Congratulations on considering keeping the bench top.

I'd leave the floor. Black Japan is lovely but a bit dated.

I'd go with Matt White cupboards. From memory that granite has quite a lot of metallic fleck, so depending on the look you're after Matt White would tone it down.

You may be able to have doors/drawers made rather than ripping it all out.

What type of look were you after?

Thanks, like the idea of matt whit.e I'm keeping all the carcasses, replacing with flush doors and drawers, no handles. Want a contemporary look, that's why the Orange floor scares me!

Go with white - the room needs to be brighter and lighter.

In my opinion, black and white is soooo mundane and very very common these days. A soft beige and beige lime-washed floor would look so much more softer. A few beige touches in the other space which is predominantly white would tie it all together nicely. Do I see a dark blue feature wall? If I do - paint it a darker shade of the beige you use for the cupboards or if you leave it the beige will compliment it much better - maybe a tall beige "thing" to break it up a little. If the subway tiles are not in place have a look at the patterned tiles out now , in beige and white, which make a great statement.

If Supa hadn't said it,I would have. I think your cabinetry is fine, and lifting the floor and walls would help them regain feature status.

matt white cupboard is the only way to go

Agree with bigreader, kooky_karen, husquin and haephestus' suggestion #2... matt white base cabinets with wall cabinets in black

Really liking mixing matt White with matt black. I'll sand back the floors and see if they'll come up a bit lighter

Thanks studio 10001, but I can't keep the door because I HATE the wood panel that runs through them! There are no walls, it is all cabinetry. Just a window to the right.

You could go mostly white, but with some black - maybe the section where the oven is in black. I like the floors - perhaps use a timber blind on the window to tie the floors back in and use the natural material to soften the monochrome? Also you could consider changing just the island bench top - I'd be inclined to go timber but white could also work. You could go with black cabinets to the island as a contrast to all the white.

Then add colour in small appliances/artwork/vases etc. - with the neutral base you can easily change the accent colour when you get bored.

The island visible in the pic houses the black induction hob. There is also a further 6 metres of island that's not in the photo. That is also teal with black top. Next to the oven is the steel fridge and next to that is a long larder cupboard, again in teal.

That's a nice big kitchen! :)

your kitchen is amazing the way it is... since you only hate the timber strip, why don't you deal with that only? you could use gold/silver/copper leaf, embossing, painting, stenciling, $4 can of spray paint from supercheap comes in every colour imaginable.. maybe a fun, warm light chandelier might help lift the room a little if that's what you want. From experience - black flooring and cabinetry shows up every piece of hair, lint and dirt... not nice when you have people over waling in and out - within 5 minutes looks like you have never cleaned your house!

We've experimented spraying the strip silver to match the fridge etc and black but it still looks like an old kitchen . I appreciate the advise on a black floor showing hair, we have 2 spotty dogs than run in briefly every day and it looks like a snow storm. We are going to test patch liming the floor

Don't think you can ever go wrong with black and white....it will give kitchen a wonderful lift. I've limed wood floors and loved them. Go for it!

I have black granite bench tops which I love and I have white matt cupboards with Australian beech timber flooring similar to black butt semi gloss finish and it looks amazing ! So imo go with matt White cupboards you'll notice a huge difference .

I agree with the majority. Matt white. You will find these at the Laminex shops. Called 2pack doors. The good thing with 2pack is that you can choose any colour from a paint chart. I'd probably choose Dulux Whisper White, a bit warmer and will compliment the granite and the white subway tiles. Also agree with no handles.
You have gloss subways and granite, need to introduce a warm Matt white. The timber floors with these colours will look great.
The 2pack Matt is not like a Matt wall, it's more of a silky look, check it out.
I'm sort of doing the opposite to you, white tops 2 pack charcoal doors.

Matt white drawers instead of that light-sucking teal, definitely no handles but had you thought of making the fridge and oven wall above the bench black? I think that would give your kitchen some serious wow and your gorgeous wood floor would add to the impact. Try placing a large black object on the floor to gauge how the timber colour sings!

just viewed your imagined dilemma - the jade colour of doors - are they a laminate - if they aren't - yes if you desperately need a change - have white laminate (like the whole neighbourhood). but if the jade cupboards are definitely laminated I would not replace - for the jade is stunning. Furthermore, you would make a good move to extend the black high-gloss laminate to those floor-level cupboard doors which currently have a wood strip (which the previous owner did (I presume)I would suggest you have a single black strip definitely 2inches high inserted as a line in that area. (this job must be done by an experienced laminator - to perfection (this will eliminate the eye-sore strips of wood.( but it must be applied as a continuous band (from a to b) - not bits - Furthermore, the high-gloss black floor-boards will look good so close - meeting each other. I NOTE YOU WOULD DO WELL WITH A LARGISH SLEEK KITCHEN SINK ( YOU SEE BY DOING THESE SMALL CHANGES YOU ARE GETTING A WHOW KITCHEN.

Am I imagining the green which seems to extend to the ceiling line is not cupboards up there if that is so do not take the green up to the cornice - the cupboards are the feature not the walls - the cornice in that room should be taken out - having the plastered wall reaching the ceiling without cornice. Your kitchen cupboards are the feature.(it would be good to paint upper walls and ceiling. Just "off white"

I am reluctant to tell you the kitchen window should be wider as the kitchen has a message but the window is like a poor relative.

If you carry-out these changes - the kitchen should be free of everything else - no utensils on the stove, nothing on benches or on top of other areas - the colour and impact - that is all that is needed (plus it has become modernised) - despite your belief that white is in - maybe in hospitals. Good Luck

Thanks chippyadams. I've grow to love the colour after 3 yrs ( spent renovating the rest of the house.) that's why I knew it had to go! The doors are 2 pac, the wood is inset, yet protrudes if you get what I mean . The far wall is all cupboards to the ceiling . There is also a 6 cupboard Island that is not in the photo. I'm not concerned with the size because behind the photographer is a dining area with a full wall of glass. I promise it will be sleek and clutter free when it is finished! We will put in a black sink

http://houzz.com/photos/17706547
I agree, white is the only way. It will lighten up the whole space!

stay away from the black japan floor. we made that mistake - every speck shows up on it. Sweeping daily is fine if you have OCD - otherwise not.

Another one for matt white. Your floorboards are lovely and I am sure you can spend these dollars elsewhere. Glad you can keep the carcus. I also like the idea of a contrasting colour or texture /timber above for a bit more interest. But all white would also look great.

I would actually go with pale grey cupboards. More neutral. Still fresh but not so stark. Floor is fine. If it’s solid timber you could resand it and lime it in pale grey or just a clear finish.

Just paint upper cabinetry white as colourful kitchens coming back in