Are you near Ikea? They have great looking wood countertops that are easily DIY. Even if you just changed out the island, it wood only be about $200 or less. IIf you did a new island countertop, you might change out the odd shape of the countertop. I would change out the backsplash, but I wouldn't do it in black. You could have it covered with beadboard, because taking it out may tear up the sheetrock behind it. I wish I could see the countertops up close.

Hi, Arbryants. According to my screen, you seem to be working with white cabinets and...? tannish brown counters and pale, ? tannish brown floors then. (Walls can change, refrigerator and backsplash choices not made yet.)

Whatever the actual hues are, perhaps your wife could scan kitchens on houzz.com and other sites for rooms she likes that include those fixed colors--notably just as background, NOT the major colors since she seemingly doesn't care for them. Both educating herself on what she likes, as well as ideas for possibilities. There are often a lot more than we realize going in.

If you post a closeup of the Silestone or give the name, I think people will be better able to make suggestions. The color appears to be orange/red. If you take a new photo, please include a bit of the cabinetry so we can see the undertones.

A new backsplash, a new wall color, new hardware, updated lighting, stools, window treatments and the right color fridge could make a whole lot of difference without having to rip out the countertop. What are you thinking with respect to the flooring?

If you have not done so already, I would hold off as long as possible on the fridge purchase -- white may be a viable alternative.

I suspect your family is suggesting a black backsplash because of your decision to buy a black fridge. Otherwise, the fridge becomes the focal point of your kitchen and in a major way. Is that what you want?

The tile on the floor is indeed light with a light tannish brown touch to it. We like the tile and didn't have any plans to change it. The silestone is terra cotta. The orange/red color is dominant with a mixture of different colors. It looks like it has a bunch of crushed colors sprinkled heavily throughout.

I'll take a close-up picture of it, the cabinetry, and the tile. We just closed on the house this past Friday so we haven't made any purchases yet.

Unfortunately, we don't have an Ikea in Memphis, TN.

The attached picture isn't our countertop, but it's very similar.

On my screen it looks like the floor matches the counters, so I definitely think keeping the counters is a possibility, but agree the backsplash has to go. I think the wall colors and red in the backsplash may be fighting with it and not in a good way and once those are changed the counters may be more acceptable to you. Also, artificial lighting can cast different hues so that is something you can look into changing as well to see if warmer/cooling lighting makes a difference.

I do like the suggestion, though, to change out the island countertop and round out the odd angles. I think a black island countertop would look stunning and go with the existing counters on the perimeter. You could even have the island painted a different color and become a focal point. I also agree to rethink the black refrigerator and reconsider white. With new paint, window treatments, area rugs, and cabinet hardware I think you can make this into a kitchen you can be happy with. White is timeless and versatile and currently in vogue so you are lucky.

I once saw Sarah Richardson talking about kitchens and she made the comment that when the island is a color, most people just notice that and assume the entire kitchen is that. Okay, that probably made no sense, but in her example, she kept the perimeter cabinets white and painted the island yellow If you asked the average person, they would say it was a yellow kitchen.

I wrote all of that to consider just changing out the island counter top - maybe with a dark soapstone, if you're set on the black fridge? Anyway, I think if you do that, the entire kitchen will change it's overall look and your wife won't even notice the perimeter counters as much.

Hmm, good thought lovetodream.

We're not set on the black fridge. The only guarantee is changing the backsplash. My wife could not be more adamant in her hatred of it, haha.

I don't know how big a deal it is to remove the backsplash without major damage to the wall and/or counters.
What if you painted the red tiles white or replaced just the red tiles with some glass tiles? Or as someone suggested, use beadboard.
I actually like the white appliances.

I agree with may_flowers that putting a black refrigerator in there will likely make it a focal point. Personally, I think the white appliances look quite nice with the cabinetry and the kitchen as a whole and if it were my kitchen I would pick a coordinating white refrigerator.

I have to agree with your wife on the backsplash. It does very much read bath tile to me, just like you describe. My inclination would be something that would hopefully blend the crisp white cabinets with the warm countertop. Babushka_cat's really beautiful backsplash which appears to be ceramic and has a mixture of white and beige, which gives it a really soft warm look. I think the current stark white backsplash makes the countertops stand out even more. While the similar sample picture you show has black flecks in it, I think a black backsplash would be yet another really loud color in the kitchen that wouldn't correspond to anything else in the room (unless you go with the black fridge).

When I google around on that Silestone color, I don't come up with too many references. The one photo I found was much more red/orange. Having the picture of your floor and counter (and the cabinet tone) would really help.

That being said, brown/tan tones can really help tone down the impact of the orange-red. A tan/brown glass tile might work as a BS and then a lighter tone on walls. Some Antique Bronze hardware could then help tie the cabs in better as well. Working in some brown-toned woods would help as well, perhaps in stools or even as a walnut island countertop.

I also agree with the suggestion on the color temp of the lighting. The fluorescent tubes can be quite cold. They exist in 2700K versions but better yet, a new fixture might be better (and over the sink as well).

This post was edited by gooster on Mon, May 20, 13 at 17:41

Congrats on your new home! Gw'ers have already made some great suggestions. I am not sure if you and your wife lean more "modern" or more "cottage" style - but here would be the changes I would make -

Change the counter on the island to a traditional rectangle in a super simple black granite.

Ditch both light fixtures for can lights throughout and a pair of pendants for the island that you love (this may be spendy but I think would be worth it).

I would do a fridge with a white glass finish so it disappears a bit more

I'd go light and low contrast on the backsplace - probably just a nice white-ish tile (to bridge cabs and whites in counters) -maybe long/skinny tiles so it's a bit more transitional.

New cabinet hardware and a new faucet - I think the antique bronze suggestion is a great one

It could be my monitor but the wall paint appears really grey and to fight with the other tones in the floor and counters - if so, I'd change that so it flows better

And I would remove the door on that corner glass cabinet fill with great pottery. This pic is higher contrast that I am thinking for your space but maybe something like this -

{{!gwi}}

Share pics as you make any changes :)

I agree. No love for the backsplash. However, I don't like the idea of a black backsplash -- I think it and the medium dark countertops will be too wide a dark "belt" in the middle of all those white cabinets.

Perhaps when you put some pretty decorative items up on top of the cabinets, that'd help.

I vote no on the black fridge . . . Unless you could replace the other white appliances. I like the idea of ALL black appliances, but not the idea of mismatched appliances. For example, the stainless fridge in the picture stands out . . . In a bad way. The dishwasher is easy to change to black; it probably has several other panels inside the door. Could the ovens be painted?

I agree. No love for the backsplash. However, I don't like the idea of a black backsplash -- I think it and the medium dark countertops will be too wide a dark "belt" in the middle of all those white cabinets.

Perhaps when you put some pretty decorative items up on top of the cabinets, that'd help.

I vote no on the black fridge . . . Unless you could replace the other white appliances. I like the idea of ALL black appliances, but not the idea of mismatched appliances. For example, the stainless fridge in the picture stands out . . . In a bad way. The dishwasher is easy to change to black; it probably has several other panels inside the door. Could the ovens be painted?

I agree with may_flowers about the black fridge. The white looks so nice, a white fridge would be the best option. I like white appliances.

I vote for a white fridge and backsplash tile in same colors as counters and/or floor. Black fridge and BS will be too much contrast, stick out like a sore thumb, and I think bring the room down.

I too vote for a white or SS fridge and I think you would gain a lot from changing the counters to black and the BS to white. That should be fairly straightforward and not complicated. I liked the idea of seeing if someone could replace the red tiles with white tiles.

I'd consider swapping out appliances for SS. Sell the white appliances on Craigslist. Currently, there are all sorts of manufacturer and big box rebates for appliances. Plus with Memorial Day coming up, there should be some good sales. For the appliances that we have ordered, we saved $1K by sale shopping and taking advantage of price matching and another $1K in rebates ($400 manufacturer and $600 from Lowes).

Change appliances and the backsplash, and you've changed the look of that kitchen dramatically.

I agree with gpraceman, that I would change out the appliances for Stainless Steel and change the backsplash which will change the look of the kitchen to update it and give it better resale value.

I am not crazy about the countertops either but if they are too costly to change, then I would paint the pretty gray paint (pretty but does not go with the counters) above the counters to not clash with the counters.

Thanks for the all the feedback. You have definitely given us a lot to consider. I'm going to post some more pictures that my wife took today so y'all can get a better look at what we're working with.

Here is a close-up of the counter.

Here's a close-up of the counter on the island with the white cabinetry.

This illustrates just how ugly the backsplash is:

Here's a good view of the corner cabinetry:

Those look like ceramic tiles. It might not be too hard to take those off without too much damage to the drywall. Tiling the backsplash is a good DIY project. There are plenty of YouTube videos to help you, if you don't know how.

Your first consideration should be determining a focal point. If you put black in that kitchen is becomes the focal point and will probably make the counters look worse. I would put in a white fridge, replace the island counter with a wood counter in a stain that compliments the other counter, I would find a white tile that works with the cabs and then determine a paint color and accessories. I would consider painting the island a rich brown or dark red, or if your wall color becomes a sand or taupe, you could paint the island that same color remembering that it needs to compliment the wood top. The island will become the focal point and the accessories with become the focus on the other counters. I think that you can make it work until you decide to replace all the counters.
Diane

I would suggest Black granite if you plan to change the countertops; SS appliances; SS and/or silver cabinet hardware -- and if you plan on changing the floor, Hardwoods. If you change the countertops to Black and/or darker granite, I would suggest an all white BS with different sizes of tile at different angles.