Wendy: that's certainly an even harder combo to find: a galley kitchen with a unique painted/wood cabinet mix! Thanks so much for thinking of me and sharing it! :) arialvetica: you rock! Wow did you find lots of great inspiration photos! I especially like that kitchen by Tineke Trigg. I've saved all the photos I could find of that kitchen and the adjoining dining room. I still haven't 100% confirmed what the final design will be but I do really want to bring in some bold colour somewhere! I love that comment your builder made about your KD. Ha ha...

Your question is the thing we struggled with the most when picking things for our house. I wanted wood grain cabinets but felt like having a different color wood floor would be ideal to stay away from what we perceived as the "log cabin" look. We decided on a natural hickory color for the floor and medium brown for the cabinets with white quartz counter tops. It looks right in my head but my wife and I are both still anxious to see what it will actually look like. Everyone else has said to hire a pro. Our builders have a interior designer that goes over the selections with each buyer. The trouble is our "style" didn't match hers. We are confident enough in our choices but we would have never hired out that work to another designer. From a cost side but also I don't feel confident enough that they would be able to help me get the look I was after more than I was anyway. I don't know if that makes sense at all but there was a lot of doubt and second guessing. There still is. I think you just have to think about it long and hard try to be sure of yourself. In the end, styles will change and you'll repaint and change carpet and whatnot. Good luck.

is this a rental? I ask because that florescent light in the kitchen is horrible. why someone would go to all the trouble of redoing the kitchen and leaving that cheap light is beyond me. The kitchen is great looking! With a proper light fixture, I think the colors would look better. this light is inexpensive. It also gives you 4 bulbs. Bring in some LED 60W bulbs in the cool light temp (4000K) and the entire kitchen would light up! If you rent, ask your landlord if you buy the light, can it be switched. it's not a big deal to do it. very simple. If it's yours, ask a friend to help you. Then bring in a runner (say a 2.6" X 8' size) to go in front of the sink area color is up to you. everything is pretty neutral, so get something you like. Then bring in some wood cutting boards, some color w/pots or vases, maybe some plants (faux is fine) I would be tempted to paint that end wall a dark color and add some art or something or cutting boards, vintage kitchen things i think black would look good. this one is chalkboard paint, but a deep black w/some cool art, or do a medium gray and add colorful pictures since everything is very neutral. you could also put one of those magnetic knife holders on the wall. and art.

Step 1: Cut the individual colors out of the sheet they are in so you can see the color directly against the stone. White borders are useful when viewing a sample on a color you are going to be painting over, but not useful when comparing a color to an element that is staying. Step 2: Throw out any samples that clearly don't work with the stone Step 3: View the samples at different times of day and under daylight and artificial light. Throw out any samples that clearly don't work at each viewing. Step 4: Put the samples on the floor. Do they work with your floor? Throw out any that don't work. Step 5: Move the samples around the room. View them on vertical surfaces, not just flat on your counter. Throw out some more. Step 5: If you are keeping wall and trim color, test the remaining samples against those and throw out any remaining ones that don't work. If there are any other elements you are concerned about playing well with the cabinets, do the same for them. Step 6: Now with a much smaller pool of candidates, order large swatches (or sample paint so you can paint your own). Repeat steps 2 through 5 with the large samples. Step 7: Pick your favorite. If you can't pick a favorite by this time, they are all fine; throw a dart and don't stress.