Great ideas, isabel!

Faustak, it's too late. I already painted the cabinets white with a darker island. I initially thought about painting the outer cabinets darker but was afraid the kitchen would look too dark. Thanks for your suggestion tho.

It looks Mahvelous.

To bring hydrangea blue into the space, this time of year you can start with a pot of the real thing! Then keep your eye out for accessories in that blue - look for art glass, canisters, a beautiful plate you would like on a stand against the backsplash.
As far as the barstools, I agree that the white tops seem to float because you've lost the legs to the dark island. You could paint the entire stool a color closer to your granite, and have it feel more cohesive, or bring in some different stools, and upholster the seats or add cushions in a blue which is in the painting over the table. Look for blue glassware which might coordinate with your dishes, or bring in cloth napkins at the table.
While I wasn't in on the conversation earlier, I'm glad you felt better about the granite once the rest was in place. Colors react to color, and I'm sure the granite looked different next to the wood stain than it does now.

of course please post any additions; we love seeing the final outcome!!!!!

The granite is beautiful.

Bet you love that granite now. It all came together and it looks awesome. Great job.

Help! My black granite is a brushes finish but it looks grey, not nice and black. Can this be fixed?

looks great, get the stuff off the fridge and take your final pictures and upload to the site for a before and after story :)

I think the granite is very pretty and goes beautifully with your floor. Once the cabinets are painted you should see a big difference. Try to select a paint color that complements both floor and granite. Hope you enjoy your new kitchen

I think it also looks beautiful. Do you have finished photos with the backsplash & painted cabinets you could share:-)

Granite is beautiful. Once you get cabinets painted it will all come together!

fabulous! you SOOOOO pulled it all together! I'm happy you went with the black on the island and I love the addition of the rug. you've got great taste and I can't wait to see more of your projects in the future!

PS How about tossing a sheepskin rug on top of those stools for some texture/comfort?

They're done with this.

Bring home some blue paint swatches and hold them up to the darker accent colored wall. You want to find the right undertones for the proper blue. The hydrangea blue you said you like which has lavender in it rather than a blue that has more green like turquoise. Once you find the blue tone you like keep it in your purse for accessory shopping. It will not have to match but have a right tones in different depths to work nicely. My color training is in haircolor correcting and a make-up artist. It really trains the eye and in color correction you have to know the rules...lol ....remember you can always take accessories back to the store, so buy and try to your hearts content!

The granite is beautiful! And when you paint the cabinets and add the backsplash it will look so much better!

Do,post photos when the cabinets are painted and the backsplash is added.

Jessica, I think your granite is beautiful as well. Depending on the colors you put with it will depend on the overall look. I put creme bourdeau ( lot of wine/beige/gray coloring with whitish tumbled marble backsplash a to match my floor which was terrocottaish/ gray mixture. When the kitchen was done I had a pink kitchen and I was very worried. Painted the walls a grayish teal and the outcome is gorgeous. All my friends are amazed and I love it. Pick a color in the granite and use that as your overall color theme. It will calm the color variation or use paint color opposite the color wheel to neutralize the color you are wanting to tone down. This was a photo prior to painting. Will try to add photo with painted walls

Try to relax and breathe please. The room is not done. If you didn't pick your own slabs be prepared for heartache. I hope you selected them yourself. Granite is natural and has movement. They look fine to me.

Here are pics with painted walls. Your granote is beautiful and I know that you will love it wheno you are finished. I call granite God's masterpieces-- no tow alike.

WOW - BEFORE AND AFTER - GREAT JOB JESSICA !!!

Jessica, your kitchen is gorgeous! Hope you are pleased now that it is done. What a difference the white cabinets make for the overall look. The granite is now the focal point.

It looks bad because it's not done. Once the cabinets are painted you'll love it. It's beautiful granite. With the colors you picked it will be clean and modern.

I had the exact same maple cabinets. I chose a granite the same color as your, only busier. I had my cabinets refaced with a dark cool brown finish. It looks fantastic! About the backsplash. Be careful that the grey subway tiles don't turn muddy looking under your cabinets. Wait until the cabinets are painted before you commit to the tiles. I went with white glass subway tiles. The depth of glass tiles is really nice. You'll be very happy!

NOTE TO ALL: JESSICA HAS COMPLETED HER KITCHEN - SEE BEFORE AND AFTER PHOTOS - 5 POSTS UP!

Jessica, You did such a good job some people can't believe the AFTER pictures are of your kitchen ! lol

Love the way that everything came together. Would love to see our stools pulled up to that counter. Great job! Congrats!

I know you like blue but you couldn't go wrong with a pop of red in there!

This post is several months old. This would be a good read for someone who has never been through the remodeling process. That granite was clashing with the woodgrain and the color in the original cabinets and it is an expensive part of a budget which cannot simply be redone. This kitchen needed a countertop with some movement in the stone to give it it a beautiful focal point with the white cabinets and the simple colors in the backsplash. Glad the homeowner is happy!

Beautiful granite ! Just paint your cabinets a warm grey or warm white ! You made a great choice . The cabinets are the wrong dated color . Paint is cheap ! Go for it !

Thanks so much! The cabinets were painted back in March. Here are a couple of more photos so you can get a better look at the granite/backsplash. Next on the agenda is to rip up the tile flooring in the kitchen and oak in the front room and lay down a dark laminate connecting the two rooms. Currently the kitchen tile looks grey in pics but if you look closely it's got shades of purple and orange. I can't stand it! So I think adding a nice dark laminate will make me like the granite even more. Right now I think it looks awful with the tile.

I would not replace beautiful hardwood with laminate! Plus, laminate can take a beating in the kitchen. Put contrasting wood in kitchen or better tile? Kitchen looks beautiful.

Please reconsider replacing oak with laminate! You could stain the hardwood and put a darker floor in the kitchen, even engineered wood is better than laminate.

Oh I hate the feeling I know you had but from where I stand it's gorgeous and when the cabinets are done I think you will change you mind about it

Oh just read all the posts and you're done! Look fantastic! Well done and glad your happy!

Jenn and Cass, I'm just worried that I won't be able to find a matching hardwood for the kitchen and laminate looks so realistic nowadays as well. Hmm... Now I'm not sure what to do. I wanted a wood tone on the floor to warm up the look of the kitchen. Any ideas?

Careful choosing laminate - it has a weird sound when you walk on it. Look into tile that looks like wood, durable but beautiful - or even tiles that look like patterned marble.

I do like wood in kitchens best. Not as cold or hard on the feet. I think you may be able to match depending on the age, bit if not, contrast-super light, or stained dark?

Jess,
If you buy unfinished oak for the kitchen and have both floors stained at the same time, it should look good.

Instead of going with laminate - have you looked into engineered flooring? It is more durable, doesn't shrink or swell and it's very difficult to tell it apart from real hardwood. It can also be sanded down and restained. Price point is higher than laminate, but well worth it in the long run. I would suggest a mid range color as dark shows dirt and wear and light colors can look dated. Below are samples of a mid-range color engineered floor in walnut - one is plain, the other is scraped.

Ward Designs, that is the look that I am going for!! I thought that engineered wood and laminate were the same thing. I will definitely look into that option as well as adding oak hardwood to the kitchen and staining it the same color as the front room. Thanks everyone for your feedback.

Engineered wood is real wood, much better than laminate and less expensive than solid wood.

Your kitchen looks great, by the way!

Ward Design's right, go engineered! It's confusing I know, but they're two different animals though just as easy to install and if you shop around you can find some great deals on really nice engineered wood flooring. Just in case you're wondering... Laminate is more like a photographic print of wood that's stuck on a base of MDF or similar composite material. Engineered flooring is a thin layer of real wood that's ... laminated! to various cross ply wood/composite base layers. That makes it much stronger, and far more moisture resistant than laminates, so it's a much better choice for a kitchen or bathroom in particular. The surface layer doesn't peel like a laminate can if too much water gets on it, and MDF really doesn't like moisture and will swell badly, and permanently, if it gets too wet.
Some engineered floors even have a surface layer of wood that's thick enough to be sanded down and refinished a time or two, if necessary. Try doing that with a typical 'laminate'! :)
I also agree with Ward Designs about the color as well! I think that walnut would be great. Go too dark with the floor and it's a bugger to keep looking clean and dust/footprint free. Love what you've done so far, BTW. :)

Your granite is stunning . It will all come together and you'll love it!

i live in the West and an a retired designer and Architect Out West we tend to use a lot of tile on our floors much like Florida I was going to ask Jessica if she has any plans to upgrade her kitchen floors? If so i suggest she go to a good tile store and ask to see all the new tiles out now that look like real wood You can lay them in any color imaginable and they come in many shapes and sizes. I love them myself and when friends come into my home and see all my herringbone laid dark distressed floors in combination colors they go absolutely wild I think it is because many people are not aware that this product is even available on the market You can Google it on here and take a good look at all your choices That was all i could think of when i saw your floors and the finished kitchen remodel.They are not as costly s you might think either and then if you do like them put the same flooring all throughout your house so that the house will appear larger, Then you can chose whatever color area rugs you like changing with the seasons. Even if you can not afford to change that flooring now go online and give it a good look because you may like what you see,and it is not going to go away any time soon..Very nice job on the kitchen Jessica...

the granite is fine but I can see it does not go with your current cabinets. Once they are painted( white? off white?), I think it will be beautiful.

The kitchen is beautiful! I new in the before pics that the cabinet color was the problem. Nice job on the new cabinet colors. I agree that changing the flooring would pull the kitchen together even more. There are some very good looking wood grain porcelain tiles out that will out perform a laminate floor in the kitchen area.

I agree with having the kitchen floor redone with the new tiles that look like real wood floors I have seen them done and they are outstanding plus they are easy upkeep for a kitchen floor. I also am partial to Chinese Blue & White Porcelains in all shapes and sizes plus they are an easy and inexpensive way to add glamor and pizzazz to a room. I have used 20" Blue and White Porcelain Fish Bowls sitting in large Chinese Stands that are available on Houzz then top this with a beveled edge on the 3/4 " glass tops. You can make these tables in any size you need from round usually with one Fish Bowl to two Fish Bowls for larger rectangular tables you would use two of them and measure out how many people you will be seating for the glass top, You can also use a mirrored top if you want something a bit more dressy or glamorous. For this space i would chose the glass tops and if you go to Cherish or even Consignment shops or Ballard carries the Painted Rattan chairs in a Chippendale lattice pattern that can be spray painted any color and redoing upholstered Dining Room chairs seats is relatively quite easy all you need is some fabric and a staple gun.and your time. Their are many online discount fabric stores online which feature Chinese Chinoserrie Blue and White patterns. and also Wayfair.com carries indoor outdoor rugs of various sizes for under your DR table. and use a matching or unmatched Blue and White "runner" for in front of your sink area. I have not mentioned it but i am a retired architect and interior designer with many years of both building and renovating homes along with the design work so i can speak as not just a homeowner but a "Pro." I love the combination of the Grey, white, black and the neutral granite counter tops. Ballard's makes the matching Chippendale Counter or Bar stools in a lovely Grey color along with the matching DR Chairs .For myself i would use the Grey Armchairs on the Round Table and then if you are using the two "Fish Bowls" for a rectangular table Use the armchair either three on each side or two and then use a Parson Chair at either end of the Table for the Host and Hostess chairs and you upholster then in either a slipcover for these chairs so you can easily change them at whim and then upholster the side arm chairs in Sunbrella shade of blue that you pick out of your blue and white Chinese pattern. Yes with Sunbrella fabric you can use white fabric and i understand White is neutral and " safe" but personally i like to use the Chinese Blue and Whites because i think it gives it some "personality in the room. You can also find an inexpensive Bambo or oriental pull up blinds for windows or outside doors.that would add to the whole look or also ready made catalogue neutral white or natural Roman shades on them also, The possibilities are endless and i have used and seen inexpensive blue and white canisters on different sizes used as Kitchen canisters and they are georgeous without spending a lot of money on accessories this area, Hopefully i have given you some ideas of how to transform your beautiful new kitchen into one of any Interior Design Blog or Magazine. and your basics are fantastic right now. they also carry Fish Bowls in a Black Cantonese Pattern that would highlight your island area and black and tan area rugs are easily and inexpensively available along with Robert Allen Chinese patterns well discounted online. In closing i would add here most people do not go to professionals for help when planning to model or renovation or even an interior designer. For the most part chose to go it alone. I can tell you this is in most cases a mistake because so much actual free advice or consultations are readily available and the first thing a pro will do for you is to take your long term budget in hand and show you how to work within it for lets say a five year plan; but this will be a complete plan and everything you need is in it from day one. Most of them have flexable options so there is always some room for changes. I can not urge you enough to go to a Pro and at least talk to them. Next find someone who you feel comfortable with and feel you can work with them in the event things go wrong because they always do. Nothing is without risk or perfect; but in the end you will save yourself countless hours of grief by using a Pro not to mention all the extra things you would not have access to without them. I love what you have done so far and wish you well in finishing your project as your budget allows. Keep the faith my friend. It is beautiful so far,