We’re working on a new build urban house, modern, for two empty-nesters. We’ve met with our designer, the cabinet person and the person at the countertop / tile etc. store and made tentative decisions for our kitchen. It’s open concept, so the kitchen is open to the greatroom and the dining area. In the images below, note that the windows are larger than shown, we’re changing the cabinets that are to the left of the fridge, the walls by the fridge won't stick out like that, and the bar part of the island is as shown on the 3D image. On our decisions so far, I’m veering between “it’s too busy” and “too neutral.”

In our current house, we have golden oak floors AND cabinets, and I don’t want anything like that; our current place has slab cabinets, so I would like something a bit different. My big want is the two-level island / bar, with the bar part to have a dramatic countertop that waterfalls and has a lot of movement (we never eat there, it’s place to sit and chat with the cook). I love the look of soapstone and limestone (for anywhere) but they are impractical and not in our budget. Spouse doesn’t want countertops that are anything close to white. We’re planning white oak flooring, probably lightly whitewashed, but that color will key off all the other decisions. And I like color, not neutrals, and no white kitchen for us! Also, no subway tiles.

Choices so far are KitchenCraft shaker-style maple cabinets, stained “Thunder,” a brownish dark grayish. Stainless steel appliances. Caesarstone Symphony gray for the “perimeter” counters and on the lower part of the island, which is darker than I had in mind, but I love and reminds me of soapstone/limestone. The statement bar slab search has not yet started; it will be quartzite or granite. I’ve looked at things online, and have seen a lot that I love. For the backsplash, larger-scale grayish glass tiles (Arizona Tile Islandia 4x12 Glossy Hawaii), stacked. We also discussed, for the

part of the backsplash behind the stovetop, something like Bedrosians Chateau Deco, one of the Daltile Quartetto tiles, or some other geometric tile. But would that be too busy? Or is there something more interesting that we could use for the entire backsplash?