Will you be changing the backsplash?

Hi Molly. Yes, I just added the backsplash info to the post.

I'd like to see soapstone against your dark oak, but since you are looking for granite, perhaps jet mist. I'd make a 4" splash of the granite and paint the rest of the splash the same as your wall color.

Will some of your decision be based on the color scheme for the whole house? You mention dark green in the floor. Does that mean you want more dark green? Also, is granite a choice you arrived on after looking at others? Or is it a default choice?

Are the counters you have damaged ? I ask becuse new counters might seem like the right choice but maybe spend the money on doing something about storage first . I like granite but for me unless those counters are bad I would not do that right now.

Your cabinets look well made and in good condition but… It looks like it’s been a long time since the kitchen has been updated. My experience has been when you update one feature it only draws attention to how the rest of the area is older and outdated. You’ve opened Pandora’s box. Remodeling is very expensive and a big deal but worth it in the long run. I would wait, budget for a more complete remodel complete remodel.

Beautiful oak cabinets with extra convenient features such as the microwave shelf and special drawers. Here are some photos of dark wood kitchens with granite countertops in several colors.

Dark Cherry Kitchen Cabinets · More Info

Tudor Revival Estate · More Info

French Accents in Southern California Kitchen · More Info

Your floors are the driving factor. Notice in apple pie’s pics the relationship between the counters and floors in each one. The question is which countertop will look good with my floors. Your floor tiles are ubiquitous. If you don’t have extras, pic up some of the same from Home Depot and take them with you when you are looking at granite slabs.

With all due respect, SAVE UP to do the whole kitchen. Based on photos posted,

anything thing nicer would still be covered up & still look dark.

Nope. You don't buy a mink jacket to wear over bermuda shorts and you don't put granite countertops on cabinets that, though serviceable, are dated and headed to the dumpster.

Thank you everyone for your very helpful suggestions. We are open to other types of countertops, not just granite. The current countertop is light green laminate. We are in the process of stripping the faux subway stick tiles. We would like something that would brighten up the space since the cabinets are dark. Based on your comments, we agree a complete renovation may be the best option.

Your cabinetry is beautiful. Well made and solid. Classic.

I am a granite fan, myself- very much so... I basically love any kind of granite.

There are any number of ways you can go with your granite choice.

I was recently looking at River White granite, and it is now a favorite of mine; it’s really beautiful... and I think it would be beautiful in your kitchen. I think I would use polished River White.

And for the backsplash: it doesn’t look like you need a splash behind the stove... and I like the ‘no backsplash’ look (which is also currently trending). So I would likely just paint the wall area in an eggshell finish, which makes it cleanable/wipeable. Or- alternatively, I would just use a very simple, large format white tile. I’d let the granite counter be the star. :)

Here’s River White:

With the existing cabinets and the tile floor with dark green accents, I'm going to suggest a dark green granite and using it, also, for the backsplash. Find one with an interesting veining to keep it lighter and fun. Please, expand this photo.

Consider changing (and adding) new hardware...brushed stainless and new appliances to make the countertop a smooth run.

And:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ll8LKalp-8

If you are not changing the tile floor, you could cover the hunter green inlay tiles in order to create a neutral floor that does not have to be taken into account when selecting new countertops OR you could change the color of the entire floor tile by painting/using stencils/adding "stickers" made specifically for floor use (example: Floor Pops - there are other brands + people sell them on Etsy and will custom size them for you).

In addition to what housegal200 suggested I would get new hardware ( brushed nickel or ? ). A full kitchen renovation isn’t cheap, been there , , you might want to follow that path ( housegal’s ) while you save up. The green inserts in the floor bother me, maybe not you, but if they do I would think about painting them out, special paint, I think epoxy, but you’d have to check. That way you could ignore the green & maybe just do a “warm” white on the counters. Just a thought.

Thank you, Dani. I was just going to say that... the green tiles can easily be covered. So OP does not have to keep the green in the mix, if he/she doesn't want to.

But in any case, the counter would not necessarily have to have any green in it - even if they kept the green tiles as is. This is really not a situation where there is a need to be so matchy-matchy with the floor.

cabinets that, though serviceable, are dated and headed to the dumpster.

I think the main issue is in what time you frame you think these are "headed to the dumpster" and how much money you want to invest now in your kitchen. Are you ready now for a $50k - $100k project that will tear you kitchen apart? Or, do you want to spend $5k-$10k now on a brightening up refresh to get you through another 5-7 years?

What are the ages of other items in your kitchen? How soon will you be needing new appliances?

What really needs to ”head to the dumpster” is much of the new garbage quality cabinetry.

If OP wants new cabinets - that is fine. But there is nothing wrong with the existing.

P.S. Add undercabinet lighting if you don't already have. it. It would also be helpful to see all four sides of the kitchen/space. You've only shown a small portion of the room.

White Corian countertops and white appliances!

What flooring do you have in the adjacent rooms? I think the flooring is more of a problem than anything else. Start with that and then change the counters if needed, but the cabinets are fine. Install Rev-A-Shelf Chrome Kitchen Cabinet Pull Out Shelf Organizers in the lower cabinets to increase their usefulness and function, and then call it a day. Your cabinets are fine and probably much better than the junk manufactured today.

No to new countertops, etc., until you realize what storage you need and layout for working in your kitchen. The tight cabinet next to stove is impossible to access, thus no storage there. The open pull out drawers to the right of the stove appears to be a fix. Declutter, rearrange what you have know, and start saving. With help from an on-site kitchen designer you may be able to reutilize some the cabinets.

@HU-745711087 It's exciting that you say you agree a complete renovation may be the best option. You will get a lot of great ideas here. Cohesiveness is very important to a successful renovation. Think about your entire home, it's style, and where it is located geographically and whether it is surrounded by houses of a certain style. Of course you can be different too. Do you have a whole-house color scheme of your favorite colors that make you happy? If not, this article really helped me: https://www.fromhousetohome.com/whole-house-color-scheme/

Do you know what style your home is? I mention it because a lot of us live in builder-grade homes that are of a contemporary or modern style but with details more appropriate to "traditional" style.

Kitchen styles are in transition right now from the all-white kitchen with subway tile backsplash. There are several possible trends emerging. One is the off-white and wood trend you will find here on houzz. One is the dark "moody" elegant trend you'll find in Better Homes and Gardens. https://www.bhg.com/dark-moody-kitchen-trend-6822357 and https://www.bhg.com/dark-academia-decor-fall-refresh-tips-7574596 Dark kitchen materials are great if you love all the great new contemporary LED lighting options now available. This is a really great time to renovate using what YOU love.

I'm renovating my entire home right now and have found that the flooring was the first big issue. Once I found the right flooring material for being comfortable in my home and for cohesiveness, I was halfway there. Lots of people love wood flooring but I don't. I love heated stone flooring. I can have it downstairs on a concrete slab house, but it's too heavy upstairs in our builder-grade home. I could have wood or heated porcelain but chose glue-down cork (not the cheap kind but the kind that's been in the Library of Congress for over a century)for control of dust mites in our bedrooms and heated half-cut pebble for the bathrooms. If you like wood, everything is so much easier.

Thank you for the many great suggestions! This kitchen is over 30 years old, so it's overdue for a renovation. We are starting from scratch so any advice is much appreciated.

Your last comment tells us that you are redoing the whole kitchen. If that is the case, your best bet for help is to measure the entire space and post it here. The generous professionals will give you better layouts.

If you just want to redo the countertop for now but hope to remodel the entire room in the future, you need to stick to less expensive options. Granite is not one of those. I agree with other posters that River White is a great granite for dark cabinets, but are you spending money that won’t be useful for a new kitchen?

Which direction are you preferring? If you want to overhaul this space in the future, I would strongly advise against buying any countertop now. Get some prices and you’ll see why I say that. Save up for a professionally designed new kitchen.

We definitely can't afford a total redo at this time. I did take a look at the River White granite and it's stunning, but I will consider other more affordable options. Thank you to all!

A good slab or two of River White is going to elevate the room immediately.
I almost used it in my kitchen.

Based on my experience in updating our kitchen vs waiting to tear out, it was the perfect solution for us (the cabinets are a high quality). We redid the flooring, new backsplash, painted the cabinets and wall color, added new hardware/lighting. Five years later, I’m still happy with the result.

1. Define your budget and prioritize (you can always update over time).

2. Create a wish list and start looking at kitchens on line for inspiration. I wouldn’t let the flooring dictate the direction, so start there as it will have the biggest impact and be sure to tie in with the cabinetry (could strip and restain if you are handy). Consider high quality classic vinyl tiles.

Counter is next and there are great man-made options on the market.

Test lots of backspash options once counter is installed. Paint walls as the final step.

New hardware and lighting would be a bonus.

It does though depend on long term plans and if gutting in the foreseeable future choose one or two updates that will have the most impact short term.

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading all the comments! Thank you for taking the time to offer your advice and ideas to revamp this 1993 kitchen. My husband recently removed the corner appliance garage, which gave us some much-needed extra counter space and that inspired us to think about changing out the countertop and sink. Your suggestions are incredibly helpful!

Can you post photos as you progress?

Hi RedRyder. Yes, I will post some photos, but I'm somewhat embarrassed to do so because I do not have an eye for design. I'm so grateful for the many helpful comments on this forum!

This group is to here to help you with design! Don’t be embarrassed about what you have. Rather, see the comments as a way to get helpful suggestions from generous talented people.

couple of ideas.

first, purge. You have a lot of 'stuff'. I know it's difficult to let some things go, but if you really want to upgrade the kitchen, decluttering is the first thing.

i partially see open cupboards? do you display dishes?

We really need another full picture that shows the entire room and cabinets.

what's wrong w/the tile backsplash you have now? you say you're on a budget, will you be demoing and tiling yourselves? if not, that could be a 3K cost just for that.

do you have access to Pre-Fab countertops? they come in 9' lengths, ready to fit to your size. a fabricator will cut them on site. Go to large stone/tile yards (not floor and decor) and see if they have any. they look like this

I'm on the West Coast and can find these anywhere. the cost for the cheaper granite options is about $600. another 500 or so to fabricate it.

If you don't have prefab, go to a stone yard and see what's available on a budget. Always offer to pay in cash to see if you can get a discount. river white is a good option and isn't too pricey. You don't want anything too modern looking (like the marble quartz) because it will look out of place w/the type of cabinets you have.

Charcoal countertops would also work.

Jet Mist (Virginia Mist) granite in a honed or leathered finish would look nice.

So would Steel Gray (this is leathered) Do not do small tiles for the backsplash

as for actual design, here is one poster I helped w/very minor accessories

I think we did the lights and the tile and window treatment.

For sure I would change out your hardware. what you have now just disappears and adds nothing.

This is from "Skinny House Reveal" and how she worked w/her existing oak cabs. she used cup pulls on all of the drawers,

I also suggested a large rug, and i'll suggest the same for you to cover up the majority of that tile floor.

a nice jute or sisal

wall color

Some other oak cab options w/decor items.

this one is dark oak like yours. give a good cleaning and bring in black/white accents. notice the large area rug

quartz w/a slight marble look, soft icy gray tiles, cleaned and de-greased cabinets, new hardware

Thank you, Beth H. and other design pros for providing so many beautiful redo ideas! I have a lot to consider during my Christmas break. I completely agree, the cabinets need a good cleaning, degreasing, and decluttering. Also, do you suggest under cabinet lighting? If so, should I go with cool or warm lights, and what are the best placement options?

get everything else first. but yes to under cab lighting. do the LED in a 4000K temp. In the kitchen you don't want warm light. keep it at 4000K and you'll be fine. anything higher than 4000 looks too blue/cold.

get rid of anything fluorescent

I kept my one under cab light when I redid my kitchen. It's LED, plug in (I moved my outlets up higher) and stays on 24/7.

without:

Under-cabinet lighting is more valuable to me than any other lighting in my kitchen. It shines light on what you are doing and not in your eyes. It's the first thing I installed in every house I moved to. There are different types. I've always had what they call "bar lights". But there are spot lights and strip lights. They can be controlled by a light switch or at each light. I've had only at-the-light control and am just used to it. Maybe someone who's had both can comment. Good key words for more information are "kitchen task lighting".