I don't know what turquoise you're considering, or if it would help, but would a softer or grayer turquoise be a happy medium? (Or just something you'll both hate?) Your gray choices sound nice. Has he seen any examples of those? Taupe just doesn't sound like it will have the right undertones/base with yellow and the other things you have going on already.

I'm sorry. I know it's tough to explain a vision to someone who may not have the same ability.

Can you get some sample pints of a few colors in your charcoal or medium gray preference and show him? Who knows, maybe you'll hate it. At least you will have tried. And maybe he'll love a color in that range.

You gotta love when the seemingly non-caring DH finally takes an interest at he last minute when you've done months of work to get to that point!! It's a good thing we love 'em!

These are some of the BM dark greys, maybe a good starting point? Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: BM Wrought Iron Grey and others

kathec, I only have a minute,but we are considering a pale blue island not turquoise, but this website provided some inspiration:

http://www.houseofturquoise.com/

But I wasn't sure if you are looking for more turquoise photos... or the Grey?

Will see if I have some more!Good luck.

Cooler gray like charcoal, based on your description, not taupe, which will fight too much with the yellow tones.

Can we see pics of the yellow stove? It sounds so cool!

Men! This just wasn't on his radar until you actually had to make the decision! We all know the feeling of planning something for so long, think it is a done deal only to have the rug pulled out frm under our feet. But you will find another perfect color. I think your DH will be more agreeable because now it is taking even longer to compete your project. Especially when others will start asking when the kitchen will be finished.

husbands...they let you do all the legwork and research and then just when everything is all set, they voice an opinion! Mine is the same way! But, I do think gray could be really pretty. Or, I love taupe. What countertop are you using? That might help us find you some lovely inspiration photos.

A gray leaning very slightly to the blue side would set off the yellow tones nicely and vice versa. I love gray and cream together, but one of my favorite combinations ever was of a faded old gray-patterned wallpaper and a yellowed old landscape painting that actually ended up looking almoooost blue and yellow because of the way they worked off each other, their synergy fantastic.

If he won't go full tilt turquoise, would he consider a softer aqua color? If not, the charcoal gray sounds nice.

We've been DIY'ing in fits and starts for a year, so in the grand scheme of things, it's not really setting anything back. I just felt like we were finally working toward the end with the elements finally coming together and now I have to downshift to pick color.

I love blues, I subscribe to House of Turquoise blog too, but unfortunately, he's not feeling the blue in any form.

rhome, I had chosen Martha Stewart Signature Porch Swing from her old Sherwin Williams line with Vintage Kitchen (aqua) as my second favorite.

brianandarnell, I'm planning on butcher block for the island counter. The plan is/was to stain IKEA Numerar, but it's starting to look like they'll never get them in stock. The perimeter counter is still TBD. It's a fairly small area, so I'm hoping to get something amazing from the remnant store nearby.

Here's the stove:

Petra, I'll take a look at some of those grays you linked. I have some swatches, but I'll need to make another trip to the store for more.

If I'm MIA, it's because I'm painting cab carcasses like a crazy person.

K

This is one of my favorite blue grays of all time and I think it would be a perfect compliment. Its on the store webstie for the company I used to make the wood top I have for my countertops. www.craft-art.com

{{!gwi}}

Here is a link that might be useful: Craft Art store - item name BlueMoon Kitchen Island

Your husband wants gray, so it's your husband's job to give you some chip samples that go with the stove. Period.

can you post a pic of your board of blue options?

was there a muted/antiqued one? maybe that'd make a difference. I'm thinking of going that route...maybe.

Would he be willing to try a blue gray????

Like one of these blue grays maybe...

kathec, just wanted to pop in and offer more sympathy for the husband popping in at the last minute and derailing the long standing color scheme. I remember the threads you started a few months back about the perfect off white (I am so glad you finally found yours!) so can only imagine how carefully you picked out your accent colors.

I'm sorry I don't have any color suggestions for you, but wanted to tell you that I love love love your stove :)

I agree with Marcolo. He needs to present one or more specific alternatives. It isn't fair to expect you to find a color he would like--that's making you do all the work and giving him all the veto power. Don't you also have the power to veto taupe? Why not?

That probably comes across as more confrontational than I meant it--I'm just writing fast.

But I guess my main points are: (1) he needs to propose specific colors (specific as in paint chips/samples) that would go with the yellow and the cream, and (2) the fact he's "just not feeling the blue" doesn't necessarily mean you don't get the blue, and his liking taupe over charcoal doesn't mean you don't get charcoal. Here's why:

First, because what he DOESN'T like is only half of the equation; the other half is whether there's something else specific that he DOES like that goes with the kitchen. Assuming you both have similar demands on your time, if he's not willing to take the time to find something he likes that works with your existing constraints, then he doesn't care enough about that particular kitchen detail to have veto power over it. Vetos should be reserved for things you really care about. Otherwise you're just creating conflict, and potential resentment, for no good reason.

Second, because compromise doesn't always mean meeting in the middle--as in, "I like black, you like white, let's do gray." Sometimes it means, "I'm not into the blue, but you really are, so maybe you can have the color you want--or I can bend and agree to some blue that you like and I don't hate--in return for you letting me have my way about some other detail that I care about as much as you care about blue." As an example, for our remodel, we got my stove (I found a range I loved, husband liked it in cream, I was madly in love with it in burgundy, we got burgundy) and my husband's sink (we both wanted a 1930s sink but he really loved this particular style whereas I preferred a different style but didn't care as much). And we got my fridge and his dishwasher. So, if it turns out your husband doesn't have any specific island colors that he loves, then is there something your husband really wants or doesn't want in the kitchen (or elsewhere, since you're remodeling more than just the kitchen) that you can bend on in exchange for an island color you like?

And third, because this is a PAINT COLOR. Nothing is easier to change. If he doesn't have a specific color to suggest that goes with the kitchen and that you like, what's the harm in letting you have your turquoise island for now? You can always change it if he has an epiphany about what color he would want, or for that matter if you ever get sick of it.

I don't know if this will help or not but when you said he nixed the turquoise, it reminded me of a kitchen I just saw (and loved) in the current issue of Better Homes and Gardens. Any chance seeing a beautiful example would change DH's mind?

Also, I had this other pic in my stack of ideas. It has a really pretty grey island. I have no idea what the rest of your kitchen is all about so I apologize if these are all wrong but I believe you said the cabinetry was a creamy white so maybe these aren't totally off.

Good Luck.

I loved the turquoise, just because it was turquoise. I liked the idea of going bold in the kitchen.

DH doesn't hate turquoise, he just doesn't want it on the kitchen island. His suggestion of the gray brown is DH speak for something that is more neutral. The turquoise, to him, will become dated. I understand his reasoning. Resale is always at the back of our minds. We don't plan to move, but he works for a very small company based in Maryland, we live in Texas. We've moved twice before to follow jobs. Yes, it can be painted over, but I'm the resident painter. It's not as easy as wall color, it's messy and time consuming. I've been working on the same 5 cabinets for 2 days. Do I really want paint now and then paint again in 6 months or a year?

The color choice is still ultimately mine. Some may call it control freakish, but I wouldn't want DH to pick the color. He's the kind of guy that would go to the paint store, ask for "gray" paint and take whatever the salesperson gave him. He would't think about how it looks with our lighting, with the wall color, the perimeter cabinet color, and so forth. He'd figure that gray is neutral, therefore it goes with everything. Not to knock the guy, color may not be his thing, but he's got mad woodworking skills. I do ideas and color, he makes it happen.

Turquoise is not going to "date" because it's not really a trend in cabinet color. Yes, "House of Turquoise" is sort of trendy, but if you look at her blogroll you will also see cutesy sites dedicated to every other color imaginable, from "Puke Green Dreams" to"Babypoo Cottage."

Gray certainly is a trend, though.

If he is good at implementing, have him stick to his strengths while you use yours.
Just because the island has a color on it does not mean others won't appreciate it or that you would have to repaint. Sometimes it is the quirky element that makes a buyer fall in love with a house. If they are out seeing the same old, same old at every other house, yours may stand out as special. I'd try not to do a whole kitchen with turquoise such as having that color paint, floors, cabs, walls, etc... all in the same color. If you are using it as an accent color, you would be fine for resale.
You will also enjoy it for however long you live there. Obviously, it matters to you or this would not be upsetting you. You have had time to think about it and you still really want it.
If it were something a particular buyer objected to, you could offer to paint it or give a small credit for paint. No buyer is going to pass on a house simply because a re-paintable island is the wrong color.

I love, love this Plain & Fancy Kitchen! Go to their website at the link below to see more pics of this kitchen. If this won't change your husband's mind to turquoise, I don't know what will! Bold and gorgeous! Grey? Yawn!

Here is a link that might be useful: MORE P&F KITCHEN PICS!!!!

The turquoise, to him, will become dated. I understand his reasoning. Resale is always at the back of our minds.... Yes, it can be painted over, but I'm the resident painter. It's not as easy as wall color, it's messy and time consuming. I've been working on the same 5 cabinets for 2 days. Do I really want paint now and then paint again in 6 months or a year?

Well, that's a question only you can answer. How much time would it take for you to hunt through a hundred shades of gray looking for one you both like? And how many times would you look at the island and regret not making it turquoise? Weigh that against the small possibility that you may feel you "have to" repaint at some point down the line.

I say small possibility because it sounds like chances are you won't have to repaint in 6 months or a year, because chances are you won't be moving that soon, AND for all you know your realtor might say to KEEP the turquoise. It's an easy way for buyers to remember your house, out of all the ones they see: "The one with the turquoise kitchen island." And there isn't a buyer on this earth who will walk away from your house and buy someone else's because the kitchen island is turquoise. Either they'll like or not mind the turquoise, or they'll think, "That's so easy to change that I'm not even going to worry about it." Worst case scenario, they might ask you to have it repainted, though I personally have never seen a buyer ask for paint in good shape to be switched to a different color by the seller--that's something buyers generally just do themselves after purchase. It's structural stuff, and actually damaged or dysfunctional stuff (broken water heater etc.), that buyers ask sellers to change.

So I really don't think it's something to worry about. It's just not going to impact resale at all. Turquoise paint is something a lot of people will like and everyone else will know is easy and cheap to change. It's not like you're talking about covering the island in hot pink and gold glass tile or something!

Perhaps a milder shade of turquoise leaning more toward a gray blue rather than gem-bright would calm his fears about resale. Something like Martha Stewart's Rainwashed. BTW, spraying an island probably wouldn't take an hour to do. If you're painting your cabinets by hand, you could probably use a sprayer right now to save you time and stress.

One thing to note is when you repaint, it is easier than when you paint the first time....

I am just droooooling over that turquoise island that NewSouthernBelle posted.

I. Want. That.

*sigh*

I didn't bring up the color subject with DH all weekend, we just focused on getting work done. Late Sunday night, I casually mentioned that I'd really like to go with my original color choice. No drama, although I was ready to justify it by offering to repaint if he truly hates it, but he just said ok. He said that he knew I hadn't made the original choice on a whim and at the end of the day, the kitchen is really my domain.

So, thank you everyone for your encouragement and presenting alternatives. I think that many of your comments made me realize that this was an issue worth fighting for. Thankfully it didn't come to that. We are on such a tight budget that there's so many things I have to compromise on. Color shouldn't be one of them. Paint costs the same no matter which color I choose.

Congratulations, kathec. I love to see acting like a grown-up rewarded by someone else acting like a grown-up.

I just painted my office BM Chelsea Gray, which I am using with touches of yellow. It does have slight blue cast on the walls but actually looked more gray green on the chip.

Here is a link that might be useful: Gray and Yellow

New Southern Belle, I love the turquoise island picture that you posted, but I have bought 3 Better Homes and Gardens magazines (Better Homes and Gardens, BHG Renovation Style, and BHG Kitchen and Bath Ideas) that are out on shelves now (June 15, 2011) and have yet to locate that picture! Would you mind posting more info about the mag? Such as the date and full title of the issue. Thank you!!!

I'm so glad you're going with the turquoise! It's going to be beautiful :)

Yay, Kathec. Great that you're happy and he's OK with giving the choice to you...On something that matters more to you. Can't wait to see it.

mdrew522, I know I saw it recently, but can't find the location. Magazines are kind of an addiction. I'll keep looking.

As typical with BHG publications, this kitchen appears more than once. The first time I saw it was Renovation Style magazine Summer 2010. The article name is Expanded with Imagination. They featured the whole house. It's a saltbox from Nantucket, MA.

It's a great issue if you can get your hands on it. Try checking Half Price Books. They typically sell old magazines for a $1.

Here's some info:
Cabinetry: Custom Scandia Kitchens Inc, Bellingham, MA
Cabinet Paint: BM Vanilla Milkshake
Island Paint: BM Garden Oasis
Marble and Granite Counters: Stone Passions, Bellingham, MA
Hanging Light Fixtures: Rejuvenation
Range Hood: Best by Broan
Refrigerator/Cooktop: Sub-Zero/Wolf
Sink Faucet: Perrin & Rowe by Rohl
Fabric for Window Seat: Pembroke Cascade Rogers and Goffigon, Ltd
Breakfast Table: Walker Creek Furniture, Essex, MA
Chairs: Pottery Barn
Hammered Sink at Wet Bar: The Water Closet, Nantucket
Flooring: Tile Showcase, Watertown, MA

Mdrew - Kathlec is exactly right - 1980's saltbox house in Quidnet, MA on Nantucket Island - impressive. Where I found the article and turquoise island picture was a "Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publication" Special Issue Renovation Style - Best Kitchens and Baths. Unfortunately is says "display until June 7th" On the cover is also says real small, RemodelingCenter.com so maybe there are some pictures there. I can scan and email the whole article if you'd like - just don't know the best way to get your email address on the forum?