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drdavidge_gw

Critique kitchen / bathroom colors?

11 years ago

Hey guys, we have our cabinets picked out so on to the countertop, backsplash, and floors. We luckily had a sample of our cabinet door color with us so we came up with this. Rectangle tile backsplash, this whitefish/gray countertop, and the darker gray tile floor. Not exactly sold on the floor (or anything for that matter), but we do like the countertop. Would a travertine beige color theme work better than this gray? Have other ideas? Like this?


Also we have a bathroom on that floor and we were thinking these colors. Dark gray tile floor, the white marble-like porcelain will be inside the shower and the sink/vanity top. Maybe paint the room light gray with white moldings and an espresso color vanity? Or is this too much gray on that floor?

Any ideas and suggestions are welcome. Thanks!

Comments (18)

  • 11 years ago

    And some other angles and lighting of the cabinet color:


  • 11 years ago

    any thoughts?

  • 11 years ago

    I have a caffe stained cherry vanity that looks very much like your door sample. You can go warm beige or cool gray with that stain. However, I see pink tones in the first subway tile and green tones in the second, so it's going to be hard for us to pick for you without an accurate representation of undertones. I lean more toward the gray tones with that quartz though. The floor looks nice with the counter too.

  • 11 years ago

    I like the backsplash/counters and shower wall material..... but the dark floors not so much. I'd want hardwood probably, even just a basic moderate dark stained oak ...but if you are wedded to tile I'd get a vinyl or laminate floor for resiliency and faux tile look-14 in squares-maybe diagonal laid or laminate planks or something similar. Gray is okay-there are lots of grays in these materials-but get a little brown in the gray. The tile you show just is not flattering with the other things... too dark/somber. Maybe the cabinets just accentuate that effect. Generally, I would be looking at contrast for the floor-I think the cabinets would look better. Maybe bring some other samples home.

  • 11 years ago

    I agree. Looking online it does seem that most people with these colors have wood floors. How do you guys feel about the wood grain porcelain tiles vs hardwood?

  • 11 years ago

    can the modernistic stainless handle be interchanged with a "softer" style .....I think you have a slightly more traditional door and with the very dark stain could use a softer metal look and also a softer style with curve or detail to give at least a transitional quality. Pewter? hammered metal? or something with a patina?

  • 11 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    A lot of people think tile is hard on the legs and feet. I have tile and have never had a problem with fatigue. Some people refuse to put hardwood in kitchens because of water damage. Leaking fridge water lines and DW are more common than you think. I'm not a fan of hardwood floors with wood cabinets though. You'll have to keep the red tones of your cabs in mind and avoid orange tones in the floor.

    Is that your door style or just a sample? Herbflavor is right about it being a very traditional style with a contemporary pull. I've noticed a lot of people can't identify style and end up with mismatched elements. Let us know if you need help with that.

  • 11 years ago

    My current kitchen has medium stained cherry cabs and a slate-gray tile floor. I've had tile kitchen floors since 1990, and they were only hard on my back if I was standing, working, for hours. I have put gel mats down in front of the areas I'm most likely to be standing a long time, and I never have any discomfort. Our kitchen floor gets a lot of traffic, including dog traffic, and a lot of dirt, melting snow, road salt, etc, tracked in from the garage. Gray tile, with dirt-colored gray grout, was the most practical option. Mine is from Crossville, called Strong, and the color is Nero (black) but it really is a darkish gray with warm tones, so it looks nice with wood.

    I agree with mayflowers - if you try to go with hardwood, you'll need to be careful with the undertones.

  • 11 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Thanks. The door color is the one pictured above. The door style is the Decora Prescott. I don't have a picture of the door style in the color we chose but this should give you a better idea. Our cabinet company included those handles and thought they were decent looking but open to your thoughts.


    Color (looks more like the darker picture in most lighting):

    Top door style in the picture below:

  • 11 years ago

    Maybe a floor like this?

  • 11 years ago

    What I see is a modified Shaker door style that can be traditional or transitional. Dark, espresso stain is contemporary. Large format wood-look tile and quartz are modern materials. Bar pulls are very contemporary, but overused/misused in every style of kitchen nowadays. I'd want something more special. Travertine backsplash tile is an Old World/Tuscan look, and that tile seems to have a bathroom vibe to me. It could work, but I'd try some solid colored tiles too. I would use a different size than 3" x 6" if you're working toward a more contemporary look.

    IF your home has predominantly cool colors, I would work with the gray palette in your second photo because it cools down the warm red of the cabinet. I think that medium gray floor tile is a good one. I would pull the gray veins from the counter and use a light gray backplash tile. You don't want a beige floor like in that last pic with a white counter.

  • 11 years ago

    So maybe a grayish floor like this one?

    Moen · More Info

    We could also get a quartz countertop that has more beige tones instead of gray if you think that might match better with some other color or style flooring. As far as the handles, they were included. You think we should get something different?

  • 11 years ago

    That floor is pretty because it brings in some warmer tones. It lets you go either warm or cool with everything else. I like it a lot (not herringbone though). It's similar to what I have in my bathroom--a white base but with some tan and gray blotches. My paint is gray with a touch of blue but I could have gone tan. I think you could still go with the white quartz with that floor and use a light gray or a warm gray tile as your backsplash.

    The above kitchen is very modern so the pulls look great. Slab doors, modern hood, glass mosaic backsplash, white quartz counter. I can't say what you should do without knowing what the rest of the house is like. I think you have a good eye for color based on what you picked out in your first post.


  • 11 years ago

    Thanks. So maybe that flooring with the countertop we already picked (or something like that with gray tones). Cabinets are picked. Backsplash... maybe something like this one? Solid light gray subway tiles? Or the one in my 2nd picture in the original post?

    Oak Park Kitchen by TZS Design · More Info

  • 11 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Also, as far as the bathroom, do you think it looks strange if we used that theme (gray floor, marble looking shower tile and vanity/sink top) which sort of matches the kitchen colors? The bathroom is actually connected to the kitchen so I wasn't sure if that will clash too much. It's the 3rd picture in the original post.

  • 11 years ago

    Ok, good news. Moved away from that kitchen flooring and went with something totally different to get away from the gray-heavy colors in the kitchen. Here's what we are going with now (ignore the gray wood grain tile):



    Now, just to pick a blackspash. We looked at these and liked the colors but not sold on the small tile sizes. What would look nice?






  • 11 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    I would try to use the same floor tile in the bathroom since it's connected to the kitchen. Design rule of thumb is to limit the number of flooring materials. I think that that wood tile is too dark, and it seems a bit rustic farmhouse-style compared to some of your other choices, but I have no idea of your house style. These suggestions are being made in a vacuum at my end, which I hate to do. All I can really say is I like or don't like that tile with that cabinet and counter. Can't really say if it works in your home. Can you post a drawing of your cabs and layout so I can see how much tile and where, what style hood, etc.?

    I would not use a square mosaic with that counter or floor. Mosaic is contemporary while floor is rustic. Counter and cabs are transitional. Not to say floor, cabs, and counter can't be pushed into or paired with a different style. The counter has just enough pattern that mosaic will compete. If you want pattern in your backsplash, I'd use a solid color tile but use a different shape--hex, herringbone. You might find a stick mosaic that adds texture but doesn't add much color.

    With a gray palette, people bring in color with accessories. I see a lot of orange, lime, and aqua with gray. Aqua would be a good choice with your red-toned cabinets.

  • 11 years ago

    I'm looking on Houzz for dark-stained cherry cabinets with white counters and not finding good examples. But here's one with a matchstick type of backsplash tile. It's a contemporary look but paired with very traditional cabinets. This kitchen suffers from what we call at GW "too many clowns in the room". Your eye goes everywhere taking it all in.


    Remarkable Kitchen and Luxurious Master Bath in Herndon, VA · More Info

    Now this kitchen uses a quiet warm gray subway tile in a larger format to add a touch of modern. It's very soothing. It has several modern touches in the bar pulls, chimney hood, and shelves but I would say the overall look is traditional with even a Craftsman vibe. Somehow they pulled it off. Hope they paid that designer well! That's a tiled floor but it doesn't have the knotty, raised-grain look of your tile.


    Harold Kitchen Burnsville · More Info