What is the flooring and waht was the stain used for it. Did you not get a sample of what the clear coat would look like? I need more info. To begin make sure all the lighting in thta space is LED 4000K then at least there will be no yellow lighting to add to the mix.

Gorgeous kitchen--I'd leave it alone. It looks like wood and adds a nice warmth to the space.

Your cabinets look great! To get that pale look I think they have to be european oak or bleached before clear coating but yours look good as is IMO.

You can add a toner coat to most coatings. A toner coat is topcoat with a small amount of coloring, it can subtly tint woods and is good for adding depth, but takes a bit of skill to get right, your painter should definitely practice a bit before spraying the cabinets. You want to add a white mint coat. The white will lighten it a bit and the mint (green) will counteract the red tones.

As a note. You have to have a fairly steady hand to spray an even toner coat, but it is not particularly hard to do. However, never spray a toner coat on a project without testing it first, it can have surprising results.

A toner with a touch of green in it will shift the colorr to a cooler tone. Test before using it on the fronts of your cabinets!

I'd be leery of having a finisher working on them who doesn't already know that. It takes some skill and experience to get it right.

Leave this as is. Maybe it was not as you envisioned but it does look nice. Also, right now it looks different enough from the floor that it seems intentional. If you get it closer to the tone of the floor it will look like a mistake. Remember as well that you are seeing it now without any other furnishings or decor. It will come together when the room is complete and used.

Thanks you everyone, the floors are provenza engineered wood European oak (celebration collection). I’m not sure what type of clear coat my painter used, I will ask. I had cabinets custom made but unfortunately the cabinet makers do not handle the staining part. My painter did a good job but agree maybe didn’t have as much knowledge as I needed. He did some samples but I chose the clear without seeing the big picture yet. I worry about spraying a toner and messing with the wood. It is very beautiful, just not what I had envisioned. Led 4000k is a good idea. I think I’ll leave it and just work with my decor and lighting to bring it together. Really appreciate all the feedback and reassurance.

To me, the black island is what is detracting from the cohesion of this space. It just seems off, like one design choice too many, and a dark focal point in an otherwise light and warm kitchen. I would consider having that painted to match your white cabinetry.

Agree with highdesertowl, the black is one color too many.

The rest of the house has that iron ore charcoal paint (on all doors and some other cabinets) so it might look more cohesive if you saw the other spaces. I am going to get creamy wood barstools so the charcoal won’t be as pronounced ☺️

It looks like...oak. :-) I think it looks great.

The black is throwing it off, sorry!

That was my first reaction--you have too many colors going on! The poly coat you use will pull orange if you aren't careful about which you use. You should have done some test pieces. It might seem more durable but oil based poly is more orange.

If I were spending someone else's money, I would redo all the floors. Everything else looks great. The floors are kind of meh.

I agree that I wouldn’t do anything else. An experienced finisher probably could add a toner, but I don’t think it’s worth it. It’s beautiful wood. Once you get more finishing touches in the room and decorate it won’t be as noticeable.

Again, after seeing your family room, I think it looks just beautiful. Don't stress over it too much, ignore the nitpickers.

Thank you Diana 🙂

You have cream colored cabinets but white tile and white counters. IMO that is a bigger issue than the oak.

However, what did the painter use for the 'clear coat' Some polyurethanes have an amber tint and that would affect the color of your oak.

Haha, I was just going to say that I really like the interplay between the white tile/counter tops and the off-white cabinets. There is just enough contrast for it to look intentional.

I was worried about the creamy vs white as well. I’ve seen a lot of kitchens recently mix the two. The kitchen didn’t turn out exactly how I’d planned, but I didn’t have the money for a designer unfortunately. I will have to try to achieve my desired look with decor and furnishings. Maybe in years to come I’ll try to change cabinet colors but not in the budget now☺️

I like the off-white with the white. And I honestly wasn't trying to nit-pik :/ I was chosing what I would do as the easiest and cheapest option to bring things together. I think 3 colors of cabinetry in the kitchen is too much. Even after seeing the charcoal cabinets in the adjoining space. I think you will be much happier with the oak if you paint that island to match your off-white upper cabinets. I wish I knew how to digitally change your pic to reflect that as a visual. Just a suggestion and personal opinion :)

It does pull a little orange but I love it! A little reminiscent of our fir pieces when they first went in. They have mellowed over the years to a real orangy-red, and yours will mellow in a different direction, so it won't always look like it does now. I also really like it with your counters and backsplash, and with your floor. The only thing I don't really love is the cream for the uppers, but I think they're fine (and again, will look different with your oak as both the paint and the wood age). Scherr's has a page with photos of how their wood cabinets shift colors over the years--they have a white oak example, though it's not rift sawn. But will give you a sense of the kind of change to expect (and why it's not worth too much energy trying to exactly match things now). It looks beautiful and for sure I wouldn't mess around with trying to sand anything down to start over! See what it looks like with appliances installed. Another thing you could play with, if it isn't already in the plan, is to paint the white wall sections. There aren't a lot of them, but a color there could make your cream cabinets read quite differently and might pull something less white out of your backsplash. But again, not a route I'd go unless you find you're unhappy with how things come together in the end.

It’s amazing how much lighting can affect the look, I went there today and it seems much less noticeable…maybe time of day. I agree maybe the charcoal island was too much and that is why I’m getting a cream/wood color barstool. I have charcoal base cabinets in my butlers pantry. Sorry about the boxes, flooring is going in but you can see pantry from this angle. I think it will all come together, I’d hate to try something on wood base that I can’t fix.

I agree with others. The oak looks great but the charcoal island is too much and throwing things off. Too many cabinet colors going on.

I'm going to disagree that the dark island is too much--I think it grounds the space and keeps it from white overload. But that's just my opinion.

I agree with Diana on keeping it all, especially don't see an issue with the charcoal, I like the island. And that's the thing right there - when you ask a question like this, there are so many different opinions. We all like different things. Picking out finishes is hard. It's kind of "naked" right now without your things in it yet. I think you'll love your kitchen and new home!

Rosie, I think you have decided a good path forward, and appreciate Diana's far more experienced advice, as well as Abby's comments. Adding the barstools, finishing the space, making it feel like yours. All of those are better things to do first, before you consider changing any of the more permanent elements. I do think the soft white cabinetry and the white oak are gorgeous!

The end result looks great. Just needs some decor and greenery.

What are the countertops?

Is that white shoe moulding around your island? If so, I would paint it to match the island.

I think it looks awesome! It might not be exactly what you thought, but I think it may be a happy mistake. I gives a little contrast to the floor and a nice back drop for the island.

I do agree with Anna - change that trim around the base of the island. That light color will look a mess in a very short time. Assuming you are trying to cover a gap, see if you can get a scribe molding or shoe molding. This looks like a quarter round. .

Enjoy!

Yea the trim will be painted the same as island color! Just hasn’t been done yet 😀 counter tops are quartzite mont blanc

Looks gorgeous!!! The dark appliances, island and pendants pull the entire room together.

Enjoy your new kitchen!

It turned out lovely, and you’re right the stools bring it together. I’m also considering off white stools and am a bit worried about wear with a family, but they sure look great with dark base cabinets!

I think I would wait until you have it completely done; bar stools in and decor. I think the cabinets look fabulous and I would keep the island the same until you are done!

I think your oak looks nice. It brings warmth into your space. Something I have noticed in a lot of blogs and Pinterest photos of oak kitchens or just kitchens in general is that the photos themselves are digitally manipulated to look brighter. So sometimes what you’re seeing is now how it actually looks in person in the normal light of the kitchen.