Here are some ideas. I could not find exactly what you are describing...I do think some might say it is a dated look but you decide what you like and do what you want . Its your kitchen.

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What’s dated, the crown molding or the different color?

The different color crown is dated, not the crown itself. Contrasting crown was popular many years ago, but has fallen out of favor.

Here's an oak and black crown picture.

Another done with black. I couldn't really find anything in white.

I think it is your preference and not dated at all if you like it!

I should not have said dated. I should have said late 90s look or early 2000. It was popular not so much anymore. I tried to find some photos in the white light rail color scheme but I couldn't . I am sure there is something out there so you can visualize.

What is the purpose of adding the molding? If you have vaulted ceilings the molding won't reach the ceiling anyway? Post a photo of your space. I would only use white to match your ceilings and other moldings in the room if you can't match the stain. A dark color just emphasizes something you don't want highlighted.

This is my kitchen. I very much dislike the black crown and rail but I have wracked my brain trying to figure out what to do about it. I don't want it white, and I have no desire to paint the cabinets even though I am not crazy about the glaze either. Wood custom cabinets, too well built to throw out so I am living with it.

@crcollins1_gw

I like your kitchen. The cabinets are a good quality wood. Pretty.

I like it! What do you dislike about it? It feels like it pulls the countertop, hardware and cabinets together,

Here’s a section of my kitchen. The cabinets are staying the same, the countertop is changing to a leathered titanium granite. It will be darker and very muted almost soapstone effect. The floor stays the same. I’m updating the hardware to cup handles on the short drawers and long simple handles on the big drawers and uppers. I feel like the crown molding currently in place needs to be more substantial but after 18 years, I will never be able to stain them to exactly match the color of the cabinets

I would take a cabinet door to a good paint store and get a custom stain. You should be able to come pretty close even if it takes a little trial and error.

I think your current crown looks really nice as is. But if you do decide to beef it up, it is really not that hard to match a stain. We've had to do it at my house. You just need to get the color chart of the stains in oak and then buy a few that are close. Most the time we end up mixing a little of this a little of that until we get a match. If you pay attention to your ratios as your mixing, you can make a larger batch when you get the match. It's a bit of a pain to keep track of, though. We use measuring spoons and paper cups to mix in. We are usually very successful.

@Laurie Armstrong I adore your kitchen. Those cabinets are very pretty. I agree take a door or drawer with you to a paint store and see if they can help you find the right stain. You might need to get a little extra molding so you can test until you find the perfect match. Its going to look lovely.

So the consensus I’m hearing it to match as opposed to contrast. Ok! Wish me luck. Now to decode what size molding to go with. Any suggestions?

It depends on where you plan on buying the crown. If you are going to a big box store, you'll have limited options for oak crown, so whatever one you want of the choices. If you want more choice than that, head to a more speciality store. We have a large lumbar yard that specializes in all.anner of trim and molding, plus catalogs to order from.

Laurie Armstrong - I do not like the dark counters and am dying to change them to white. The counters, black trim and pulls all go together. If I get white counters, it's a snowball effect and I haven't figured out all the moving parts. I am not going to paint the cabinets. Oh, and the lower piece of trim on the uppers is just low enough that my coffeepot will not quite fit under the cabinets, so I am stuck with it in my prime cleanup spot.

@crcollins1_gw Your kitchen is similar to mine only I'm taking my countertops even darker than what they are. Might be a dated look but I LOVE it plus, it hides so many stains lol. You are right, if you change to white counters, it will be a snowball effect. I started with a simple paint job and now my paint job has turned into a $30,000 reno/refresh. Does the light rail (lower piece of trim) hide under cabinet lighting? Can it be removed to accommodate your coffee pot? Or, is it time to shop for a new coffee pot that will fit? I am wanting to put black metal grilles in a couple of the upper cabinets - in the insert piece - with some glass behind. I'm struggling to find a supplier of the style I want. I think it will break up the Oak nicely. Maybe that's something you could consider with some of your uppers to draw in some white in to the cabinets?

@Amy Lynn, yes there are so many choices. It's the width I'm struggling with. Once I get the width down, I'll be able to select the profile or combination of. I'm going to upgrade my baseboards from 3" to 5". And my casings from 21/4 to 3". Just wondering what overall width to consider to 'beef up' the crown.

Laurie Armstrong - The light rail doesn't hide lighting, except in the one spot where the cutting board is. I added a plug in LED strip since that corner is so dark (the Smart Oven does not live in that corner anymore).

We care way more about a good cup of coffee than the esthetics of where it sits so we won't be getting a new pot anytime soon! This one is a grind and brew and there's nothing like fresh ground beans. Priorities! LOL

We've lived here two years and are about to start a master bath remodel so the kitchen is on the back burner (see what I did there?). It's functional enough day in and day out. Just not my preferred décor.

Since you're not changing the cabinets it doesn't make sense to me to change your crown molding. You can still change your baseboards and window trim without changing the cabinets.

@calidesign now that other have explained that matching stain isn’t as much of a nightmare as I was thinking, I believe you are correct. I’ll be sticking with the same color. I just feel the crown molding on the cabinets needs to be beefed up in size, don’t you?