I love my two tone kitchen. We have a java island with white delicatus granite and cherry colored perimeter with Copper Brown granite (black looking). I could never do the white here in the country. Yours is beautiful though! Here is a link that might be useful: two toned kitchen link

Folks, This may be one of those situations where images on a website cannot do justice to the physical tone of being in the room. I recognize that looking at the pictures on the website make all of my choices look like a motley collection of clowns. And then there is my sweeby mission statement about "cool" kitchens that I still stand by. To explain this in the context of my kitchen, let me share how it feels to be in the kitchen. Our home is in northern California near San Francisco which is quite a bit different from general image of sunny LA or San Diego. It is said that Mark Twain once said that "the coldest winter I have ever spent was a summer in San Francisco". The marine influence here means that it is common to have 70 to 75 degrees in middle of summer. When the east coast was broiling this summer, we had 68-72 degree days. Then there is my house which is adobe.. This means the super thick bricks have to warm up first before the air inside the house begins to warm up.. It is usually a good 10 degrees cooler inside than outside. We in fact put in heated floors just for this reason. Then there is quality of light.. The banquette on the end of the galley is east facing but quite heavily shaded and the light is filtered and cool. The side of the galley with the doors and windows that opens to the courtyard is south facing but has a very deep eaves (around 7 ft) so the light here is very filtered as well. The only bright light source is the two new skylights. It is hard to show the quality of light with photos taken with my iPad. Then my "clown" choices... If I use light colors in the room, they do not actually lighten the room.. They just seem pale and flat. But stronger, brighter colors almost seem to glow and IMHO do not look garish or loud but rather brighten the space. If look at colors used in regions of the world where brick and clay is used for construction, they also use stronger hues and multiple colors..like encaustic moorish tiles and bright colorful Mexican kitchens.. I feel that if the stage is cleared for one prima donna clown (a la the hood) and the rest sort of disappears in a forgettable background chorus.. the. end resut is very lopsided. Having a few strong elements I think balances and makes the end result better.. The trick here is whether they are harmonious or competing. I am striving for harmony but with stronger colors.. I know color is a very very personal choice and I am not defending my choices but rather I felt I should contribute to this dialogue on color in the context of my darker kitchen with very filtered light. Many of the lovely kitchens here are blessed with lovely counter height windows and bright sunlight.. But a kitchen like mine is different and brighter colors may be an appropriate palette.. Anyways.. Just want to share my thinking ..

I'm interested in this as well, looking to door white uppers with stained lowers in my new build. I have an open floor plan, but small house overall. I agree that the lighter cabinets should be on top. I think it gets tricky when you add full length pieces, like a tall pantry or fridge surround. Here is my inspiration pic where I think the two tone look works really well And then this one which is a little more modern than I'm looking for, but gorgeous nonetheless

You would get more out of the forum if you limit your post to one area at a time so as to keep the discussion from becoming confusing and to get the material covered. And, if you include good photos that show whole, complete scenes. I'd start with the camera where the first photo was taken, but when the light it better. Then aim the camera left, straight and right, taking slightly overlapping photos so we can see how the house fits into its surroundings. (Landscaping is more than what only exists directly in front of the house.) There is barely a sense of "entrance" in the first photo. As that is critical to having a nice front yard/landscape/presentation of the house, that's where I'd begin when better photos show up. It seems like there's a built-in brick planter(s) and they don't look good or workable. I'd get rid of them. I'd answer the question of painting brick in this way: is the brick itself (ignoring other factors) ugly? If the answer is "yes," then paint it. If the answer is "no," then coordinate all other things (paint/roof, etc) to coordinate with the brick in a pleasing way. (I think this especially relates to the entrance which now looks dark and uninviting.)