I don’t see a photo of the kitchen bar. You have 3 paint colors in this kitchen, so yes, I would definitely repaint one color to make the kitchen cohesive. I’d pick a lighter color. As for the island, I’m assuming the same quartz, right? If so a dark island would work, maybe something very dark charcoal almost black.

Not a pro, but I'm seeing mostly warm colors in your kitchen so I'm not sure how adding a gray island will work. Hopefully some pros will chime in to help you develop a cohesive plan so it doesn't end up a Pandora's Box.

@K R I uploaded Here is the photo of my bar. I like the idea of a charcoal/black island. I think it would work. I was looking at the darkest gray I could find. Lowes has limited selection of countertops, I may have to go somewhere else as they can't match my current quartz hence I was going to go with something light.

@tlynn1960 a Pandora's box is my fear. Yes, the RED wall will go away once I paint it.

@Sina Sadeddin Architectural Design the goal of the island is to have a build in kitchenaid mixer stand, bookshelf, 3 drawers (1 deep for mail, 1 deep for storage, 1 for table mats) and extra storage for small appliances like juicers and toasters. Also it will have a drawer for a dog bowl. I also need counter top for serving when I have visitors (buffet style). So, I do need it. My current one is very small and not functional. Below is the prototype

new island is only 40 inches by 57 inches.

I really like the shade of color on the bar.

You could paint all of your lowers cabinets to match that color (bar paint color) and, if you want you island to stand out, go a much darker shade that’s still in the same color palette (something complimentary).

You could then paint all of your upper cabinets white (if you’re still considering that) to brighten up the kitchen. To bring it all together, paint the kitchen in the same shade (or similiar in softness) as your living room wall color.

Here are some example of mix of warm kitchen cabinets and gray.

I would strongly discourage a dog bowl drawer

Will water be in it? Dogs need water to be available all the time. Even if it is just for food, an island is made to be walked around, the pull out dog drawer will absolutely be a tripping hazard

@Ariel Tiana I like the idea of repainting the kitchen but I'm afraid it is not possible (cost). I will just paint the RED color (even though I absolutely loved it when I was repainting my kitchen). I will add the green again, though warm white would have been perfect.

Not sure why you'd want to paint those beautiful cabinets. Your kitchen is nice and warm. You will have to work hard to get the same warmth with white cabinets.

Agree. Even though I have white cabinets I wouldn’t paint yours.

I saw these samples yesterday. I like the grey more but it will be more expensive. White is what everyone is doing . This is against the cabinet in the showroom.

Not everyone is doing white. I would never have a white kitchen in my home.

The examples posted of warm with gray look to me to be an example of what not to do. Just because it was done before does not mean it’s an example of something good to do. Then again this is something the poster can make a decision on for themselves.

I'm leaning towards the charcoal (small sample on the top of the brownish one). It will come down between the charcoal and the brownish one since EVERYONE is against the grey :)! Thank you all.

Thanks all! Ultimately I believe design is about pulling it all together. Grey isn't a problem with warm colors if let's say my walls were on the cool side. The challenge for me in decorating is pulling it all together. I my kitchen had light neutral color, my wall was also neutral, then gray would fit in. If I had the money to repaint, redo the floors, I would. But thank for all the advice.

Hmmm, I think there is a lot going on here. Your floors are certainly not hideous, I've seen way worse. They might not be your style, but I would try to work with what you have. I understand wanting to make your island bigger and if you can get better storage out of it, then do it. I would discourage a dog bowl drawer as it is a tripping hazard.

I am glad you posted pictures of the warm kitchens with the gray islands because I really don't think it works. What about instead of gray you installed a black island? Black would work with your counter tops and your current cabinets.

The examples posted of warm with gray look to me to be an example of what not to do. Just because it was done before does not mean it’s an example of something good to do.

Bears repeating.

Either match the island to the existing cabinets or choose a different color. Sageish green, turquoise. The example kitchens with brown & gray are Just Awful.

go with a black island, even black stained.

https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-with-flare-traditional-kitchen-chicago-phvw-vp~798932 These cabinets are very similar to yours, and with the black island it looks really good

Honestly, I like your kitchen as is. It doesn't look like your proposed new island is so much bigger than your current one, so I struggle to see how the new one will be so much more functional. I would not replace it and try to find a way to store what you want to store inside your existing island and put the dog bowl somewhere else. And I would use your budget to repaint the kitchen walls instead. I would also be very wary of adding two new elements (new cabinet color and new counter color) to the space -- it may end up looking very disjointed.

I agree that your cabinets look nice (and solid); and I do like white kitchens but yours seems to work. If you must change the island, almost black is what I'd choose but not with white countertop. And then perhaps change your cabinet hardware to update it- maybe even a matte black to coordinate with island. And definitely paint the accent wall. I'd focus on that.

I get that you are trying to update your space a bit and if you do need a new island, you will have to choose a different complementary color as matching cabinet color would be near impossible. The charcoal is okay. The brown is not good. Definitely NOT the lighter grey. I agree that nearly black would look nice too. Can you get the same color counters again to keep some continuity in this space? I like your dining set but think the seats make it clash with your floor.

The question I have in regards to the additional space you need for the island is: what is beyond the current island? If I am figuring the picture correctly the dining area is offset from your kitchen. Can you take a picture from the middle of your kitchen look over the island?

Black island. Black granite counter (go to a stone yard and pick a remnant). Do not be limited by a big box store. Definitely no dog bowl if water will be there. Paint entire room. And if you say ‘you can’t’ then please have some patience and wait and make it an ‘I can’.

Functionality is what im after I the dog bowl being a tripping hazard and I may have to rethink it but I need the larger island to stay within the perimeter of the .kitchen I also need space for my kitchenaid mixer that rises to counter level. Definitely a bookshelf and mail drawer and table mats drawer. I agree darkest without being black will be the best.

I know the fad right now is painted cabinets. Paint does not hold up as well as stain. We have stained knotty beech cabinets with a gray stained maple island. I have black honed granite on the surrounding cabinets and a grey/white granite on the island. We didn’t want to pay for a new floor but I think it looks very nice. Our walls are white with just a hint of gray.

the new island will be big enough to make a difference and will be more functional.

here is another view of the island. so the new island back will start where the current one is. then it will add some inches on sides and front. current dimensions are 42x27 and new one will be 57×41. but don't overlook the new functionality and new surface space.

I too think your cabinets look very nice and functional. I’d go as large as you could with your island. You only need 36” to 42” between countertops and island. Since it looks like your floor and granite both have a cream appearance rather than a blue base, I would pick out the taupe for your island color and just replace the granite on the island. Then play with color on the walls to enhance everything. Put money into paint and a pretty runner in the kitchen or area rug under your kitchen table. In small rooms picking only one color on the walls makes the room look bigger but if you like more, than go for it! Express yourself and love your kitchen. If you can make your island deeper but not deep enough for back to back cabinets, you could always just extend the island over the cabinets by 15” for a bar with stools. People love to sit at ours while sipping wine, talking and watching me and my husband cook for them. That’s one of our favorite things to do for our guests and they love it

I don't think grey is the way to go. I like your island idea, but if you haven't purchased them yet, STOP! Take one of you cherry doors to the store with you and see what other island color would work. The cherry cabs are really beautiful in the photos, and the floors, while not great, are not as terrible as you think. But grey is not going to pull this together. It will make it worst. The grey is the problem. It does not work. Then neutralise your paint colors. Remove the red and green and pick one for your whole open space. Then update your pendant lights. I am afraid if you go with grey, you will spend a lot of money and not be happy.

STOP! A larger island will interfere with traffic flow. You need 48” all the way around it. Gray anything will look plopped down from someone else’s house.

Put the brakes on here! You’re wasting a lot of money on the wrong things for not good at all results. You need to be working with a good Kitchen Designer.

Thanks for the additional picture. It was hard to visualize what was where. Your oven looks pretty lonely over there. I am worried a larger island will make it harder to maneuver in your space.

Tape on the floor is all fine and good, but I would approximate the 3D space the new island will take up with some cardboard to really get a feel for it. Try opening your DW. Go from sink to oven. Really see how big it will be before you commit. Is this a stopgap measure before a full kitchen remodel at some point or all you plan to do for several years? You mentioned painting, etc.

I really like the kitchen you have and the other spaces I can see in the background. But you are right - they don't seem to go together. It's like forcing a round peg in a square hole. What is the color in the living room and on the wall by the island back?

About your floors - I recently bought a new home with kitchen tiled floors I hated. I bought grout renew at Lowe’s and painted the grout lines between the tiles. My floors look brand new! First I did some heavy floor cleaning and then I painted the grout lines with a small paintbrush. I did this for less than $30.

final rendering. I'm going with slate color. now trying to find a matching countertop to my existing one. if I don't find a matching quartz (sienna ridge silestone) what would you all suggest I go with?

I was looking at the picture you posted of the kitchen looking towards the wall ovens. Just wondering if you wouldn't be better off turning the island direction, make it longer, not wider? The current location of the island seems too far from everything to be really useful. But if you kept it narrow and turned it parallel to the stove, and lengthened it towards the sink and the ovens, would it not do more for you functionally?

Before ordering the island, do a spacing test.

Get a table of big amazon boxes on top of the blue tape & test the spacing.

This will give you the true feeling of the spacing vs just the flat tape.

Open all appliance doors within the area & use the kitchen as normal for a day or 2 with it in place. Patience pays to tet it out beforehand.

At 1st glance, it's a little too big. Some simple adjustments in size will make it even better.

Charcoal looks fine.

@bgs990 my husband suggested the same but that would kill my kitchen vibe. the way I'm doing it is the best way because there always been a huge gap between island and the sink area which allow me to make the island deeper.

@artistshatonva yes I checked the space. I van only do 36 inche gap on wide side then maybe 48inche on front side then another 48 inch on backside. but thanks.

ideally I would have redone the whole kitchen but I'm staying in budget

You have room to make island slightly bigger to fit the space better.

Good that you checked the spacing properly.

Basically, 36" is still kind of tight. It's the minimum. Only good for 1 person walking through, not as comfortable working in front of or trying to access cabinets in between.

I have remodeled plenty of homes which had an island which was too tight of spacing less than 42" can be a nuissance. In those cases, 1 of the 1st things clients would request was to please get rid of the island or make more room between. They were tired of always in the way & banging their back side when trying to use cabinets in between.

A common mistake is to forget to measure for extra space to bend over to access cabinet & the space to back away from cabinet with door. Even more space suggested if full extension drawers or pullouts.

Try to squeeze more room on 36" side , a few more inches would be ideal ;)

Hi all, I finally finished the renovation and I actually vlogged it. Thank you so much for your advice ; I took it into consideration in the final product. Check it out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXJo5HZJNSM

It turned out nicely! So glad you did not paint your cabinets-- they are classic. Now, the next thing you should save for is some flooring: If on a budget--wood-looking Luxury Vinyl Tiles which wear especially well in the kitchen and area nearby. Enjoy your kitchen

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I believe in grey and metallic colors in your kitchen, I think it could be nice

How about a butcherblock counter for the island? Would Lowe’s allow that? I would paint the walls because the yellowish-goldish tone clashes with the flooring.

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