Black granite ... white cabinets

Parent Cafe
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<p>My kitchen cabinets are a warm off white that was chosen to match the color that Kohler calls “biscuit.” I had originally planned on a big farmhouse sink so that’s where the color came from but then I decided against the sink. My counter tops are a granite that I think is called Impala. I almost reads as black but is actually a super dark gray with speckles so it doesn’t show fingerprints. I was warned against absolute black. I did my kitchen about 13 years ago and the colors still look good but the cabinets are very worn and chipped. I need to repaint and will go for the same color. If I had it to do over again, I would have gone for a wood tone and not paint.</p>

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<p>hmm… I think there is a huge difference between a true white and a creamy white.</p>

<p>So - to the OP, on a more helpful note, I have seen other colors of painted cabinets that looked fabulous. Here in Amishland, we have some beautiful homes with cabinets painted sage green, or camel or what I think of as colonial colors. I would look at the colors in the granite and pick something that is not too dark and give it a try. I can think of one kitchen in particular that looked fabulous with camel cabinets and black granite. </p>

<p>I do love creamy white cabinets. I did an inexpensive re-do about 20 years ago and recently had the cabinets re-painted and I still love them. If I moved tomorrow I would be happy with the creamy white. I have changed knobs over the years, accents, etc. but I am content with my white.</p>

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<p>I have a friend who moved into a really old farmhouse with old ugly cabinets. She painted them a deep rose color and got tons of compliments from everyone who walked into her kitchen.</p>

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<p>I would love deep rose cabinets. That would make me happy every time I walked into the kitchen! (I don’t think my H would ever agree with that though.)</p>

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<p>I have a honey oak colored stain on my cabinets and I love the color of them. I don’t have granite counter tops but did look at black at home depot and I think the black would look great with them. Here is a photo for you. <a href=“http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/5611_540317457720_39900835_32111598_2045556_n.jpg[/url]”>http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/5611_540317457720_39900835_32111598_2045556_n.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I probably won’t do it though because with my yellow paint I might wind up with a kitchen looking like a bumble bee!!</p>

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<p>fender - my cabinets are very similar in color and when we put on an addition and added a bar that opens to the family room we matched the cabinets and added a black (dark gray with black/gray-white specks) counter top. Both my kitchen and family room are painted yellow. I’ve used wine red and sage for accents and I love it…I (and our contractor) was worried it would look like a bumblebee too, but it doesn’t.</p>

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<p>

That’s certainly one choice; but as jmmom stated, it depends on the quality of the cabinets. These days, a lot of kitchen cabinets are not made entirely of wood. The cabinet doors are usually (but not always) solid wood, but the boxes are often made of a pressed and formed wood product (particleboard). Sometimes the entire cabinets and doors are made of laminate over particleboard.</p>

<p>If these cabinets are in a house you’re considering buying, you really have to find out how the cabinets are made. If they’re laminate/particleboard, I wouldn’t touch them. If they’re wood doors/particleboard boxes or wood doors/wood boxes, you may have another option: replace the doors and re-face the cabinet fronts with a wood veneer (much cheaper than replacing all the cabinets, and it looks very nice if done right). If they’re solid wood, you can strip, sand, and re-stain or paint. That last is still a huge, time-consuming job. Cheaper if you do it yourself, but would you want to?</p>

<p>We just did an entire kitchen remodel from the subfloor and bare drywall out. Originally I wanted glazed white wood cabinets, stainless appliances, white apron sink, marble countertops, cherry island, and Wedgewood blue walls and accents. Didn’t happen. DH put the kabosh on painted wood. Also, all the contractors who bid said that white cabinets scream “cheap” and “remodel” (I don’t agree as new glazed white wood cabinets are extremely popular right now and are NOT cheap). So we went with solid wood maple cabinets in a lighter stain (a little darker than “natural”) and solid black granite countertops with fingerprint-resistant stainless appliances. Big stainless undermount sink. The stove has a black cooktop and oversized black-tinted oven door. Refrigerator sides are black. Walls are a creamy medium beige. Floor is 18-inch textured ceramic tile laid on the diagonal and kind of pulls everything together with streaks of light rust, beige, and what looks like natural slate running throughout. The overall effect is natural materials and very soothing. Lighting makes a big difference too. We have multiple can lights (recessed) in the “work” area, pendants over the peninsula (didn’t do an island), and matching chandelier in the dining area. Even with the large expanse of black countertop and accents it never feels dark. Probably the lighter cabinets, floor, sink, walls, and appliances provide enough contrast.</p>

<p>Hope you find something you like, or at least can live with!</p>

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<p>Are the white cabinets stark white? If so, using something a tad warmer, such as Benjamin Moore’s “peau de soie” or “amulet” might help.</p>

<p>I love the idea of toned-down greens (going toward the gray or the brown) with the black counters. I also like rich browns and gold-browns against the black reflective surfaces.</p>

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<p>kerrbo, sounds like we have similar tastes in colors because I have the red and sage green as an accent too. :slight_smile: I pulled all the colors for my kitchen out of the curtains that came with the house… I just loved how it all looked together!</p>

<p>Good to know yours doesn’t look like a bumblebee. Would you mind showing me a picture or something so i could see it? If you don’t have one or don’t want to share that’s fine… just thought I’d ask.</p>

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<p>You could always paint the kitchen cabinets a nice green. </p>

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<p>White cabinets. Black granite. Happy with it for close to 20 years:). Real estate agents tell me to resell I should put in either birch or cherry cabinets. Fine. We will get there when we get there.</p>

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<p>Just curious what the feeling is on this thread about 20-year-old cabinets that aren’t that tall. The soffit is still in place so they don’t go all the way up to the ceiling. Our realtor seemed to think this was really an awful feature.</p>

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<p>Another suggestion for visiting the kitchen remodel section of Gardenweb.</p>

<p>There is a gallery with lots of pictures, so you may see some black granite counters with other cabinet colors. Some pictures are actual kitchens and some are “inspirational” kitchens. Also…if you’re really into it or find that you buy a house with that combo…you can start threads there…and there are lots of people on that site with pictures and suggestions.</p>

<p>Of course, I have also found CC posters knowledgeable about lots of different topics…so I’m sure you’ll continue to get good advice here!</p>

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<p>sewhappy, your realtor doesn’t have to pay to remodel the kitchen!
But if you are in a high-end area where this may be a deal breaker, maybe it makes sense, I don’t know.
In the meantime, what is on the soffit? If it is old wall paper with roosters or pepper grinders :smiley: maybe you can update it.</p>

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<p>Mafool, thank you for my first lol in several days. No roosters! But a really insipid green paint that provokes migraines.</p>

<p>I don’t know . . . have trouble filling up the existing cabinets so not sure I need that darn soffit to be turned into cabinets, too. Do hate the green granite. Hate granite! Why is tile so despised these days? I love it.</p>

<p>Will say that black granite does not usually appeal to me but if the entire house was very in tune with it – sleek and modern – then it could work.</p>

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<p>sewhappy, is this your recently purchased house, or one you are trying to sell?</p>

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<p>“have trouble filling up the existing cabinets” - That’s a good problem ;)</p>

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<p>Sometimes people get rid of the soffits and just put decorative stuff on top of their cabinets. I always think it looks good in the pictures, but in my kitchen anything that’s out that doesn’t get used regularly ends up greasy.</p>

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<p>I don’t have a soffit on top of my cabinets but what I keep up there are my small white appliances… It looks very good. I have two crock pots, my iron, mixing box (has mixer and supplies in it), two george foremans, etc. I never had anything up there when I first moved in but then I decided to put those items up there… it really cleared out space in my cabinets and pantry.</p>

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<p>I can always count on CC!</p>

<p>Phone call from D1 today (we are co-purchasing a new construction condo with her and are signing the sale and purchase agreement this week, with a closing date of late July): “Mom, I have to pick out my paint colors this week. My countertop will be black granite and the cabinets are a sort of glossy cream color.” I can imagine what she would have said if I told her there was a whole thread on CC about this exact topic!</p>

<p>So, in addition to this, she will have glossy oak floors and stainless steel appliances. There will also be crown molding, which always helps to frame a color and help it pop. </p>

<p>I actually have to meet with the designer at our local paint store this week to pick out a new color for my bathroom, so I offered to run these specifics past her, but does anyone on here have any suggestions? She wants something that will be relatively neutral, and the kitchen is not separated from the living area, so what goes on the walls in the kitchen goes in the living area, too. The living area has lots of daylight coming in for a room its size. And the new couch she’s looking at and leaning toward is charcoal.</p>