Thanks so veyr much. Well, the floors look much better in person. Just had them replaced to the tune of 18K. The rest of our home is in the beige, bone, brown family. The kitchen is a little off (as well as the bathrooms). Swapping the floors out is not really an option for us.

Here is a better image of the dining room floors, adjacent to the kitchen (pass through). Ignore the junk....house cleaning right now.

Do you have any other ideas regarding backsplash? And, countertops for the kitchen? I thought the very small tiles were being replaced with subway-type tiles.

Leave the backsplash. Replace the island and countertop. I don't care for the brown flooring but that's up to you.

The flooring is Palmetto Road (Riviera Collection - Bardot French Oak.

Bardot - Riviera Collection - Palmetto Road Hardwood Flooring (palmettoroadflooring.com)

Like the floors...lean into the warmth..take yourselves out to the stoneyard locally and look at granite. bring samples home. a gorgeous stone will really work with the all white cabinetry.

heres a green for example...

Pines Home · More Info

Thanks everyone for your feedback. So, would the countertops need to be white for this kitchen OR would another color be better to attempt to integrate with the French Oak flooring?

I am now looking for a kitchen designer who can assist me with this project.

You are in two palettes.

The Misty is far too cool with the flooring , which is warm and red.

You'd have been far better off with a very soft WHITE on the cabinets, or a warm green.

You choose tops, cabinet finish and color in conjunction with one another. You don't cling to a backsplash.

Piecemeal selections will kill you every time. The walls look gray, and that isn't working with the Misty paint, either.

Get a designer, and go together to a stone shop, after you first consider fixing the cabinet error, together: )

Jan....I am smiling to myself because after reflecting I believe the previous color was more along the grey family. Not sure that would have worked either. So, I am hoping to connect with a designer to see how to best correct this problem. My girlfriend is yelling: NO!! you paid a lot to have those cabinets painted. I think the decision is in: The cabinet color will have to go.

I am now "slowing my roll" and backing off until I can find a designer and we can map out a plan. I love my home. Not planning to sell anytime soon, so I have time to make the corrections. My spouse and I do love the floors as our home is very warm. The kitchen palette was fine until we changed the floors (more cherry) and changed the color of the cabinets.

I love your floor, and think you could use some warmth in the backsplash and counter tops. See if you can post some inspiration photos, you don't necessarily need to change the cabinet color, unless my monitor is not rendering the color accurately. It looks white to me.

A wood counter top on the island could add some warmth:

Summer School (Cape Cod, MA) · More Info

Studio City LEED Gold New Home · More Info

Maybe wood on the ceiling too?

Custom Modern Barn · More Info

White kitchen · More Info

No to the backsplash you posted. Try something colorful, like green/blue/etc.

Navy blue:

Concord Avenue · More Info

West HIlls - Kitchen · More Info

turquoise!

Mediterranean Kitchen · More Info

Love this green!

eco+historical Downey · More Info

Generally, the 4” backsplash is removed if the remainder of the wall is tiled.

Will share some inspirations in the next comments

https://www.houzz.com/photos/laurelhurst-traditional-kitchen-seattle-phvw-vp~140875105

Backsplash and counter top

Hardy Road Kitchen, Bedford - Transitional - Kitchen - Boston - by Granite State Cabinetry | Houzz

I really like the countertops (marble).

White Contemporary with Carrera Marble - Traditional - Kitchen - Austin - by UB Kitchens - Kitchen Design and Cabinets | Houzz

Another backsplash option?

The Riley at Bradley Square - Transitional - Kitchen - DC Metro - by Stanley Martin Homes | Houzz

Possibilty of contiguous backsplash with countertops?

Contemporain Cuisine - Contemporary - Kitchen - Paris | Houzz

Countertop and backsplash?

Oak Knoll - Traditional - Kitchen - Los Angeles - by Waterford Construction | Houzz

Look here:

I see beige chairs, ivory/beige rug, and ( pale gray ? ) walls? I also see ice cold 4000 k lighting?

I bet the same cold lighting is washing the Misty to near icy white in your kitchen, as Diana mentioned " They look white" They do.....and they appear a cool white

Nonetheless? I stand by what I said. You're in two palettes, made harsher by the floor and cabinet color fight.

I would put no focus on the backsplash, the riser should have come off before the tile was installed, anyway. Free yourself from it, there are many sensational tops, and as many that could go right up that back splash........ NO tile necessary.

Last? Gray walls. Maybe let that go too : )

Thanks so much for the feedback. In 2022 we suffered a tremendous damage due to frozen pipes and had to make quick decisions in the absence of a designer. Out of our home for months.

The images do not do our home justice. It is warm and beautiful and we love it.

The walls in the rest of the house are far from grey…. More in the taupe / beige family. The kitchen is definitely the wrong color. And it needs to be painted. Maybe as someone said: the same color as the cabinets.

Just as designers are artists, I, too, am an artist: a creative photographer. And, the one thing I have learned is that “it’s OK to paint outside the lines”. So, I have broken a few “design” rules by introducing 2 palettes. But, I am OK with that because when I stand in my kitchen I don’t feel the disconnect you reference.

1. I do see the need to change the bad mess of lighting and repaint the kitchen the color or the cabinets. The LEDs are mixed and maybe you can recommend a different kind of lighting.

2. I agree the countertops can form a continuous backsplash without using tile. I think tile will actually create more fragmentation.

3. I love my floors. Lots of folks do. Just installed. Not going away. Will have to find countertops that being them in and create somewhat of an integration point between the current cabinets and the floor.

4. Bad design decisions to designers. I am sure. But, my cabinets were just painted to the tune of $4000. At that time I had no intention of replacing the countertops. And if it is impossible to “minimize the design conflicts” at a reasonable cost, then I will remain with what I have.

You see as an artistic photographer, lots of folks show up for “me to transform them”. I take them with all their physical blemishes and do what I can to lift them in the way in which my art can. Most walk away feeling better than when they arrive…. we collaborate on an outcome…. It may not be perfect, but it is far better than the raw material that presented itself.

I am a constrained homeowner that is asking for guidance. My constraints are:

1. I love my floors. All $18k worth.
2. My cabinets were painted 3 months ago. $4k

Those are constraints / my blemishes. Not looking for a lecture on “those”. They are constants.

And, if from your perspective you see that there is no salvation because of my constraints, thank you and I appreciate the silence.

In Light,

Carolyn

The color of my walls throughout the rest of the condo.

You seem to like a very cool palette, after viewing the kitchens in your links.

You could marry the cool of the kitchen and warm of the rest of the house with a stone that has both. Calacatta marble or Imperial Danby can have both gray and beige veining. You could start there.

Calacatta:

Arbor Cove · More Info

Arbor Cove · More Info

Arbor Cove · More Info

https://www.stonecontact.com/imperial-danby-marble/s7243

Beautiful 💜💜

Thank you so very much💜💜

Looking at a few other options in for wall / countertop consideration (in addition to what Diana Bier Interiors, LLC, provided).

502 Sleet: Cool and Refined | Caesarstone A&D (caesarstoneus.com)

508 Isobellia Porcelain Countertop | Caesarstone US

5122 Aterra Verity Quartz Countertop | Caesarstone US

Calacatta Lucca Polished - Precision Stone Design (precisionstonedesigns.com)

Of the four you linked, the Calacatta Lucca would be my choice. But of course you need to see everything together in person.

Diana, I thank you for your thoughtful feedback and your patience. I love the Marble you shared, but just wondering how difficult it would be to maintain. Any special considerations for the kitchen (and marble)? I keep hearing quartz and porcelain might be better choices. I do want something that has the brown / gold veins to, as you suggested, tie the cabinets and floor together.

I also am considering painting the kitchen a softer white (but only after the selection of the countertop / wall material. Will also swap out the kitchen lights. Right now I have a hodgepodge of "cold" and "warm" LEDs. Never got around to swapping them to one color temperature, but planned. The mixture is what's throwing the images off.

I am not enamored with a "cool" kitchen. My choices were trying to map back to the cabinets and I was leaving out the flooring. So, thank you so very much for the reminder of the countertop needing to integrate the two as much as possible. :-)

In gratitude,

Carolyn

I understand your dilemma, Carolyn. As to the question of the functionality of marble, that's a whole other discussion.

https://hintex.com/products/italian-calacatta-gold-slab-a-matt-beige-63-x-126-12mm?srsltid=AfmBOorKoELyzz7oiCzlOKtGGvE-nT48StJGcpHQsB0mhmmFp7eD85lU0b8

Not sure if it’s available in the states.

I really like this one.

Contact the company and see if they have a distributor or showroom near you.

If not, go to a stone yard and ask if they have anything like it. There's no substitute to seeing it all in person--you have to do the legwork. Or you hire someone to do it for you :)

I plan to go and see the tile. Thanks so much.

My cabinets are also painted SW Misty. I have Shadow Storm marble on my perimeter counters with a vzag backsplash. My island base is painted SW Anchors Aweigh, with a butcher block top that helps bring down some of the coolness. It seems to work ok in my space.

A M that sounds wonderful. Thanks so much.

Fresh thoughts this morning.

I am going to gradually rein this project back in for a reset.

I hear the feedback on the disconnect between the misty cabinets and the warmth of the floors.

I am considering the following combinations (countertop swap out first of Calacatta quartz) and later a repaint of the cabinets in this family of colors.

Thoughts?

Wrong counter image but similar to calacatta gold.

Of course the walls will need to be replaced as well. This will be a gradual process, but with a wholistic plan😊😊

Wall color….

I think this is the one….the fabricator sent me the photos today. Going to check it out myself tomorrow.

Visited the quartz warehouse this morning with the contractor. Right now we are looking at the quartz in the attached photos as the based product. It has a gold veins encircled with greyish blue veins that will marry the cabinets and the floors. No samples available because this quartz is new.

Once the counters are in, we will decide if we want to paint the island (and the color).

Will make the island decision while we are determining the best color for the kitchen walls.

Hard to capture the true beauty of this quartz with my cellphone and the poor warehouse lighting.

Just make sure you know how the veins will appear before you purchase it. If you have to seam it anywhere, the veins could appear as a problem. We've seen this on these forums before.

Whose quartz is it? and yes to everything Diana said above.

Is it called "Golden Spider"?

This is quartz

Citi Quarz

He is showing me his diagram and is able to have 2 continuous pieces (wall and countertop) without cutting. The seam will be in the curved part of the countertop. He will match the seams. Highly reputable and meticulous gentleman who knows what he’s doing.

Thanks for your feedback and support.

Golden spider?? Has a make and name?

Or by another name?

Citi Quartz has the numbers and not the names. It is my understanding that it is a new product as they did not have samples for it.

Another view

Good Morning

The vendor does not have enough material for the island. Would something very plain/ more muted work OR should I go with a strong central piece for this island?

We still want the material listed below for the walls and countertops.

Island

The contractor was lying. The warehouse has 12 slabs of the Akron quartz. (a new product). Got rid of that contractor and signed with a full-service company.

Stay tuned 😊
Gonna make this “cool/ warm” palette work!!