in a Food & Wine interview just this month. Jeff Smith, the TV house flipper, used it extensively in the House Beautiful showhouse last summer. I am mulling it as an alternative to a zinc counter for a new space in my current kitchen which is anything but modern. It would work easily and look great (though I don't like the sparkly samples).

It was used throughout my prewar Manhattan building (quite similar in look to the OPs) in several architect and designer apartments.

While this may change, right now marble, granite, Caesarstone, polished concrete, paperstone, stainless, pyrolave, resin etc. are the most desirable/expected.

So the OP is smart to be concerned about cabinet color and everything she is putting in there. I certainly was very careful in doing so in our apartment and we profited as a result.

But as I always say, everyone should have what they want.

If you don't want white cabs, I can see your kitchen with blue lowers and thick wood shelves instead of uppers. Then you can do a wood island and light perimeter with your light and blue patterned tiles for the wall. I would not hide from a pattern on the counter, but would also not go for a wild one with your bs. If you went with a subdued pattern, that would look lovely. Super White could work depending on the lot. A lot of the white quartzites would be great. I do think the Caesarstone or manmade quartzes would work as would the Corian in Rain Cloud (what we have). The other Corians don't have that slight pattern to them.

I think if you are worried about your sons and marble, you have a very good point. I'd hate to be angry with one of our kids for being like a kid and ruining our expensive counters. I'd rather be realistic and save the drama. It would be cruel to set them up for failure and I'd be kicking myself. Even if they are good 364 days of the year, it would only take one boneheaded episode of carelessness to ruin it. I think a wood counter would be fine with them as long as you don't make it a delicate furniture kind of wood counter. Something a little thicker, without an ogee or similar edge, would look ok if it developed "patina". It is when you get too fine a wood counter that mimics a dining room table, that any mars in it would look sad.
I'd try more for farmhouse/utilitarian style with the blue cabs. Wood can always be repaired if they did anything too bad. For instance, if you got a bad scorch mark on it, you could stain it darker to hide it. I do think that kids can be taught to use trivets and not to put things directly on a wood counter or to cut without a cutting board. Expecting them not to splatter and to clean up quickly is less a sure thing.

We originally were going to do a very light wood for our cabinets - maple, either natural or with a very light stain. We were worried about the kitchen being dark and had already fallen in love with a medium dark granite. However, every time that I saw a kitchen with natural cherry cabinets it felt so right - warm, homey, beautiful grain. And it worked well with the aqua toned granite that we had chosen. After agonizing a bit, we decided to make the change. It has been 5 years now and we are so happy with the decision. (P.S. we just redid the floors and used maple for that to keep things light.)

It is harder because you have more of a time crunch. Our planning process took many months and we made the switch in vision months before we started our kitchen. You have less time which makes it more difficult to decide if this is last minute jitters or finding what really works for you, but it sounds to me like it is the latter.

Our kitchen has quite a bit of blue because we used the granite (quartzite really) for the backsplash as well as the counter.

I'd suggest going with something warmer than grey for the counters. Grey with that blue and white makes the pallet very cool (like that inspiration kitchen if the island didn't have a wood counter. I'd lean toward introducing some warm tones somewhere - wood uppers is one possibility. While I generally prefer natural materials, in this case, a uniform quartz counter in a brown tone might work.

We just repainted with a cream (Kelly Moore Alhanbra Cream) which also works well to warm up the color scheme. Do you think a cream would work with your tile? It is hard to tell with on-line pictures and not knowing how true the color is.

You are not crazy. No one ever said, I should have spent more time at the office, and I don't think they said "I should have spent less time making my home a lovely and pleasant place to live."

Open shelves I doubt will be practical, as NYC apartments cannot sacrifice real space to display color coordinated lovelies, especially with a family. You need to be able to just put stuff away without composing it.

In some sense I think you are going for a scullery kitchen. But they rely on a grand open proportions, and your have a NYC kitchen (though of course a big one by NYC standards!).

The cabinetry, custom color, and especially the tiles, all feel artisinal to me. I feel that your counter should have an artisinal feel. Nothing too slick or perfect. Wood or even metal, maybe concrete in the hands of someone skilled. I don't doubt that synthetic countertop makers are successful in getting people to promote their product and use it in showhouses. But I have not seen it used in high end traditional kitchens. I don't see it as a match for your tile.

I would also suggest you try to test the blue color. We all know how different a color can look in a given room. None of the kitchen using your color scheme are lowlight urban kitchens. You might want to do a bit of a test? You may also want to use some mirror somewhere (vintage? patina?) to add light.

But don't give up! It is so pleasant to see something different. It will be lovely and no one else will have a kitchen like it! Brava

If you want to consider wooden counter tops, here is a picture of mine. We did the remodel about 10 years ago. It is John Boos hard rock maple in the oiled finish. We cut right on it. It has been fantastic.

I love the inspiration kitchen.

My only question is re. the layout in the rendering of your sink wall. Why have a full height cabinet with hidden drawer to the right of the sink? I'd strongly considering making that a drawer stack instead. It's not like you'd stand way back and appreciate the symmetry of the all-cabinet row since it's at the side of a U anyhow, so you can go for function over form there if you want.

Rachel_NYC,
What type of flooring is that in your picture?

I love the tiles so much! I love the blue cabinet color, so peaceful, elegant, rich looking and beautiful in my opinion as well as being different and so in style right now. I love the layout. White Princess quartzite counters would look great! I would keep the counters light.

redesigned the whole space?
no measurements on the aisles - how far from ovens/fridge to a landing space? none seen next to either.

how far between the 2 'runs'? will opening the dw butt into the cooking space?

Hi - wow, so much great advice!
@icannotwait - The floor tile is a porcelain tile, hard to tell in the picture but its a light grey with some blue and some cream in it. I will do a 12 by 24" brick pattern.

@desertsteph - The aisle is over 5' wide, the overall dimensions are 9' * 17' and there is an L shape piece I did not include on the floor plan that is the banquette. I struggled with the Landing space issue a lot! But you just have to turn around and you can use the end of the run on either side. Its also a wide aisle though, about 4.5'. Not ideal, I know.

@Taggie - you are absolutely right! I actually brought it up to my cabinet guy and we are changing that run of lowers. Further up, @Pence suggested moving the Trash too. So now Our run will go (from left to right) 4 Drawer Stack, Trash cabinet, sink, Dishwasher, Tray base. Sound better?

@JulieKCmo - love your counters! they look pristine actually. Are you happy with them next to the sink? Do you have them next to the Range too?

@KitschyKitch - Thank you for your kind encouragement! You are spot on when you say we cannot lose any space, despite a larger than average space. I like open shelves, just cannot imagine using them daily. Sippy cups need cabinets! My feeling on the corian, ceasarstone, etc is that they just look too perfect for my taste. I like a little charm and depth. I think they can be just the thing in a smooth modern application, but just not right for my project. Great Idea on testing the color - we are ordering a sample door, so I will take it in there and see what I think. I will also take it to the stone yard with the other tiles and see if anything feels right!

@Cloud_swift - I sat on the white kitchen for months (since April!) too. I started getting bored with it a while back, but tried to salvage it with different backsplash ideas, different paint, etc. Still bored. Hence the huge transformation!

@segbrown - I got what you meant! Thanks for the kind words, I will not let it hold us up. Ordering the cabs today! Will just have to find a counter top I like to go with it. I have 6 weeks for that. :-)
@dianalo - thanks again for the advice on the wood - I think it would be stunning. Just have to check if its allowed! And well, still worried about its upkeep despite all of you awesome pro-wood posters!

Thanks everyone - I really appreciate all the advice! and Spence - you just changed my design! Thanks.

Rachel,

We have to turn around from our ovens to get to landing area and it is fine. Our aisle is between ovens and landing space is about 4 and a half feet too. Because the oven door is open taking part of that 4.5', it is actually a pretty convenient distance to have. Less would be okay, but 4.5' isn't too much.

That you had been struggling with the white for a while provides confidence that this isn't a case of last minute cold feet. We resisted changing from our initial vision of maple cabinets for a while too.

@Cloud_swift - thats really great to hear about the landing spot. It has definitely been a concern for the design, but could not figure out a good solution. Great to hear you have live it and its alright. Thanks for all the encouragement!