We have cherry lowers and creamy white uppers with cherry accents. The island is creamy white with a walnut countertop. No regrets at all.

I love them. I will be ordering the cabinets in the next week or so... If your inspiration picture on top was my kitchen, it would be like this: uppers on the "L" portion would be creamy white. All base cabs, island and uppers/base/talls on the wall with the fridge would be a darker cherry color. I'm thinking of playing with the trim a bit, making it 2-toned as well, wrapping the entire space together. We'll see what the end product looks like in a few months. Hopefully. ;-)

lawjedi I can't split my uppers and lowers because of the refrigerator. I am going to a friend's house soon, she has a two toned kitchen that I haven't seen yet.

I don't care for the two-tone look. It's trendy now, which means that they're going to look outdated in a few years. I'd pick one or the other color -- or go with a mid-tone color.

I'm not a fan. To me. the inspiration kitchen looks like part of two totally different houses. However. I do like kitchens where the perimeter is one color or woodtone and the island is different. IMO, these two-toned kitchens are a trend started by people who are in the business of selling cabinets and who won't mind selling you another kitchen in five years when you're sick of the two-toned one they seduced you into buying back when.

In fact, I dislike them to the point that they would be a deal breaker for me house-shopping wise.

However, that said. I think they can 'work' when the contrast element is an unfitted one--like when it comes across as being a distinctly different (color and style) furniture type look. Like a sideboard or pantry...as if you found a cool antique piece to put in the kitchen.

Funky camper, you are so right but it's too late. I second guessed the custom paint colors & just couldn't pull the trigger. I ordered the black island 2 weeks ago. It would have been easy to paint. Maybe next time....

Btw, I second your notion of looking dated. do what you love & enjoy it! Maybe it will be "dated" according to HGTV one day but if you still love it, who cares!

I think I'd paint it aqua anyway. Yeah, lots of work to do it right but it would just look so great. My uppers will probably be a very pale cream with just a hint of yellow. I'm debating on a green or red for my bottoms. I'm having fun painting big sheets of foam board with the different color combos. I'll be able to wallpaper my house with them, lol.

Aqua might also push my normally very laid back hubby over the edge. He is already not crazy about painted cabs. He prefers wood tones. So I might be pushing my luck with Aqua. I vote for green lower cabs. I just love green (and blues). Can't wait to see the pics.

I'm in the group that says "do what you like" vs. follow the trend. If the trend happens to coincide with what you like, great. If not, who cares? For us, the 2 toned look serves a purpose. Both dh and I love dark cabinetry. Our old kitchen had it and we appreciate the wood. That being said, it was the darkest room in the house. No matter if the lights were on or not, it always seemed dark. Two or 3 years ago, I painted our uppers a cream. The difference was amazing. What was a very dark space suddenly opened up and seemed much larger. Now that it's time for the true remodel, I am going to follow suit. I get the dark cabs I like so much while still having a light and bright space.

If I only knew "what I like". Thanks for everyone's input! I am leaning more towards two toned, just don't think my kitchen will be light enough to pull of really dark cabinets all around.

I like two-toned kitchens, though I tend to prefer them either with just the island different or the tops different from the bottoms. People say they are trendy, but a) there are very few out there, really and b) this design choice has apparently existed throughout time. It's just always been a minority choice, seems to me.

How trendy is the two tone really? I've had it in my kitchen for almost 15 years.

I don't care for that inspiration photo either, it does look like 2 different kitchens. It looks like the backsplashs are different too. I do like a 2 tone kitchen where the uppers and lowers are different, or the island is.

The back splash is different, definitely not a good look. Do you prefer cream or white?

Your lighting and its placement will have a big impact on using all dark cabinets. I've seen it done successfully.

+1 for not liking the inspiration kitchen when considered as one. Two totally different looks - both lovely by themselves but not soulmates.

Love them but agree with some of the other posters re either the island a different color or uppers diferent than lowers.

I like two tone kitchens also but not that inspiration photo. I agree it looks like two separate kitchens put together in one photo.

On the first photo, I noticed the outer countertops are quartz and the island and dark wall has granite. This is in addition to the different backsplashes. I think that contributes to the split-kitchen look. I was going to type that the first one has a bit more of a "hutch" look to the dark fridge wall with all of the display cabinets, which helps with the look (imho). They also use toe-kick valences and white dishware to emphasize the effect. It gives some purpose or intent to the change in tones. In that example picture, you could even put the fridge in white, which might cut down on the split-kitchen effect. (Disclaimer, my own kitchen has white perimeters, medium cherry island)

Below pictures of a three-tone kitchen. I personally think unless it's the island or uppers/lowers, the colors need to be separate, e.g. hutch-like built-in.

"Farmhouse Fabulous" Bow, NH · More Info

"Farmhouse Fabulous" Bow, NH · More Info

"Farmhouse Fabulous" Bow, NH · More Info

I like it. Something different. Especially the red!

Original kitchens were multi tone until the “trend” of one
color.

In general, I like two-toned kitchens. I often find a pure white kitchen a bit cold and most of the two-toned kitchens have white/light paired with richer colors that warm the space up.

i am in the 2 toned is trendy camp. i personally dislike 2 different cab color however having all one color cabs and a different island is a nice look. it isn't as jarring when just the island is different.

we're going two-toned with white perimeter and a colored island base. the color of the island base will also be carried through the uppers and lowers of a separate little "branch" off the main kitchen that will have a beverage area and a desk. i'm nervous for how it will all turn out, but hopeful that it will be nice!

The inspiration picture posted was the inspiration for my kitchen. I did keep the countertop/backsplash the same throughout and no glass uppers. It feels like one cohesive space. I will try posting a photo later this afternoon. Love my kitchen.

drhomesideas please post!!!

I love two toned kitchens. I have stained lowers and the few uppers I have are white. You can still do a split your uppers and lowers even if you box in your fridge. Just choose either the lower color or upper color for that item. I chose the lower color for mine and thought of it as a tall armoir in the kitchen. In fact my pantry cabinets on the far wall are all the lower color as well. Having the uppers white in my small kitchen helped the space seem more spacious.

I can see the danger of mixing tones if not done well and agree that a kitchen can look cut in half. But I love allison0704's kitchen: Attic Mag article on Allison's kitchen She has a French gray island, cream paneled refrigerator, and dark wood toned cabinets and it's a beautiful example of how multiple tones can work. I've also seen beautiful kitchens with uppers painted a different color than lowers, or those with just an island in a different color. So I think it can be gorgeous, but needs to be done right.

Hmmm. That first kitchen needs some black IMO. I am a huge fan of contrast, hope you go for it and don't forget that your backsplash can play a big role in your color scheme.

We've done this a bunch. I'm not a huge fan of two different colors of paint... This is one we did a few years ago.

Belgrade Kitchen · More Info

I am a big fan of paint and wood. This painted kitchen we built had a neat walnut island.

Beaded Inset Shaker Style · More Info

I think i will go for it. I already bought backsplash :)

I love two-toned kitchens, where the island is darker than the perimeter. It looks great especially in a large kitchen. Now I just need to sell my hubby on it :)

abick2 here is the picture I promised yesterday. BM Swiss Coffee (white) and BM Hampshire Gray.

Oooo. Pretty! Love the colors!

Thanks! That looks great and I have a very similar layout.

I decided to do white shaker cabinets all around and just do the island in a different color. I am not a fan of cream or off white. I would like to go with white, but it seems the java island (dark chocolate brown) might be clashing. Will a darker island an espresso ( really dark almost black) work better with the white cabinets?

abick: Black and white kitchen cabinets look very cool. Although not sure what are you doing with the countertop? I wanted to do a single countertop color to tie all of them together. Don't know your thought process? Sorry if I am adding another variable here.

I will definitely do same countertop and backsplash throughout. If I do white cabinets and very dark-almost black island than I think I need to do a marble look with quartzite. What do you think?

So I definitely don't like the cream. I don't think it would look good in a shaker door. The lighter swatch is cherry java and the almost black is maple espresso. If I go with java I will need to do some browns on my countertop. If I do espresso I will need some greys. What will look better?

Both Java and Black expresso are very good. with white. and will look very good with light colored countertop be it marble or quartzite. I hope you have some natural light coming into the kitchen else with dark cabinets it will appear further dark.

The perimeter will be white, only the island will be dark. Not sure which color to choose for the island.

I like black and white with Orange or yellow bertazzoni..

I am planning a three-tone kitchen. I love the "not-so-matchy" look. To me, kitchens can be like any room in the house- different wood tones, different metals, different fabrics- my other rooms don't have all the same color furniture, why should my kitchen?

There are some rules to be kept, though, I think. If cabinets are two tone, counters should be the same.

I am planning a walnut island, gray-blue lowers on perimeter, with pure white countertops and matching pure white uppers. I feel like the cohesiveness with the white counter/white uppers will help with visual calmness.

Here is my inspiration pic:

I like your plan, Dietitian. I'm actually thinking of bringing in a third color but am also thinking my kitchen might be too small to handle it. Mainly because I can't decide between two colors so i began to wonder if I could use both. No inspiration pic to share.

you can always bring the color in with the chairs or just one piece like an enameled oven.

Or a cool piece of painted furniture. That way if it doesn't work or you change your mind down the road you can replace it or paint it.

Good ideas although I won't have room for chairs or painted furniture in the kitchen proper. The wall is down between DR and kitchen so I could do both colors in the dining room and then just use one in the kitchen. At the glacial pace this remodel is moving, these decisions are a ways off so I can play with different ideas. :)