Thank you for your thoughts -- you articulated a lot of my worries! Yes, I was thinking about inset doors for the cabinets that have contrasting doors. I would probably do full overlay for the other ones, as I prefer the extra storage space you get with overlay doors. Or would they look silly next to inlay cabinets?

I don't want white on any lower cabinets because my last white kitchen looked SO banged up after living there just 2 years. But I don't want to do all wood uppers because it starts to feel so dark and heavy. I'm not sure how I feel about all white uppers... here's a pic.

Maybe just make the INSIDE white? Here's a pic of that...

I really like where you are going with this. Love the baby!

I played a little. I felt like it needed more blocks of color rather then mixing the wood and white on the individual cabinets. I also felt like the left side needed some sort of wood post or panel to connect over to the fridge side. But I don't know if you can do some thing like this?

I'm not sure about the micro hood maybe that should be white? Idk, I know absolutely nothing about MCM design, so just throwing this out in case it sparks ideas.

Thank you -- I hadn't noticed it, but you're right! In the pictures where I feel like the designer successfully did this look and it doesn't look like an "accident," there is something visually "framing" the unique cabinets.

The area above the cabinets will have a drywall soffit. Maybe we could do something like this picture, where the soffit and the sides tie it together, similar to rebunky's doodle?

House Extension North London · More Info

As another poster noted, I actually think the biggest thing holding back the mid-century vibe you are channeling is your countertop. It is beautiful, but the pics you flagged all have pure white (quartz or corian), save for one, which has a very white marble. I think your pics as designed, with that countertop, will look like a fairly traditional kitchen - regardless of how much you mix up the white and brown in the cabinets. Another thing that would help channel that vibe is a more modern cabinet - either flat front or very basic shaker. From your pics, it looks like you are looking at cabinets with a bit more detail in them. Other than the chairs, I'm just not getting mid century vibe from the kitchen. Btw - I happen to love midcentury kitchens - and my own is a walnut/white combo with pure white countertops :)

And to my point about the cabinets, I note that the only picture you've flagged that has other-than flat front or basic shaker cabinets is the last one. And it is labeled "Traditional Bathroom"!!

Nearly all of your inspiration pictures showed everything upper in white except the cabinet doorframes. If that is the look that you like, I don't understand why you are even contemplating dark on any of the other upper areas. While the look you are selecting is pretty, it is in no way mid-century. If you really want midcentury you need to reconsider this.

I concur with h202, I always think slab (flat front? am I using that term correctly?), with MCM styling, which I think gives such a sleek look, and lets the contrast of the colors really pop.

Also, if you're going to do glass doors, having just the mullions at the top reads traditional - in all your pictures, it's either just glass, or a grid type mullion on the whole door. I think if you play with those, and then look at your counter choices, it might not be that bad, although I do concur with others who say that the solid white counter in most of your pictures is playing as a another contrast surface with the white cabinets, rather than a separate item altogether in the space.

I'm not really going for "mid century," but everyone has told me that the style I like is "mid century" so I've been using that description. Maybe they were wrong? :)

The cabinet doors I was leaning toward were an extremely simple shaker, with slab drawers:

I'm open to flat-front doors, too!

I came from an uber-craftsman home, with everything white enamel. (Loved it.) Now we're building a custom modern home with stained wood trim, doors, casing, etc. It ended up taking on a modern feel because the interior ceiling shapes dictated the exterior shed roof.

This is an earlier 3d rendering of the exterior (we're doing black windows/trim, not white), but it gives you an idea of the basic "feel" of the home:

I totally love the Alaska White granite...do you think I can pull it off in a more modern space?

Alternatively, what are affordable ways to get a solid white counter? Everything I was looking at seemed way more expensive than granite.

My HOPE at the outset of this project was to blend the modern elements with my more previous "craftsman-friendly" style.

And I definitely want wood lowers. I'm open to just plain wood uppers too, but I worried they would make the space feel dark/heavy/traditional.

I would call your style more transitional. Basically you are like me, you like some traditional elements and some modern elements.

If you love the Alaska white, I think you should use it. One way to get the modern feel is maybe do the waterfall edge on the sides of the island.

Can you make just the drywall soffit (not the angled ceiling wall) in a different paint color on your program we can see it better?

I'm not that talented of an artist, unfortunately! O.o

I was thinking about doing a partial waterfall on the end of the island that you see when you enter the home. Let me try to doodle that...

My first thought when looking at your rendering was the counters not working with the vibe you are going for. The Alaskan white is a lovely granite but the feel is off for me. Try a mock up with white counters to see how that changes the feel. Could you use the alaskan white somewhere else - bathrooms?

Sorry for 1001 posts. :)

Stumbled across this and liked it! Very different from where I started, but thought I'd throw it out there since I'm struggling with exactly how to accomplish the feeling I want. :)

Park Slope brownstone · More Info

And I did find this example of Alaska White in a very modern kitchen, but it's got some big differences (waterfall both ends, super thick slab, etc.)

Can anyone recommend a white countertop that is affordable? At least not MORE than my Alaska White granite? :) I started out looking for white and gave up and "settled" on this granite at the yard (but it's not purchased yet). I genuinely love the rock, but I agree it wasn't what first came to mind when I was looking for modern/transitional counters.

White corian is fairly inexpensive, and that's what we used on our midcentury modern island (as well as our midcentury modern bathroom vanity). We bought it at ikea and it was only $55 a foot (cheaper when on sale). Corian gets a bad wrap as looking like a cheap version of granite... but the Corian solid colors aren't trying to imitate granite, they're just doing their own thing. And the solid corian works really well as a modern feature. We get a lot of complements on it. We didn't choose it as a budget item but specifically wanted that look.

It might be helpful if you didn't worry about naming your style, as that has caused some of the confusion. Just focus on what you like, the kitchens that inspire you and what you want to achieve.

My favorite is the Park Slope kitchen you just posted, I'm a fan of light wood and love that contrast. I also agree that a cleaner white countertop seems to fit in with more of your inspiration photos.

Yeah, if I could edit my post to remove "mid century" I would LOL. But the forum wont' let me edit, so you'll all have to just pretend it never happened. ;)

Ok while puttering around outside, I just had two kitchens pop into my mind that you might get some inspiration from.

Sochi's kitchen is so cool. (You should check out her bathroom too)

Her countertops below are called quartzite Bianca. I have seen it called white Macauba where I live. I would feel safe to guess it's more expensive then the Alaska white, but it sure gives a modern look if you prefer a stone to a man made Quartz.

Link to her reveal http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2670263/modern-walnut-kitchen-v-long-many-pics?n=99

The other one was rockybird's kitchen. I think this may be kind of what you were thinking with the white soffit surrounding the wood cabs?

One more thought I had was doing those white frosted glass fronts or else those super high gloss doors with the wood. I think this next one might be metal though.

Adding, I completely agree with omelet. You have your own style and that is awesome. I don't think you want the full MCM Brady Bunch house, but you are inspired by some MCM elements. You also like craftsmen style and the high gloss modern sleek. I like your style!

Gorgeous! I think that batch of pictures are TOO modern for my taste. I love them, but I don't think I could enjoy them every day in my own home. I think I need to find a "happy place" somewhere between craftsman and modern. :)

This is my previous kitchen in my craftsman semi-custom home in Minnesota. I did love this kitchen, but I'm "over it" (especially tired of white-on-white-on-white!) and ready for something new. White lowers = chipped up. Black granite = always looks dirty. Inset cabinets = really limits storage capacity. Wall ovens = never used the second one, I actually prefer a range so I know where to put my hot casserole when it comes out of the oven. :D

We just built a modern home but my style is a bit more transitional so I went through a lot of the same dilemmas you are going through. I started out wanting shaker doors but the good people of GW convinced me that to get the kind of kitchen that worked in my house and gave me the feel I was looking for, I needed slab doors. Even though I have sleek cabinets and a waterfall edge Quartz counter, I was able to stay true to my more transitional tastes by using dark cherry lowers and a marble backsplash. So I definitely think you can marry your two styles together but you may need to steer more modern than your renderings have been so far, either by using slab doors or foregoing the glass cabinets or by using plain white Quartz counters.

Arial, I remember your previous kitchen. So pretty! The floors were gorgeous!

namarie, your kitchen is beautiful!

Ok, so let's anylize what is similar and different between these two kitchens you love.

For now, I would say one common denominator is a more solid white or marble look countertop. Next is dark lower cabs with lighter upper. Clean lines for sure.

My one caution about the first inspiration photo, and you might already know this, the very dark floors show every spec and are a nightmare to keep clean!

Adding, the second photo has a nice rustic feel with the woods. I think that's the knotty alder that you like.

Dont worry, I am confident it will all come together. Your design tastes are unique, complex, and beautiful. Reflecting no doubt perfectly the qualities you possess! :-)

rebunky, I think you "get me." I was JUST scrolling through my pics and thinking "yeah, I don't LOVE these uber modern ones, I like that they mixed cabinetry in a unique way, but I don't like the story they are telling." They two pics that you isolated are, of the ones posted, the best "feel."

My floors in my new house will be identical to the floors in my old house. That's already a done deal! :) The base/case will be stained to pick up the "middle" tones in the floors. I'm scared about using too many dark materials because this kitchen only has northern exposure (unlike my southern exposure super-sunny kitchen in the old house). And I'm scared about using wood with too much character because I really do not like the "western rustic" aesthetic that is quite popular in South Dakota right now. :)

I like the direction you're pointing me -- darker lowers, lighter uppers, very understated counters (though I did fall in love with the "Appaloosa" look of that Alaskan White slab!) My husband is pretty sure Corian will be more expensive than this granite, so I'm nervous about finding a countertop that isn't going to blow my budget. (We had a $35k SURPRISE! the day we broke ground, so I don't have a pile of money to swim around in anymore...)

Okay so here's your floor with your original alder cappuccino stain.

I missed the kid in the high chair! With accessories like that (and 2 more, I assume, given the 2 other kid chairs at the table), the kitchen will be fabulous.

Please don't assume something will be more than something else. Price it. In our last house, I casually mentioned our first choice countertop to the fabricator and he told me the difference would be only a couple hundred dollars, I think around $300!

I know things like that add up. I just want to encourage you to find out from your pros, rather than assuming based on research alone. We opted for the first choice counter. Then we just used less expensive, but still lovely, white subway tiles to do the backsplash.

We had a nice surprise today -- we moved into a newly built apartment and they installed the same brand of cabinets that we're planning to use (Starmark, made here in SD). Of course they are the least expensive model, but I'm excited to get a feel for them. :)

I think I might be in love with the Alaskan White granite. I keep finding myself googling it variations on "alaskan white waterfall" "alaskan white transitional" etc etc. And my husband loves it. And I've nicknamed it "Appaloosa." So I think it's happening. :)

I found this. I don't love everything about it, but I do like the waterfall edge. I wanted something with a little WOW factor on the end of the island, as it's visible to both myself and guests when we first enter the home. My original plan was display shelves, but I'm leaning toward this beauty. :D

So the big questions are -- what wood tones are we using? One color, or two colors? If two colors, which cabinets get the lighter color? Maybe we do something like this wood "waterfall soffit" to frame the wall cabinets?

Anyway, back on track -- would love help figuring out what wood tones to use, and where they should go!

*shameless bump*

arialvetica: I saw "mixing white and wood" in the subject and was immediately intrigued, not even knowing this was your thread! Glad I stumbled on it. :) As I read through the entire thread, I can see you finding more and more clarity.

BTW the exterior of your home looks amazing! I love the rolling hills and the part on stilts - what a cool home you're building!

You already know that I'm struggling with getting the wood/white mix in my kitchen too so I don't think I'm much help to you! ;) I can't offer anything more than my opinion. I love how daring you're being with the designs you've drawn up so far.

About Appaloosa: I agree with what others said - it is challenging to make it work with anything but a traditional style but if you AND DH love it then it seems a no brainer to me that you include it! It makes a very bold statement and I applaud you for having the determination to keep it.

I know you aren't trying to go for MCM but there was one lovely MCM kitchen mixing wood and white that I absolutely love. I'll find it and post below.

I think you already know this kitchen actually! I saw your comments in the thread: http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/3691044/big-reveal-mid-century-ikea-and-semihandmade. I love that kitchen and how it mixes white and wood and has that super fun pop of teal too. :)

I do love that kitchen! I've poured over sooo many pages of MCM kitchens and it's helping me clarify what I do and don't want. While I totally dig the look of those glossy white panels, I think it's not "me." I think my style is in the safe little "transitional" bubble. ;)

My husband loves the granite too -- I think it helps that the trade name is "Alaska White." He liked it when I was calling it Delicatus, but once I learned that it's also called "Alaska White," that really captured his imagination. We are avid hikers -- last spring we got to hike and canoe a tiny spec of Alaska with our little kids and can't describe how much we loved the place!

So, making Alaska White work, without going uber traditional. What do you think of this idea? Dark "frame" around the range/fridge wall. Waterfall granite on the end you see when you walk into the room.

For the colors, I'm thinking "Oregano" for the light color, and "Cappucino" for the dark color. (The granite under the cabinet samples isn't Alaska White, it's just the granite that the showroom has near the samples.)

Would love feedback!

Oh and Mrs K -- sadly the stilts were not mean to be. We ended up filling in that space with a bathroom/closet for the guest suite! :)

I have been thinking about your kitchen for a couple days now. Sorry just now getting back to you.

After seeing the two photos you posted above of the Alaska white granite with the waterfall edge, my humble opinion is it is going to be too much pattern.

I love the waterfall edge in the plain white Quartz (like namarie's) or even a very lightly veined marble look-a-like. But with the "Appaloosa" having the very dark to very light contrasting splotches, I fear it is going to be very overwhelming in the space overall.

Don't get me wrong, I love the stone. It is absolutely gorgeous. I love it on the flat horizontal countertops. But as I looked up a few photos with it placed vertically, like on the backsplash or on the waterfall sides, that's when I thought it was a bit too much. I think the "less is more" advice applies when using such a bold stone.

Like here is AW on a couple backsplashes. To me, it's almost taking over the kitchen. That is just my opinion, of course, and you might totally love it. So this could be one of those YMMV things.

I do like the wood framed glass cabinets with the white interior like your original inspiration or this one I found. But again, notice they use a plain white countertop and keep the rest very plain?

Here I tried to mock it up with your granite. I realize your layout is different and your slabs may be different, but you get the idea.

The other issue I was thinking with the glass uppers in your kitchen is that you don't have a lot of cabinet storage space for practical items.

The glass cabs in most of the inspiration photos only have simple white dishes or clear glasses displayed in them. I think they would have to be kept very organized and simple.

Also the glass will need to be cleaned a lot to look their best. That might get old. Glass cabs right next to the stove from what I hear are difficult to keep looking clean.

I think the way Aktillery used a similar bold granite with a dark island and white perimeter, dark hood, works well. Here's her kitchen if you hadn't seen it.

She does have the one glass upper, but it looks to be staged with her pretty bottles and decorative items. She has a big butlars pantry behind the range wall for all the practical items usually stored in the actual kitchen.

Do you have a separate pantry near by? Maybe through that one door on the right?

I guess if I were you, since you said you and dh love the granite, I'd go for it. But I would only do it on the countertops, not the waterfall or backsplash. I'd skip the two tone cabinets and do solid white perimeter cabs with no glass and the alder just on the island. I think you also could get away with doing the alder on the base perimeter cabs as well, but the uppers and fridge surround all solid white. Like this maybe?

You could also try it with the white appliances as well.

There's my 2 cents anyways. Best wishes on whatever you decide. :-)

First off your baby matches all of them so you can't go wrong. :)

Have you checked madra pearl quartzite? I am not sure on cost but I think it has the vibe you might be looking for?

edit: I think I was meaning Taj Mahal. But they are similar.

That said I have Alaska white so ooohh yes I love it. It's so funny it still catches my breath when I see it in any pictures and yet I look at it every day, lol! Anyhow I remember back when I was looking I really was taken by the Taj Mahal also but there was just something about that Alaska white for me and AW was at well okay out of my budget. It was a total splurge.

I've got nothing to add, but I love the inserts of your little one. Kind of like "Where's Waldo." :-)

If you really want the Alaskan White on the waterfall edge, counters and backsplash, I'd go with something this one that rebunky did:

I think you need a lot of white to help give the AW some "breathing room" and allow it to really shine. In the photos where it's together with the woods and little or no white it looks too overwhelming. But against the backdrop of white it doesn't feel overwhelming and it's the centerpiece. :)

I'm so sad that your house won't have stilts!!! It's still cool anyway.

BTW what nifty program do you use to create your drawings? I need to play around with the colours in my kitchen and it looks like a great program for that.

It's Photoshop Elements -- I was a web developer in a previous life, so I'm pretty handy with it -- it's not easy to learn, but it's nice to have total flexibility. http://amzn.com/B0153V571W

And I have to confess -- that's not my kid on the chair -- that's just the Tripp Trapp stock photography! My kids are even cuter, if you can believe it. ;)

I'm cool with lots of glass uppers. I keep my cabinets very tidy and my dishes and glasses are pretty. :) I actually considered open shelving, but I don't like the idea of dusting things before I use them. And yep--the door next to the kitchen is a decent sized walk-in pantry, about twice the size of my previous house (which I always felt was big enough!)

I'm hesitant to do white on any lowers because of my experience with it looking beaten-up in my previous kitchen. But I TOTALLY see what you mean about Alaska White "taking over" a design. I can see how if I want to make it sing, I can't have other competing "wow factor" elements in the design.

How do you feel about Alaska White with wood cabinets, all one color? I found kitchenaddict's kitchen and think it's quite pretty, but I don't think I can go THAT dark on my cabinets, as the light coming into the kitchen is primarily northern exposure. How would Alaska White look with a more medium (cappucino) pr medium-light shade (oregano)?

Alrighty then! Glass cabs are okay and you have a big pantry nearby!

I like the "cappuccino" alder (just make sure it's not a "rustic knotty" alder as it will really compete with the granite) or even the darker stain color works well with the white perimeter. But, the lightest, "oregano" stain color, I feel doesn't work at all.

If you want all wood. Hmmm, I'm not sure.

Here are just the first few google searches for Alaska white with wood cabinets I found.

This first one is a "rustic" alder with the Alaska white. My best friend would absolutely love this! But I don't think this is your style from what you describe.

Again, this one above is too much the same medium tones. Humph!

I'm chiming back in on this! So agree with others above that the countertop is beautiful but will be a strong element in your kitchen, and I'd steer away from doing a waterfall or backsplash with it. And I'm just going to say it -- as you have started narrowing down your vision in the last couple days' of postings, your vision -- while beautiful -- doesn't really have an ounce of "modernism" or "midcentury" in it anymore! Which is totally fine! If that's what you like, go with it. But as you currently describe the features you want, your kitchen is going to be a very beautiful, but totally tradition, kitchen! Again, totally fine. But just a heads up :)

I think you're right. Do you think I should start a new thread just to help me determine my "story?" I'm not a regular on the kitchens forum, so I'm not sure the best strategy to harness the collective genius. :)

Maybe this? Is that Alaska White?

Custom Alder Cabinetry with Metal Doors, Custom Bench Seat · More Info

Custom Alder Cabinetry with Metal Doors, Custom Bench Seat · More Info

Sorry I'm serial posting again. Here's a kitchen w/ what looks like Alaska White backsplash.

kitchen view · More Info

(Googling "solid glass backsplash" as well -- I mostly like the idea of no grout lines to seal and clean.)

To me, the last two photos you posted are the best mix of wood and AW. Something about the grey tone to the stain makes the wood work more cohesively with the AW. I personally like the way the AW looks with white but if you love wood then the grey is tone looks good with it too!

I just love how you guys can look at a picture and identify WHY something is working!

Please please please try to overlook the OTR microwave

__

I can't. I simply can not overlook it.

Unless everyone in your house is, at minimum, 5 '7" tall, that is a huge huge huge safety and design defect.

Per KDA standards, the microwave should never be any higher than 4" below shoulder height for the shortest person to use it. The reason is that for anyone less than 5'7", they

* have to lean over the stove to reach up and into it (clothes catch fire from burners - happened to my neighbor who ended up with 6 reconstructive surgeries on her face, neck & arms) and

* are lifting hot heavy things from above shoulder level (spills and burns)

BTW average woman in the US is 5'4 -5'5.

When we were house shopping, kept seeing all these "and it has an updated kitchen" claims. And they were all sticking the microwaves over the range as part of the "improvements" (along with the biology-lab-look stainless steel stuff) and thinking they had improved the house and the price should be up in $$$$.

All I saw was a large renovation project to get the #$%@ microwave down from being level with my nose -- I'm 5'2". I simply walked away and looked at something else. If - and only if - I totally loved everything about a house, the offer would be contingent on the seller - at their cost - correcting the safety hazard of the microwave no matter how much it cost to change.

All done! http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/4352351/finished-kitchen-w-modern-craftsman-inspiration-pictures