<p>I am remodeling my kitchen, which currently has a tiled white floor (with a trace of beige hue), white cabinets and beige formica countertop. The wall is an off-white color with a yellow hue, like vanilla ice cream. </p>
<p>I am thinking about changing the cabinets to a medium-tone cherry cabinets with a dark green (Peacock Green) granite countertop. I have no plans on changing the floor. </p>
<p>While my designer thinks it would look stunning because of the color contrast between cherry cabinets & the white floor, many of my friends feel the exact opposite! They have no problem with the cherry + green combo; it’s the white floor that they have a problem with. They feel that if I wanted to keep the cherry + dark green combo, then I’d HAVE to change the floors to a darker, warmer color so that the colors would harmonize better. Others have suggested that if I want to keep the white floor, then i must go to a lighter-colored wood, such as maple or oak, neither of which I am too crazy about; I just really love the reddish-brown color of cherry cabinets. ( BTW, I prefer the traditional style over the contemporary one.) I could always go back to white cabinets, but i’m ready for a change from my boring “play-it-safe” color scheme. </p>
<p>In any case, I’m now more than confused. Isn’t white just a neutral color and therefore should go well with any color? After all, I have seen staircase railings featuring dark cherry + stark white combination. I was also hoping that the color contrast would help bring more “balance” to my predominantly white kitchen. </p>
<p>I am not remodeling this kitchen in order to sell the house. In fact, we plan to be here for at least 10 more years. Under these circumstances, I do realize that I should just be myself and choose the colors that I like. However, given that these cabinets are quite expensive ( not to mention a lot of HASSLE to replace), I can’t help feeling afraid that I might be making a terrible mistake which I might later regret. The contrast between my designer’s attitude and my friends’ opinions has made me think twice before making the final decision. (Actually, not all my friends have discouraged me with this color combination; only the ones who seem to know a lot about the color principles.) So, I would appreciate any other insights or feedback from those of you who are more knowledgeable or artistic than I am. I thank you in advance !!</p>
<p>Not an interior designer here, but I have completely remodeled (ripping apart down to the studs) 3 kitchens in my life. I love the cherry cabinet/green counter combination, which I agree would be stunning. I’ve always used cherry wood for the cabinets, and they age well and are timeless; they will darken with age, however. I agree that the white floor doesn’t sound like it would mesh well at all. The other problem is that you might get this sense of floating with a white floor. A dark floor really does give you a grounding (so to speak). I also wouldn’t want a white floor in a kitchen-- too much daily cleaning. Since you’re using natural materials for the cabinets and the countertops, I would use a natural material for the floor-- either wood, or another natural material that would go well with your other choices. I agree that this would be warmer, too. Hope that helps, though I’m not an interior designer. ;)</p>
<p>Edit: Sorry, I just re-read your post and saw that you do have a tiled floor and it does have some beige in it. I don’t know. Can you re-do the cabinets and countertops before doing the floor? Then if it doesn’t look good, you can change the floor as the last part of the renovation?</p>
<p>try hickory cabinets for a more medium tone Hickory has all the warmth of cherry with just a little friendlier color tone</p>
<p>and if the floor must stay, then shoot for a more neutral counter(like a variegated khaki color) you can still do granite, but that green will be out of style in a few years and too expensive to replace- Cherry/Green feels a little jewel tones from the 90’s</p>
<p>also keeping those light walls with all the cherry/green will make the room seem choppy
you want the eye to wander around the room - not go straight to the very stark contrasts</p>
<p>you can of course also put down throw rugs to warm up the white floors</p>
<p>Its hard to enjoy the process, but you’ll love the result!!</p>
<p>I just sold a home with the exact combo. The tile was 12 X 12 tumbled italian tile in an off white hue. It does look stunning. I think it is fine because the white brightens the room. And it matched the ceiling. My only point would be make sure the type of tile looks right. 4 x 4, or 8 x 8 may not look good, since that is a little more dated.</p>
<p>In my personal home we did hickory, black granite and brazilian cherry floors , which added warmth, but also made it look classic contemporary.</p>
<p>I also believe depending on the green, it can be dated very quickly. Yet, this is true for everything. Only 5-7 yrs ago white on white was very popular, now people want the dark wood tones that were popular 20 yrs.</p>
<p>I laugh because the 1950s bathroom style is coming back, and only 5 yrs ago people buying homes that were built then immediately gutted them…the yellow, aqua, pink with white and black subway tile. In time houses are like clothes everything comes back in style with a little twist. Look even the powder room sinks that look like a dresser with a basin bowl on top are the hottest items. Can you say Little House on the Prairie?</p>
<p>jbrown might be right about the green granite going out of style-- good point. I used limestone for my countertops, against the cherry cabinets, which I love-- limestone does stain badly-- but still love it.</p>
<p>I think worrying about green granite going out of style is silly. Five ten years down the line no matter what you do now it will look dated then. I’m an architect who worked with an interior designer for ten years. I’m not particularly bothered by the light floor with the darker cabinets. I think it will help keep the kitchen from seeming too dark. If you google “kitchen cherry cabinet” and click on images you can find some pictures of combinations similar to what you are describing. (I’d link, but a bunch of them are in blogs try the one in “Pardon our Dust”.)</p>
<p>I’ve got two 1950s bathrooms. I love the one with gray tile and maroon trim and fixtures, but I hate the bubble gum pink one.</p>
<p>It’s difficult to make judgements on color combinations just from a verbal description, especially peacock green. My first impression from reading about your color combination is to ask, why are you keeping the floor? White seems a bit outdated and maybe too much contrast with the rest of your selections. If you want to keep the floor, I’d suggest a lighter more neutral color on your countertops and then add color to the walls and accents. Keep in mind texture as a part of the color selection - it can change the feeling of a color.</p>
<p>Make the decision about your floor before you change any cabinetry. Flooring has to run under the DW and Fridge and should run under any cabinetry, in my opinion. People in the industry are conflicted about this point but I believe better contractors run flooring underneath cabinetry. I have it both ways in my home and prefer tile under cabinets.</p>
<p>Send me some pics if you want a more informed opinion. I’m a kitchen and bath designer.</p>
<p>How has the upkeep been with the floor–does the fact that it is white/beige show much dirt, etc.,? Would that be something that might want you to change the flooring? Just a thought!</p>
<p>As I’m not the most stylish person, I hestitate to answer, however…</p>
<p>The image of cherry cabinets and green granite counter sounds beautiful, if a bit dark. But with lighter walls and floor providing some light, the color would stand out, as you describe. Depending on the effect you want, I don’t see this as necessarily bad. I always use throw rugs in my kitchen to provide a softer standing surface in front of work areas, and the color could tie in the cabinets and or counter. </p>
<p>Think about what makes you happy, gives you energy or calms you, depending on what you need in your surroundings. The warmth of cherry and the lighter colors of the walls would give me energy. Too dark, and I’d have more trouble with motivation. Your feelings about your surroundings, and what makes you feel good, should be the most important consideration. </p>
<p>Years ago, I redid a kitchen in the ‘white’ era with oak cabinets, white walls and dark blue accents, blue counters. Was not necessarily in style at the time. In the years since, I’ve been so glad it was not tied to any specific trend, as it doesn’t look especially dated.</p>
<p>I agree that one shouldn’t worry abuot the current style when redecorating, because styles change faster than you will redecorate again. When I bought my new house in 1990, I wanted a yellow bedspread for the guest room to match curtains I had made for my old house that I planned to use in that room. I was told in a condescending way by a sales person, “Yellow is not a fashion color! You will not find anything in yellow!” I did find one finally, and, ironically, a few years (or less) later, I noticed that all of the decorating magazines were featuring yellow rooms on their covers as the height of style.</p>
<p>That dark green granite, like dark green marble, has been “in fashion” for about a thousand years. Cherry has been “in fashion” for about two hundred years. I don’t think you need to worry about those. Be aware, though, that real cherry darkens and darkens over time. </p>
<p>What kind of tile is on the floor? Is it cheap tile that will look even cheaper when you upgrade everything else? Would it be easy to change the tile AFTER you’ve done the rest, if you don’t like it after all? </p>
<p>I have lived with eleven different kitchens. The ones with tile floors (houses 1, 5, and 9) made my back and leg muscles hurt any time I did a lot of cooking. We built our current house and I used cherry floors, much more comfortable for long stints, and easy to keep looking good, since I used a wax/oil finish instead of polyurethane.</p>
<p>Thank you all for taking your time to answer my questions! I do want to create a timeless look in my new kitchen rather than being outdated any time soon. So, should I give up the green and go for a safer neutral color, like black or beige countertop? I do like the cherry+beige combo, but I have heard that lighter-color granite are more prone to staining and require more upkeep. Is that true? I am not into things that are high maintenance. If I go with beige, then I might consider choosing a quartz countertop rather than granite even though I do prefer the granite look. </p>
<p>Bulletandpima, how long did it take you to sell that house with my exact combo? Did it take a long time? </p>
<p>BTW, my floor tiles are 13 x 13. I live in Florida where the weather is hot and humid, so I kind of prefer a “cool” interior featuring tiles, glass & leather. We built this house almost 11 years ago and the floor still looks new because we take off shoes in the house. I do use lots of area rugs to add color. (I think of my white floor as a canvas background.) My family room, nook and kitchen are all located in one big room. I have dark green leather sofa in the family room, a round glass dinette table (featuring an antique bronze base & chairs) on a square area rug that’s black & tan/gold, and the window treatments for the great room is mostly tan/gold with black accents . That’s why I thought the Peacock Green granite (with it’s subtle gold & green) would tie my sofa & dinette set together. I would consider Uba Tuba, which almost could pass for black. So, in that sense, do you think Uba Tuba would be a better choice in terms of being timeless? </p>
<p>The reason I don’t want to change out the floor is the hassle factor. But, who knows? If I can survive a kitchen remodeling, the floor project may be a piece of cake after all !! Thanks again for all your great answers!!</p>
<p>I just read some of the last few postings which I missed as I was busy typing. Thank you so much for making me feel more “confident” about my choices!! I chose the white-beige-white color scheme because I wanted to play it safe. But, now that we are fast approaching 50, I realize that we should just take some risks and just be ourselves. After all, who knows how much time is left for us to experience life?! Now that both of our kids are in college, we can basically do whatever we want (without having to deal with any dissenting opinions or any complaints from the kids about the inconveniences resulting from the remodeling project.) Thanks again to all of you for your wonderful insights!!!</p>
<p>I have at least seven different kinds of granite in my house. None of them, light or dark, has ever required any kind of maintenance. No, I don’t seal them (not after I went to Europe and saw hundreds-of-years-old stone, which certainly never saw any sealant) (not to mention my friend’s house, where the sealant peeled off).</p>
<p>I did NOT seal it (despite what they say here). It has not stained. I abuse my granite (“you can take it for granite”) and have not had any problem.</p>
<p>Sounds like you like your floor and want to keep it. You could probably find a green that would work beautifully with both. I don’t know what peacock green is - I think teal and turquoise. As you can see from the link above, there are many greens. Uba Tuba is dark and I would recommend a lighter green, maybe something that pulls in the white from the floor.</p>
<p>Slate is also really nice and fairly inexpensive. We’ve used it before, and have never noticed any stain issues. Again, I have limestone for my countertops, which I really love. But you do have to be careful with stains-- I’m not, so mine doesn’t look as it did when first installed, but I think it’s a great look-- old, timeless, and natural-- without being dark.</p>
<p>I’d have to see the floor tiles and the actual stain on the cabinets. But if you are calling the cabinets reddish brown and the floor really comes across as white, then I have to agree with your friends. If you flip through kitchen magazines you will see lots and lots of beige (can be on the light side), terracotta or gray(flagstone like)tile floors along with wood (even much lighter maple sometimes) shown with the cherry. What are you planning on doing with your backsplash? That’ll make a difference, too. As for granite, since you like the green , you might want to check out Emerald Green granite - I know several people who have used it in their homes. It’s a deep rich color - you don’t even realize it’s green at first.</p>
<p>RODS, I’m working on a project involving kitchens (not as an interior designer but as a writer) and I just looked through my hundreds of kitchen photos. Not too many white floors but most of the kitchens are in cold climates. I can see why a white tile floor would be perfect in Florida. I found a kitchen (from Boston) with 18-in. square bright white marble tiles on floor–these run into the dining area, right next to it–with dark cherry cabinets and dark green granite (or marble, not sure) on countertops–there’s quite a bit of figuring in it. The backsplash is mosaic-sized (small) glass tile in a pale iridescent color that looks neutral grey-green from a distance (like the stainless-steel backsplash behind the stst range) and like rainbows close up. It’s a great looking kitchen and I really like the contrast of the white-white floor and the cherry and dark green. The seemingly neutral backsplash ties it together. Glass tiles are gorgeous–a trend for sure, but who cares?</p>
<p>Does your wall match the floor? Maybe would want to consider that, or have a light or even white tile backsplash. The ceiling in this kitchen is the same stark white of the marble floor, so you might consider painting the ceiling the same beige-y white (sorry if you said this already but I didn’t read whole thread–I’m not supposed to be on CC as I have deadlines like crazy). I think it would look really refreshing in your kitchen. If cabinets don’t go to the ceiling, hide lighting behind molding to light up the ceiling–it’ll light up the whole kitchen and will balance the white floor. IMHO…considering I am not a designer at all!</p>
<p>I also live in Florida. My kitchen (built in 2001) has Uba tuba granite (black with green and gold flecks) and “Pecan” stained Maple 42 inch cabinets (Ward’s Cabinetry). The cabinets look like Cherry (they are deep reddish brown). I love my kitchen, it exudes warmth and richness. I concur about putting a few throw rugs around to “break up” the starkness of the floor. At minimum, I would put one next to the sink (I have the rooster on the black backround from the Frontgate catalog).</p>