A waterfall does not belong in that kitchen. At all. Definitely not with the cabinets as is, but also not if they are painted. Look at pictures of kitchens with waterfalls. See if even one picture that looks nice shares anything in common with your cathedral cabinets. Odds are, they won’t.

We are replacing the door fronts and getting the top tuned down. Replacing the handles and appliances

What has been done already? You say you decided to "start with island remodel" . You need a plan before moving forward. A waterfall is modern and the layout of your cabinets will not become modern with new door fronts.

Nothing has been done. Since we have an open plan house we decided to start with the island and then invite a designer to tell us what to do next with cabinets and back countertops and floor and lighting

Do you have a budget for a full redo? If so do it all together otherwise it might not be cohesive.

A bit confused..are you restaining or painting cabinets or replacing doors only with a shaker style and are you removing trim from the top? What about drawers and backsplash? It’s a very modern island and entire kitchen has to compliment or you could end up spending a lot of money and it not working

Have you seen inspiration kitchens with modern black islands and what were the combinations re: cabinets, backsplash, etc - it’s a very specific look

Love it! We are redoing back splash, or course

Sorry but without a complete gut of not only the kitchen but probably the adjoining spaces there is no way this space can have a waterfall island . They only belong in very contemporary spaces IMO.

What is the budget for all the things you want to do with your kitchen? How does the cost of the waterfall island fit in that budget?

Have you priced what a waterfall island will cost you? If so, can you please tell us? They are very expensive, and if they are not, there is something wrong - there are many posts about botched waterfall counters on this forum because the homeowner got a crazy low price for the amount of skill, expertise, and hours involved. In fact, half the battle of a waterfall counter is finding the right fabricator. Have you done that?

A waterfall counter does not fit with the decor of your house nor the size of your kitchen. You are going in the right direction to work with a designer, but you need to start working with the designer from the getgo. Not after the fact.

We paid 8k plus sink and faucet for the island. Husband owns construction business, he will demo himself. We both want the island, trying to figure out how to make everything else work around. This house is for us, not resale

Shagane:

Although it's probably not what you wanted to hear, you're getting excellent advice; hence the value of this site. It's like you've seen the wheels on a car you like, want to buy them, then select a car upon which they will fit.

You can have your waterfall, but you've got to think comprehensively to get it please.

This is a before and after of a kitchen in a traditional home that we redesigned to include a waterfall island. Note that this was part of a larger renovation that included the modernization of everything in the home from the windows to the staircase to the front door. If your long-term goals are for a modern home and you are prepared for the cost and effort in attaining that, then this type of island can work. But if you are hoping to just remodel the kitchen, and even then, only partially, I fear that you will be disappointed in the end result.

@Shagane Sigler - since you and your husband want that waterfall island so much, you will have to come to terms with the fact that you will need to gut the kitchen for new. Painting/staining or refacing the cabinets won't work with the waterfall island. You are wanting an ultra-modern look plunked into a kitchen that is not in any way modern. Painting/staining still leaves the 1980s cathedral doors and that the cabinets don't meet the ceiling. Refacing still leaves the cabinets not meeting the ceiling. The up-and-down of the upper cabinets and the corner cabinet are also 30+ year-old designs. The backsplash will also have to go. The base cabinets need to be replaced with base drawers. And I have never seen an over-the-range microwave in a kitchen with a waterfall island; you will need to replace with a hood,

Your floors are the best part of the kitchen. You mentioned redoing them. I hope you just meant sanding them and a couple new top coats. Do not replace the floors. Do not stain the floors some kind of gray color or black color. Leave them as is.

If you are going to do the waterfall island, you will need to gut the kitchen and replace with one that looks like 2021. If you do it piecemeal like you've mentioned, and keep the cabinets and backsplash, it will look worse than if you left it alone. The designer idea is good. A designer will be of great help.

I am sorry but for the modern look you are going for with that island that is a complete gut job. It will look out of place unless you redo the entire kitchen, including the flooring.

Yours truly modeling the $2,500.00 Men's slipper version of the $3,500.00 Jimmy Choo ruby slippers in Vegas a year ago.

@Caroline Hamilton - can you please expand on why you said “including the flooring”. The flooring looks very good to me, much better than some of the carp quality I see installed in recent renovations. Also, it appears to run to adjoining room(s), so it may be quite an undertaking to replace those wood floors. And, can you suggest what you would replace them with?

Not replacing the floors, resanding in all 3 flotsam d getting rid of yellow/ orange hue

I think black countertops are starting to look dated. I recently replaced the black Corian countertop--just on the 10-foot island--with a light gray quartz material. I left the old black Corian on the rest of the countertops. Everyone who has seen it agrees that it looks great. the island lightens up the room, looks more up to date, but saved me the expense and complications of replacing all of the countertops. I think your cabinets are a bit dark, especially with dark countertops.

I was thinking black island and white countertops , white backsplash and cabinets some kind of wood stain, knobs and pulls all replaced .
Now I am worried about the top cabinets- not sure if husband would go for total replacement

Shannon, while the floor looks beautiful it does not go with the modern aesthetic the OP is going for. I see she is going to resand and refinish which will help.