Yes to ^^^

Take samples to the stone yard too. Best way to pick your countertop.

Obviously this is just me playing with AI, but if we but our the blue cabinets and lighten up the floor, does something like this work?

that looks good. the green areas [wall and tile] work because its almost a neutral these days ..might be nicer than a blue as your way of getting some color......i dont know about the lighter floor...they make me a little nervous but we have semi wooded lots and lots of outdoor activities on 2 properties, so there is tracking......I might try a medium slate w the dark counters but that looks fine if you want a lighter floor. I like the cab stain color.. a nice shade to work with. can you insert a stainless range ?

Yes that looks good except for the 4” dark counter material backsplash. It’s not needed or advised with the lovely green tile

I don't think that looks good. There is still too much going on in a tiny space between a lip backsplash plus tile backsplash plus two cabinet finishes plus a contrasting wall color plus a white appliance. And it's neither whimsical nor classic, your two design criteria. In fact, the combination of sage green and taupe-y cabinets and a pinky-beige floor is very clinical, and overall you have a lot of different undertones that are clashing.

Why are you so committed to having multiple cabinet finishes? It's not adding whimsy and it's not classic.

It does not work. The cabinets are too different and do not coordinate at all.

I’m sorry, but I think having two cabinet finishes make a small kitchen look smaller. I considered it when I recently renovated the small kitchen in my 110 year old house, and I’m glad I didn’t do it. I think it looks a bit dated now, too. Less is more.

To me, the contrasting cabinets create a strong horizontal line that is visually distracting, cuts the room in half, and looks like the cabinets came from a showroom display sale. I don't reflexively hate contrasting uppers - I think they can work in either very large kitchens or kitchens where there aren't many uppers (such as with many windows or open shelving) and the few uppers act as accents. I don't think anyone is telling you to go with all cherry per se, just all the same. If you love your cream, do all cream. Or, do all blue. Painted is much more "classic" than wood. Built-in cabinetry didn't really appear until the 20's, and was painted wood or metal. Natural wood didn't really start being used until the 60's, and even then it was usually birch or knotty pine (aside from some expensive MCM designs in teak or walnut veneers). You'd be hard-pressed to find cherry cabinetry before the mid-80s. I don't generally consider cherry "whimsical" unless it's unstained character-grade, or perhaps in a more craftsman style.

What is this in your floor plan?

I couldn’t find a light blue kitchen with checkerboard floors. Here are some pretty alternatives. (I can do good searches but I think we need someone with AI skills to help envision this combination.

These kitchens feel a lot more classic with a whimsical bent to me than the taupey beigey mossy cherry idea. That is, classic painted cabinets with pops of color. The one with the checkerboard floor could easily translate to your home with a work-table style island that would not feel as overwhelmingly blocky as what you currently are proposing.

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Love honed soapstone! these are two kitchens that came to mind when reading your post.

I would ask your kitchen designer to do the renderings again in all wood cabinets, in all white cabinets, and in two-tone so you get the visual of the difference it makes having more than one finish in a small space. Then you can decide what you prefer.

I think it's a common problem that inspiration images don't always apply very well to real life kitchens.

I put together a mood board that coveys warm, whimsical and homey to me. I love the handmade looking tiles you posted, and would encourage you to keep the room very light. I don’t know if you will be replacing the appliances, but if you do, I’d consider white. If you keep one cupboard open, you could paint or paper the interior with foliage images and display pretty things. I’d keep your wood floor if possible.

more kitchens [ small L shape w work islands ] good to stick w small spaces for comparables to your setting.

these are small kitchens..use of two toned and details including patterned tile and other all white. space. You should use care but do not feel restricted. Today you choose what you like. .

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Okay, based on all this feedback - while I actually really like my AI renderings with the white uppers and cherry lowers... To play devil's advocate, what about doing the perimeters in cream, doing the island and coffee bar (which is across the powder room) in cherry, and then doing the muted green backsplash tile and potentially checkerboard floor? With gray countertops?

Currently eyeing this Marin Aloe Green tile by Bedrosians.

Here’s an attempt o get some of your latest ideas together.

Ffpalms - that does actually look really pretty. Thank you for doing that!

I think you're suffering from some version of the sunk costs fallacy. You've clearly invested a lot of time and energy into having a multicolored kitchen including cherry cabinets, even though the consistent feedback on the former is that it will not work in your kitchen and the latter doesn't relate at all to the look you're trying to achieve or the age/style of your house (a 1940s cape would have had painted wood or metal cabinets and a craftsman would have oak, not cherry). I suggest you take a breather and gather your thoughts. Maybe buy a book or two on kitchen design to learn some fundamentals. The fact that it's really hard to make your choices work is evidence that you should be reconsidering those choices, not that you need to invest even more time and energy into finding the perfect combination that somehow ties these disparate elements together.

I would want wood floors..very cozy and classic…white uppers green painted lowers…

The safe and white are pretty. I won't do wood floors though.

As for sunk cost fallacy - I just fell in love with the cherry cabinets. I think they are beautiful. Most of our furniture throughout our house is cherry, including our dining table in the other room. I personally think cherry works. I don't need to be a purist here - I am trying to give a nod to classic styling but my style really is more transitional.

Why no wood floors?

Believe it or not, I am not a huge fan of wood floors. We have them upstairs and down. Upstairs they are a mess and need to be refinished, but finding the energy to remove all of our stuff and dealing with the dust and the smell while they cure - it's just not great. Yes, they look beautiful when they are done, but then you worry about scratches and damage from then on our and have to baby them... Or cover them in carpet. Add in that one dishwasher blowing a hose (just like mine did just earlier this year) could result in needing to replace them all, I would rather go with something a little more indestructible. Ceramic has been in kitchens for a long time. The flooring we choose will extend into the powder room - in this application I'd rather do tile.

Wood ceramic tiles look amazing too

I actually do really like the wood look ceramic

Are the floors in the adjoiing rooms wood? Wood look ceramic next to axtual wood rarely looks good.

I just took this screenshot from a Nancy Meyers aesthetic video. I wanted to point out the cream and green combo, but also the smaller scale checkered floor laid on the diagonal just barely showing.

I think the only thing worse than taking inspiration from huge, million-dollar kitchens would be taking inspiration from AI generated kitchens, like the above photo. At least the former actually exist IRL.

adkhiker - I think that the mood board that ffpalms posted for you is very pretty. I think the color of the backsplash tile is nice. I like the checkerboard tile - depending on the dimensions of the tile and how the tile would look installed in the size of space for your kitchen flooring (not sure how many sf of flooring will be installed). If the tile size is too large - you may not have many whole tiles. However, if the tile size is too small, it may make the floor look too busy. Larger tiles have the ability to make a smaller room look larger (as long as the tiles aren't too large).

I can't remember what countertops you are thinking about using - I think soapstone or a honed black granite would look nice (something similar to what is shown on the mood board posted by ffpalms). I LOVE soapstone.

FYI - I have had wood floors throughout my first floor - including kitchen and powder room for 25 years - I've only had one issue (right after we moved in) when the water line for the refrigerator was first installed (and once dried, the boards went back to being flat - there is a little bit larger gap between a couple boards - but I'm the only one that notices it - and it wasn't worth making a homeowner's claim to have them fixed). I am going to have my floors refinished soon - my flooring guy said that the boards don't need to be replaced in that area - once he sands everything down and uses the wood from sanding mixed with glue - the little gaps will be filled in and not noticeable.

However, if you set against wood - I'm not going to try to talk you into installing wood. What is the flooring on the rest of the main level?

The only thing that you might want to think about it whether to install the checkerboard flooring in a color that matches your backsplash tile - or if you should instead do a more flexible color combination. If you use a more neutral color, you'll be able to switch out your backsplash at some point in the future if you want.

I'd rather have matte tiles than polished one like below - I just grabbed this photo re: the gray color.

I believe the tiles below are limestone and marble:

The tiles in the following photo are faux marble porcelain tiles:

While I was looking at checkerboard floors - I came across some linoleum sheet flooring on Etsy shown below:

These are photos posted by real customers:

Also, as long as the size needed is under a certain # of square feet, this particular linoleum can be rolled out over your existing flooring - and doesn't have to be glued down. That would make it simple to replace in the future! There were many positive comments about the quality of this linoleum vs. the type sold at big box stores.

There are also individual vinyl (I think they were vinyl) tiles sold on Etsy that could be used:

Again, photos were posted by actual customers:

Here is a close up of the above backsplash posted by the same customer (some people use a specific type of "grout" made to be used with these types of tiles in order to make the installation look more like actual ceramic or porcelain tiles:

Below are real tiles that have been installed in a similar color (can't remember the exact type):

I truly do think the backsplash color is very pretty - it's a similar color to an accent stripe that I had added to my white backsplash + the countertops that I selected for my kitchen back in 1996. At the time, my mom told me it would be better to install a neutral countertop and to leave the accent stripe out of the backsplash - because at some point in the future, I'd tire of the color - and it would be a lot less expensive to change the color scheme for the kitchen if I didn't need to purchase new countertops + install a new backsplash (especially since I already would have to deal with the floral print wallpaper that had that color + others - including teal!)

I told her that whenever I tired of the color, I'd just replace the backsplash and countertops - as if replacing both of those elements was simple and inexpensive 😂.

When the time came, I really wished I had listened about the countertop!

However, I really loved the kitchen when my house was first built (and I received many compliments on it). A neutral countertop would not have looked nearly as good (teal + that lighter green tone were big back in 1996! The fireplace surround in my kitchen had tiles that color also).

So, maybe you don't want to do something more neutral for the flooring - especially since the square footage of flooring isn't a huge amount. I just thought I'd make the suggestion.

Here is an article I saved awhile ago on how to select the right checkerboard floor (color/material/etc.) + size.

https://www.edwardmartin.com/blogs/information/how-to-pick-the-right-checkered-floor

Thank you to everyone who has continued to post. I am awaiting updated drawings this week. In the meantime, I have been playing around with a mood board. I received tile samples and I am in love with the beige Edward Martin tile and the Marin BS tile in aloe green. I am now awaiting a gray Edward Martin sample because I did not care for the white tile.

The light in this mood board would be ordered in brushed nickel finish.

Exploring the idea of a work table instead of an island.

Sorry for posting such a long comment 😂

I typed parts of it - and then came back a couple times and typed more + started adding photos. I didn't realize how long it was until this morning!

Is that soapstone on your mood board - or is it a honed granite? It looks nice!

I've seen more people adding work tables recently. They can be a better fit for many kitchens. They aren't as imposing as a solid island in a smaller kitchen + wood ones add warmth + coziness to a kitchen. What type (style/material/etc.) of work table are you thinking about using?

I think you're going to have a very nice kitchen!

Dani - I loved all your photos! Made me feel more confident in moving ahead with checkerboard.

A work table gives you more visual space than most islands. It can be a versatile piece if you add wheels (that can lock).

I like the soft-green-and-white checkerboard floor. Unique, for sure.

Oh my, adkhiker, definitely a lot of cooks in this kitchen 😂 I stopped reading comments after seeing your designer drawings and the 3 cab colours, dark grey counters and checker floor. My 2 cents on those are leave everything except the blue for island, Do that in the white. You’ll get your hits of blue in later with decor. All the best with your project. I know how challenging it can all get!!

We have new drawings! I think we're really close!

Hey all! Just posting an update. We have decided to go with a different form who helped us with a different layout. Waiting for finalized drawings. However, we have looked at finishes and I want to know if everyone thinks these work together?

Colton quartz, soapstone look tile floors, a creamy, distressed backsplash tile, cherry cabinets in truffle stain, and creamy white uppers. Right now I am loving everything together except the white uppers, which is throwing me a bit because I was so sold on them.

I would make all the cabinets (uppers and lowers) in the same finish. There are a lot of different colors, finishes and textures in this small kitchen. Do the cabinets in the cherry OR the white. (The cherry is more interesting IMO.)

@redryder I have asked our designer to render the room with all cherry to see how it would look. I am also asking about cost of running quartz as the backsplash. My next question is - do the light countertops and dark floors work?

I think light counters and dark floors can work aesthetically. I am wary of super dark floors anywhere since they show everything. It could be very dramatic and unique (which sounds great) but ask the floor people about the maintenance.

All of these kitchens have dark flooring.

Yes light counters and dark floors work, I have both, but Red is right, dark floors show everything! Especially fluffy white cat fur. I didn’t put these in but I sure sweep a lot!

This may be out of left field BUT, for anyone who has followed this old thread, I wanted to share a few photos of our finished project. Please ignore the wonky dinette cushion, I need to get it shortened. But, I posted recently how this sub helped me get grounded in reality in terms of finishes... and at the end of the day, I am thrilled with our project. Thank you, and enjoy!

Fantastic. Beautiful, calm, functional. Not trendy or cookie cutter. I love it.

oh gosh - how lovely! That kitchen must be a joy to work in :) I can understand why you are so pleased - enjoy!

There's something about the wood tone of the cabinets that is just fantastic! Great selection!

I was thinking the same thing - a simply luscious tone - so rich and smooth.

Congrats on a spectacular kitchen. Enjoy it in good health for many years to come!

Thank you for the peak at the finished product. It is Gorgeous! Love all of it and how it works together. It is amazing to look back at the thread and watch your journey and to see where you landed.

I don’t mind painted cabinets but your new kitchen really shows the beauty of and timelessness of quality wood. They really shine!

That is a lovely kitchen! You must smile every time you walk in.