I can see why you are having a hard time. I like both for different reasons. What is your floor going to be? I think I might go with A, but honestly either would be lovely.

I really like option B with the walnut with knots (or even no knots). I think it's a classic look and really makes the grey pop. It's a neutral that will go with any colors/design you decide. Will the entire level be that same floor?

Thank you for your input.

The floors will be 24x24 concret color tiles. The adjacent living/fining room has medium dark oak hardwood floors. Even though the kitchen and dining/living areas are separated, I feel like the wood color in Option A is more similar to our existing hardwood flooring and may match better? But does it matter since the kitchen os a separate room?

Picture of hardwood flooring attached.

I like option A better because of the fine lines in the laminate, it's different enough from your flooring. I have a very similar cabinet finish in my laundry room, I was able to choose from dozens of samples....mine has more brown in it. Is another color an option so you won't end up with too much gray? Is the gray main color locked in? Can you go warmer or darker? On my monitor it looks very cold and lacking depth.

@lucky998877 The grey is a medium dusty or mouse grey, I would say. initially we were considering going with a graphite grey which is almost black. That seems to be the 2022 cabinet color trend. But we try to stay away from being ”too trendy” as we dont want to have that type of kitchen where people walk in a few years from now and say: Oh, I bet your kitchen was done in 2022. Haha Haha. But you are right. Maybe we should look at more wooden colors that have a bit more brown in it. Thanks. :)

I love walnut, and I love gray, but I don't love them together. At least not as pictured. The gray is washing all the warmth out of the walnut. It looks mismatched and dreary. If you really want gray, go with option A. It coordinates well and looks intentional, and you can choose lighting and accessories that make everything look great.

I don't mind the gray, but it has to be just right . I think a darker tone would have been really nice or maybe think a lighter warmer gray -

I think if you pulled the gray right out of the countertop. that could go really well too.

Good luck!

@Debbi Washburn Interesting! I thought grey was a safe color that would never go out of style, just like white cabinets.

We chose that medium grey because it’s, well… medium. Not too dark or too light. A dark grey would look very nice and trendy but might not be timeless? I’ll attach a color combo we’ve considered but decided against dark graphite or black.

I really like the walnut but still unsure if it goes with the rest of my house. We will have to go back to the cabinet maker to see what other wood color options we have.

Great inspiration picture you attached. like someone said earlier, can’t really go wrong with any combination which is why this is so hard…

@mcarroll16 Yeah, I agree! each of the colors look fine on its own but not 100% sure if either combo is ”perfect”… What is interesting is that most people voted for Option B in my poll but more people who commented prefered Option A…

That is interesting! It could be a matter of which picture people focused on. I'm realizing now that I was looking hard at your second inspo picture, less at your sample, which is better. Embarrasing. Other voters may be looking at the correct sample, or may be looking at your first inspo picture, which coordinates better.

Now that I'm focusing on the correct samples, I still think your particular walnut and gray samples aren't the best playmates. Follow your instincts. Fingers crossed that your cabinet maker has a different wood that will work well with the gray.

I have to agree with Debbi Washburn. Beige was knocked out of the lead position by gray in 2008 in step with the housing crisis. Covid created a time when everyone needed hope, so white pushed gray out. White kitchens have been around forever, no matter what colors were trending, but I am not sure that the white on white kitchen isn't also going to look dated now that everyone wants a white kitchen.

The problem is that colors and trends come and go and unless you can redo your kitchen every 10 years it will not be what everyone wants after 10 years.

The real answer is to pick colors that you love and bring you joy. Design your home around those colors and live happily in your home surrounded by colors you love.

I love purples and wine reds and deep teal greens, so most of my art and linens and things incorporate these colors. I don't really care what the current trend is, I care that the things I own and the things that bring me joy look amazing against the wall color I selected. Over the years I have had both white and taupe as my neutral because those are the neutrals I love with the colors I love. I somehow couldn't imagine all my teals, purples and wine reds working well with Tuscan golds or builders beige or the gray/green beige coined as Greige. They do work with violet gray, taupe and white.

If you love cornflower blue and peach you shouldn't paint your home taupe or violet gray or any gray or greige, you should pick a creamy white.

If you love earthy greens and golds and orange reds (fall colors) a greige color on your walls will make your colors sing.

We built in 2017/18 and have iron mountain grey. Haven’t regretted it for one minute. Love it in our kitchen

Everything goes in and out of fashion. That is why it is so important to love what you have designed and make sure it fits your house. That way it will have more longevity than all of the slab door laminate cabinets we have seen in center hall colonials!

If you love the gray or the walnut , then get it.

On my monitor, then shade of gray does not go well with the walnut . It is just not the right tone.

I agree with the latest comments regarding designing this for you! Don't focus on a non-trendy kitchen, your inspiration pictures are very 2022 in their style and that is wonderful! Nothing wrong with that! I was fully aware that my dark green-white kitchen combo wasn't a timeless choice by anymeans...but I had designed this kitchen 3 years before it was actually completed, and I didn't even change the colors years later (custom, I could have had any finish). It's really what I love, and what makes me so incredibly happy! Creating meals, desserts and snacks in my favorite room of the house is exciting!... because it's "so me", and it fits our house well...with lots of houseplants that carry the green around. Listen to your instincts (and your heart and soul)...the choices aren't right yet, you are still questioning them.

@lucky998877 - I am planning on my own kitchen reno and will be painting the cabinets purple. Just like you, I couldn't care less what someone else wants - I want to be happy in my kitchen. I am also not going to be selling the home - it will be sold when I die or go to a nursing home and at that point I won't care about resale.