I too have golden/honey oak cabinetry & after almost 6 weeks of going to local slab yards & warehouses I decided to go with Madura gold granite for my countertops. But, with that being said, I highly suggest the same thing that others have suggested. Go to as many places as possible to see the actual slab, not just a sample in a showroom or online, because being that granite is a natural stone, one Madura gold (for example) can look very different from another Madura gold, it all depends on the different "bundles" & at which time it arrived at the slab yard. Find out what times & days your local slab yard pulls slabs & don't be afraid to ask them to pull more than one slab, so that you can see more than just the front slab. Some of our other favorites were "golden oak", "tuscan sunset" & "crema bordeaux", the crema bordeaux can vary greatly in it's color though, but is so beautiful. Each of these for me, here in ohio, ran roughly &50-$60 a sq ft, just to give you an idea of cost in my area. I hope this helps a little & good luck.

I've done jobs with different oil products but used the Rubio only twice. One turned out perfect. It was a mix of White and Pure on rift sawn White Oak. The owner insisted on using a green finish with no solvents and I warned her it was fine except for potential issues with dog accidents. You can probably guess what happened. The second was Super White that we water popped. It ended up with some cloudy areas which points out issues with finishing technique. The floor needs to be sanded perfectly and scrupulously cleaned before oil application, and the finish needs to be removed completely or it will be cloudy. I just finished a natural color job with WOCA. It turned out nice in the end but took a bit of work. We washed the freshly sanded floor with the Wood Cleaner. The effect of the water made the floor look less smooth than desired. We tried extra coats, abraded with an abrasive nylon pad then re-oiled to the same end. Then we re-screened the floor, applied two more coats and it looks great. I think I'd forgo the cleaning step in the future. I like the idea of the Rubio and even have enough material in stock to do my own floor however I like the ease of maintenance and relative simplicity of the WOCA product line. The Rubio Soap is crazy expensive IMO. Coloring my opinion is that my local Rubio distributor is somewhat pathetic. I found a distributor in GA that carries WOCA and Rubio so that will at least put that issue to rest and give me a resource with expertise to draw on. I like the Rubio Smoke, Fumed and Precolor products for the breadth of unique looks it can achieve when used with their products. The bad? It requires more routine maintenance than poly. It's more susceptible to minor spills and stains. You are unlikely to find maintenance product for sale locally, so stock up. I have two older parquet floors in a wood that's no longer available. I plan on sanding it, wire brushing it, then applying a mix of White and Super White with the idea that the floor will go from it's current dark mahogany look, to a coffee with cream color with white in the deeper grain. I don't know that I'd use it in my own kitchen even though I can pay my own workers to change it fairly effortlessly. I am something of a skeptic when reading the claims of the wonders of the new generation of oil finishes, even though I'd like them to be true.

Well, don't go break the bank on something that hands out radon, or cannot be effectively cleaned without a college diploma! A very nice countertop that is a solid surface, and just simply white will be very pretty. Keep it simple, Let your floor shine. Oak and cedar wood does go with green(I call yours' Emerald and Gold....not really Forest or Pine on my monitor) just take a walk in a park or maybe just in a Nature area. There is nothing prettier than wood and green grass with the colors of birds and butterflies around. Nature does not make mistakes...so I think the counters, and the appliances as they can(need is the only thing that moves mine out)be changed to white with your sink....will be a very pleasant transition, and be careful doing that drywall painting. Your floor and your wood and your counters will need some time and effort to be duly protected. Maybe that will sink and counter top will lead you to the right shade for your walls. There are alot to choose from in just the family of lites/ whites..

That is not a particularly traditional kitchen. And in my opinion, not necessarily so elegant. It also looks like that kitchen has white cabinetry. There is a ton of contrast in that space you show above, and a lot of ”shine” - on the ceiling alone. The light blue tones of the ceiling may evoke some degree of calmness in the space, though; light/pastel blues on a ceiling can do that, and they can also make the room appear more spacious/ the ceiling appears higher. But the main thing that is saving that space from seeming completely chaotic is the lighting. Notice the lighting in that space. If that space had your fluorescent lighting, it would be a nightmare. Look - there is nothing wrong with your kitchen. Really. Wood for cabinetry is very much en vogue right now - plus is classic. All types of wood are trending, including yours. And the slab front type styling on your cabinetry is also trending. There is also nothing wrong with the finish (shine) on the current granite. It is classic stone, and is not out of date. Would a piece of marble with some shine be considered out of date now? No. These are all personal preferences, at this point - not mandates for what is in style or not. The lighting in your space is the MAIN ISSUE. And if the lighting has not yet been settled, you are not even seeing the space accurately. Your space is really MUCH MORE cohesive and ”calm” than the kitchen in the pic you are showing above. Nothing wrong with your black appliances, either. They worked well with the counters and cabinets. But the stainless is fine, too - and will help to integrate your floor.