I'm having a harder time visualizing a harmonious blend in the kitchen if you add solid cranberry accents. You may want to wait with the wall and accent colors until your cabinets and granite are installed. I like the idea of repeating your ivory tile color. Perhaps you can find fabric that is ivory with accent colors, one of which could be cranberry. The good thing is that you can easily wait before deciding the final accents.

Your dining room and den are perfectly lovely and compatible as they are with just enough contrast to make them interesting. They both have a warm, traditional feel. Peeking into the kitchen I see a very modern stainless steel fridge with what looks like an assortment of photos. The cluttered look does not go with the serenity and elegance of the other two rooms. Forgive me for mentioning this since that was not your question but I'm trying to visualize all aspects of the kitchen and how they would integrate with the other rooms. I would also declutter some of the other items I see on the walls in that area. Instead of the green granite I would choose a granite that coordinates with the cabinets and then have the cranberry accents to carry over that color from the dining room. Otherwise you will have two large expanses of color (cabinets and granite) competing with each other and the look will not be cohesive. There is a 60, 30, 10 rule with 60% being the main color or pattern, 30% the second and 10% being the accent. I would make the 30% the cranberry and green the 10% in terms of plants, display dishes etc.

I hope this helps, and I'm sure many savvy people will weight in with their own opinions. Then you'll just have to choose what resonates with you. Good luck!

Ingrid

I think if you stick to reds (including cranberry, cherry etc), greens, and browns/golds then you will be fine. IMO the blue/mauve curtains in the library have to go, but the green library chair looks great!:) B

I LOVE your dining room and think your kitchen choices could work really well with that. However, something is throwing me off in the other room, and I think it is the window treatments throwing me off as I love the furniture in both rooms and the built around bookshelves are awesome. I'm trying to pin point what it is that throw me for a loop and I think it might be that the window treatments with the blue doesn't tie in from what view I'm seeing. Is there blue anywhere else in the room?

I think sticking to greens and cranberry is a good choice and would tie at least the kitchen and dining together. Do you see the other rooms from each other?

Thanks everyone -- I sincerely appreciate the comments.

Ingrid: you are absolutely right about those photos on the SS frige. They will be going because the frige will be built-in. Hubby is a fantastic photographer and the photos stroke his ego a bit :) About the 60-30-10% rule. I will have 20 cabinets including a wooden hood, plus the floor is very close to the color of the cabinets just lighter. That's a huge percentage of one color. If I go, as you suggest, with the same color or close to it on the granite, won't I be 90% in the same color (cabs + floor)? This has been going on in my head for weeks, I'm dizzy with this dilemma.

Becr & Lyfia: The green chair is not staying. The other furniture is in the blues very much like the blue in window treatments. Rug is blue/grey and close to blue/grey in oriental in DR. The mauve picks up the lt. cranberry in the DRm. The Living R, Dining and Family are all visible to each other. The living room is green, ivory and cranberry accents.

Someone on the kitchen forum suggested I go with black granite instead of Ocean Green granite. It would open the door to more options. I also plan on using a black Silgranite sink and black hardward (birdcage) on the cabinets. Does this make sense?

With your other rooms being as lovely as they are I can't imagine you making a wrong decision. I think the green granite would be fine, but maybe you should wait till your cabinets arrive and are intalled to get a feel for them and then you'll know what your comfort level is on the granite. They can't measure for the granite anyway till the cabinets are installed, so hold off on the granite for now.

Brutuses -- I like your idea of waiting. I'm obsessing over this too much and what's the rush, you're right.
Thanks

Black granite seems like something that you either love or don't care for very much at all. I'm in the latter category. I see what you mean about the cabinetry and floor. In a previous home in the kitchen I had honey colored flooring, birch cabinets, black stove top, oven and microwave. The granite countertops had a wavy beige pattern with large dark red garnet crystals scattered throughout. It almost looked as though a cat with red paws had walked over it, and I loved it because it was so different. I was told no one else wanted to buy it and I've never seen anything like it again. That's what I would do in your place, look for a granite with different shades of beige and some really interesting inclusions of another mineral in it. The large garnet crystals gave such life to that granite that I never tired of it in ten years. While the cabinets are being put in why not hit the granite places again and find something that is really unique and tickles your fancy rather than something that would "work" for the kitchen? The sensible choice is not always the best one.

Ingrid, I like your style. I originally wanted red cabinets, but chickened out. I think a red kitchen is fabulous--gee, wonder if anyone has ever done one on this forum?

Janfromwisconsin (don't remember her exact name) has a beautiful kitchen done in red. It's SW Flower Pot, I think.

Black Granite (or at least Absolute Black) gives off such a great reflection that you hardly think of it as black. I don't know of another single granite that does that the way Absolute Black does but give me marble or give me nothing (in my next home). Stuck with granite!