I am not sure that the "fake tile" and "fake wood" stuff was linoleum (a product made of cork, linseed oil and pigments). I though that was vinyl. Cork floors come in a couple of different ways. There are stick-on (but not peel and stick, they need real installers) floor tiles made of cork. They are thin, maybe not even a quarter of an inch. These might curl and look bad after a while. Then there is plank cork. It is often a laminate of cork, MDF, and a thicker cork top. They are click-together planks 1' x 3' and can be glued at the seams, too. After installation, a coating of polyurethane is used to seal the floor. You are often told to seal it yearly with polyurethane. This floor will give as you walk and is the floor that cooks rave about for making their feet hurt less! I am not sure the 1' x 1' cork tiles that are glued down give that same effect. Fori, I installed a beautiful floor in my kitchen reno four years ago this spring. It was a Nova Linoleum floor made like those cork click-together floors. It had a layer of cork at the bottom for insulation and flexing, MDF in the middle, and a layer of linoleum on the top. The 1' x 3' planks were laid with glue in the joints. There is a classic swirled linoleum pattern with shades of cream, maple color and blues. I never even did the polyurethane sealing. (There were conflicting instructions on this and the floor was imported from Switzerland, so I never got a straight answer from their US reps.) Even with three dogs weighing 68 lbs, 60 lbs, and 40 lbs the lino never showed a scratch. And there was a 90 degree turn they would make in that cartoon-dog spinning leg style as they raced to get to the back door. The real estate agent who listed the house considered this fine (and expensive) floor a detriment just because it is "different." Unfortunately for us, few Michiganders shopping for an entry-level home read the Kitchen forum on That Home Site! I did get around to putting a layer of water-based poly on the floor. It does shine now. When I was trying to sell the house FSBO, I would tell people that this was a real linoleum floor made of cork and had antibacterial and antistatic properties. I think of 70 some people through the house at open houses, 3 or 4 knew what I was talking about and were impressed. Sigh!

I thought about a dove grey, but I share the concern that it could seem dreary. Now, if it is going to be staged, you might be able to overcome that. The yellow and grey could look good too, but will require repainting the ceiling and probably some good staging to pull it off. And it's trendy, not necessarily that wide appeal you want. That led me to thinking a pewter to steel grey, but that was before you pointed out that the ceiling is blue. I think you can use that same blue and everything will feel clean and fresh and that's probably the easiest since you have the color and don't have to coordinate with the ceiling or repaint that too. Some folks are not blue people, but it won't be so strong to scare them away and the rest of the house is neutral (I'd leave the beige). The staging can add some yellow and green to make it feel cool, fresh and summery. Probably a good idea to stage the baking area. You don't have to haul the mixer -- some smaller things will work. A baking cookbook lying open, the rolling pin and a rolling mat, maybe a couple of cookie cutters and a cookie sheet. If you have an open house, bake some cookies in the oven so the house smells good and have them out on a plate or in a cookie jar. Or another keep it simple idea -- paint the ceiling white or the same green you have on the walls. I don't think it is either color the realtor is probably concerned about as much as the multiple colors. And even the dual color approach could work with the right staging -- it just raises questions about what to do with it with the kitchen vacant. Keep it simple. You've got at least a 50/50 chance the buyer is gong to change whatever you do. You can't pick everyone's favorite color, so you you just want something most people won't see as a barrier.

For a while I rented a condo unit that had similar carpet throughout (and matching green tile in the bathrooms). If a large element that you can't change isn't to your taste, the key is to avoid both playing to it and playing against it. Specifically, do not use a wall color that is a direct or near complement complement of green: that is, not red (or pink) and preferably not orange or purple, either, because all of those will make the green stand out instead of recede. I have deliberately used green carpet with pale yellow walls, but it was a grass green, not avocado. In this case, I would prefer a greenish khaki (not taupe - too pink!) or beige, which will somewhat blend with it. And not too light; the color has to be strong enough to withstand the green light that the floor will reflect. BTW, if the element that you can't change is a pattern rather than a solid, using more of the color that stands out too much is a way to tone it down. The same rented condo had bathroom cabinets clad in laminate in a violent gold pattern (this was against the expanse of avocado green tile), and I found that using a gold shower curtain and towels calmed it, because it made gold a background color rather than the foreground.

Thank guys. It's tough. We've been in this house for 12 years. The house was a total fixer built in 1975. It had a roll up garage door and that was the only new thing since the 70s. We have done everything in the house except 2 upstairs bathrooms and the kitchen. We are very budget conscious when we remodel. Our house is a mid-range house in a hcol. We are not sure if we will move and we cannot decide now. So we truly might be here for the long haul and we may just decide to move because it will work out financially. A move for us would be jumping house prices by $300k. We are not ready for that. And we cannot live with the kitchen as it is. We entertain so much and I love to be in the kitchen. So it is happening. The kitchen is a total gut except for the lighting, dishwasher and flooring. I am used to picking things that aren't the best. I just have to start somewhere and maybe I can sneak some splurges in. If we move in the next 5 years, I am confident that we can recoup a 30-40k remodel. So I was asking about the cab options because I want to keep resale in mind at least a little. I don't want to pick anything that is a true turnoff to the majority. With that said, the original question may be a bit moot. Maybe those Schuler cabs are way too pricey. I was originally hoping to do ikea with Scherrs or RTA altogether. I think there is a change I could find a similar finish as the oak cabs with Conestoga and do ikea. elizabethday - I like the finish on the cabs you posted. I love the wood finishes that create a rustic grey tone! No honey/yellow tones. I can see how those quatersawn oak cabs could be better for resale than the white because I bet they will look better in 5 years. The majority of homes in our bracket for sale have old cabs with nothing done or with granite slapped on. A five year old kitchen would be a great find! And yes, I would love a Bluestar. But that is only happening if I get a good deal at the nearby scratch and dent place. I appreciate all of your thoughts.