A vote for black for the island -- to balance the visual weight of the granite -- and to tie in the elements of your stainless-and-black appliances ...

Add a weathered creamy white stone backsplash ....

Add a hanging black iron potrack with lights over the island. Try to keep the lines quite simple ...

Then add saddle-seat backless black-painted stools under the work area at the side of your kitchen.

Add pewter OR black iron handles and pulls to your cabinets.

I'd normally say blue but with the shadings in your granite, I'd lean to a grey/blue.

I think it depends on she wall color, but I think green would look nice.

Off topic, I notice your Hershey syrup was out. I always thought it needed to be kept in the refrigerator.

Ditto what teacats said, exactly.

Hahahha..on the over sized Hershey bottle..that is a bank actually and it's my funding for my updating my kitchen..LOL, its a very special hersheys ...

Thanks all..keep it coming..cause once everyone votes..that's what I should do so my brain no longer obsesses..

Muah

What type of granite is that? Uba Tuba or Peacock maybe? If it's in the laborador family of granites it may look black from a distance but up close or in the light it has an emerald green tone to it. If that's the case, I'd go with a white or gel stained island, otherwise, if it's a true black, I'd go with a shade of the lighter blue.

I think the red of the end wall would work really well. But it needs a hood there and a lot more lighting in general. It's not surprising you want to paint your cabinets white to get a brighter kitchen. But that doesn't solve the basic problem which is not enough lighting. It will still be a dark kitchen with white cabinets until you fix the underlying problem.

And another part of your dissatisfaction with the kitchen may have to do with the amount of visual clutter. Pretend you are selling your house and need to stage it. You are allowed 3 large items on the counter and that's it. Everything else has to find another home, even if that means donating stuff you no longer use to charity. Take away all of the decorative items entirely. If it looks naked when you're done, then you can selectively add back a (very) few pieces.

I want to paint the red off the walls too.

Here is a close up of the granite and how the kitchen view opens up to my family room..excuse the white blankets over the white couch. But I have a new gsd puppy and whe runs from outside and is still learning to no jump up on the couch. Actually it keeps my white couch..lol really clean..

I was going to suggest blue if it's a more gray blue than the picture, but after the granite close up I'd definitely go with the gray. I think the black might be too black with the dark counter. But I think I'd go darker gray than the pic posted.

Is there gray in your granite? If so I'd go with a distressed gray.

I vote for gray also. It would be another neutral so you won't be locked in to a specific color when you add accessories.

After seeing the granite more closely, I would do (I know you don't want to hear this)a really rusty antique red, and then lots of black antiquing over it. Pewter hardware.

I think green will clash with the granite, and grey feels like it will have a sense of being another appliance like the rest of the stainless steel appliances.

A smoky warm grey on the walls and ceiling would be lovely, I think.

Bwahahahah I knew someone eventually suggest red for the island...I actually am so over the red. But I guess you can all see why I painted the walls the red..to bring out the color in the granite and it worked...especially with the oaky cabinets..

But....I actually think rusty red with lots of black distressing may just tie the kitchen all in...and yep my fear is if I do a grey island..would it somehow end up being another steel look in my kitchen.lol..I thought that too.

Keep em coming all...keep em coming..this really helps
Huggles

I'm thinking gray too. But some of the dark grays and blacks feel so dead to me. I have to have some color.
Your granite looks to have a lot of pink in it and l love pink and gray together.

I'm with Les. A rusty red really is the best color for your granite. The reason black works in the above picture is because of the light granite which gives a nice contrast.

i vote for a distressed gray!

I'd go for a rusty red or earthy green/griege.

Mascarpone is one of Benjamin Moore's Affinity colors, which are designed to harmonize together. So if you're pretty sure you want the cabinets to be Mascarpone, you might want to check out a fandeck and see if you can find an Affinity color that looks good with your granite. It could also help narrow down choices for wall color.

OK, maybe I'll be the only who feels this way, but I vote for Mascarpone white just like the rest of the cabinets. At first I was going to say gray as others have mentioned, but really I don't see that much gray in your granite so it seems to me like that wouldn't be so great. I wouldn't do red (even rusty) because you said you're tired of it, and I think the white will just give a cleaner look overall and help to lighten your kitchen. There's no rule that says you have to have the island a different color and you'll see many that are white like the perimeter cabinets. So there you have it. I vote for white! Check out the houzz link for pictures of white kitchens and you'll see many that have white islands, too. Also check out the finished kitchen blog here on GW.

Here is a link that might be useful: [Houzz white kitchens[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/white-traditional-kitchens-phbr0lbl-bl~l_47843)

I think grey would look great!

tina

Thank you everyone...so much for helping me..I cant tell u how much I need and love and appreciate the advise.

Today the advertising agency came out to meet with me about work stuff..
This really sweet lady noticed I was more scrolling through kitchen photos then paying attention to their spiel.

Long story short I showed her all my ideas and she looked at me and said.

You hate red..you mentioned that 4 times in under a minute, grey is not in you counter tops, black would make your island look like a big huge thing and heavy weight as you have no other counters behind your cabinet. As if your kitchen would tip over, green would not work with this granite... Why are just not doing it all white??? Open the space up..with all white....white is far easier tp paint over it to a different shade then going from a dark cabinet to white when you realize that your black island closes that side of the room in. Sure if you had a different lay out..she said red would work actually the best ...but u hate red..so just do white and enjoy..

I looked at her and thought...man- here we go again another added decision. Then I read sujfar reply and giggled..

Thank u..all so much

Can I do a cream darker island distressed with white cabinets?... Hehehee

I agree with Sujafr. White would look best. I'm not a fan of anything distressed. Just looks like it needs paint to me.

I looked again at the pic of your counter top...if that's not gray in there, what is it?

You asked about cream distressed island with white cabinets. You can do whatever you like, but IMHO that combination will make the island look dirty with it next to the whiter cabinets--or make the cabinets look too stark. Your granite color limits what other colors will really look good in there. Check out pictures of all white kitchens with dark counters and see if it's something that appeals to you. Having a fresh kitchen seems to always inspire me to also de-clutter and that also lighten things up. Then put a few very selective things out will provide the color to make your kitchen really beautiful.

i wouldn't do a darker cream distressed either. i also wouldn't want a white island, but i'm not fond of all white kitchens, so that's my bias...
my computer shows your granite color as something that would look great with gray, but if i'm not seeing the color accurately, that really negates what i have to say colorwise!!!
i wouldn't do a black island with white cabinets...but, again, that's MY taste.

You know it looks like grey is in the lead....keep em coming...keep it coming

Okay off white darker cream..I will no do then,.
Red..just don't think I can handle red..that's out
Black..too dark,,okay
White or grey...grey although is in the lead..and if you all say grey and it's in the lead then that's probably going there unless..LOL..I chicken out..hehe
Then it will be the matching white..

Okay going to go look at more distressed grey photos
Yes..I also think that their maybe a tinge of grey in those counter tops..along with the peachy, red, cream colors.

Hugs to all

Keep it coming..it's helping me out..as guess what..the doors are all off..tommorrow is priming..whoot whoot

I would do all white if it were my kitchen. :) If I had to go use a different color, I agree grey would look nice. I don't think anything blue or green would look ok with your granite....

Okay, if grey is in the lead, can I change my vote from red/green to white? You know, like voting for the candidate that's most electable to beat the candidate you're not in favor of? ;) The other reason I'm now leaning white is because you already have a lot of busy-ness on the other side of the room. A limited palette on the kitchen-side could inject some needed peace.

And actually, fun as the voting process is, I think you'll enjoy the kitchen better in the long run if you find some inspiration to form your vision for the kitchen and plan it cohesively rather than one element at a time. With that in mind, I dug through my flikr file and found some pics with dark counters, or what islands or some other element that I thought you might find interesting. Who knows, maybe something will click with you (I try to note who's kitchen it is now, but some of these were saved before I did that, so if I post a GW kitchen without credit, I'm sorry!). Unfortunately, most don't have islands (as I don't, I guess my inspirations don't either), but I'm hoping the overall affect of one may still be useful. You might decide you definitely want your island to be the star, or you might find some other element you'd rather let shine and let the island fade in a bit. Who knows. Honestly, I meant to post these on your first thread but ran out of energy. Hopefully it's not too late in your process, since I'm feeling pic-happy tonight.

GW'r janie-k's kitchen

GW'r pirula's kitchen

What about staining the island in a deeper tone, perhaps a mahogany that has a little of a reddish undertone? I think that would be more appealing than white or grey. It would also keep some warmth in the room to go with the very warm flooring.

And, it wouldn't limit your wall color in any way.

I vote with les for a darker stain on the island.

I was thinking the same thing as les. If you are not changing the floor, I don't care for the idea of gray. I much prefer a darker warmer wood tone for the island to go with the goldish color floor.

Why don't you put some bead board on the island and paint it white like the cabinets. If you don't like it,you can always go back and easily paint it another color. If you do like it, you've saved yourself a lot of agonizing.

I used to have a very similar granite, "Dakota Mahogany" it goes great with Terracotta colors.

I think by the time you eliminate all of the warmth of those wood cabinets from the room, you are going to have a rather cold feel and will be desperately trying to inject some warmth back into it. Leave the island alone for now if you are committed to painting. But, I'll also repeat what has been said already about the lighting. That is the FIRST thing to address before you start down the unalterable road of painting wood cabinets. With the lighting addressed properly, you may actually feel quite differently about what's there. It really isn't so bad. It works well together color wise, and depending on what the rest of the home looks like, it may even work better with the rest of the home than a white kitchen would.

If you "just need a change", then I think simply addressing the island itself while leaving the perimeter cabinets alone could do that for you. A terra cotta island with the warm wood cabinets is a really great look.

Either way, make sure that the cabinets are painted properly, whether you DIY or have them done.

Here is how I would expect a pro to spray paint kitchen cabinets. A brush painted job would differ slightly in that you wouldn't hang the doors to paint. You'd place them on a work table or easel instead. It's time intensive work, and should take 7-14 days to accomplish completely and cost between 3K-7K depending on kitchen size and amount of detail in cabinets.

Remove doors and drawer fronts.
Remove hinges and hardware.
Clean with TSP (tri-sodium phosphate)
Rinse and let dry.
Scrape any loose finish.
Fill any damaged spots or hardware holes that won't be reused.
Sand fill smooth.
Scuff sand the rest.
Tack off dust.
Hang in dust free paint booth with wires through hardware points.
Tack off dust again.
Spray with alkyd based primer.
Scuff sand again.
Tack off dust.
Spray with second coat of primer.
Spray with first finish coat of latex enamel.
Spray with second coat of latex.
If glazing is to occur, that is next.
Spray with conversion varnish.
(If being brush painted, this step is typically skipped.)

Add more molding or decorative details to boxes, filling nail holes and sanding smooth.

Repeat prep process with face frames and exposed cabinet sides using plastic to create a spray booth on site. If interiors are to be done, they are done before face frames and sides. Interiors are difficult, and add both time and expense to the job.

Allow everything to fully cure.
Clean hinges and hardware and clear coat if you're keeping the old hardware.
Install new (or old) hinges and hardware.
Re-install doors and drawers and adjust for proper clearances.

If you are receiving a job without this amount of effort, then you are not receiving a quality professional job.

You know I though I liked gray but the more I see it the less I do. I think it is so drab and unless it's perfectly done it's just going to be depressing. I do confess to liking some of the gray stains with what looks like a grained darker stain over it. But the battleship lifeless grays that I am seeing in some kitchens online look pretty dreary. It seems as though gray would need a lot of bling to keep it from going comatose. At first glance it seems fine but living with it I think would be pretty hard unless it was very dressed up. I like the black with the highlights. I believe the granite you have there is something like a tan brown that would look nice with a certain shade of blue but to be sure a warm white would be very pretty! It would be great if you could do a warm white on the perimeter and then the black with burnished highlights or pewter highlights on the island.

Wow so much help..so much awesome advice. So much detail in the advice too. Thank you very much each of you.

We have a new problem now- the dh.. He finally gave me the go to paint. But is not for now agreeing to a different colored island. Errrr.

Sooooo everyone I am painting every marscapone. This is a diy job. Hope I can paint as good as I like reading all your words of advice.

If and when Iam done ...the kitchen is too stark then I will add a color to the island myself. But for now why I love dh helping me with sanding. All cabinet doors off...

He's helping me.. Then just let me get this oak off my kitchen walls. Lol

I do love all white kitchens. How long do I have to let the paint dry on cabinets. We spent today sanding like mad dogs- I primed all cabinets with BIN ....and sanded again- iam still in the basement painting cabinets now. I will not go to bed tonight.

Tommorrow or Sunday- if their all painted..how many days do I have to wait before placing them back up.

Iam using cabinet coat

I have been told three days and then it takes 30 days for them to cure completely which just means don't do any heavy rubbing, cleaning on them after you put them back up and be careful not to scratch them. A person I know owns a company and they always use a poly top coat in a water base over the paint to protect them. It really protects all of your hard work! Can't wait to see them finished, you are working hard! I have linked below the company that painted our cabinets in the master bath so you can see some of their transformations. A couple of the kitchens reminded me of yours. Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Painted Cabinets and some information

Well, maybe if you leave painting the island til last so he can see what wood with paint looks like, and *then* suggest staining the island darker, your DH will reconsider? The more I look at the pic I posted of the dark stained island/peninsula with white cabinets, the more I like it. Good luck, whatever you do!

Thanks new friends..I will add some photos on how it's progressing..iam exhausted...
Headed back down stairs to paint some more.

We painted all frame work white. So I can't now go back and say to dh..let's leave the island and stain it another color.

For now- I have done so much painting. Who would have thought u mean Iam only half way through with painting? Ayayayayay..another super long night ahead of me. Ohhhh bead board was added to the ends of the island.. Whoot whoot.

Huggles
Thank you friends so much for adding all those photos too.

It's funny- I kinda like the limey green kitchen walls..hehehe
That will be my next- poll question, what color on the kitchen walls.