My cabinets are custom from Crown Point. My old cabinets were in horrible shape so there was no chance of refinishing them, plus our entire layout changed and the kitchen doubled in size. The island is actually a dark brown stain called Russet. The perimeters are painted in a color called Paper White. I'm not sure which cabinet brands you're looking at. In the master bath I have Kraftmaid cabinets which are a non-custom line I ordered through Home Depot, and I like them very much. Many people here have used Ikea cabinets with beautiful results. Many others on the forum have created gorgeous kitchens by refinishing their cabinets themselves or having them refinished by someone. We decided since we were going with paint instead of stain for most of our cabinets we really wanted the factory finish so we wouldn't have to worry as much about cleaning them and chipping. As far as planning the kitchen, I was initially working with a local kitchen designer but we ended up parting ways because she seemed to be designing a kitchen for herself instead of for me. I posted my layout here on GW and ended up getting a tremendous amount of help from wonderful people here to design a layout that proved to be very functional as well as incorporating the aesthetic aspects that were very important to me. The Crown Point KD helped me tweak the layout further. As far as choosing the style, colors, textures, etc. what helped me tremendously was I collected a large portfolio of kitchens that I loved, some from magazines, most from online. All those photos greatly helped me to crystallize my vision for my kitchen space. I started noticing certain colors and styles in common in many of my inspiration kitchens. The result is that I now have my dream kitchen that is exactly customized to the way I cook and how my family lives. I get such a huge amount of enjoyment from working in a kitchen for which I so carefully planned every detail down to what would be stored in every single drawer. As far as the marble, yes, I'm the type that doesn't fear the patina. I chose marble because I wanted something different from shiny, new-looking granite (which I have in my guest bath and love) for my kitchen. I was looking for that vintage feel mixed with modern. The good news is that my honed marble is sealed well, doesn't stain and requires no greater maintenance than my granite. It does have etch marks but you have to try really hard to see them and in my opinion they don't at all detract from the beauty of my marble. Everyone who comes into my kitchen has the same reaction: they can't help but touch that marble and marvel at its beauty. I did keep the marble backsplash on my cooktop wall polished for a little extra drama. By the way, my stainless steel countertop has lots of scratches. It still looks great and eventually I'm sure they'll all just merge together. More patina! I hope that answered your questions. Let me know if you have more! =) Erika

I have a large sample of White Dove here, and a small chip of Old Praire (I have the BM deck). They do look good together. It looks like enough contrast . It does not look like you were trying to match the cab colour, but missed (I think Swiss Coffee might have looked like a miss). Hopefully we will hear back from Lori. I am curious if she still recommends a crisper white like Cotton Balls, expecially after seeing the warmth in the counter and floor. I have found this post educational and am always glad to hear what Lori has to say on colours. Carol

Awesome. :-) I just found the Pier 1 rectangular stools that Ida posted ("Lawson"), and they come in a few different colors/stains. I really like the natural finish... Hopefully, I won't have to ask my husband to sand them down and restain, lol (I have a hard time with various finishes clashing with the table -- it's a miracle the dining chairs actually worked). I'll ask him and see which one he wants, Option B or Pier1. Thank y'all so much! I am a bit sad at not really being able to pull off the pretty wrought iron backed stools, but I can always do scrolly light fixtures and wall hangings. :-)

@Sue I know this is a year old but hoping you can confirm for me the colors of your kitchen. Agreeable Gray walls and Snowbound Cabinets? My floors are nearly identical to you but we still have brown/beige/charcoaly granite counters that we can't replace yet but I am just over the dark wood cabinetry and need a color to go with my agreeable gray walls.