I would look at replacing the tile floors first, before I would even consider repainting cabinets and changing counters.

The floors are bossy; do you love them? I would not select AG to go with them anyway.

We have a love/hate relationship with the floors. Any thoughts on a cabinet color that would work, or countertops?

Thanks for responding.

The cabinets look like very nice wood. I'd replace the floors first, then counter tops.

I have to agree the floors are the issue . The cabinets seem to be in good shape maybe just a good refinish of the wood and investment in soloar shades to control the UV. Is tahe graite on the counters noew ? If so IMO quartz is a down grade and painting the cabinets gray not good either . Can we see thw whole kitchen in a shot? IMO wait until you can do this space differently to get the cooktop off the island and vented properly . Think about what you love and what you do not love in this kitchen to make sense of a huge expense for no real improvement in function. I think you could do much better for layout and function so for me I would wait to do this right

Your floors are neat. I can understand the love/hate there.. and a desire to match the kitchen to it. Your cabinets are nice, I can see why you would want to keep them and address the fading issues on them with paint rather than replace them. I think I would lean more into the golden warm side of things rather than the grey cooler side. It looks like you have a nice collection of colors in the living room tile, you could play a lot with color pulls from there to flow into the kichen.

It’s a nice kitchen - love the windows! if it were me and i was launching into a refresh I would want the layout improved with that range off the island

and yes be careful with grey considering all your warm colors

I worry that no matter what you do to the kitchen it will not work well with the cool white chosen for the living room, unless you use that same white, which will not work with the tile.

Creamy whites work well with your tile and would have been far less stark next to your wood floors.

The countertops that you picked are all nice countertops, but have zero relationship to the flooring. Again, like the white chosen for the living room, they are cool white and gray.

Now the choices on how to bring things together. You can paint the walls a creamy white and get creamy white countertops and bar stools and keep wood cabinets - just refinish. Or you can paint the cabinets a creamy white and get black countertops or cream countertops.

Personally, if it were my home I would probably keep the wood cabinets - refinish with the same color, replace the countertop with something that was creamy with subtle gold veining. replace the backsplash with something that works well with the countertop and paint all the public spaces with the same creamy white.

Pick your countertop first then search for the backsplash and paint colors that work with the flooring countertops and cabinets.

Recolor your grout.

Everyone has an opinion.

I like the floors and even the countertops, the cabinets are a great style.

that said, I would select a color from this display.

for the walls, ceiling and trim(s) even the cabinets, just different sheens, flat ceiling, eggshell walls, and satin trims and cabinets.

they will appear different, but look very chic.

and Cambria offers Burton Brown

Painting these cabinets would be a big loss IMO and absolutely no gray/greige. Refinish the island end, retouch or use a wood restore type product if doors are damaged.

I also give a strong no to the quartzes with big, dramatic, fake-looking veins - they will not mesh with the cabinets and floor in style at ALL. It's not in the same universe as your craftsman style cabinetry, traditional home features with lots of earthy natural texture. In that context the counters you have are way better than the veiny quartz.

If you want to go with quartz, I'd look at the ones with very subtle speckles that are basically one solid color. With the loud floor it would be good to have the counter be a "quiet" surface not another prominent voice.

Although many have suggested to replace the flooring, you seem set on keeping it. Here's a view of your kitchen painted in a warm white and keeping your existing countertop. Complement with black hardware and island pendants, with wood counter stools.

If those are granite counters, they are absolutely stunning - and work well with the floor, as well as with the beautiful wood cabinets. And btw wood for cabinetry is a classic that is very much back en vogue. Any type of fading or discoloration on the cabinet stain is negligible to the quality of the existing cabinets and this existing kitchen. Painting these cabinets grey would in my opinion be a mistake. Not only a mistake, but really pretty much in the nightmare category, imo.

I‘m sorry but your wife has no idea what she is talking about. Grey is a faded trend... and to replace what looks like a stunning granite with quartz is a huge downgrade. If that’s what you want, that is what you want; but imo you will be spending a lot of money, and you will basically end up with garbage quality, compared to what you have now. And also, as mentioned above, you run a huge risk with grey painted cabinets and that floor. Not only will the colors not be compatible, but neither will the style be compatible... imo grey on those cabinets with that floor would be a mistake.

The ONLY thing that I would do is change the pendant lights to something more elegant, in line with your other finishes. Could be ”modern” of course, if you want - but I would go with something more upscale, glam, etc.

You need inspiration images. Collect images of kitchens you like the look of first, then see what you can do in your space to move you in the direction of your aspirational spaces.

The kitchen will not look updated with the existing floors no matter how much money you throw at the other finishes. I prefer the wood you have to a painted finish, and for durability if nothing else, you should consider keeping it at least on the lower cabinets. Paint the uppers if you really want a painted kitchen, but it is a waste of a nice existing finish. Here are inspiration images that mix painted and wood finishes. Good luck!

Just painting the walls all a creamy white would be a great improvement

Lighten the countertop would brighten it even more

Painting the cabinets white as well may be going a step too far - would need dark counters, maybe soapstone. . .

The white in the living room is just too stark and cool.

Although I love the wood cabinets and think it works well with your room, I also like this look with your floors

I kind of like those floors! The current counter is a great tie in for the floors and looks really beautiful. I would paint the cabinets a nice off white or even soft green. Test it out by getting some paint samples and putting them on poster boards and tape them to some of the cabinet doors. It will be worth it.

I do agree about the harsh white in the next room.

Good luck!

The floor is the problem & I noticed that it isn't even continuous. Different tile in the dining area? in the second photo.

The cabinets are lovely, the floor is awful and the countertops are too bossy. You mention painting the cabinets. Big mistake, IMO, because the cabinets are the one thing worth saving. Doing nothing would be the best course if you aren't committed to replacing at least the floors.

Thanks everyone.

1. We're going to leave the cabinets as is and just clean up the finish. The walls in the next room are actually SW Agreeable Grey over warm white wainscoting - it looks stark white in the photo due to an overactive flash.

2. We going to paint the kitchen walls as a first step, since it cheap and easy to change. Leaning toward SW Alabaster but would love any other suggestions.

3. The countertops are just too loud, and we don't like the pink. Does anyone have a couple of recommendations there.

We're just not ready to change the kitchen floors - maybe down the road if we're not happy with what we can accomplish now, but not quite yet.

Well it's your house, and I don't blame you for wanting the change the counter tops--I'm not a fan of busy granite.

Plain white quartz, soapstone or Jet Mist Granite would work.

If I were designing from scratch I would have probably picked something a little softer than SW Alabaster for all the walls, but it is not a bad choice and I would continue the Alabaster rather then change because you do already have it in the other rooms and you do have multiple floorings. Continuing the wall color will help tie everything together.

Having multiple floorings is not the cardinal sin that many people make it out to be.

You have expensive, beautiful and unique flooring in the entry and kitchen that will last 100 years. I wouldn't want something that rich and interesting throughout the home, but the way yours was designed it adds interest and beauty to your home.

I had multiple floorings in my last home and selected 2 different floorings and am keeping the slate entry in my current home that is being completely renovated. Will have a total of 3 different floorings by design. I also do not own and have never owned the preverbial "little black dress". I don't look good in black, why wear something I don't like and don't look good in just to be like everyone else?

My slate floor was 50 years old when I bought the home - it needed to be scrubbed and cleaned and the grout was missing in a few spots and was dark and discolored. Cleaning and fixing/recoloring the grout took a weekend. (7'x20' space) and really changed the look of the room.

If I owned your home I would clean and recolor the grout with a lighter grout that would disappear like the middle selection below does below (tiles are lighter than yours so I would pick something that works with your tile and not the exact color below).

In my opinion, the person who designed your kitchen did a lovely job. Everything does work together, but busy granite has lost popularity and trends are to simplify. (I didn't care for busy granite when it was in style and picked a solid color for my kitchen at that time.) Wall colors have also toned down - we are seeing lighter, more neutral, less saturated colors than we were when busy granite was all the rage.

Here are a couple of photos of my slate floor before and after (Listing photo and after cleaning the slate, recoloring the grout and painting the light fixture.

People have a right to their own personal tastes and preferences. But you have to realize that the buffet of choices, particularly offered here on this forum, is extremely limited. I agree with the above insights about the OP’s flooring. I do not agree with the comments about “busy granite.” Yes, it’s a matter of personal taste and preference. And yes, there has been some falling out of favor. But like anything else - when you have a situation where many just follow the herd, and buy what the media and or their friends tell them to buy - what do you expect. And what was espoused in the ”busy granite” assessment above, is basically a limited regurgitation of same.

I think this article says it better than I can:

https://wilgusiq.com/top-tips/are-granite-countertops-out-of-style

https://wilgusiq.com/top-tips/are-granite-countertops-out-of-style

If youre looking for short-term solutions you could always choose a Corian solid surface counter top. I prefer the solid colors (whites and beiges) for your space, and the cost is relatively affordable. Quartz is meh.

The biggest issue I have with your proposed changes is that, while it’s not to my taste, your kitchen was done in good taste. I don’t love the granite either but I wouldn’t spend money to have it removed. It is harmonious with your other finishes. It’s so much easier to change your mind than it is to change your kitchen.

It's a stunningly beautiful kitchen. If I changed anything, I'd lighten up the grout of the floor tile t to a medium tone as Jennifer Hogan shows.

DO NOT PAINT THOSE LOVELY CABINETS. You'll make them look cheap and they will chip over time.

IMO if you simply change the flooring that would give the complete space a new appearance.

Another tile option that could work:

https://virginiatile.com/tiles/pietra-di-ostuni-avorio-8x16-field-tile-matte/

Here is the full layout:

I’m another who likes your Italian tile. It is lovely, looks quality, and is different and eyecatching.

You could go to shades of gray slate and look like every other house. But you’d have to do the entire house (or at least the entire tiled part). The gray will look like crap next to the Italian tile.

My only issues with tile in a kitchen are i) hard and cold on feet, ii) hard on dropped things. I had slate, needed rubber mats for long cooking sessions, anything dropped would explode in despair before even hitting the floor, glass and ceramic shrapnel and attached food bits flying ten feet in every direction. I tore out the slate, refinished the original wood floor, now my feet don’t hurt or get cold, and dropped glasses and crockery almost always survives, leaving a local spill that is easy to clean up.

If you ever replace that tile, consider wood. Real wood.

@John Liu and @Jennifer Hogan, thank you for the input.

I am going to take the suggestion to lighten the grout in the floor tile. It will be tough to make it disappear as the tile is mixed in the breakfast area. We don't plan to remove the tile, so we need to find a plan that works with it.

As for paint, we do not currently have Alabaster in the house. The adjoining living area is SW Agreeable Grey. We don't want that in the kitchen. A there any specific shades that you would recommend next to Agreeable Grey and in this kitchen. We looked at Alabaster and Sunbleached for a little more warmth without clashing with the AG. I like the Sunbleached better but my eye isn't great when it comes to undertones.

Thank you!

Prime the walls with white primer, then bring in Samplize of the off whites you are considering. Right now, the yellowish walls will cast yellow reflections on any paint samples.

Please post an update when you are ready.

the SW Alabaster is great.

shadowed areas in the room will pick up on the warmth and overall will add the light you need to set off the beautiful cabinets.

I would get samples of all 4 of these colors.

Look at the colors next to all of the colors that are going to stay. (Agreeable Gray, the white trim that you have, the flooring, your cabinets).

Alabaster is obviously the lightest, creamiest color and is often used as a contrasting white with Agreeable Gray, but it might be too light next to your existing trim and may be too yellow next to your existing trim.

I don't own a sample of Sunbleached, but it looks nice with Agreeable Gray, I have used Aesthetic White and White Heron with Agreeable Gray. Getting these 4 samples will provide you with a good variety to see how the colors react in your home with your lighting.

When you have finished sampling let us know your thoughts and preferences and if one is "The One" or if you think you would like something just a bit different (lighter, darker, more yellow, less yellow . . . )

Hello! i want to tell you that i love the floors, maybe a little bit of maintenance will help, we also love the countertops, the color is beautiful and works good with the contrast of the floor, i will change the color of the cabinets though, maybe i will go with a off white color on the warm side, looking for a matching inside color on the counter tops, that will light if your kitchen and make it feel fresh and bigger, the warm wood of the cabinets with the warm floors is the problem, i hope we could help!

for your walls, i feel like a bone white will be a better color, to take a little less warmness to your kitchen

I'd get a nice bright white countertop. It will lift the eye up from the floor and make the floor more of a forgotten background. It will make such a different to get rid of the busy granite.

I'd try to color match a white corian to your back splash. I think Corian can look surprisingly modern and will brighten up the space. (Yes, it has a bad 80s rap, but I like it.) Yes to white walls. Too hard to say what looks good in your space and with your light. Just don't go too creamy.

New lighting fixtures will go a long way too.

Another AI post ^^^^