Trying to pull all the design elements together: Input Sought

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

(x-post because I accidentally posted this on House Decorating)

I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed with the final decisions for our kitchen design and could use some input. Our cabinets have been ordered, the granite, sinks, faucets, and appliances have been purchased.

Our house is postmodern design, built in 1988. We have a super funky dining room chandelier that's kind of sputnik style with five 6-7" clear glass globes that is original to the house. Our style is transitional, with both traditional and contemporary elements. I feel like we've departed from the spirit of the house with our kitchen design, so I'm trying to bring in some contemporary elements.

(links go to larger images of things in the collage)

DEFINITES:

Cabinets: Woodland, Cherry with caramel stain, shaker, slab top drawers

Perimeter countertop: American Black granite, suede

Islands countertops: Blue Ray, polished

Flooring: Mannington Adura Max Planks Meridian in porcelain

Sinks: Elkay e-granite, black

LEANING TOWARDS:

Range hood: Vent-a-hood, 42" Black River with SS banding (*tentative) Personally I prefer the stainless steel with mirrored stainless steel banding, but not only does my BF prefer the Black River, it is also quite a bit less expensive. I expect we'll end up going with the black hood.

Barstools: Amisco Derek Counter Swivel Metal Stool 26-inch (*tentative)

Chandelier: VONN Lighting Black Finish Acrylic and Aluminum 29-inch LED Adjustable Suspension Two-tier Chandelier (*tentative)

The kitchen will have an 8' x 4' bumped out window on the sink wall and on the opposite wall there is a slider and we're adding a stationary glass pane on the right side. I'm unsure of the dimensions, but I believe it's something like 3' x 7.5'. The room runs east and west, so early morning and evening light make the room glow, but neither end gets a direct hit.

The refrigerator, dishwasher, and refrigerator drawers will be paneled. The ovens are Wolf M series with SS trim and black glass in the doors.

The floor plan:

I got my niece's input on all of these elements and she thought that the barstools were too angular and she'd swap them for something with softer lines. I get that, but I'd like some other opinions, too.

Reasons why I liked them:

mimic shape of chandelier,
pull in cooler colors to add some modern touches,
they have a back but still fit under the countertop so the kids [ages (2) 10, (2) 13, 15] won't be smacking the granite with the seat back,
the fabric seats can be reupholstered at a later date if needed, and
they have really high reviews for weight of stool, comfort, and durability.

I know we have a lot of dark elements going on in this kitchen. I'm counting on the big windows and light flooring to compensate.

The backsplash is my main dilemma. There are so many options and I'm sure many of them would be great.

We are considering using a slab of the Blue Ray granite on the cooktop wall. We could run it all the way to the ceiling behind the hood, or from counter to the bottom of the hood. We could do it behind the cooktop only, or we could do the entire wall, because it's not that much space. We're waiting on a price quote. I'm undecided about the look.

Oh, there will be a pot filler.

I am leaning towards stacked tile pattern to help bring in a contemporary element.

Tile considerations (there have been so many - I think we like too many things!)

6" x 24" White Gloss Ceramic Tile (really like the gray grout - maybe even darker than shown)

2" x 6" White Glass Subway - maybe paired (focal point behind cooktop?) with the mosaic tile below

Random size Marble and Glass Mosaic

4" x 8" White Gloss Subway, Ceramic

I like the idea of the wide format glass tile. It would be easier to clean and it would really add a contemporary feel.

I'm not dead set on white, but it seems the simplest. We like the look of white tile with gray grout on the ceramic tiles (not necessarily with the glass tile).

I wonder if a light grey would work better, or if going the opposite direction with a dark glass might be the way to go. Or perhaps a charcoal or taupe.

I need help.

Featured Answer

smm5525

8 years ago

Do you have any inspiration images on how you picture your kitchen to look? I've looked at your idea book and see mostly warm modern kitchens.

The cabs in caramel cherry are definitely warm. The countertops and flooring is cool. I feel like the chandelier and stools would be a good place to mix in some warmer elements, perhaps fabric or warm toned metal (aged brass).

Where is the chandelier going?

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Comments (42)

hooked123
8 years ago
It seems like the back splash is very cool and not blending with everything else to me. I am not an expert, but it seems like your choice of back splash tiles are more suited towards a light kitchen. I love Everything but I think that you can find a better back splash tile.
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Cheryl Hewitt thanked hooked123
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Very strange my last text is no longer here or maybe it didn't post? I'd written how much I appreciate all the time, thought, research and effort everyone has put in. It has been very helpful. I took the advice of a poster above and after school went to a BM store where I thought they might have a color consultant. They had two very helpful women who suggested after seeing my pictures on this site Wickham Gray for the kitchen and gray mirage for the dining area (it looks like a moss green) Both colors are soothing. The Wicham is similiar to several of the other colors people suggested. I put large sample squares of it up on the soffit over the window and it looks blue. I like it and if my youngest wasn't coming home from college tonight I'd run out and start painting. Instead I'm going to make a comfort food dinner. Homemade mac and cheese along with roasted brussel sprouts and salad. Ever since I found out you can roast the sprouts I'm a big fan of a formerly disliked vegetable. Regarding the fridge-it's actually just a normal size one door fridge and works just fine. Maybe it shines because I gave it a good cleaning after we put down the floor! Cannot justify the expense of replacing it for aesthetic reasons. I have a kitchen cat g-d vertical flag that one of my daughters brought back from Japan and could hang it on the fridge! That should add color. Wishing everyone a great holiday. Thanks again for your help.
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Cheryl Hewitt
Original Author
8 years ago
Our cabinets were originally going to be walnut which is much cooler. Switching to cherry has really twisted the palette. I'm not much for the warmer tones and that's where the crux of the matter lies.

The pictures on my ideaboards were put there months ago in an attempt to find a middle ground with the BF. He loves maple. I started with a desire for a white kitchen. He said he liked modern, however after months of struggling to find a kitchen he liked I realized he does not like modern. SMH.

I've been selecting light tile, because I'm trying to avoid beige tones. I'd probably love a dark blue BS or a deep taupe or deep gray.

It was interesting to me that worth the flooring and counters being cool that I could go softer/warmer with the stools, backsplash and chandelier. (Although the chandelier really suits us.)
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Lisa
8 years ago
Do you need to decide your backsplash now? I think it will be easier to make the decision after other elements are in place. Especially because you do have a lot of dark elements in the kitchen. I think a light blue-ish simple glass tile might look nice, but I'm not sure I would like the white against the black. I like contrast, but it might be too much. Of course, that is a personal preference. Again, I think it will be easier to tell after all the other elements are in place. It is one thing to see samples next to each other, but another to consider the scale of each of those elements.

I love those bar stools and disagree with your niece on that. I don't think you need softness in a kitchen. And those have cushions anyway. :-) They go great with your floor and chandelier and all will make your kitchen unique.
Cheryl Hewitt thanked Lisa
beenzmail
8 years ago
Unless you are on a strict time line I wouldn't stress over backsplash until everything else is in. Your granite slab laying under your lighting will look different than samples in a store. We had quite a few things that we thought would look great until we got them in our new kitchen and realized we were way off. Good luck! We've had our new kitchen for 6 months now and still have no backsplash, but we are getting there...
Cheryl Hewitt thanked beenzmail
eam44
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
I agree with everyone else who recommended you wait on the bs. Also, if you don't love warm tones, reconsider the caramel stain. You could opt for unstained cherry.

The shape of the hood you are considering is going to work against your contemporary styling. Might you consider something more modern?
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smm5525
8 years ago
Modern and contemporary often is interpreted and used different ways by different people.

I agree with eam regarding the hood.

Can you post an inspiration image of how you would like the kitchen to look overall? Maybe we can offer some suggestions. To me, the caramel stained cherry cabinets in shaker style are throwing things off. Have you picked hardware?
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Cheryl Hewitt thanked smm5525
Cheryl Hewitt
Original Author
8 years ago
Sorry for dropping off on this thread. I really appreciate your input. We had an incredibly busy weekend that included emptying our kitchen on Sunday and Monday in preparation for demo this coming weekend.

I don't really have any inspiration pictures that are easy to point to and say, "This is exactly what I'm going for." So many kitchens are white and we're not doing white, or there is one specific element that we like, but not the rest. I took some time today to add some images to my Ideabook.

Kitchen · More Info

Love this tile.

Kitchen · More Info

I like the pattern of the tile. (Not an example of tile color, just pattern.)

Kitchen · More Info

My BF really likes the herringbone pattern.

Kitchen · More Info

Love this variegated blue tile!

Kitchen · More Info

This would probably work well, because we could tile the cooktop wall and the hutch/bar section on the opposite wall.

We started discussing possibly using green for the backsplash.

Bathrooms · More Info

I really like this large format tile. Medium wood tone with black countertop.

Contemporary Kitchen · More Info

This example has green mosaic tile with a large window on the adjoining wall, similar to what we'll have. Our kitchen will have an appliance garage in the corner and two glass fronted cabinets (18"w) on each side of the range hood similar to the example above.

Hovey kitchen · More Info

Blue Ridge Kitchen · More Info

I can wait, and I may have to, but I'd really prefer to have everything nailed down. Or at least a couple of ideas in my head that unite this kitchen's style together. My brain would like some peace.

Lisa, I'm glad you like the barstools. :)

eam44, not staining the cherry will leave me with um, cherry colored cabinets and I couldn't live with that. The caramel stain drops the cherry tone down dramatically.

We like the swoopy hood style, but if we felt we really needed to step away from it, we'd probably switch to a basic Euro pro-style.

Hardware is very basic modern bar style.

Chandelier is going over the island with seating. The prep island will have cans over it.
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cawaps
8 years ago
I like green with your choice of cabinet color.

I am sure I have seen the tile from your second backsplash inspiration pic somewhere, but couldn't find it on the Heath or Fireclay websites (my two leading condenders). It has a similar look to Heath's bowtie tile, which you can get in many colors.
Cheryl Hewitt thanked cawaps
Cheryl Hewitt
Original Author
8 years ago
Our KD mocked up two visuals of Blue Granite as the backsplash. In the first it goes up to the bottom of the hood (wrong style hood in rendering) and in the second it goes to the ceiling. Cost: $1,600 for half wall, $2,200 for full wall height.

It's not the best mock-up, but it helps with the visualization. Thoughts?

The mock-up remind me that one, this is not a large area and two, that with the paneled refrigerator to the right and the appliance garage to the left it's kind of a cozy nook. As a reminder, the wall to the left has an 8' wide window that it bumped out 6".

I also found some examples of kitchens with medium wood cabs and black countertops with white subway tiles. Still think it's too stark of a contrast?

One more thing I'd like feedback on is using real copper trim on the range hood instead of SS. Yay? Nay? If we decide upon this trim, then we'll change our chandelier to something with a warmer colored metal.

(We're doing this hood style in black river. The BF is pretty set on this style.)
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Cheryl Hewitt
Original Author
8 years ago
Here's another rendering from the KD using the hood style with white subway.

He says, "I'm not 100% sure I would like that hood with the other stuff you have going on. I feel the flat stainless hood would match the appliances and the style of the kitchen a little better."
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herbflavor
8 years ago
I like the hood with the copper detail...note the copper has shine which really shows......the tile too is shiny but has a slight bevel to the edges which softens the whole feel somewhat. these are really well thought out final details. The copper could also perhaps be had at a less shiny final sheen?? don't know. The second pic of a real kitchen you show has the dull copper, and accordingly the tile is matte. Think what you like...what you want to look at day to day. I think the copper detail may be worth it.....but you have to pick and choose within that palette now. Personally, I'd probably not do the blue granite as I can see fatigue with it developing.....the light or white backsplash is more classic ......just my opinion....but you can still get details to create style with it.
Cheryl Hewitt thanked herbflavor
Cheryl Hewitt
Original Author
8 years ago
"Personally, I'd probably not do the blue granite as I can see fatigue with it developing...." I am quite concerned about this happening.

"the light or white backsplash is more classic" Agreed.
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smm5525
8 years ago
I think a lighter tile would be best in your space.
cpartist
8 years ago
White tile backsplash and copper accents on the hood which will pull in the cabinet color. The white backsplash will help lighten the kitchen and help pull the light floor up.
Cheryl Hewitt thanked cpartist
smm5525
8 years ago
Oh yes yes and yes on the warmer metal chandy and copper trim! It'll look awesome!
Cheryl Hewitt thanked smm5525
smm5525
8 years ago
The SS hood with copper looks nice too
smm5525
8 years ago
Chandelier

https://www.houzz.com/products/arteriors-auburn-antique-brass-chandelier-prvw-vr~1241644
smm5525
8 years ago
Another.

http://www.westelm.com/m/products/363908/?catalogId=71&sku=363908&bnrid=3902401&cm_ven=Google_PLA&cm_cat=Shopping&cm_pla=Chandeliers&cm_ite=AllProducts&kwid=productads-adid%5E153603528168-device%5Em-plaid%5E64052705815-sku%5E363908-adType%5EPLA&gclid=CO3UsI2G_88CFVKDfgoduhwBbg
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Cheryl Hewitt thanked smm5525
smm5525
8 years ago
Let me know and I'll stop lol

https://www.allmodern.com/Gavin-8-Light-Candle-Chandelier-LGLY3355-LGLY3355.html
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Cheryl Hewitt thanked smm5525
Cheryl Hewitt
Original Author
8 years ago
LOL, smm5525! Thanks. I like the second light fixture best..

"White tile backsplash and copper accents on the hood which will pull in the cabinet color. The white backsplash will help lighten the kitchen and help pull the light floor up." Thanks, cpartist.

You guys are making me feel like this design can be pulled together. Giving me hope.
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Cheryl Hewitt
Original Author
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
smm5525, can you find a chandelier like this, but in a warmer metal? Would like LED if possible. :)

http://m.lampsplus.com/products/ramona-32-inchw-led-pendant-light-by-possini-euro-design__5w979.html#read-reviews-tab
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smm5525
8 years ago
This one is kinda cool

http://www.shadesoflight.com/midcentury-modern-mobile-chandelier-6-lt.html?&variantID=595673&product_id=CH14053GL&adpos=3o9&creative=72522552152&device=t&matchtype=&network=g&gclid=Cj0KEQjwkdHABRCHiZ2gs6yGh50BEiQAA91WlhUEfF4wTTzZFUZsNPbdfd3mnG_Vzeqr9LBglIT5OuAaAkjG8P8HAQ
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smm5525
8 years ago
http://www.destinationlighting.com/item/kichler-lighting-armstrong-chandelier/P1518773
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smm5525
8 years ago
This one comes in varying mixed metals

https://www.houzz.com/products/agnes-chandelier-10-lights-black-with-custom-brass-cups-prvw-vr~6153692
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Cheryl Hewitt
Original Author
8 years ago
Oh, wow! You've been busy, smm5525! I think the middle one has the most promise. :-) Thanks!
Cheryl Hewitt
Original Author
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
We ordered our range hood, finally. We decided upon stainless steel with antiqued copper bands with large rivets and an antiqued copper lip. (The image below has shiny copper.)
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Cheryl Hewitt
Original Author
8 years ago
Cheryl Hewitt
Original Author
8 years ago
A couple of questions...

1.) Backsplash question: shiny/glossy or matte? The hood is brushed stainless steel with antiqued copper bands and lip which is a matte finish.

2.) Chandelier: what metal would you recommend?

would this work? http://www.lampsplus.com/products/ramona-32-inchw-led-pendant-light-by-possini-euro-design__5w979.html#read-reviews-tab
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smm5525
8 years ago
Love the hood!!!

1) matte

2) yes. Are you doing chrome hardware?
Cheryl Hewitt thanked smm5525
Cheryl Hewitt
Original Author
8 years ago
Yay, I'm glad you love the hood. The faucets are SS or brushed nickel (can't recall - that's embarrassing!) and the cabinet hardware is the same.
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smm5525
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
So jealous. Where did you order hood from? They are so pricey! I gave up
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Cheryl Hewitt
Original Author
8 years ago
We went through our appliance place, but I believe we could have done it online or through the local rep. It's a Vent-a-hood and yes, it was pricey. We were trying to convince ourselves that by having it done in Black River instead of SS that we'd be just as happy, because that would have saved us some serious money. In the end, we decided it wasn't worth the savings if we would be suffering from design fatigue before too long. We also considered going with a European style hood, which would have been a big savings, but we're seeing a lot of those around so we went for something less common (at least around here.)

The plan is to age-in-place in this home, so we'll be looking at this for a long, long time.

I can barely stand the sound of a vent fan, so DBF was onboard with getting a Vent-a-hood to spare me from the fan noise as much as possible. (What a sweetie!)

Still, it was painful to pay $4,700 for a range hood. We took so long to make our decision that it's likely we'll be waiting on this to arrive past the time when it could have possibly been installed.

Feedback on from all of you really helped us make our decision. It's one thing to discuss the pros and cons between the two of us, but having input from others that have been down the same road, or can simply look at a design from an outside perspective, is invaluable. Thank you!!!
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smm5525
8 years ago
These popped up in my fb feed today. They might look nice with your copper
Cheryl Hewitt thanked smm5525
Cheryl Hewitt
Original Author
8 years ago
Are those from AllModern?
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smm5525
8 years ago
Yup. Very affordable too
Cheryl Hewitt
Original Author
8 years ago
Backsplash tile:
- Our flooring (LVP) is 6" x 48" and will be laid in a 1/3 offset pattern. Do you think using the same 1/3 offset with the backsplash would be best? Would this be better than a stacked pattern? Should we try to pull in a contemporary look with the backsplash, or should we let the other elements in the room do that?
- The space behind our range is not a big space, 18"w x 18"h + 47"w x 60"h + 18"w x 18"h (i.e. 18" on each side of the cooktop) What size subway tile would you use? 3"x6"? 4"x12"? 4"x16"? Other?
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Cheryl Hewitt
Original Author
8 years ago
bump
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smm5525
8 years ago
I personally like 2 x 5 or something different than 3 x 6. I'm not a fan of the larger tiles for kitchen. But I'm not the tile expert. Perhaps one of them will chime in or start a new post.
Cheryl Hewitt thanked smm5525
cpartist
8 years ago
I think a 1/3 offset for the backsplash will work fine. I personally would prefer the shiny tile.
Cheryl Hewitt thanked cpartist
Cheryl Hewitt
Original Author
8 years ago
cpartist, I'm glad you spoke up about preferring shiny tiles. I thought shiny tiles would probably be what would be called for seeing as the perimeter granite and hood are matte. Using a shiny tile would tie into the island granite which to my thinking would pull things together.
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Cheryl Hewitt
Original Author
8 years ago
Opinions on something like this: http://tilebar.com/mini-brick-oyster-white-pearl-tile.html
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