I am having a terrible time trying to choose a countertop. The problem is, I am not crazy about granite, and that's what everyone is trying to sell. What's wrong with me? According to every HGTV show, I'll never be able to sell my house without it! :) But I find granite to be dark, busy and cold. My kitchen is on the smaller side. It's a galley kitchen. It's almost all white with accents of navy blue. Think cottage style meets Ralph Lauren. The blue is in the upholstered window seats-- piped in white. The kitchen is a far cry from the big model homes, but our house is old and the kitchen suits its character. Although it's white, it still feels warm and cozy and the warm lighting helps a lot with this. The appliances are also white (not stainless...). Anywho...the floors are a pretty honey wood, the cabinets are professionally painted white with nickel knobs. My current countertop is white, and it's a cheap laminate that has lasted 20 years---raising 3 kids and a husband. And we did not baby it at all. I have Clorox sprayed the heck out of it. We have colored Easter eggs on it and God-knows what other messes we have made, and it always comes clean. It is just now showing it's wear and that's why I'm replacing it. I think I want another white countertop. I'm not afraid of doing laminate again, but when I say that to kitchen salespeople, they look at me like I need medication. (...and perhaps I do!) I don't want the EXACT same thing. I'd like it a little bit updated. But what is that?? Help. My countertops now have a matte finish. There is a super-shiny white forminca out there that would be different. Does anyone know about that? Does the shine wear off? Would it be TOO shiny for a kitchen..like WHOA, in the morning? I've gone on WAY too long, but I just want to know what other people do for countertops when they want to keep the look of their bascially-white kichen. Many thanks! Pictures and links so very much appreciated!

On factory applied glazes on stock or semi custom cabinetry, you have no control over the amount of glazing applied to the cabinets. There will be many variations. That's normal with a glazed cabinetry. Some will appear darker and some lighter. Some will have more glaze and some less. They all blend together beautifully overall in a kitchen. Sample doors should only be necessary in a custom line, where more variation is normal and actual customization of the color is possible. However, the two cabinets you show appear to have different colored glazes, with one being cool and the other being warm. Are you 100% SURE that they are designated the SAME color? Look at your order. What color does the color line state you ordered? If you relied on your friend's memory of what color cabinets she ordered, her memory could have mislead you and you ordered the incorrect color. There's a big difference between "Linen with Cocoa Glaze" and "Cotton with Cocoa Glaze" or even "Linen with Chocolate Glaze" (BTW, made up example colors.) Looking at the Bertch site, it appears the Legacy line comes in an Eggshell with either a Sepia or a Brown Glaze. The custom line comes in even more variations. Perhaps the incorrect color was ordered, and the cabinet installation you admire is another color all together.

Hi all - I first want to say I am a new member (login wise anyway), but have been reading your wonderful posts and getting ideas for my own new kitchen for over a year now. My install started yesterday (finally!) and I wanted to say Thank You so much for all the ideas/ inspiration/ advice! You are all fabulous! anncamp - This is a very sensitive topic for me since I was (and still somewhat am) in a very similar situation as you - and it was also with an Authorized dealer of Shiloh cabinets! My (main but not only) issue was that I requested 13" depth upper cabinets and the KD ordered 12" depth. They are the light painted inset cabs with cafe brushing/glaze, so matching the remake cabs to the other (correct) cabs has been next to impossible. After 2 tries (over "many" months of time), Shiloh almost got it right. I am taking my chances and putting them up, with the promise that Shiloh will send someone here to better match any that look to be a problem (after reading a post above though, i'm not sure I want to attempt this.) After almost a year of living with a torn up kitchen and having kitchen cabinets sitting in several rooms of my home while I battled with my KD (who also owns the Company and at this point I feel is nothing but a weasley (sp?) con man) and the Shiloh rep, I have some advice that I think might help. #1 - Do Not Settle or allow yourself to be bullied / manipulated into settling for something you did not order. Please remember - cabinets are a LOT of money and you work hard for your money, and you have to live with the final result for many years to come. It is not your responsibility to pay for someone else's mistakes, it's theirs! Hopefully you have a contract to back you up in case things get worse. (My KD tried so many games to get me to settle - blowing up, playing the poor me, then talking nicely and trying to convince me (and others) that I was just nervous, threatening me ... just thinking about all of the crap I endured is making me mad all over again %-) #2 - If you have not yet paid in full, DON'T yet. #3 - Do Not install those cabinets until you are absolutely sure you want them, or unless you get it in writing (with signatures) that if you don't like them after install that they can be returned for the ones you actually ordered or you will receive a full refund. Whether it's true or not I don't know, but I was told that if you install them they can claim that as acceptance, or play the game that they are used now. (My KD and rep tried to get me to install part of the order while I waited for the remake of the other cabs and I said "Absolutely NOT". I got the sense that they knew I was no dummy and meant business.) #4 - Document all communications in writing, especially if you agree to any changes - make sure these are documented "precisely" with signatures. You will need this if it ever has to go to court. Good luck ann, and please keep us posted an how things work out for you. Hopefully it will work out better (and quicker) than my situation. - littleitaly

Just coming into this thread. Been swamped at work lately and can't sleep tonight. I too would probably play it a little safe and do the second color on the island. BTW, I love your kitchen layout. Really pretty. Are you going with granite? I would tone the cabs to match with the counter top material that you want. Now, that said, I found my granite first and then went with cabs that went with that color. I too have a very small kitchen. No room for an island. Originally, I had a very traditional kitchen in mind and them pushed my design ideas to be more of a transitional style kitchen. I am very happy with my choices. I finally decided on plain maple cabs (I only have one window in the kitchen and had to worry about light) but I wanted some pazazz. I did my sink in an espresso (black) stain. I LOVE it! It looks like a beautiful piece of furniture. I did have mine built about three inches larger than the other cabs and am glad I did. Far more room under the sink for everything. So those of you thinking of black stains, here is mine. I didn't do a distressed finish as I was tired of the country look for me (although it was a beautiful finish). So this is straight stain and the other cabs are natural.