Same cabinets with different counters or different cabinets with same counters. Not different cabinets and different counters.

@porkchop_z5b_MI so you think that is a definitely "rule" then huh? :) Confirms my hunch but I am curious if anyone else has an example of this working out nicely.

Chris loves Julia kitchen uses soapstone and marble with contrasting cabinetry and I think looks nice

https://www.chrislovesjulia.com/modern-colonial-kitchen/

I wonder whether the checkerboard association is due to being black and white rather than a color, because I see it too. We were shown a design with white perimeter cabinets/soapstone and a jasper green island with white quartz which we liked, and subsequently got an opinion from a cabinet person that it could look like the island was an afterthought. We shopped for dark countertops throughout and then flipped back to the original idea when we found a lovely light green quartzite for the island and plan to go with a more muted honed black granite for the perimeter to allow the island to be a statement.

If it feels checkerboard-y to you, you won’t be able to unsee it. But your photo shows a very dark island base and you said yours will be medium - be very deliberate with the undertone in the island wood color so it looks good with the off-white perimeter cab and the color counter you select for the island.

The 2 photos you posted also have very different floor colors and shiny v matte finish, so that may be Influencing your preference?

We are doing it a bit differently— light perimeter cabinets and counter (cream and marble) with dark island cabinets and counter (blue and walnut).

Her'a one i just saw that is maybe more relevant to what you want to do

@blueskysunnyday Do you have pictures? Would love to see that combination!

MrV66, no, not yet. They were supposed to have started by now, but have not. All I could show you now is my cleared-out, but still intact, old kitchen!

I am going to point out that the 'rule' that was stated is not followed by all. Actually I more often see designers on shows choosing a different counter for the island. When choosing differnt IMPO it's safest to chosse higher contrast than lower--so it looks intentional.

blueskysunnyday, good luck! we are in beginning stages and I have a picture in my head of a dark island with dark top and white/light on the perimiter but most images when I search come up with the oppossite combo🤷🏻‍♀️

Wow, thanks for all of the comments and photos. I tend to agree that there should be very few hard and fast rules. I am sure we can all think of kitchens that follow the "rules" but don't work well, or more likely, ones that break the rules but are done well and look fabulous. I need to look for more example photos because that is really helping me picture what my kitchen could look like.

photos of exactly what you envision do help tremendously. But It is hard to find an exact image online if it isn’t what everyone is doing at the moment. A certified kitchen designer can mock up exactly what you envision. (Ex. In 2015 I could never find photos of natural maple cabs with something other than a solid black counter; I relied on 3D color rendering by my designer)

IMO you either have a different colored islan anfd all the same counter or a fiffernt island counter and all the same color cabinets the the choice you are thinking of is too much. Your "designer" should bring you actual samples and IMO they should take you to the stone yard to choose slabs/ A good designer will do that a cabinet salesperson trully does not care.You never choose anthing this major from photos

@marylut yes, renderings have been very helpful. But I also find myself looking at the inspo photos we had gathered for her at the start, and realizing that there was always one element that didn't work for me. @Patricia Colwell Consulting yes, we are picking out everything in person. And we hav brought samples and doors etc home and looked at them in the light of the actual room. Made that mistake with carpet in our first house, and will never do that again. What looked gray in the store looked lavender in the house!