I prefer the richness of the darker color. Looks great!!

Oh dear, dissension in the ranks -- I prefer the lighter color. My thought is the darker one is a little bit one tone, the lighter one has a richer blend of tones. I also see the lighter sample as being more harmonious with the tones in your counter top while the darker one is a bit stark compared to the counter and takes away from the counter rather than enhancing it. Either way, enjoy your lovely kitchen, Lilly

I like the lighter one better.

I like the darker one because it doesn't look like imitation stainless (which the other does on my monitor) and its a rich contrast to the whites.

If it becomes the finalist, I would buy one or two more sample sheets and blue tape to the lower section of the island for a day or two - just to be sure it doesn't turn to nebulous darkness down there.

Have you decided on a backsplash?

Bat, on my screen the light one is looking like a warm gray which goes nicely with the other tones, and the darker gray is looking colder and going less well.

In terms solely of lightness and darkness, they seem to suggest different directions: The light toward a light, subtle, tone-on-tone look that would be set off by small, definite accents, combined with a similarly subtle backsplash that furthers this look. The dark making the island a definite contrast in itself and creating a room of stronger contrasts; a stronger backsplash pattern would be a plus here.

How do your inspiration pix vote?

I like the lighter gray, looks like it has some green in in (could be just my monitor), has a nice warm tone.

another vote for the Darker one.

the lighter one...but with those new island chairs, I think the dark wood you currently have is best of all.

I really think by painting your island light or dark grey you will risk losing all of your kitchen's warmth and contrast. If you are after a monochromatic cool look then the greys will work to achieve that but if the rest of your home has more warmth than I agree with herbflavor the wood tone works best in the room.

If you have to paint it gray, I prefer the lighter gray.

I'm drawn to the lighter color in each picture.

I actually like both, the wood tone and the lighter.

Just what you need, huh?

I like the lighter, but like your island now : )

The warmth of the wood island will be needed when you switch all of your appliances out to either cold stainless or plain paneled white. Leave it as is. It works in the space much better than either of the paint choices.

I am with the don't paint it group. I like the chairs against the wood, and I think it will be another color that you really don't need.

My eye is drawn to the darker paint every time I look, but prefer the lighter one with the floor color! How's that for wishy-washy???

Nancy

I prefer the lighter, warmer gray. The darker doesn't blend as well and has a cold, blue feel.

Lighter, but the wood looks gorgeous. I prefer the wood!

The lighter, warmer, creamier gray is more elegant to me. The dark color looks more like a void, which is hard to explain, so I hope that makes sense. I think I feel like the lighter one has a better connection to the cream cabinets, as if they're meant to coordinate. The other is a starker contrast that isn't appealing to me, personally.

Like a lot of things, though, I bet if you weren't comparing side-by-side, either might look just wonderful.

Another vote for the lighter, but prefer the wood as is. The lighter gray has some yellow undertones which warm it up, and looks harmonious with the floor especially, as well as the cabinets and marble. It's pretty exactly the color of our Caesarstone (Pebble), which goes well with our butter yellow walls.

Lighter gray...so you ruled out the gray/green color? That was pretty, too :)

What are you doing for hardware, on the gray island?

I think there's already a majority for lighter, but I'll throw in my vote for lighter too.

I prefer the lighter colour. The island is more shady with the chairs there so if you go with the darker it may actually appear too dark?

Of the choices presented---the wood. By a mile. :) The grays don't add anything to the whole. They just go along with what's there as an individual element that, to use an evil word, "matches". It's a C student. Average.

The wood adds warmth amidst the sea of white and gray and creates a whole better than the sum of the parts. It's an A student. Above average and noteworthy.

I think in the pictures posted in the other thread, the wood island didn't look as good, as it does here. The stools are blocking a lot of the 'red' tone that I remember.

Bat- I know you have some other darker wood elements...are you sure you won't think about the sage/jade green? :)

I don't suppose adding a glaze to the stained wood to tone down the red is an option?

If you must paint I like the Barnacle, it's a softer color and I think goes better with the rest of the space

OT -

Oldbat - what are you thinking of doing for the backsplash? I think I am getting Torquay too and I'm getting stuck finding something to match...

Thanks so much for all the input, I've been reading and thinking over the past few days. I even went and posted on a professional woodworking forum, regarding changing the cherry color with another coat of catalyzed conversion varnish. (Great feedback, bottom line: can't easily, let it age naturally, but my post was removed after a day, due to me obviously not being a professional!!).

I have two key thoughts: 1) I dislike the current cherry color. Not detest, but it strikes a wrong chord when I look at it. However, I am thinking about staying with it. Hollysprings, live_wire_oak, francoise47, herbflavor, roarah,springroz,mtjx2, iroll (say is that eye-roll? like it!,thirdkitchenremodel -- I'm listening, not convinced, but keeping an open mind. Conundrum is I have no vision for this kitchen. 2nd key thought: so many of my inspiration pictures had grey cabinets. Here, I would have none. When I search Houzz for "nasty reddish/cherry colored island, white perimeter cabinets, oak floors" I don't come up with much which is inspirational. I have no vision of what the finished product could be.

Here is an island which brings warmth, I get that and love it. This is the cherry color of my desk in the kitchen and the color I was hoping to match with the island. I love the white uppers, though do note countertops are darker on perimeter.

[traditional kitchen design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by chicago general contractor Oakley Home Builders

Not to beat a dead horse but.. I don't feel that with our island. Also feel like I can't get there from here. Island is not warm enough. I don't have a vision of what the kitchen could be (um, other than looking at it, HA!), with the darker island. Better word is, can't see the potential.

So... here we have a darker grey/green, with the same bluish grey from above.

In the light: lavender_lass - you can see hardware; same as perimeter cabinets. I'm wondering whether darker would be better.

Against the wall (both colors look really dark, isn't that enough for a contrast?):

On top of the island:

I want to be an 'A' student, I really do! Maybe I should put my sample door outside for a month in the sun to see how it darkens.

I will post more of my inspirational pictures; can't figure out why I can no longer do this easily from Houzz.

In the photo with the chairs above, I just wanted to say that the color on the left really looks nice. The one on the right looks a little too dark in that you might lose the details of the cabinetry and it will just look like a dark blob in the center of the room.

I'm not even looking back....I may have voted for the darker one when the samples were leaning on cabinets in the kitchen.

The stools are really nice too. Can you tell me where they are from?

You know both of those look really nice, I don't think you could go wrong with either one. I love your bar stools! Your kitchen is beautiful!

Hi Bee -- I know, you're a sucker for grey, so you're just enabling me :) Stools are from the below; 26" and SOOOO comfortable. (We got them custom stained and provided our material).

http://www.carringtoncourtdirect.com/detail.cfm?ProductID=798

Thanks SaraKat!

cottonpenny - I have no idea yet about backsplash, trying to finalize this decision first.

For all those who voted for the first lighter color - Barnacle -- I'm concerned that it may be too light. So last round of pictures is a deeper green grey, and the same blue grey.

In the last pictures, I like the one on the left. It looks better with the countertop and the stools...at least on my monitor :)

I love your counter stools. What brand and where did you find them?

I vote for gray blue. I agree with bee that other color looks too dark against walls.

Another vote for the lighter!

Have you seen th Cote De Texas blog? (Sara Wheaton's home) I love the color of gray in her kitcnen. She said the cabinets are BM Fieldstone. Take a look.