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Can you mix natural oak cabinets with transitional styling?

14 years ago

This forum is such a valuable resource. I appreciate any and all input, so thank you in advance. I am keeping my 5 year old Merillat oak raised panel natural stain cabinets, but otherwise updating the kitchen. I have selected black/brown Tropical Brown granite. I need to select a tile backsplash, pendant lights and paint color. I have two questions: 1) Would contemporary/transitional styling (such as mosaic Oceanside glass tiles and linen shade pendant lights) look out of place with natural tone oak cabinets? Should I instead gravitate toward more organic/rustic styling like Stone & Pewter Fallingwater slate tile backsplash and schoolhouse pendant lights? 2) Are there any tones to stay away from in the tile backsplash and paint colors, so as to underplay any orange tone in the cabinets? For example, the Fallingwater slate tile has dark amber glass inserts: on one hand, this ties in the color of the floor nicely, but on the other hand, it might also bring out orange tones in the cabinets. The above descriptions are just examples - I am open to any and all suggestions for what tile backsplash would coordinate with natural oak. Thank you!

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Comments (7)

marcy96
14 years ago
Hi, I think your kitchen is lovely, by the way, and will look gorgeous with the new granite and backsplash! I'm no expert at this but I think your cabinets are neutral enough in color and style to go either way - traditional or contemporary. What do you love? Bring home some samples and try them out. Good luck!
moana1011
Original Author
14 years ago
Thank you, Marcy!
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Hi rdeepika- I would take others advice regarding longevity for deciding type of materials (change doors or no, granite or laminte, etc) but I thought I'd show you ours since it is also oak and we went from light counters (white multi-fleck) to dark (uba tuba). The darker granite IMO does a lot for our oak. I think the tone might be slightly different than yours though. We also have porcelain tile floors that appear similar to yours in color. I'd definitely follow debraks advice on choosing granite if you go that route. We brought samples home to look at with our cupboards in our lighting as well as bringing doors along also. The granites I liked most on their own right did not look as nice with our cabinets. I was trying desperately to ditch the gold/yellow tone or down play it and everything I liked made it stand out more. Uba tuba has some of the gold flecks in it which worked with the oak instead of fighting it. Overall I think they compliment each other without necessarily calling attention to the oak. Again - just my thoughts on our kitchen. So for what it's worth - here is a visual (a picture is worth a thousand words right?): Old (sorry for the bad lighting - when dh decides he's ripping out you'd better get your before picture while the getting is good): New: I hope that is helpful. We (okay I was) were nervous about going from light to dark but I really like it now that it's done. We have a lot of natural light and put in UCL so the space doesn't feel dark or closed in at all. Good luck and have fun with all of those decisions!
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numbersjunkie
14 years ago
I agree with Marcy. I can just visualize them with more modern looking pulls and I think they will look is great!
moana1011
Original Author
14 years ago
Thank you both. Now I think I have the courage to get the backsplash I want!
User
14 years ago
Your cabinets are on the traditional side, though not strongly so. Raised panel always says traditional first, and only really goes "transitional" if it's dark. So, you need to up the ante on the modern elements in the kitchen. Maybe one of those beautiful modern glass and stainless island hoods instead of the more traditional pot rack. Maybe some Ikea stainless appliance garages cut to fit under your cabinets to hide the small appliance clutter. A free standing stainless pedestal paper towel holder instead of the undercabinet one. A tall pre-rinse style faucet with a large single sink.

Modern "colors" are perceived to be grays, blues, and others in the cool tone family. That's not always so! You can have "modern natural" with natural wood tones (like yours) stone (your granite) and other natural colors like earthy browns, grassy greens, and sky blues. The colors to stay away from would be anything that echoed orange. Reds would be tricky, as would some yellows. I can see a "modern green" working well. Something this side of lime, but NOT sage. You want it to have a strong yellow component, but not overwhelming.
moana1011
Original Author
14 years ago
Thank you, this is very helpful information, especially about color choices, since I am trying to select a backsplash at this time. In the Finished Kitchen Blog, I am drawn to Drchuck's, Forevermodel's, Sheba1895's and SLC2053's backsplashes. This tells me I prefer glass mosaic, rugged slate (fallingwater style) or glossy subway tiles best. I typically see oak in a different format...would the above-listed choices look cohesive with my raised panel oak cabinets? Thanks again for the input!
liztwo
14 years ago
Your cab style is very clean and the natural oak finish makes it much more "contemporary" IMHO so I think transitional style will look great.

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