Our new kitchen will be 180 degrees from what I thought we'd have. Here was the evolution:

1. Modern design with bold/funky colors. I wanted red shiny cabinets.

2. Still modern, but I wanted a more organic look. The dream became bamboo cabinets and concrete counters.

3. The kitchen that we **will** install is the classic cottage kitchen: white cabinets, black honed granite, wood floors, schoolhouse fixtures. It's a much better fit with our 1942 bungalow.

I did just that. Everything was planned, cabinets, granite, floor,new furniture. Then I saw a different granite. My original vision had been Coffee Brown granite with a multi coloured slate look tile with chocolate brown leather furniture (the kitchen and family room will become one). The cabinets are staying the same, Maple with a nutmeg stain. Then I saw Juparana Arandis granite and fell in love. Since then, I have found new flooring, purchased sandstone coloured leather furniture and cancelled my order for the Coffee brown granite. I was nervous before about the granite being so dark, and 'plain', the Arandis however has lots of movement and veining. It just feels right. I've never before felt so good about changing my mind - although until I said 'just do it' I was apprehensive.

You could get the "glam" and still understated with the brown countertop. A beautiful rich oyster color backsplash (I love glass myself) with perhaps just a hit opalescance would look beautiful. But then again... that's my taste.

I'm with RHome -- If you can't picture the whole package, don't change such a major element. Of course, there are many wonderful things that go with brown -- but will they give you the kitchen you dream about?

Try writing down what it is that you consistently love about the kitchens in your inspiration file. What emotional qualities? You said "Clean Classic" and that's a great start. Keep going in that same vein. Then build it up to a whole "mission statement" for your ideal kitchen.

"My dream kitchen will feel..."

I think sweeby has a good point. Think about the effect you want in your kitchen, consider how you might create a cottage/glam/modern kitchen with brown countertops. Then figure out if you like the look. ;)

White cabs would still work.

If you can find it easily on a rack somewhere, BH&G's book "Kitchen Idea File" copyrighted 2003 (I picked it up in Borders or some such discounted recently) has a kitchen that your "cottage/glam" description with, potentially, brown made me instantly think of, although the mod not so much so.

In any case, it has a darkish brown wood island counter very close in color to the brown wood floor, a very light sprinking of cream/brown/stainless here and there, but basically white everywhere else. I'm exactly like you in never doing brown/tan/beige and suddently being drawn to it--but only in certain uses. I love it as used in this room. Page 38, "Visual Treat." (I personally wouldn't copy the island skirt in white linen!, but the "tailored sophistication" cottage glam undoubtedly owes something to it--and whoever keeps it cleaned and ironed. On thought, though, bleachable white something else wouldn't be SO impractical).

Our budget dictated a slight change in my vision. LOL I wanted custom antique white and ended up with white shaker. It's OK though and I'll be happy with my second selection. I did stick closely with my original color choice. Other colors appealed to me, but in the end I kept coming back to my original vision. Good luck.

I totally changed my vision. Wanted white upper cabs and black lower ones. Wanted marble for my counter tops. Very French bistro. Then I saw the price of the marble.

Wanted white upper cabs and black lower ones. Wanted soapstone for my counter tops. Then I saw the price of the soapstone I wanted.

Wanted white upper cabs and black lower ones. Wanted granite or quartzite for my counter tops. Then I found out that painted cabs were 30% higher than stained ones.

Decided to go with natural maple shaker cabs with a black espresso stained sink cab. Decided on Yellow River granite. Was going to have engineered wood for the flooring. Then Lowe's came back three times higher than their original estimate. Decided to go with wood laminate instead.

I am thrilled with my choices. I would prefer real wood over the laminate, but the rest of the choices I love. Yes, one can change their vision and have a beautiful kitchen as a result and be very happy. Although I would be happier if it was just DONE!

I also changed from the vision. I dreamed of off-white cabinets and just about had every detail played out in my head. However, it was recommended to me by everyone - EVERYONE - that I go with stained cabinetry to coordinate with the rooms that co-exist with my kitchen. Big change that was hard for me to imagine. I've struggled with every decision.

So the advice of others, to have a picture in your head from the beginning is a good one.

I think you should go with black (if you're able to fit it into your budget & style of home) because you LOVE it and it's been in every one of your inspiration photos.

1.My original plan was maple shaker cabinets from a local place with brushed nickel pulls, soapstone counters, with raised glass eating bar on penninsula and carbonized bamboo floors.

2. Bamboo dents and punctures and I wear heels.(not putzing around in the house, but invariably when I get in the car late, my 3yr old will "need" his red car, blue dinosaur, whatever) So we're buying cork.

3. While accompanying a friend to Lowes for finalization of her plan, I fell in love with a door. A cherry door with walnut pegs. Goodbye maple. And goodbye liquor and wine storage, because the door was twice as much as the maple.

4. After much consideration, I'm doing 8' of butcher block around my sink, with soapstone everywhere else. Goodbye to the glass raised eating bar. 3 countertop materials may have been too much.

My vision changed a ton, but each time it did, I pictured the change in the whole of the kitchen. If you can't see the brown working in the whole of the kitchen, then maybe you should stick with the black.

Thanks for your advice everyone. I'll take it to heart and let you know how it turns out. rosie - I may actually have that book somewhere. LOL. Curious to see this kitchen, so I'll take a look for it.