Looks like its going to be dark. You need tons of can lights.

suzyq53 There will be 4 can lights in the kitchen and 3 pendants above the island. There are also 4 can lights and a chandelier in the dining room.

Is that dark sample the color you are proposing for use in the kitchen cabinets? Your first photo clearly shows the glare from a one-directional light source and the fall off you can expect. Using dark counters will accentuate that darkness in the kitchen space.

As Suzy said, if you follow your initial concept you are going to need a lot of lights in the kitchen.

If it was my house I'd lighten up the kitchen.

I'm not a pro but that kitchen area in your first photo looks dark-ish to me. To be fair, I'm not a fan of black ss appliances. I'd still be concerned the paint color could be too dark when paired with the black ss. I do love your countertop choice.

Virgil, what color would you suggest for the cabinets that would coordinate well with the black stainless appliances and our wood look tile? I definitely don't want to end up with a dark kitchen.

These cabs are Gauntlet gray. What do you think?

Suzy I LOVE those cabinets and the flooring isn't too far off from ours! This gives me hope! I just really wish I could find a picture of Gauntlet Gray cabinets and black stainless appliances. If I could go back, I would just buy regular stainless steel appliances. I got wizard tricked into the fingerprint resistance and now have no idea what they will look like.

It works for me in that kitchen, but the stainless appliances work nicely. It may just be the lighting, but the cabs look slightly brown-ish on my screen. If they're the same color as the island, then nice, IMO. A problem with black appliances is they can become "black holes." They need something to add balance.

They will look great with just about anything. But you'll need some lighter surfaces to mix in. Here's one with black ss and mixed cabs.

"We have chosen black stainless steel appliances."

Setting the cabinet color aside, I would reconsider black stainless steel appliances. There have been quite a lot of reports on this forum that the finish is just an ultra-thin coating that scratches easily. Get regular stainless instead.

Suzy's example with the mixed cabs and black appliances looks more balanced to me, especially if the dark cabs are as dark as the appliances.

Shannon, I wish I could turn back time. We had already purchased the appliances before I read all of the horrible reviews on here. I am just hoping for the best now and trying to work with what I've got! It was a hard lesson learned though, I can promise you that!

I like the idea of mixing cabinet colors!

I think it will look great! The white backsplash and counters will lighten it up.

Gray lowers white upper cabinets...?

With white cabs?

Light gray I think.

I like the Gauntlet Gray color. Showplace Cabinetry have them as a standard color in their finish offerings. Here is a small basement bar I did for a client last year. Homeowner texted me these from her phone so not the best quality. This is a bar, so homeowner wanted a dark, dramatic countertop.

Gauntlet Gray will work fine. Go for it!

Our island is gauntlet gray. But all other cabinets are white. My kitchen doesn’t have enough natural light for all gray. And we have 8 or 10 can lights in the kitchen and 3 pendants.

Anglophilia, Repose gray is a great option! What color did you use for your walls? I am wondering if SW Crushed Ice would work for our walls if we did Repose for the cabs?

Brandi,

I have a dark kitchen and would love to have more natural light. If you want to lighten it up, I think that example of the lighter gray (repose gray or something similar would work). Also, it says you have chosen the granite, but have you bought it? I would say that you need to have a solid off white counter or faux marble look quartz. They have some beautiful choices. Good luck! :)

With the right lighting, white elements (countertops, backsplash), and some open shelving, you should be good. Make sure your walls aren't dark. Another option is to choose a lighter tone of grey or think about two-tone kitchen where you can have SW Gauntlet Gray on base cabinets but choose something lighter for upper cabinets. Good luck, and keep us posted if you can.

I have dark kitchen cabinet uppers, lowers, and island (maple stained charcoal grey/brown) and a fairly dark granite. However, my floors are light light cream/grey/beige, my walls are white, and we have lots of natural light (one wall is a multi-slider solid glass, 3 windows, 6 can lights, 2 pendant lights, and under cabinet lights). It still reads a bit dark. Also, grey can become very drab. We are balancing it by adding a warm cream island wrap (back half is white sheet rock) and a warm brick-look backslash (also fairly dark). We’re happy with the overall look but it’s certainly not a “light and bright” kitchen.

Sorry no updates pictures but here are the elements.

We ended up painting the cabinets SW 7005 Pure White and the island SW 6991 Black Magic! The walls and ceiling are painted SW 7647 Crushed Ice. The countertops are quartzite. Black stainless Samsung appliances. I love how it turned out! I am a big fan of black and white! We ordered Emtek Freestone cabinet knobs and pulls in black. I think the cabinet hardware will really pull it all together! I will post a pic after they are installed!

Great choice. Better than the gray. Now at least your kitchen will be bright and light and I love the black island. What color bar stools will you be doing as an accent? (My personal favorites with black and white are either a bright teal, yellow or red)

Very nice! I like the balance of the black island with the black appliances.

cpartist, we ended up buying these bar stools from amazon.