I think the darker crown molding would be a VERY nice addition, however with the dark brown walls it will not show very well.
Is the wall color changeable for you?

The walls are actually a raisin - dark purple... Used to be yellow but yellow did not do justice to the oak... A color change is not out of the question!

I would do a simple subway tile. I know it's recommended over and over, but it's classic and simple. Whatever you pick you don't want it to compete with your granite. I did a simple brown counter top in my last house and small glass tiles in three different tones. I found it too busy and would not do that again. Your cabinets are beautiful.

You mentioned granite for the counter tops - also take a look at quartz.
There are many great finishes to choose from and apart from looking great, it is durable and low maintenance. Consider adding a backsplash to the entire back wall under upper counters. It can update a kitchen and add great interest, to me it's a must. Examples are just to show you the results - not to suggest you use this color palette.

See if I understand correctly. You want to change counter-tops to some kind of granite, replace the tile, add the crown molding and change the wall color?

In the planning stages you want to start from the most expensive to the least expensive and gather sample so of each so you can see them together. The countertop will be at the top of the list, then the tile, crown molding and paint. You and mix and match samples until you have an Ahh-ha moment. Does that help?

I did not realize the countertops are also on the replacement list - do consider quartz, rather than granite. The range of colors and patterns is huge, it is pretty much no-maintenance as opposed to granite which does need re-sealing once or twice a year, and pricing is similar to a mid-range granite (at least it is here in Canada). With golden oak, it would be best to stay light with the countertop color - definitely lots of options in quartz for light and white tones. I personally find most vanities to ve too busy looking.

The countertops are a white solid surface, reading some of the suggestions, what if I left them white and just did the moulding, tile and paint color... The suggestions for color change are interesting... I love them.

Is white solid surface dating the kitchen???

No, white solid surfacing, IMHO, is right in trend! OK, so today it's white quartz, but for crying out loud, you don't just go ripping out solid surfacing for the sake of making it quartz! Yes, do keep it white - I originally thought you had planned to until someone's comment got me reading your post a little more carefully. Yes, just the backsplash and a new paint color and your kitchen will feel fresh and up-to-date again!

This could be way off, it's just a start, but its kind of what I'm picturing in my head - a blend of all the colors represented in your kitchen. And I do love the linear mosaic as opposed to the squares which look a little busy to me. These are 2X4" mosaic - Anatolia Picasso Travertine from Home Depot. It looked like your floor had this yellow tone to it, although it is hard to tell in the picture.

My husband has been reading the comments and said just like the white top being okay, what do you think of the tile? The floors are a beige color...

My last comment may be confusing, my question is concerning the wall tiles with the fruit...

I think they are fine, personally. They remind me of travertine. They look more yellow in the second pic than in your big pic, but the blue-grey walls will tone that down a bit. No, don't go ripping out your tiles!

Kim - I love the grey colour karemore picked out!

Replacing your back splash with the 2X4 subway tiles in travertine would be lovely! it will give you a nice look against your white counters

I think I've confused everyone. The earlier photo is my floor tile. Here is a photo of my backsplash/wall tile, I think it needs the update...

I think I get you now - so floor tile was never the issue. Your hubby was wondering whether to rip out backsplash if white countertop is staying? In this case, I say yes, mainly because of the fruit motif. Updating the backsplash and changing the wall color is all you need to be on track with today's look!

Karemore55 - We were thinking about changing the crown to a taller, thicker size, it's only 2". Because we know we cannot match the existing oak finish, we were thinking about black. What do you think? Are you a professional with a web site or company? I really like and appreciate you suggestions!

No, I am not a pro, Kim. Just have a good eye and a lifelong love of decorating/landscaping. I recall you asking about doing that, and someone said yes it will look good, but personally I would like to see a few pics of that to be convinced. I can see where it would tie the crown mo,ding to the island, but you may end up having it look too noticeable. I assume you have 8' ceilings and that these are standard height uppers? If it was me, I would just leave it - there's nothing wrong with what you have there. If you had it to do over again, I'm sure you would do the taller uppers, but since you can't, I'd say just embrace what you do have. And to have your hubby craft cabinets for you is a gift!

I would keep the white countertop, and just change your backsplash to a travertine or that type of look. Then paint in a lighter color. Those two things alone will completely update your kitchen. I would keep the moldings white for consistency throughout your house, assuming those are white.

What a treasure you have! Not too many husbands have the skill shown here. I think I would change the tops and back splash, and not much else. This is an exception to my golden oak rule.

My husband is enjoying the feedback! Cabinets are 42" and ceiling height is 9'...

What's the golden oak rule? This kitchen was built in 1994...

I agree with the others, just change the back tiling and repaint the wall. Certainly wouldn't change the moulding unless you get an exact match. Are the pendants in the kitchen and above the table an option for updating?

We could update the lights.

Hi Kim, i don't actually have an idea of what to change the lights to but it just feels like there's a lot going on in your space. The cupboards really are a gift so it would be nice if they could shine. It feels like everything else needs to be somehow streamlined. Along with painting and changing the splash-back tiles, could the island top be changed to the same as the counter-tops......just brainstorming.

just another thought, could you use tile paint to paint the tiles with the fruit? Are the rest of the tiles in good condition? You can also buy a grout pen which can freshen up the look of the tiles if they are otherwise okay

Kim, this is similar to my kitchen then, although I think I'm at 10'. The pot lights are so far away, I almost can't see what I'm doing lol! So I too have that dead space up there, which I don't mind at all, although my crown molding is a little bigger. But I couldn't go higher than 42" or I'd need a step ladder to get at the top shelves! I really think it looks fine, and maybe the lighter paint will change how you are perceiving it. I did a quick search on the Internet after my last comment yesterday, and only found one kitchen where someone had done contrast molding. Interestingly, their cabinets were medium brown (hickory, maybe?) and the molding was dark. They also shad rather low ceiling beams which they stained dark, and some very country-looking wallpaper on the walls. So, I am not sure if I didn't like it because of all the other busy-ness going on, or would I have liked it if they had just stopped at the molding? Have you explored the Internet for some instances where people have done this? I did check Houzz and came up with nothing, then spent about 5 more minutes on the net.

I'll have another look later on while I'm having my morning coffee - my creative juices really get going then!

Kim, I have an idea that might work. You could remove the upper above your stove and either do a vent hood that goes right up to the ceiling in the dark brown you used in island and M/W cabinet OR you could still do a cabinet, but have it go to the ceiling, and in the dark brown. If you are looking for a real update, I'd go with the chimney type fan hood in the dark brown. Perhaps this is what you're looking for - a way to mitigate that distance between cabinets and ceiling. I know it will look good, since you are using the dark brown elsewhere already, so it will really tie in. What does hubby think of that?

Also, since someone brought up your lights, I thought I'd mention that the pendants over the island look fine. If its the one over the table you are looking to change, I could look for some ideas. It looks like the metal finish on the lights is black - correct?

Definitely don't add black crown molding. Why would you want to tie in crown molding with the mircrowave cabinet? Leave the molding white to match the window and floor trim.

Agree with the suggestion to change the light over your kitchen table. Repaint the kitchen a color that's not so dark. Love sage or light green for a kitchen.

While a backsplash can look fantastic not every kitchen benefits from them. Your kitchen looks chopped up with the dark walls and the white BS. Try just painting the space under the cabinets. See the space where the cabinets end near the French doors? That's what I'm talking about. Also, the space around the window.

What type light would you use over the table?

The only reason we were thinking about changing the crown moulding on the cabinets to black was to have a taller thicker crown without having to match the finish on the new moulding with the existing cabinets. We are not changing the crown on the walls.

Anyone ever successfully painted tile?

I like the idea of this woven drum shade pendant from Shades of Light. It works with the traditional look of your kitchen, but the drum shade pushes it just a little toward modern. I also like the texture in the shade - it's hard to work fabric and texture into a kitchen, with all the hard surfaces.

I like the countertops - I see no reason at all to change them - and I like the floors. As far as the crown molding, this might work: if you can remove and reuse them, I would do a fascia board all the way to the ceiling and top it with your exisitng cove molding. You will have to kind of play with this - you can buy a bunch of trim pieces at Home Depot, or they have a board that shows them all on display. Play with the size, shape and finish: maybe paint the exposed fascia several tones darker than your wall. I'm not sure if a small trim of black might look too busy but it's easy to try. Your husband will know all this, though, since he is such a skilled woodworker - what a fantastic job he did! This will get rid of that little bit of wall showing above your cabinets as well as get rid of that dust collector. Another way to go, although the shelves would be quite short, would be to actually do a series of open shelves above the cabinets, utilizing your existing cove molding above. You could actually insert these judiciously, filling it in with a fascia (first idea) in other locations.



I would consider painting the inside of your glass cabinets in the same darker wall color - or, if you don't want to paint, you can wrap foam core board in a fabric to fit behind the shelves. Same effect.

I do like the blue-gray colors that karemore55 suggested: this will look great against the black as well as the oak, and will bring another cool tone into the room, which I think you need and which will make it look more contemporary. I would change out all your light fixtures and your hardware to a bright nickel finish, except I would try to find a ceramic knob on the island which would bring in the blue-gray (if this is the way you go) I would use a simple square utility-type pull, similar to this


I also agree that removing the one cabinet above your cooktop and installing a hood would up your look. I would go with a chimney style hood and tile all the way to the ceiling. This will also break up the horizontal cabinets, bringing the eye upwards and making the room feel taller. The chimney style hood will give some visual breathing room, too, between the cabinets. This is more contemporary than your room, but it kind of gives the idea

As for backsplash tile, I think you need something with more "life" than a travertine, which is very flat. I recommend this tile a lot, but it's because there are many different sizes and patterns and you can mix your own palette. They have gloss, matte and crackle finishes, and they can be all blended into your pattern, which I would recommend. You can also select the percentages of each tile in your pattern. For instance, you could do a blend of a color picking up your tile floor/cabinets (very close), wall color and white (to match the trim and counters). Looking at the color palette in the link, perhaps a mix of gloss "Brandy", matte "Linen" and crackle "Platinum" (although, obviously, you would have to look at this blend in person; I am just mixing something off the monitor colors!) - or you might want to mix in a tile from another of their lines. It's not as complicated as it sounds, and whoever retails this line in your area can help you. I would go with a relatively simple pattern (like a subway) since you have quite a few other finishes going on.
http://www.sonomatilemakers.com/Palette.aspx?prod-line-id=1&IsColorPalette=True
One more thing on the backsplash: you might actually want to also inset a small, glass tile pattern under your glass doors and possibly above your cooktop, but this would need to be weighed against the other changes you might make - you don't want to go overboard.



As for lighting, updating your fixtures will have a big impact, too. I would go with a nickel finish to match your hardware, but it could also include some black. How about a drum shade over the table with a patterned fabric on it? You could use clear/seeded glass pendants, or even mercury glass.

Overall, I think brightening the backsplash and walls and changing out your metal finishes will give you a whole new look!

This might be simpler and look less busy: just take the crown off and essentially build a drywall fascia/soffit, bringing your house trim around. Same idea of drawing the eye upward, but simpler.

Karemore55, trying to find the light you suggested on their site with no luck, do you know the sku#?

Uh, maybe because it was actually Ballard Designs? Sorry about that, Kim!

One more comment, when my husband built the cabinet above the range, it is one piece... I cannot pull out just the cabinet above the range...

Put in a gray, black granite. Yes make molding bigger Backsplash go black subway. Great job to your husband on cabinets. Love the black mixed in.

What color is wall? I would make it a light gray.

Hi Kim, that's too bad about not being able to remove that upper. I assume you mean that it was built as part of a unit with the adjoining cabinets? I'm wondering if you could remove the doors from it and have hubby face it with the dark panelling and take it up to the ceiling. You would keep the SS one exactly as it is now. I scrolled through a bunch of photos on Houzz, hoping to find something to illustrate exactly what I'm picturing, but got tired after awhile and decided to settle on this one. I'm sure you could adapt it to fit your own cabinet style. Hope this helps. What does hubby think?
http://houzz.com/photos/622229