Walnut countertops and marble backsplash? Too much?

10 years ago

Hello,

I'm almost down to crunch time on picking a countertop and am planning to go with mostly wood countertops with marble or quartzite on the pseudo island, but am second guessing whether the walnut butcher block I was planning to go with would work with my narrow galley kitchen. I made a mockup, attached--any thoughts on whether i should stick with this or go with a light/medium greyish quartz like silestone alpina white?

I was tempted to go with marble all over, but a) haven't found a marble that would work that well with my off white cabinets and b) that's a lot of white jumping out at you in a narrow north facing kitchen. I have some darkish wood closet shelving i've been playing with as a faux countertop, and it does seem to recede a bit and make the kitchen feel less crowded.

I love the idea of a marble backsplash as a compromise since i found an arabesque pattern that has both warm white and some cooler grey to tie into the marble on the pseudo island, but should i go with a white ceramic instead?

Just as background, there is a window that you can't see in the mock up across from the pseudo island and in between the sink wall an the stove wall, and the flooring is a slightly darker red oak in real life (i'll eventually have it restained or replaced with something less red, probably mahogany or chestnut). I'm planning to run the marble tile across the window wall, so it would be on all four sides in one way or another. I've attached a photo from mustard seed interiors, which was one of the inspirations.

Featured Answer

jocrochet

10 years ago

I did this in my own kitchen and I love it!!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (10)

amykath
10 years ago
I think it would look great! I love warm dark tones next to brighter shinier surfaces like marble.
sjhockeyfan325
10 years ago
I also think it would look great - not sure why it wouldn't!
Related Professionals
Watertown Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Carlsbad Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Gainesville Kitchen Remodelers · Sedalia Kitchen Remodelers · New Haven Kitchen Remodelers · Lima Kitchen Remodelers · Chico Kitchen Remodelers · Orlando Custom Countertops · Salina Custom Countertops · Johnson City Custom Countertops · Lynchburg Custom Countertops · Anniston Custom Countertops · Boston Custom Countertops · Muskegon Custom Countertops · Willmar Custom Countertops
amyfgib
10 years ago
It sounds amazing to me! I think rather than overwhelming the small space, all those beautiful finishes will make it into a "jewel box."
Danielle Gottwig
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
I have a small galley, and the idea of wood and marble in the same little kitchen made me smile and drool on myself. :)

It looks like you're thinking of wood on most of the surfaces, and just a little marble on those two stand-alone cabinets? If so, this appeals to me - I immediately think "baking station." Which makes me drool again.
homechef59
10 years ago
While visually lovely, won't it be a maintenance nightmare?

I've had maple butcher block, but it was only oiled and not near water. It did show cuts and pits after a few years. And, wood near water is a moldy mess. Marble has a different set of issues.
forumuser1
10 years ago
I too, have always had concerns re wood countertops ...microbe growth, tendency to dent and chip, requirement for continual finishing, and inability to withstand high temp on pots and pans without scorching or marking. Wood is good for flour product prep, but other than looking cool ...IMO it isn't a good countertop surface.
User
10 years ago
I have had teak countertops on my "L" shaped sink/stove run for 8 years. It is around a Caldera gas cooktop as well as my Miele built in deep fat fryer and an antique soapstone sink. No " moldy mess" and I have never needed to worry about where to set hot pots since I have 5 burners and that is loads of room. I sealed my teak myself with Waterlox. I don't have pics in my computer anymore ..they are in Photobucket ...here are two links I hope this works ! . A little forethought and the right wood and you will have a gorgeous kitchen that is certainly a " working " kitchen as ours is.

http://s63.photobucket.com/user/41455/media/KAW/IMG_6457_zps4d8f0b98.jpg.html

http://s63.photobucket.com/user/41455/media/KAW/IMG_5989.jpg.html
Izzy
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks for all of the input! I was second guessing myself on whether wood countertops on top of wood floors in a narrow space would just look like a lot of wood or whether it would help balance all of the white cabinetry, and I wasn't sure if the marble was too much on top of that since some kitchen designers warn about using too many elements. But I want all of the pretties in my kitchen! I'm going to go for it.

Yay, waterlox! Trailrunner, I'm so happy to hear you're loving yours after 8 years--I'll definitely be going with it. I had misgivings about wood countertops until I ran across all of the reviews of waterlox. And the marble fabricator I'd go with has a great acid wash treatment that reduces the appearance of etching. And it helps that I know I'll be okay with some dings and chips and scratches, especially since my current place has a cottage/farmhouse vibe to it. I loved the quartz in my last place, but it chipped around the undermount sink after five years. I think i'll be less upset with wood or marble since I'm not expecting the same durability...plus with wood I can always sand it down and refinish it, and marble can be rehoned.
alimages
10 years ago
Look at my recent thread. I used Caesarstone in most of my kitchen with a small area of butcher block. It works just fine and helps break up the kitchen.