Sounds perfectly nice!

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Having a contrasting island is just one approach. Having a two-toned set of main cabinets is a very nice style as well! Trust your taste!

Are you searching for images of two tone kitchens? Although a lot of white kitchens will use a stained wood island, there are lots of two tone kitchen with different upper and lower cabinets. My kitchen cabinets are all quartersawn oak, but we used a sand (off white) stain on the uppers and a chestnut on the lowers. I like the effect but some people do not.

Here's a photo of a walnut and white kitchen for you.

awesome, thank you both! i was simply searching for “white and walnut kitchen”; thank you for pointing me to the above pics! I will trust my approach now :)

I would do all walnut, no white. The two tone kitchen is in overdrive and I’m not a big fan aesthetically. But I’d try to overall limit the number of upper cabinets assuming you have enough lower cabinets. As tatts said, there is no such thing as too much walnut.

I wanted to do that, but I had a hard time figuring out how to do the transition for tall cabinets. I really wanted white for the tall cabinets in the corner of my kitchen-but the shift in color between that and the lower cabinets felt jarring...so I left them all white. I love the look.

@hemina yep that’s an angle i am thinking of too - i have a pantry wall with tall pantries, oven and refrigerator - there is a landing area for the appliances in that wall with uppers/lowers. I am planning on using walnut for the lowers there so the wall does not look monotonous with white. Attaching a layout pic.

This is another kitchen where we used white and gray, with the white also being the tall cabinets.

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love the floors!

@Kristin Petro Interiors, Inc. do you have any thoughts on mixing walnut with the tall white cabinets in my layout ?

Love walnut. LOVE the kitchen barncatz posted. I don’t generally love two toned cabinets but that kitchen is gorgeous and whatever stain they used on the walnut is gorgeous.

you can’t go wrong with walnut. Sun, I love your idea.

Have you finalized that design? Or are these initial ideas? I feel like you’re not going to love cooking in the kitchen unless you can get a better work triangle.

Imagine yourself making a meal...what are all the steps you’ll take going around the island to get to the fridge and sink?

Sounds nice to me, pretty classic.

I just tried to draw out the space but I’m guessing on how wide the doorway is on the left. I don’t think you have enough room for what you’ve drawn unless that doorway is really wide. Can you post the measurements? You need minimum 36” (42” is better) between counters. Right now, if the doorway is 36”, without accounting for overhang of the countertop, your island would be maximum 1’ deep. But if the doorway is wider, you might have more room. Just hard to tell without those details. Do you have an existing layout?

@hemina the doorway is 48” - the entire wall is 153.5”

the aisle spacing around island would be 36” (back and front); 42” to the side of the dishwasher

I would do the walnut for sure to accent your kitchen you want!

This is a kitchen I did for a rustic look. This is Alder with walnut and it would go great as what you said here. The walnut cabinet would be the feature of the kitchen. 2 tone is a great way to go. I like the style you are going for and would enhance the room!

Ken

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That gives you more room but you’ll have to account for countertop overhang-around 1-1.5” so that leaves 21-22” for the island to get the 36” clearance. I think you’re better off with a peninsula. I’m guessing that’s what you have now. You should talk to a kitchen designer. No matter what you decide with the walnut, it won’t function well if it’s not laid out efficiently.

Here’s an article that might be interesting:

https://www.bhg.com/kitchen/layout/successful-kitchen-layout-secrets/

@acm, awesome. See photos.

I can't really comment on where to put where to put Walnut and where to put white because I don't think you have a sound layout yet. I agree with @hemina that your island would not be able to accommodate a cooktop if you redesign with proper clearances. A cooktop on an island needs a healthy amount of space behind it to be safe for people walking past it. You won't have it given the dimensions of the room. A better layout would be the cooktop on the wall adjacent the sink.

When I do the math, based on your dimensions and using minimal 42" clearances, your island would be 18.5" width.

@hemina and @Kristin Petro Interiors, Inc. let me rethink the layout - there is some other feedback i have received as well

How do i go about hiring an independent kitchen designer - i see cabinet shops having in-house designers but i am planning to go with a private cabinet maker.

Ask your cabinet maker who he recommends. If he's a legitimate professional, he has most certainly worked with designers. If he can't offer you a referral, I would consider other options for your cabinetry.

Also, search "Interior Designers" in your area and see if they have kitchens in their portfolios. Interior designers often include kitchen and bath design in their services. You will get limited results if you just search "Kitchen Designers" in your area.

We had walnut bases and white uppers in our last kitchen. In our new house we are getting a very large walnut island and a white perimeter but the range hood and 2 uppers beside it (our only uppers) will be walnut as well. I don’t think it’s choppy, I think it makes the walnut the amazing focal point is should be.

Does your cabinet maker have a lot of experience with walnut? I would ask to see some of their finished walnut cabs because some people stain it and it goes a bit purpley. And obviously you want the grain running cohesively across the kitchen.

Like your ideas. One thought:

Consider a free standing walnut cabinet for your full height cabinet -- something you could take with you if you ever move.

cool! let me implement these ideas, thank you!

@suezbell freestanding is giving me more to think 😀