Have you thought about changing the cabinet color of just the island? Bring in some accessories with pops of color (brick red would look nice, for example) I see what you're saying that it has a lot of similar tones. Glazing the cabinets in a darker tone may be another option. I would not tile over or wallpaper over granite...

I have been thinking about painting all of the cabinets... just worried about wear and tear with little ones.

anaglpyta can run into trouble with water damage, and not all of their products are fire-rated - which is not to say it is a wrong choice, but that considerations should be made.

Have you thought about having your head examined? You have a beautiful kitchen and for some reason you want to do little and/or big DIY projects and destroy it.

robynegreene, recolouring the island seems less violent than an entire cabinet palette overhall, and enough to inject a sizeable contrast -as it is different in style than the rest of the kitchen, it is a more attractive candidate. Little ones will wreak no more havoc on a new durable finish than an old one. I agree w gregjswife that accessories will soften this,too.

Agreed, studio, on all counts ; )

I have a similar kitchen. I am remodeling. It depends on budget. Kitchen needs to lighter colors. A nice clean white back splash.
The granite backsplash is terrible.

I like the granite. I think it's just too similar to the cabinet color. Have you thought of having an expert faux finisher or painter come in and paint the cabinets? A "rubbed" or somewhat distressed finish won't show a ding as much as a flat color. Pick up one of the cool colors in the granite and work from that. Cool grey tones and warm tan colors are excellent together. Remember that all trends in design are transitory. When I built my house 15 years ago, I did a black and white kitchen and everyone else was doing warm neutral tones, I thought "mistake!!", but now it looks quite current. I need to sell, now, before it goes out again!

I have the same problem in my kitchen and was wondering what to do. Same exact color....all neutral and it is depressing looking. My home decor leans on farmhouse side and I can't figure out what to do

I am planning on painting the cabinets white , changing backsplash and change knobs. I know it was an expensive kitchen but it is not my taste and outdated. I am changing mine.

If you are painting the cabinets white, consider leaving the granite backsplash until the paint job is finished. Then see whether the white cabinets transform your opinion of the granite by adding contrast. If you still don't like it, then go ahead and replace the backsplash. But replace it with something comparably upscale.

Try the smart tile , they r available only at Home Depot , they r great , mosaic might do well , easy to install and remove too..

Have you considered having the cabinets painted black? You could leave the island as it is. Change cabinet hardware.

Deleted this suggestion because as Studio points out, it would create a problem with the electrical.

Still wish you best of luck!

There will be an electrical issue to deal with if layers are added to existing granite.

Party pooper ;-)

Seriously, good point. Never occurred to me. Scratch that whole other blather I just did.

I like the granite...

another thought : leave the granite alone.

paint the island and all of the rooms trim in a deep charcoal. paint the walls a light to medium gray (with a brown base, not blue base)
replace some of the cabinet doors with glass fronts with interior lighting.

changing the lighting to something more current would also help.

if you want to choose a bright accent color, it could be used on the stool seats, rug and accesories. possibly, turquoise, chartreuse,cobalt or rasberry.

i

They actually make electrical outlet extenders although I've never used them.

I think it's a beautiful kitchen. I'd enjoy it as is!

*L* "Any problem solved is a new problem made" - Karl Pilkington

@studio10001. About our anxious poster we could say "any problem made is a problem made," with apologies to Mr. Pikington. She most definitely asked if she would be able to put wallpaper directly over the granite backsplash. Sounds DIY to me? Twenty years ago Lynette Jennings was showing eager DIYer's how to paint over anaglypta and lincrusta. It didn't take off then and I doubt it will now. To take out granite and install one of these instead falls squarely into the crazy column. Sorry for the poster but she if she wants some color there are other more rational approaches, such as she should consider changing out her lights for some colorful pendants with a nice modern chandelier, painting the bland walls, adding handles and knobs, replacing the bar stools with brightly upholstered ones, change out her white wood blinds for colorful Roman shades, fill in her wine storage with some colorfully labeled wines, get a new matching floor rug or painted floor clothe and add some new personal wall art. If that doesn't add enough color and personality to her kitchen, painting the kitchen black won't give her any satisfaction either.

So......another vote for accessories! Brilliant!

If anyone would like a lesson in insults go to Madeline's discussions.

@patriciahall. I don't know you. Why would you say that? My comment to the poster to have her head examined was so obviously joking and I was so kind to her in that I loved her kitchen and wished her to know this, that I just thought she would take it that way. If she didn't I apologize to her. And only to her. I mean come on: anaglypta to replace granite (in her beautiful kitchen) is so far out in left field it boggles the mind. And yet there are serious people on here, or people who wish to be taken seriously, who let her go on nattering about it and its ugly Victorian twin, lincrusta, thereby doing her a true disservice. But if people want to waste their time following me on houzz waiting for me to be nasty or insulting by all means go for it. They'll so learn the fallacy in your words.

Regardless of the tone of comments, I must agree that it would be a terrible shame to replace or cover that very nice high end granite backsplash! I sure hope the poster has decided to leave it alone and add or change accessories for interest.

Thank you for all of your comments! I am now thoroughly convinced NOT to touch the granite or even consider anaglypta or lincrusta as a back splash. I had read about it as a cost effective solution in another thread, but it definitely doesn't seem like the right solution for me. I'm quite sure that I don't need my head examined, and I am not a DIY gal (FYI), but I threw the idea out there in the spirit of brainstorming and thought it could be an "out of the box" approach to inject color into my bland kitchen. I think a more prudent solution would be to look into getting the cabinets painted. I am particularly fond of Archevie's suggestion of a distressed gray look. I think that may look nice with the granite (see attached).

So glad you're keeping the nice granite :) Please post pictures if you make changes. I guess the good news is, most everyone liked your nice kitchen. I worry that if I post a design dilemma, everyone will say, "that room is terrible".

I think you've got a good plan going! Would you do the island in the same shade or something darker?

I agree you certainly don't *seem* like you need your head examined. Not a thing wrong with exploring ideas outside the box. Some work, some don't. As someone said decades ago - nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Congratulations on finding a solution that feels workable for you!

Also, FWIW, while I don't think your kitchen is hideous, I do agree with you that it needs some oomph. I'd probably be leaning much the same way as you.

I've had to restrain myself from posting on some threads where people have rooms that I think are **gorgeous** and they want to paint or something major. It has to be difficult when you have a room you're just not happy with and have everyone tell you to leave it alone.

I would introduce some cooler, contrasting colors for the walls and accessories. If budget allows change some of the door fronts to glass - and display colorful crockery etc... with more of that same new palette. I think once you get away from some much "beige" you will truly enjoy this lovely Kitchen. I also think that if you are to paint - do it on the island!

robyn, also check out the kitchens photo section. I saw a lot of kitchens with cream perimeter cabinets and dark islands. Not your same shade of granite but the look was nice!

https://www.houzz.com/photos/2003-showcase-traditional-kitchen-new-york-phvw-vp~70379

Robynegreene, you might want to try uploading shots of your room on a paint website like Benjamin Moore to try out color combos; suspect you will find that more grey in the room is heading in the opposite direction of 'more colour'? You'll be able to virtually change both cabinets and walls to find the right balance. Hope you will post 'after' shots.

I agree that grey would be just another neutral that will blend in too much. If you did white, cream, chocolate brown or cranberry red it will pop. Have you considered changing out the island granite to a more bold color? Imagine a honed black countertop on a red or cream island. Pop with red accessories in the room. Done and done!

Remove the granite back splash and add a contrasting color there