I have stained white oak cabinets. Mine were made by a local cabinet maker so I theoretically had an infinite selection of stains. I knew approximately what stain I wanted (medium caramel) but the devil was in the exact color that rocked my boat. I looked at a wood chair I owned and realized it was exactly the color I wanted - or at least a section of it was :-).

If I had 8 possibilities, I would eliminate those which I didn't like and see what was left and then keep determining which one I liked least.

Hi Helen,

What I meant by 8 options was that there are 8 combinations that I love, and cannot decide between those (rereading now I see it wasn’t very clear what I meant, I will edit the post, thanks!).

But you are right, I should start by eliminating the ones I like the least.

This is our 'forever we hope' home, so I'm not concerned with trends. I already have the colors throughout the rest of our home picked - choosing what we both love and felt good being surrounded by, and so I chose something that was in that color family and/or was complimentary to those colors in the primary rooms. Which is not to say pick something monotonous, but rather keep the style and color theme similar/complimentary with the rest of your home - that should rule out some of those 8 colors : ) Unless of course, that's exactly what you've done, and you've got 8 shades which are complimentary to your color schemes!

I do recommend painting something, a cabinet door, anything large, the colors you love most, then placing them in your kitchen and living with it for a bit - look at it in every light - natural during the day, with artificial lights on during the day, and all your various lighting at night. Even sunny vs. overcast daylight makes a difference.

Hi Katebg, Have you picked out anything yet, like have you chosen flooring or countertops? Those are big, hard, components that may influence the color decision that ultimately works best. With flooring you may have limited choices if you are going continuous throughout an open floorplan space, for example.

Is your kitchen open? If so think about what colors you want in your whole house color scheme, because it's not just about the kitchen.

The first decision was painted vs. stained cabinets. That was an easy decision for me- after 27 years of stained kitchen cabinets, it was time for a change to painted cabinets. The next decision was which countertop to choose. I read articles and discussions on Houzz and looked at many many photos. My husband and I hired a color consultant and went to a stone yard with her. We picked out a granite all three of us loved (leathered Azul Aran). The color consultant picked a custom cabinet color based on our granite choice (Benjamin Moore Barren Plain, a warm gray). I had originally wanted dark blue cabinets but eventually came to the conclusion that this wouldn’t be a good idea (too dark for the space) and we compromised with a dark blue island (Benjamin Moore Summer Nights). Before we made our final cabinet choices I decided what color backsplash I wanted (white) and had an idea of the flooring I wanted (gray porcelain tile).

I think it’s really important to decide what countertop you want before you pick a cabinet color, not the other way around. I did not want white cabinets unless we were going to do a black and white kitchen with black countertops, which my husband did not want.

I knew that I wanted to use a 1930s scandinavian table (rosewood) I already owned in the kitchen (no island) and I knew that I wanted to restore the beautiful mahogany in the butler's pantry. I also knew I did not want a dark and dramatic kitchen overall. I also considered how much light the kitchen would get from outside. This limited my options which was a good thing :-) In situations like yours,I try to look at the possible options with as much detail and as 'true to life' as possible....so large-ish samples, many pics, visits to similar spaces when possible. That tends to narrow things down. Also,if you have a few words that describe YOUR dream kitchen (a mission statement of sorts), do all of those 8 combos meet it?

Make a Houzz idea book. Search for scandinavian kitchens. Figure out what you like and do not like. Maybe you can find photos with similar flooring or layout to yours and with the combos you are considering. Keep looking at them until you figure it out. A few examples.

Mill Valley Sunny Scandinavian · More Info

Scandinavian Style Kitchen designed by Schmidt Kitchens Dorking. · More Info

A minimalist, Scandinavian masterpiece. · More Info

Scandinavian Kitchen · More Info

Scandinavian Kitchen · More Info

So many good tips! I‘m actually taking notes and will definitely apply them. Also, reading about the process of choosing was very helpful, it seems you each had something that you knew you loved, which then served as the inspiration for the kitchen.

We haven’t chosen the flooring yet, so I’ll start from there.

All of the combos go with the rest of the house (to a degree) and they all make me smile, but it is true that some make me happier than others, so I’ll go with that, too. As far as mission statement, it totally makes sense to do it, I’ll give it a try. I made a list of priorities, but it hadn’t occurred to me to make a statement.

I find Pinterest a bit more practical to use (or I‘m just more used to it) so I have my kitchen board there. I’ve been to kitchen showrooms several times, mostly to get ideas about the layout, storage, drawers, appliances, etc. It’s so true that seeing the materials in use and in different light actually helps to narrow things down!

Although I can’t get the effect I am going for, I think that painting part of the kitchen in some of the colors I chose is another thing I can do. As a matter of fact, I keep going back and forth with grey, I love it on pictures but I’m not sure I could live with it.

The most influential thing for me was the first photo I put in an ideabook (whether it's Pinterest or Houzz or just a folder on your pc makes no difference) before I took part in the message boards. While Garden Web/Houzz has helped me in functionality, aesthetics is all our own. But I started to become mildly influenced by trends, by those around me at various shops (tile, paint, etc.), by friends, and by comments here. Made my decision on cabinet paint color, which matched our busy granite, and then ran across the very first, very out of trend photo I'd saved... and loved. That's when I changed to the color that makes my heart smile.

Even if you can't get the effect you want, quite often you can come very close to it, or close enough to make you happy - it's good to see someone who's willing to accept this, and be excited about it : )

OP,what is the effect you are going for? Can you maybe share an inspo pic?

Sure, here’s a few ideas. I’ve always liked modern, minimalistic kitchens.

This is kinda the layout, with a peninsula instead of an island, the fridge will not be encased but freestanding with a cabinet above it, and there will be some storage on the side of the island where the chairs are (so one chair less).

I really love this one, and surprisingly so does hubby (I guess because of the hardwood backsplash).

All white (except I want it opaque, not high gloss)

This is another interesting material, looks like concrete.

In this case the island is white, and the back is dark grey.

Several of your photos show cooktops on an island. That is not a good idea though it looks "cool" in photos. But in actual use, it is a huge chase to ventilate it, more expensive, and to get an island big enough to fit both the cooktop and some seating for people where they won't risk getting splattered. And you've eaten up good counter working space if you have a cooktop in an island. Have your cooktop along the wall please.

After careful consideration, I’ve decided that the cooktop will go on the island. It will be wide enough for the cooktop, which will be placed nearer to the wall, with no seating immediately in front of it. Since it will be induction, the hood is optional (in Croatia), though I will install one. I almost never fry, so the splatter is also not a problem, though I will have a removable splatter barrier.

Several people I know have the cooktop on the island, and they love it. I understand that opinions on it are very divided, but I have done my homework.

Hi Katebg! I agree with most of the opinions that you definitely should eliminate the combinations you like least. It might seem difficult but deep inside you know for sure what you prefer. In my case it's all about usability vs. aesthetics. If I had such a great variety of combinations that I like I would definitely exclude those where white color prevails because it's a kitchen (not the cleanest place in the house). So, personally I would go for a bit darker colors (not black or something like that), just less white.

You could reduce the list from 8 to 3 combinations and then decide which suits best depending on the design, material, etc.

And a lot of useful tips have already been mentioned, so, I'm sure you can handle it

Actually when hollybar asked me to share some ideas, I went back to all the pics I had saved, and ruled out a few right away, because although they were interesting, ultimately they didn’t make me happy, and I don’t think I would’ve felt good being surrounded by them. I spend A LOT of time in the kitchen, and we have an open plan, so you cannot escape it.

You are absolutely right that practicality should come before aesthetics, in fact all of the materials I’ve looked are anti-fingerprint, durable, and can be wiped down easily (also having flat panels means no crevices for dirt to get stuck in).

2ManyDiversions had me thinking about what made my heart smile, and I keep going back to the combination of grey or concrete with pure white and warm rich wooden tones. Plus, as you said, a kitchen should be functional, not something I’ll be cleaning all the time, so yeah, total white is not the best idea.

Living with the colours in the room for a while before deciding helped me. You really need to see how the colours work in your light. Using poster boards or sheets to cover things help decide between light and dark, for example. Getting as many real samples of things as possible is essential. Tile, flooring, counter.... I loved a lot of tile in the store but it didn't work in my space. Maintenance might be a factor to help you decide as well (finishes, especially). Also, if you decide on one hard element, it will help determine the others. A bit like a map where you have different starting points, choosing a particular one leads to different choices. (Does this make sense?) If everything is "to be determined", you have no direction and keep second guessing yourself. It's tiring. I started with my cabinets but you could start with your flooring or counter. And yes, you must take into consideration the rest of the house. Good luck! It's a fun process but it can be nerve wracking, especially if one is a "perfectionist". Remember: there's more than one way to end up with a kitchen you love and no choice is inherently "good" or "bad".

I agree that adding wood somewhere will create a more pleasing warmer element to prevent it from being too sterile. My lower cabinets seem to get much dirtier. So maybe wood for the bases and white for uppers.

Scandinavian Kitchen · More Info

OP,I like the kitchens you posted. The one with the hardwood backsplash ---swoon! Hope you choose to keep posting as you go thru the process. & as @ tartanmeup wisely says, there is more than one way to end up with a kitchen you love.

My quartzite helped me choose my colors not only for my kitchen but for my whole house.

I would consider a two-tone kitchen design, white and marine for more contrast, or white and wood for a more warm look. Minimalist looking or marble-like quartz would go great with these combinations. It would be great to know how much light do you have in your kitchen, what is the layout like and what are your preferences regarding backsplash and countertops. For example, using minimalist looking quartz both on countertops and backsplash looks great in Scandinavian kitchens. But are you going for a definition of a Scandinavian kitchen or do you have some preferences of your own?

I would love quartz countertops and a matching backsplash, but that is unfortunately not within my budget. I’ll go with hpl (high pressure laminate) because I like the thin look.

The room is south-west oriented, with 2 windows on the west side and a large sliding door leading to the terrace facing south, so there is always a lot of light.

I’m going for something in between modern and Scandinavian.

White and wood was a very predominant trend here for quite a few years, and I love it (clean and warm at the same time), but it is literally everywhere (about 80% of kitchens sold here are white, at least half of those are white and wood). It has moved from high-gloss to matte, which I much prefer.

Here are some of the colors I’ve been looking at:

Here is my sketch of the room:

I picked my paint/wall color years before I started the reno. I hired a color consultant regarding a whole-house paint color scheme, and then went from there. The second choice was the cabinets - I went with vertical grain Douglas-fir, which are medium-toned wood and very warm, which further constrained flooring and tile choices. I haven't done my backsplash yet, but the tile I'm leaning toward is an earthy bluish-green (Tidewater). Everything else is neutral, so the tile will be the pop of color.

I'm concerned with you having the cooktop on the island.

Also your fridge does not look like it will open all the way where you have it situated.

Is there a reason you're doing this layout versus an L shaped layout which would probably be a lot more efficient?

cpartist, I love your quartzite. What a beautiful jumping off point, indeed! Your kitchen is so harmonious.

Thank you tartanmeup. If you'd like to see the rest of the kitchen, you can see it HERE.

Hi Kate,

Fun question!

For us?

We live in a very small space yet we love dark colors. Hubs and I are both fans of accent walls as well.

After much deliberation and AFTER we came up with our lighting design, we decided on a white kitchen with a grey/blue quartz counter, LED lights (our kitchen is windowless) white paint with Peppercorn accent wall(s) throughout.

What's nice is although our home does look current, fresh and on trend with the "grey" theme, it's in paint only and everything else is neutral.

If Harvest Gold or Avocado came back in style and we wanted it, wouldn't be hard to do.

Honestly, do you lighting plan first, then choose your colors after that.

Post pics!

I am going to have to just start from somewhere, wether it’s picking the floors, the walls, the countertop, the lights, or something else, and see what I end up with. It’s really interesting to read all your comments, thanks everyone for your feedback.

As far as the layout, it’s just a simple drawing in a free online program, not the final version. I have thought about room for the fridge, and many of the other details. This is the most cost effective layout (window hight prevents me from doing it L shaped, and moving a window in a very thick brick wall is quite expensive), it gives me a lot of counter space, and I don’t have to have my back to everyone while I’m cooking. I’ve played with many different layouts and this one works the best.

cpartist, regarding the cooktop on the peninsula, so far people have mostly been concerned with ventilation, which really isn’t a problem, plus I love some of the hoods. I’ve looked at all the other cons that came to mind, spoke to people that have it, and decided it is a good option. However, there is always a chance I might have missed something.

How high off the ground is the window?

it gives me a lot of counter space, and I don’t have to have my back to everyone while I’m cooking

Except cooking is normally only about 10-20% of the time we spend preparing a meal. 70% of the time is spent prepping and that ideally should be done next to the sink.

Well, I love the one that you love with the wood backsplash...

I tend to go with my initial feeling. I find that after that, I overthink...and I always seem to come back to the first one that I love.

I am the same way, I’ll love something, then overthink, then go back to the original idea that felt right and reflected my style.

katebg, while not at all your aesthetic,I think you might find this post about how/why each decision in this kitchen re-model was made interesting....and yes, here the floor really got the ball rolling. https://juniperhome.com/2019/06/evergreen-house-kitchen-reveal.html/

holly, thank you for the link to that blog. What a gorgeous kitchen and thoughtful write-up of her choices. Love it all.

thanks holly!

Most kitchen showrooms now have great design software options and if you plan on buying everything at one place, you will most probably get a discount and the design will come free of charge. Great thing about 3D design is that it can show you how your kitchen will actually look like in a particular space. Seeing your options and various combinations may give you some unexpected ideas, plus you get professional design help. Good luck with your project!