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pics of kitchens w/ off-white cab and dark islands?

15 years ago

i am in the process of selecting cabinets, and have definately decided that i am going with an off-white...but i am going back and forth on whether to do the island the same or to have the island in a dark stain. i know i want hardwood floors (haven't decided on a sample yet) and am nervous that it may read as too dark. please show me your pics or give me some insight.

thank you

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Comments (12)

Jean Farrell
15 years ago
We did off-white cabinets and natural cherry island. The natural cherry is not very dark, although it will darken over time.

I don't really have a great picture showing the perimeter cabinets and the island together, but you can get an idea from these:
clax66
15 years ago
Hi there,
I don't know if it "reads" 2008, but we've chose cream perimeter cabs with dark island and dark hardwood floor. I love the contrast and 6 months later, still love my kitchen:)

Only warning - dark hardwood floors DO show up every speck fo dust, so I wanted you to be aware of that! During our reno, we put in new dark flooring. It looks great with the cabinetry but yes, I do need to be vigilant (but it's so worth it for me - just a quick Swiffa for maintenance most days!)
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I also lean towards the all the same color camp. I love some of the kitchens with the accent island, but I do worry it will be a trend, and I know some people don't like it so for resale it may not be a great solution. (I know it's a balance between what you love and what will work long term, but since you're asking for other's opinions...) Glaze can look nice, but I only like it if it's really subtle, and if it's really subtle, you may not even notice the difference between the island and the cabinets. I think with dark cabs and light/white granite there will be enough contrast I wouldn't worry about making the island stand out too. Just my $.02! Good luck!
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Fallingwater, black/green & cream would be stunning. I probably would have used cream instead of white but I have a lot of white trim throughout the house & cream might have looked 'dirty' in close proximity. Instead of using high gloss like the trim, I'm using semi-gloss on the cabinets. Sorry if we've highjacked your thread. Florantha, no, I don't have a display cabinet for my silver either; I keep china in the glass front over the fireplace. There's a better photo of it on the other thread started by Country_Smiles. My hollow ware lives in a trunk & flatware is in the sideboard or in chests parked under the sideboard. The neatest place I ever saw to keep silver was on a tour of a c. 1905 Beau Arts house. Off the kitchen, they had a walk-in silver vault (did I mention the house was based on Versaille?). What was left of the original kitchen was great, too. Sparkle, thank you for the compliments; you wouldn't believe how much I agonized over the red wall! If you choose your favorite color combinations that you live with every day (especially if they're neutrals), it's hard to go wrong. Think of your favorite outfits. But it's only paint - it's not the worst thing in the world to change if you have to, LOL! I'm sure you'll do fine.
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White paint was too expensive except for the best parts of the house. The inventories for the neighborhood houses (1830s-40s) list a (cheaper) trim color called stone or buff, that was probably a warm light grey, and this is supported by some of the lowest layers of paint on my woodwork. (On the third floor) The hidden portion of my pocket shutters was an ochery light gold kind of color, and it appeared to be a single layer of paint. However, since this surface was hidden when open and faced out when covering the windows it lends credence to the theory that they may have been white and this is how the 170 year old paint oxidized. I did pick a dark charcoal grey as one of my cabinet colors, but more to match the black&gold marble fireplaces than to be "period". So while I do agree that a second color may be good for the unfitted look, maybe not something as strong as black necessarily. As far as the baseboards go, a paint analysis of Lemon Hill, a Federal house here, indicated that there was a dark brown band painted around the entire perimeter of the room corresponding with the lower portion of the baseboard, the doors and their surrounds and the mantlepieces, as if a level line had been painted around the entire room without regard to what detail it was going on. This was apparently done because the floors were mopped or swept with sand and the dark band camouflaged spatter.
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gglks
15 years ago
my perimeter cabinets are white and my island is a chestnut stain. we also have hardward floors....medium in color but i don't know the name of the stain.....i love the combo and i think it is pretty classic. i don't think you will get sick of it.....
eastcoastmom
15 years ago
Here's one I like - very similar to what I am planning. I love the creamy colors and the tone on tone color scheme. Still not sure if I am going to do wood or tile on floors - I wanted to do wood, but the space is wide open to three other areas and I think it will be hard to transition.

http://signaturekitchensandbaths.com/galleries/article.cfm?title=indoorsout

All the kitchens posted above are stunning, too!
somanychoices
15 years ago
I don't have photos yet b/c my kitchen is currently under construction, but I just ordered (!!) kitchen cabinets with the perimeter in a creamy white (topped with Virginia Mist) and the island in a medium dark stain with a charcoal glaze - somewhat lighter than gglks' beautiful island (topped with White Fantasy quartzite). I'm also doing a desk in the dark stain - it's at the end of a counter run, on the perimeter of the kitchen. I love the look (thanks to great inspiration on this site), plus I've heard that if you'll have seating at the island, the dark stain takes wear and tear from kicking feet better than the white paint. I don't know if that's true, but as I have two messy boys who like to kick things (and occasionally each other), I figured better safe than sorry. Either way, your kitchen will be beautiful.
bkinsey
Original Author
15 years ago
i do like these looks...your kitchens look great! gglks your kitchen is really the style that i am looking for...thanks for sharing
somanychoices
15 years ago
Ooops - I forgot to mention that I will have hardwood floors in a medium dark stain, and from what I have seen on this site, it won't look too dark b/c the white cabinets really lighten the space.
bkinsey
Original Author
15 years ago
somanychoices...what great advice...i never really thought about how it would wear (silly me)...i've also got 2 boys and i do bet the darker stain would stand the test of time better than white.
mdmc
15 years ago
Although my cabinets have a light glaze I think everything else is the same.
gglks
15 years ago
i'm glad i could help......i got so much help from gw's that is thrilling to be able to finally help other....

ps....i ALSO has two boys!!!!
bkinsey
Original Author
15 years ago
mdmc...your kitchen is gorgeous...can i ask what kind of cabinets you have?
mdmc
15 years ago
Thanks. Cabinets are custon made by a local cabinet shop.

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