Countertops: light or dark with oak cabinet? (UPDATE: black canyon silestone it is!!)

[SplshMtn99]

I can't decide. Here's what we have:

20 yr old oak cabinets - medium tone but a bit to the orange brown side (think 1987). While somewhat boring doors, they are in very good shape & don't look outdated compared to what is in the stores.

Floor: 2 yrs old "tile looking" vinyl. Sort of an almond color - not a solid shade. If you put it near orangey browns, tans, greys, blues you can see it picks up some of those colors too.

Appliances: dishwasher & microwave/hood are black. Stove is almond with black door & black backsplash/ knob area. Frig is almond. Frig could be painted black if I ever decide to go all black. I'm afraid of a black stove & the dust showing. I don't feel stainless steel would look right in this kitchen. Everything is warm colors & I think SS is cold feeling.

Knobs & hinges are currently a dark antiqued brass color.

Walls are going to be painted in a light to medium neutral sand shade that reads a bit to the warm side (warm meaning gold/red/yellow spectrum). A lighter shade of Benjamin Moores StoneHouse color. Love that color.

Our dining room is open & attached to kitchen. It has medium blue carpeting -- eventually will change to something else. Table is black & oak.

It sounds like a hodge podge of colors..but its really not THAT bad. We are getting new countertops & I can't decide if I should go darker than cabinets OR lighter than the cabinets. The 2 I am leaning towards both have tans, brown, blacks & almonds in them...just different amounts...so one reads darker & the other reads lighter.

While I love the look of black countertops with oak, I would never do that since I would then need black appliances....and I just cringe at the thought of all that dust & stuff showing.

The lighter counter also has some greyish specs. Nice I guess if someone ever wants to paint the cabinets & put in stainless steel appliances.

Ugh....sorry for the novel. I thought it would help me to type it out, but it didn't. Our bathrooms have same new almond floor & new almond color solid surface sinks with same oak cabinets. Most interior walls are currently painted a porcelian color - except for bathrooms. I'm trying to modernize the house.

The quote for the lighter shade is $800 more than the darker shade...but I guess it doesn't matter if thats what I end up picking.

 

[janette]

What about one with some color in it? Sounds like most things in the room are neutral so you could get away with something with flecks of color.

 

[mytwotinks]

I was going to vote for black. Are you sure you aren't up to getting your fridge painted? I think that would look nice with oak. Can you post a picture? Maybe we'd be able to give a better answer once we saw.

 

[SplshMtn99]

What about one with some color in it? Sounds like most things in the room are neutral so you could get away with something with flecks of color.

Six years ago we put in blue countertops. Lets just say I'm learning my lesson on just WHERE I should pick color. I like to redecorate often. I would much rather paint & hang new curtains than convince DH to change countertops again.

When we did the bathrooms, I was very happy to have all the permanent stuff neutral. I think it came out really nice. One bathroom has light bright green walls & green & purple accessories. The other is sand walls with blue oceanside accessories. That one is my fave.

Let me see if I have any photos. TRUST ME...I'm NOT afraid of color. I have a daring blue wall to wall carpet thru out the entire condo that's 10 yrs old when blue wasn't in. lol But I think I tire of color & change my mind often. I'm liking this neutral look more....with just some color.

 

[SplshMtn99]

Current kitchen basically. Cabinets, floor & appliances staying. Everything else going. Especially that paint color.

Here's the 2 bathrooms we just did.

I like this one most I think. I love the wall color.

This is a condo. Not spending big bucks! We are probably already at top of price range for condos in our complex. I don't want to totally out spend.

We were looking to move, but have decided to stay & make some changes. But we continue to look at the market in case a place comes up that we both like.

Just trying to bring our place from 1987 up to 2007.

Next I'll try to find GOOD samples online of the 2 granites we like.

 

[SplshMtn99]

Really hard to find online samples that match well since granite varies so much.

Here's the lighter one: Giallo Ouro Brazil. But the slab we saw has more of the oak cabinet color in it pulling them together nicely. Also some small fleks of grey.
http://www.graniteland.com/stone/ouro-brasil.html

I can't find a good photo of the darker one. New Giallo Veneziano. The slabs there weren't just right, so we are waiting for a new shipment the end of this month in hopes of a better selection. Take a look here & you'll see how much they can range in color. But its darker & more brown than gold.
http://images.google.com/images?q="...=20&svnum=10&um=1&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&start=0&sa=N

Forgot to add that the one full wall in the kitchen will be painted an accent color...just not sure what color yet.

Here is a fabric my mom made placemats from. We have more & we'll be using some in the kitchen. Its more vibrant than this photo. Has blues, greens, burgandys, blacks, gold. http://img.inkfrog.com/click_enlarg...ott-020.jpg&username=dehartsales&aid=58816721

The more I look at the above kitchen photo...the more I wonder if we should paint the frig black but leave the stove as is. ???? There is only 1 window & not alot of natural sunlite, but we have a great overhead flourescent fixture that provides alot of light. I wonder if it would get too dark with alot of black & dark colors.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

I'd probably stick with a neutral beige type. I had dark blue in my last house and it was a nightmare. Never again will I have dark countertops, especially ones that are so color specific.

We are currently building a home. We have cherry cabinets and medium hard wood flooring. I went with beige countertops, with specs of grey lighter beige and white

I get sick of things easy and can change color combinations often with this type of countertop.

 

[SplshMtn99]

I'd probably stick with a neutral beige type. I had dark blue in my last house and it was a nightmare. Never again will I have dark countertops, especially ones that are so color specific.

We are currently building a home. We have cherry cabinets and medium hard wood flooring. I went with beige countertops, with specs of grey lighter beige and white

I get sick of things easy and can change color combinations often with this type of countertop.

I totally here you about "permanent" colors. Over the 10 yrs that we've had the blue carpets, it been impossible to find things in the stores that go with it. The greens were too olive one year, too forest green the next year...... Believe it or not....my blue carpet color is FINALLY in now & I can find things THIS year that go with it. Luckily my mom & I can sew & are handy, so we end up making or painting alot of our own accesories. Ugh! That's why I want the permanent things to be somewhat more neutral now. I'm tired of being locked into a color for 10 years or more.

 

[mickeyfan2]

Here is an easy trick that works. Got buy construction paper in the colors you would like. Lay many sheets over the counter and then see how it looks. This is how we picked our island's color.

 

[SplshMtn99]

Here is an easy trick that works. Got buy construction paper in the colors you would like. Lay many sheets over the counter and then see how it looks. This is how we picked our island's color.

 

[golfgal]

I would go with the black countertops but something with a speck of some sort in it. A friend of mine has that color combo in her kitchen with those exact cabinets and it looks great. She has a black laminate with white/gray/silver specs and it is really a nice look.

We have the SAME stonehouse paint in our house, on the ceilings in the kitchen/family room and DR. It is a nice color. Our wall color in the kitchen is BM's Scarecrow and that color looks GREAT with black. It is about 2 shades darker then the stonehouse color.

 

[SplshMtn99]

Golfgal, I like your taste.

My poll seems to be worthless. It keeps running about 33/33/33.

 

[Mike.Wazowski]

well you have ssen my kitchen pictures and you know my tastes

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the look of my oak cabinets with dark contrasting countertops.
There are some GREAT new countertops in laminates out these days...
how about someething like...

you can design and play on the website too
http://www.countertop.com/

 

[SplshMtn99]

well you have ssen my kitchen pictures and you know my tastes

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the look of my oak cabinets with dark contrasting countertops.
There are some GREAT new countertops in laminates out these days...
how about someething like...

you can design and play on the website too
http://www.countertop.com/

Yes, I love your kitchen & cabinets. I think this whole process might me easier if I were starting from scratch. I'm thinking too much because its got to go with what I have now & what I might have later.

I WANT TO MOVE!!!!

 

[Mike.Wazowski]

ohhhhh
and be careful!
certain shiney laminates will scratch and look like crap.
Mark likes the wilsonart ones...
but I will have to let you know which ones to stay away from when I find hte laminate ring of chips I have kicking around here somewhere...
I am still trying to pick one for my office

 

[SwedishMeatball]

I think the Giallo Ouro Brazil is really nice looking.

 

[Mike.Wazowski]

ok I should read past the first post.
I thought you were looking at laminates


might I recommend Paradiscio bash then

 

[SplshMtn99]

DH just came home & apparently we were both thinking of the same thing all day. We were both thinking we should go back to one of our very first choices --- SILESTONE. Because we'll know exactly what the slab will look like. No variation in color or trying to find a slab that works for us.

And we had picked up a sample recently from Home Depot of a new color. Black Canyon. I won't have Home Depot due the work however. Too many stories. The granite yard we were at also does Silestone & we've gotten several referals to them....so I guess I'll get a quote from them on this color. I'm sure it will be even more.

We always joked that our cat Splash ( a torteshell) is the color of countertop that we wanted. Brown, orange, black, beige & tan - with green eyes. Well, it has it all & it goes nicely with everything that's staying. Its not TOOO dark so I think I'll be ok with the dust factor.

My practical mind says light color due to dust....but when I look at pictures, it the kitchens with the darker countertops that I'm drawn to.

So what do you all think?

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

DH just came home & apparently we were both thinking of the same thing all day. We were both thinking we should go back to one of our very first choices --- SILESTONE. Because we'll know exactly what the slab will look like. No variation in color or trying to find a slab that works for us.

And we had picked up a sample recently from Home Depot of a new color. Black Canyon. I won't have Home Depot due the work however. Too many stories. The granite yard we were at also does Silestone & we've gotten several referals to them....so I guess I'll get a quote from them on this color. I'm sure it will be even more.

We always joked that our cat Splash ( a torteshell) is the color of countertop that we wanted. Brown, orange, black, beige & tan - with green eyes. Well, it has it all & it goes nicely with everything that's staying. Its not TOOO dark so I think I'll be ok with the dust factor.

My practical mind says light color due to dust....but when I look at pictures, it the kitchens with the darker countertops that I'm drawn to.

So what do you all think?

Depending on the type of granite you like, it'll all look consistent too. If you pick one that has "flow" in it, you'll need to hand-pick your slabs (which I would insist on regardless).

I have light cabinets, medium oak hardwood floors, and went with a dark countertop (Uba Tuba), but I also love the look of dark cherry cabinets with dark counters too. Whatever makes you happy, usually works!

As far as dust goes; I never see it in my kitchen. It gets used too much to accumulate any, I guess. But in the bathroom???? Oh gawd... I have Absolute Black granite in there and it shows e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. Even toilet paper dust.

Here's my granite up-close:

Although from afar, it looks almost black:

 

[BillSears]

Mike(?) thanks for the link. I'm also in the process of replacing my countertops and that's great info. I'm leaning towards a nice black with some dark green flecks in a laminate of some sort.