Dark cabinets - keep light countertops or go dark?

13 years ago

Hi everyone --

I am new here and this is my first post. I have been checking out the finished kitchen blog a ton the last week or so getting ideas but am kind of stuck.

I would like to update my kitchen and give it a little more pizzaz without making it look too contemporary. A little background -- our house was built in 1998 and we are not the original owners. The house is a Georgean with a transitional feel. We've painted and got some new furniture but the kitchen has not been touched. There is white trim, white wood blinds and doors thoughout the house, which I do like. The kitchen also has white appliances, white 4X4 ceramic tiles for a backsplash, a white ceramic Kohler sink, and white laminate countertops with a wood edge. (I have photos but am having trouble posting them). Needless to say, I have a lot of white in my house.

The cabinets are dark cherry/brown and are in good shape so they are staying and I cannot change the layout of the room. The floor is medium oak hardwood.

The kitchen also faces west, so we get a lot of light in the afternoon. I plan on replacing the appliances as they die off with either black or stainless steel.

So I am focusing on the countertops. I keep going back and forth between staying light, as I like the contrast with the dark cabinets, or going dark like a dark grey. The backsplash would depend on what we get for the countertops. I don't want to go with something with a lot of upkeep like soapstone or marble as I have small kids that are constantly spilling and making messes.

From what I have seen, it appears that dark cabinets/dark countertops give a more traditional look than the contrasting dark cabinets/light countertops. I really don't want to do beige or sand as I have a ton of those colors thoughout the rest of the house.

If I could figure out how to post my photos you could get a better idea of what I am talking about.

How did you go about deciding whether to go light or dark on your countertops?

Thanks in advance.

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Comments (3)

eastbaymom
13 years ago
Welcome to the kitchen forum!

About posting pictures -- have you seen the instructions in the "ReadMe" thread (link below)? The key is to understand that there is no photo hosting capability on this site; you can't "attach" photos the way you could in an email. You need a website like photobucket (or, my favorite, Google's picasa) where you can upload and store your photos. Then you can add in links to them in the messages you post here.

About your countertop question: how much light is there in the kitchen? Are there multiple windows? If not, I'd be careful about going really dark with the counters... but that is a personal preference. It's not as if there are rules about how to make these choices. If only there were -- then it wouldn't be so hard to decide!

Are you sticking with laminate for the counters, or considering other materials?

Here is a link that might be useful: Read Me for GardenWeb kitchen forum
chocolatebunny
Original Author
13 years ago
Ok...let me try the photos again.. Thanks for the link eastbaymom -- I couldn't find it earlier.

{{!gwi}}

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There is a lot of light in the kitchen. I have 2 windows above the sink. These pictures were taken at around 10 am to get an idea.

I don't have to stick with laminate. I am willing to look at other materials. Hubby and I both like quartz but he was kind of shocked at the price. He doesn't think we need to do anything with it but I think there is just too much white. The paint color is Whole Wheat by Sherwin Williams. I have already changed the cabinet knobs from "builder brass" to brushed nickel. The kitchen as it is has a very clean look to it, but I think it just needs something else.
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My feeling is that you may be in color overload. It is easy to get there, especially with the thousands of colors offered. Truth is out of all the colors there are really a handful of popular colors that work. There is a paint company called C2. They don't have a ton of stores, but you can order samples online. You don't need to paint your own samples - they sell huge samples ( 18" x 24" painted color samples (not printed paper). The samples are about $5 or $6 per sample.if purchased in a store, $9.00 online. They have smaller painted cards that run $1.00 online and are free in stores. Their full fan deck is only $50.00 They have a limited selection of colors, just the "Best in Class". Using EasyRGB to look up colors that are similar to Revere Pewter in Benjamin Moore Paints I get this: 10 colors with very little variance. Using the same program but looking for colors that are similar to Revere Pewter in C2 Paints I get this: 10 colors that are similar in depth of color but have quite discernibleundertones. You are pretty much guaranteed that one will look good with your cabinets and floors. More isn't always better. Sometimes it is simply more confusing. If I were you I would probably start with the lighter colors, closer to C2 Archival For $11.00 you can get the small paint sample of all 11 colors - pick the 3 you like best and for another $30.00 get big samples and make a final decision. Easy peasy done!
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eastbaymom
13 years ago
It does look like you have enough light to do whatever you would like. The cabinets and floor are very pretty!

I am going with quartz myself but it is as expensive as all but the highest-end granites. Mine isn't in yet so I can't give you any personal report on it. Our old counter was ceramic tile, so I can tell you to stay away from it unless you really like cleaning grout lines!

The best way to start looking for granites is to detach one of your cabinet drawer fronts, and take it with you as you begin to tour different granite yards. The salespeople there should be able to guide you to stones that are within a particular price range (under $75/foot, or $50/foot, or whatever).

Dark cabinets - keep light countertops or go dark?

Comments (3)

eastbaymom

chocolatebunny
Original Author

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Dark cabinets - keep light countertops or go dark?

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eastbaymom

chocolatebunnyOriginal Author

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