This was the BEFORE!!

going to need more info.

of course a sealer is going to darker the wood. have you never used a topcoat?

if you wanted no change, it should have been specified in writing that you wanted the raw wood look. A certain type of wood oil (i think bona or rubio makes it) should have been used.

how long ago was it sealed?

What was used?

For what it's worth, I don't think it looks bad. beautiful cabinets. I think the white island is too bright. You have black in the other room, so why the white island?

the black would have looked better. you have all these black elements being used, but no black in the kitchen. paint the island black and the cabs will look perfect w/it

diff stools than whats in the pic.

here's the pendant. love this one

either hardware

optional lights

This is what they put on the wood- Its a big lesson learned for me. I put too much trust in the contractor. I did specify I didnt want the color to change.

The island is painted white and we are doing a waterfall island. I am now having to reselect the stone

this is what we were going to do, and can still do, just needing to pull a diffedent look together now.

any advise on the flooring?

it was sealed 2 weeks ago

Thank you beth

that's a beautiful stone.

I edited my photo above (your photo) to show the black. see what you think.

honestly, I think the white island is too bright for what you have going on in the room and the other room. a black or a charcoal would be my choice

this is what you want.

This with a white top is going to look weird. sorry.

Especially when you have black cabs, doors/stairs in the same room!!

with your stone, you could get a similar look like this. do you have enough for a backsplash too?

or look at doing a similar tile from Bedrosians. this might be the cloe tile in the square

I used BM Wrought Iron on my island w/Calacatta marble. the floors are a wide plank french oak from Calif Classic, Mediterranean line. color is Granville

laquer will yellow w/time. it's a nice finish, but it will amber. just the nature of the product. if you wanted it raw wood, a water based finish that doesn't change the color could have been used.

And, the next time you do cabs and have something applied, ALWAYS, whether it's paint or sealer, ALWAYS have them do a test/sample piece so you can see what the result looks like.

some others w/black

Cabinets, like furniture, receive a finish in a controlled spray booth environment. Painters typically don't have the knowledge to select or the facilities to apply sophisticated coatings now used on kitchen cabinets. Those lacquered cabinets will change color over time & are not resistant to chemical cleaners often used in kitchens to clean off grease and general soiling.

Thank you ladies!

seems like i should paint island black and get some lighter floors. This is a spec home so Im not adding any furniture.

so to keep the white oak color of the cabinets like they were before, its best to suggest a water based finish? im wondering how to keep the integrity of the cabinets - for future projects

For the future, you should always have the cabinet maker do the finish and you should always ask the cabinet maker what product they will use to maintain the same color. (This puts the burden on the cabinet maker to get the product right.)

Next, always ask them to make a sample door for you with the clear finish. My cabinet maker made sample interior shelves for us with the clear finish so we could approve of them prior to finishing. These were not even on glass front cabinets. They were just so we would like the clear coat on the inside that nobody really ever sees.

I'd paint the island charcoal or a grey black like Tricorn instead of solid black. For the floors, I think you really need to play around with samples in the space. If you go lighter you need to really make sure the undertones look good with the cabinetry.

Oil based finish will amber over time.

There are steps that professional cabinet finishers use to achieve a ”raw” oak look finish. A professional finish will protect the cabinets more than one that is sprayed by a painter.

Waht a mess . I do not understand about not being able to change this if it was the painters mistake unless of course nothing in writing which you should know better . All finishes on all things need to be in writing and ideally shown to you in sample for the cabinets . I guess if all of that was not done these are what you work with now . I do not see how adding a black island would be an improvement . The white is all wrong though so maybe a color to work with the wood . So many things IMO wrong with this kitchen why are the floors not in ? I really hate to say it but you should know better about all of this .

Bummer that this happened. I loved the cabs before the sealer. But I bet with your talents you will be able to turn this around and create an even better space. Don't give up, You got this!!!

What were you originally doing for the floors? Wood ? Tile? A light wood could look really nice

You might still be able to use that slab for the counters... Look at this kitchen. A bit of white and black tie it all together. And the darker wood looks lovely

Contemporary Tuscan · More Info

This is a slightly less orange wood than yours but the white counters looks nice.

City View House · More Info

Modern High Contrast Kitchen · More Info

@patricia thank you for your comment. I did make a mistake and put too much trust in my contractor. I dont know any designer that has gotten through their career without mistakes that they’ve had to learn through and pivot.

@Boxerpal thank you for your kind encouragement. I was going to do a light wood floor, and will probably try to install a similar floor now thinking about it some more. I am ordering a few boxes of different flooring to lay out before deciding.

thank you for your kindness and encouragement.

I like the sealed cabinets better and hate the white island. Pity it wasn't done the same as the perimeter. Yes, I think now that you've committed to painting it, it should be black to tie into the built-ins.

(It's worth noting, though, that I prefer darker woods ... I'd actually prefer another shade or two darker on the wood, so my preference may not match the vision you had for the space. I'd also want a wood mantle over the fireplace that isn't in the plan presented.)

My concern with that stone would be that it has a lot of movement, so it is a significant challenge to have it as a waterfall and a backsplash. Make sure the project has an excellent fabricator and that you approve the layout for how they'll cut the slabs and place any seams.