I like pic #2 much better, though I think I'd go darker on the cabs for a bit more contrast. #1 seems kind of cold to me.

The first rendering has all sorts of stain colors-just trying to see which one popped (gosh I hate that word).

Pbrisjar, You prefer a redder stain and wood floor rather than a tile floor and lighter stain?

Hi Judy!
I love your design large space you have to work with... what a dream! If I could do wood flooring... I would in a heartbeat. I hope you take that plunge. Do you plan on flooring with a reddish cast like in the pics? How dark do you want to go on the floor? That would impact my pic in stain color for the cabs. I think QS Oak would be FAB with your design and look you're going for. I'm biased... it's one of my favorites. Though, cherry is beautiful too. It's going to be fun watching this come together.

Elyse, I really don't know. I had a QS oak sample door here for awhile, and just loved it. I hate the red oak (not QS) in the rest of the house so much I am afraid to choose the QS for the kitchen. I like the cabinet stain of the linked kitchen. Do you think a darker floor would be better? Judy

Yes, I prefer red tones with a slight under-tint of blue. To me that gives them depth and warmth. I also seriously dislike the yellow/orangey look.

The cabs in the link are really nice (though I don't like their overall design but that's another story). With that look, I'd be tempted to pick out a dark/browner tone for the floor.

shoot... I just tried to find an image on the web for you but was unsuccessful. It is from the August 2008 Cottage Living 25 best Kitchens magazine. There was one kitchen in particular that reminds me of what you are doing. If you happen to have this magazine, it is the kitchen of a young couple.... the guy is standing at the island frosting a cake, the woman has red hair and is sipping coffee. Dark cabinets in an English style... they did a lot of nice things in this kitchen. If my memory serves me they went with a vintage tile floor (the small white hexagon tiles with some black accents).

I am away this weekend (up north at Mt. Sunapee, NH... DH is skiing with DD. DS is napping, I am making meatballs and sauce, relaxing and GWing). When I get home I will scan in the pic and upload it for you, unless you otherwise have access to this magazine.

What about the design don't you like? They are 5/8'' overlay. Is that it?

Actually... flooring is the one thing I would go lighter on in your case. Darker wood floors (I understand) show more scratches and need more upkeep. A lighter toned floor (not LIGHT/NATURAL/YELLOWISH mind you... just lighter) would allow you to get a medium brownish stain on the cabs and then a real rich dark color on the island while still maintaining contrast. When you said in your initial post that you love the warm tones, not browns (I always thought of browns as warm); did you mean you want reddish mahogany tones? I think a true brown tone like the one in first pic the upper cab to the left of the hood would look beautiful on QS oak.

The lighter floor seems right to me, too. Whether it is tile or wood. Maybe not white, but that is the only choice in the design program I have.

Momma I don't have the magazine, but I do have red hair ;-) there is a pic in Kitchens We Love with a vintage tile floor and wood cabs. I'll try to find it in a bit. I just put Italian subs under the broiler, so I'll be away a while. Your kitchen must smell yummy! Just right for apres skiing.

Thanks for your help so far-Keep it coming!

I found the tile floors. Tile similar to this style is one of the suggestions my architect came up with. I have worked on many Indiana courthouses that have this type of tile. The look is quite nice and not cold at all.

The more refined appearance of this kitchen is more the look I had in mind. All the trim is creamy white, though. And the room looks darker than I hope mine looks. We will have several west windows and the window/door wall at the sink faces north.

A lot of the kitchen I've clipped have oak cabs and wood floors. The vent hood is designed after the one in this picture. Oak looks more A&C than fits our house, I think. It looks good with the wood floor.

Elyse, I do like QS oak; it is brown rather than reddish. I didn't describe accurately the brown I don't like. It is a brown that looks lifeless to me.

The island will be similar style, but not inset doors.

I picked wood floors because I lean toward simple clean styles so it's really more my taste then a design statement about what works or doesn't. The tile will look very authentic I'm sure.

I want your opinion on what looks good to you! I know your style is a bit more modern than mine. I love your baker's table (and bluish color) and the door style you just choose. Your kitchen is going to be great. I wish I was as sure of my picks as you are of yours.

hi cotehele,
back from sunapee and as promised here are the Cottage Living pictures. It was such a great magazine... just one great kitchen after the next but this was my favorite and crossed my mind in looking at what you're doing. There is such warmth in this kitchen and while scanning, I noticed that their ceiling is wood! also, loved that they backed their glass door cabinets with fabric. enjoy!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!! Where do I start drooling over this kitchen? It has the elements I want exactly! Hexagonal tile floor, perfect color wood cabinets, wood countertop on the island, glass doors (mine will be punched tin), natural (close anyway) woodwork, light walls and subway tile. I was considering tin ceilings, but they are way over my budget. An 1840 rehabbed house I work on had wood ceilings in all the upstairs rooms. They were walnut cut and milled on site. Just gorgeous, rich and the room had a cozy feel to it. Any guess of the wood species of the cabinets?
Judy

It's mahogany Judy... I found it in small print on the first page.

Ah, thanks, Elyse. I missed that! I am thinking of measuring and painting cabinets, tile, windows and counters on the walls. The base cabinets are taped. I don't have boxes to mach up the layout. I know I am nuts ;-P

This is how the kitchen looks with the wood ceiling and tile. The tile was the closest choice in the design program. It's not quite what I have in mind.

cotehele,
the design drawings look great with the wood ceilings...
just imagine the warmth!

cotehele--while not wood ceilings, how about painted beadboard? I suggest because we are putting up vinyl paintable beadboard wallpaper in our renovation to mimic the old painted beadboard ceilings in the rest of the house. During Christmas vacation my DH, SIL, and DN helped put up in the den and although we haven't painted it yet, we are very happy with the results. Our GC stopped by and really liked the way it turned out as well (I think he, as well as many others, had their doubts). SIL is coming this weekend and we are going to put up in the new portion of the kitchen. Don't know exactly how to link, but if you go to the Decorator's Forum and search for paintable beadboard wallpaper, my thread w/ a pic should pop up. Just a thought!

Also, though not right for our farmhouse kitchen, I love the A&C look with the quartersawn white oak cabinets! Will enjoy following your progress!

farmhousebound, the wallpaper ceiling looks good! The look would work in our kitchen. It it is an option I will keep in mind. Thanks.

Cotehele, I grew up in a 1920s English Tudor style house where each bathroom had the original small white hexagonal tiles. The rest of the house had the original oak floors. The hex floors in the bathrooms are beautiful and I wouldn't ever change them. Combined with the original moldings, built-ins, windows and other original details, the bathrooms are trend proof.
I will say that the tile is noticably colder than the wood. Every morning, I'd scamper from my bed across the wood floors to the tile floors that were like icicles to bare feet. The second downside to white tile floors is how they show dirt and footprints compared to wood floors. Lastly, wood is more comfortable to stand on if you're doing a lot of cooking.
One thing I'd do if I were going the custom cab route in a traditional kitchen (it works well in a modern kitchen as well) is hide the refrigerator. It doesn't look like it fits in the midst of all your beautiful warm cabinetry. I would cover the dishwasher too and if you must have one, park the microwave in an appliance garage.

Wolfgang, The house you lived in sounds quite lovely. I have heard how cold tile is on bare feet from my DH. He is a carpet man! I am sure I will have gel mats or throw rugs between the island and the cooktop and by the sink. I am a very messy cook, and spill something making every meal. We have a dog and cat, who would be rather hard on wood. My dog sloshes water at a great rate. I think tile will hold up pretty well.

I understand your preference for disguised appliances. I thought about doing that. I have seen some striking kitchens with appliances hidden. Our kitchen is an amalgamation of new and old. If the kitchen were truly period, it would make more sense to hide appliances. But our kitchen is designed to be compatible with our 1892 house rather than replicate an original kitchen. Hiding some appliances are budget busters, and we will keep the existing refrigerator. I had the KD check into hiding the oven behind pocket doors. It takes too much cabinet space; it required a much wider and deeper cabinet to be accomplished. I don't have room to spare in the kitchen. As long as one appliance is in its natural state, so to speak, the DW may as well be too. A paneled DW doesn't seem like it would wear very well, either. The MW and a small convection oven are in the cabinet to the left of the refrigerator behind pocket doors.

radiant floor heating! perfect under tile but must be planned for. perhaps this is an option for you.

Ahhh, warm floors. I wonder how long it takes the floor to warm and how much energy it uses. It would be nice in the porch and laundry room we are building at the same time. Hmmm, would that be the only source of heat or just supplementing the forced air heat? It's worth looking in to.

it is the only source of heat you need. if you have central AC then it sort of doesn't make sense because you are paying for two heating systems. But you could put the kitchen, laundry and porch on one system and the rest of the house on another. talk to your architect about it. if I ever build a house I will DEFINITELY be going with radiant floor heating. makes a lot of sense in cold weather climates, but not as much in warm weather... not sure where you are.

We are in Indiana. Temp Thursday night is to be -11 F. Brrr!
The kitchen and DR is on the first floor HVAC. The second floor has a different HVAC. The glass porch and laundry are new, and need HVAC. The windows behind the sink and the sliding door open to the porch, so maybe it would just need supplemental heat. It could work. I will definitely talk to our architect. Thanks!