Hi all :) It's been a while since I posted here. My last topic was asking for layout help, but I never got around to actually doing my kitchen. After my husband and I got married, we mutually and silently agreed "Who wants to remodel for their honeymoon year?" so we ended up spending our money on things other than the house, like camping trips in the mountains. :)

So after a year and three months, and a baby due in August, my husband and I are getting ready to tackle the kitchen. All this time, I've focused mainly on the layout and functionality of the space, how I want to use it and where I want things. But now that we're actually working on the kitchen, it's time to figure out what colors to put in, and I either don't trust my own instincts or don't know what to do. :) Please, help me!

This is a 12'4" by 10'10" eat-in kitchen in a 1940s war box that is 780sq ft. We are currently rescuing the original red oak hardwood floors throughout the house, including the kitchen, and they'll be refinished and stained with Minwax's English Chestnut.

Now, what I'm thinking is, for the lower cabinets, to get red oak and stain them the same as the floor, and for the uppers, paint them a creamy color like BM's Winter Wheat. I'll have only two upper cabinets with glass doors for dishes, and use a pot rack for my cookware and hooks on a rail for my cooking utensils. I really like the look of BM's Winter Wheat, which we're using for the trim and ceiling throughout the house. (So far it's only in our MBR, along with Palladian Blue on the walls.)

We'll have a bench for sitting at the table, too, and those will be made out of 15" tall drawer bases, and I think I'll also paint those the creamy color as a contrast against the floor and the lowers. As for the counters, I'd love soapstone or a honed black granite, but Corian is probably what we can actually afford (I really don't want laminate). I don't know if black would make everything look too dark, especially with stained lowers and wood floors.

The appliances and sink are already purchased, and we weren't really going for matching appliances, just what we could afford. The fridge is black, the range is stainless steel with a black glass top, the sink and DW are stainless steel.

Does all this sound ok? I don't know if I should have wood lowers the same stain as the floor, or if I should go with painted instead. The wall color will likely be a light green or blue, as the rest of the house will be.

As for overall style, I suppose you would call it Craftsman-inspired with a bit of country, by that I mean "no fuss, no nonsense, can't afford much of anything nice," since we do live in a small, poor, country town and we are also poor country people. I just can't stand the honey oak cabinets and green laminate counters that people around here STILL put in their updated kitchens. Gack. I want to hand out flyers telling them where to get nice RTA cabinets for as much or not much more than their off-the-shelf Lowe's cabinets.

Anyway, I meant to post some pictures of the layout and such, but I'm too long-winded and now I must get to my ultrasound appointment! I will post some pictures tomorrow.

Here is a link that might be useful: Layout thread