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ootm_mom

Opinions please, I'm second guessing my colors

OOTM_Mom
10 years ago

Hello All,
I am feeling uncertain about my color choices in my kitchen remodel. I did interview two designers when this all started but didnt feel I really gelled with either so have gone it alone. A dishwasher leak has thrust me into a remodel. (Cabinets were the absolute cheapest, drawer fronts coming off, particle board splintering, etc, so it was time to make a switch while we would be replacing floors.)

My floors were just put back (mostly) today! Yay! Less subfloor to stub toes on!! Stain and finishing for the whole first floor starts a week from friday. Then cabinets right after. This has me excited, and daunted that I may have a mish mash of colors and styles that will end up looking awful!

Here is a list of what is planned, and I'll post picts afterwards. I know colors don't show so true, but hopefully it will be enough. The only pict I dont have is of the flooring.

Floor, oak, stained provencal (a medium brown, trying to not be red or yellow) they will be lighter than cabinet doors for sure
Cabinets, cherry, chocolate glaze. (Trying to knock down the red) Doors have more detail than shaker, but similar with no raised panel.
Counters- Leaning towards "Fantasy Brown" quartzite, leathered finish. I posted a pictof a gorgeous onyx recently, but decided that was a little nuts, this is a 8-10 year house, not our forever house, and decided I didnt want to spend that much money on our counters.
Appliances SS, except for range, Lacanche Volnay in Faience or ivory, leaning towards faience (a light grey) and nickel knobs
Faucets Karbon Kohler in polished chrome.
Backsplash TBD, thinking very light whitish greyish bluish something (thats helpful isnt it?)
Main Sink Kohler whitehaven, cane sugar (apron undermount)
Prep sink, SS undermount
Cabinet hardware TBD, thinking all pulls, brushed nickel

My concerns:
Karbon faucets are so "modern" apron sink is not.
Will I really like a leathered counter long term.
Will the colors work together, cane sugar sink and quartzite fantasy brown
Ok some pictures
First, slab with cabinet color. The light grey square is the Faience color, the other is the ivory (potential range colors)

Comments (35)

  • OOTM_Mom
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Cane sugar sink

  • OOTM_Mom
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Karbon polished chrome

  • OOTM_Mom
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Lacanche Faience

  • OOTM_Mom
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Seems like a pretty cold kitchen...will the wood cabinets and floors be enough to warm it up a bit?

  • gr8daygw
    10 years ago

    It is all just beautiful. The only thing I question is the chip that is the off white color. On my laptop it looks more yellow and is the odd man out of this beautiful ensemble. In my next life I will have a Lancanche : ))

  • OOTM_Mom
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    The chip next to the grey one leaning on the slab is the lacanche ivory sample. The thing is, the cane sugar sink is very nearly that color, depending on the light. The sink will be right under a window, so maybe it will look lighter. :-/
    Thank you!

  • andreak100
    10 years ago

    I think that the ivory color is a bit off with the granite...it's definitely showing yellow. The Lacanche Faience is a cool color. In the picture, your granite looks to have a cool grey and a reddish beige. But it doesn't appear to have any yellow undertones.

    The Karbon faucet is definitely a bit more of a modern look than what I see the rest of your kitchen being. I'm not certain that I would put it in with you other choices. But, it's a nice faucet and certainly has it's merits. No one could fault you for wanting that faucet. :)

    In terms of the leathered granite - do you like shine or do you prefer something with a bit less shine? We went with a leathered texture for our choice of granite because the less shine appealed to us. Will you tire of it? It's hard to say! How fickle are you? ;-)

  • luvmylabs2
    10 years ago

    I know next to nothing just starting out myself, but think these are beautiful choices! I also see the Chip on my screen as being tad to the yellow tone and a bit off in my mind for a choice (could be the screen), but I also would have picked the greyish one anyway out of the two.

  • ck_squared
    10 years ago

    It's all beautiful. Love that range color in gray! And it looks like it will highlight the Fantasy Brown quartzite perfectly. The sink should be fine as well.

    I agree with you, that Karbon faucet looks too modern for that sink as well as your range. I'd save some money there and look for something that is more in keeping with the transitional look. I would suggest different faucets for your prep vs. main sink as well.

    We just put in Fantasy Brown quartzite in our remodel and I love it! The leathered is gorgeous (ours is polished).

  • OOTM_Mom
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thank you for the feedback! I was leaning towards the grey lacanche, so faience it is!
    I will have to pay attention when they layout the stone, and make sure the darker grey areas are mostly around the sink.
    Areas of the slab seemed almost pink, I am hoping the slab behind it runs more to the grey end...we'll see if they will move the slab for me! ( i was told I'd need two slabs)
    As for shiny vs. matte, I've always loved the feel of marble under the hand, and it seems the leathered feel is close, to me anyway, and could be a good compromise between soft marble and polished granite; the feel of marble with the more durable aspects of granite (or in my case quartzite). That's my train of thought anyway. I do wonder about cleaning leathered, does it ever feel clean? Smooth surfaces feel clean after I remove the bumps...will I forever be scrubbing to get it smooth?! That part does have me hesitant about leathered, the cleaning.

    Thank you.

  • cyn
    10 years ago

    Your colors are great! Its the slab that pulls everything together. I happen to really like the colors and movement in that slab. You have the warmth of wood cabinets and lighter wood floor that will balance out the coolness of the more blue-ish-ness in the slab and stove so I think you have a nice temperature balance. I agree with you that the stunning but ultramodern faucet clashes with the stove and the sink. I don't think you need to go classically traditional with the faucet- if you want to tend toward more streamlined, just choose something more neutral. I love grohe or hansgrohe for that. What are your plans for the rest of the appliances?

  • TXBluebonnet11
    10 years ago

    I don't mind the modern faucet with the more traditional sink. I actually like the contrast. However I agree that the carbon may be a little bit too modern so a more neutral Hansgrohe or Grohe (still somewhat streamlined) might be a better choice. I love the range and the unique selections in materials! The only thing that caught my eye when I glanced at the photos was the cabinet color. I am not sure if the red in the cabinet will harmonize with the cool color scheme. I don't think it's bad to warm it up slightly, but this cabinet color is very warm and I would be a little concerned that it might not compliment your other selections as well as it could. But maybe this warm color is needed to balance out the cool tones? It made my eye pause and I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing.

    This post was edited by TXBluebonnet11 on Thu, Jan 16, 14 at 0:06

  • OOTM_Mom
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Here is a better shot of cabinet, the two range colors, and the slab, although they are up against the "pinker" end of the slab. I hope the cabinets are more brown than red with the chocolate glaze...but they are cherry. Also, the doors are this color, but no raised slab, and slightly different detail, but close to this one.

    I will have to look at those other faucets, but I think I'd rather change the apron front sink than the faucets. I reall want a faucet that will move where I want it and stay there! I don't think there is anything else out there that will do that.

    What about mixing leathered and polished? Leathered island , polished perimeter? Will I get used to not scrubbing the bumps out of the leathered?

  • OOTM_Mom
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Letsgomom, my other appliances are the leaky GE Cafe dishwasher (valve has been replaced, and I want to install some sort of water sensor near it so if it leaks again I find out before my floors are ruined!). Eventually I'd like to get a miele dishwasher, but this one is only about two years old. Fridge is 36" GE cafe, side by side, hopefully being recessed to close to counter depth. I bought a GE stainless wall oven to go in remodeled kitchen, not the cafe line, but it looked similar to me, had most of the same features of my current GE cafe range's oven, just not the probe. I will be getting rid of my current GE microwave/vent and getting a smaller one to put on a shelf in my island, and I will be getting rid of my current 30" ge cafe dual fuel range when the Lacanche arrives! I cannot wait for the new range.

    Thank you for all the feedback, I brought the sugar cane sink into the house today to see what it looks like with my light, and the sunlight from the windows, hopefully it appears just slightly off white and not yellow! It seems it could go either warm or cool, if that makes sense.

  • localeater
    10 years ago

    I love your choices. Granted it is hard to see true colors on a monitor so your eye remains the best discerner. While I love the Faience did you look at LaCanche's other gray, I think it is called steel. It might be less blue. I think yours works but you might as well look at the other.
    RE the leathered surface I have MadrePerla leathered in my kitchen and it is wonderful. It is softer to the eye than polished, and because my slab is very hard it really has no deep crevices which create a cleaning problem. It really differs from slab to slab. I dont think I would like mixing leathered and polished but that's me

  • live_wire_oak
    10 years ago

    The slab is pretty, but I think it's pretty busy to go with the cabinet doorstyle and your described floor. Those are both busier as well. It also doesn't harmonize that well with the sink and range colors. I'd find something else in a stone top that was more of a supporting player and let the Lacanche be the star.

    But, saying that, and you saying that this isn't your forever home that you're willing to drop a lot of money on the counter makes me question the Lacanche. It's kinda the odd superstar in the bunch, like a Rolls Royce in the middle of a collection of American muscle cars. And if you plan to take it with you when you move, you won't find something else that size to fill that hole. Are you OK with spending that kind of money and leaving it behind? You will never get anything close to what it costs as any type of payback, so you are doing this purely for your own pleasure for X years.

    You need to take a picture of your floor, as it will be a bigger factor than you think, especially with all of the rest. And put it all together in a mood board. I think the granite and the range will be the odd ones out. Not the faucet or the sink.

  • TwoBelles
    10 years ago

    OOTM_Mom, love your selections! I was planning to use a completely different material until I wandered through a local stone yard and found the Fantasy Brown in a honed finished for another builder. It was gorgeous! It literally stopped me in my tracks. Now I'm reconsidering my other choices. Thankfully, I'm in the early stages of planning. My yard did tell me that it was granite, not quartzite. The stone looks a bit different than yours; definitely no pinkish hue. Have you considered a honed finished instead of leathered?

  • OOTM_Mom
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Most of what I've chosen seems too expensive for a not forever home, but 8-10 years is a long time. And I know its iffy wether or not the Lacanche would go with me, I did think a 36" range with two 3" spacers might fill the space pretty well, but the countertops wouldnt magically fill in, so that realistically isnt an option. The Lacanche is definitely a splurge. I cook a lot, especially on the rangetop, and fully expect to enjoy every minute of it with the Lacanche.

    The floors havent been stained yet, they are oak hardwood. I was trying to stay close to the current color, so that I dont have to refinish the stairs...but do you have a color suggestion for the floor? They were planning to do something to the stairs to freshen them up, so they dont look too different from the new floors.

    Here is my door style and color. I'll try to get a picture of existing floor when the sun comes up, but all of my existing floor looks pretty bad. I might be able to get a section of the stairs that doesnt look to bad. Whatever they used for sealing before was crap. We are down to bare wood in many places.

    {{!gwi}}

  • OOTM_Mom
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Not sure why the cabinet door pict didnt show up, trying again.

  • Gracie
    10 years ago

    Have you considered going a little darker on the cabinet stain? I have a cherry Kraftmaid vanity in their kaffe stain with pale blue-gray walls. It's not red at all and not as dark as the java stain. I think it would look better with your colors.

  • OOTM_Mom
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Alas, the cabinets were ordered before Christmas, so they are a done deal.
    Here is a pictureof current floors. Trying to go back with close color so the stairs dont have to be completely redone.

    Here is the color of mycabinets (not door style) with my current floors. Reads quite warm to me. Ugh. There was another slab I liked, not much kovement though, (I prefer movement), and its darker, but it has some gold flecks that might work better with the floors. I'll post that too.

  • OOTM_Mom
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Cabinet color with different slab.

  • OOTM_Mom
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    More of the slab with flecks of gold....this slab is polished, not leathered.

  • ineffablespace
    10 years ago

    I first thought the Lacanche color was one of their pale blues when I saw it against the countertop. It could be my monitor.

    I don't know what your layout is, but would it make sense to have extra countertop and matching cabinet fillers purchased now in case you wanted to take the Lacanche with you? (With the right layout you may be able to switch out a section of countertop to fill in for a smaller range, especially if the fill in pieces were also templated now).

    I think a Lacanche is like a swimming pool. It is a neutral when it comes to selling, because just like some people are not interested in maintaining a pool, some people won't be interested in a range that is different than the typical American appliance.

  • OOTM_Mom
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I feel like the lighter slab feels more sophisticated, the darker one with gold is beautiful too, just more casual somehow. Does that make any sense?

  • robo (z6a)
    10 years ago

    I like your original slab. It's beautiful! I think 8-10 years is a good long time. Get what you like.

  • TXBluebonnet11
    10 years ago

    I like the second slab much better. I think it pulls everything together nicely. You have a lot of warmth in the room so I think it's important to have an element that ties the warm and cool tones together. I really don't mind the carbon faucet but you might want to check out Waterstone faucets as they have similar in more traditional styling.

  • Majra
    10 years ago

    I think it is going to be beautiful! If you switch out the sink rather than the faucet, you could get a bit of a modern vibe going.

  • deedles
    10 years ago

    Both slabs are lovely, but IMHO the second is more visually cohesive (color-wise and 'feel') with your cabs and floors (which look great together, btw). Love your sink and the stove is gorgeous, too!

  • cyn
    10 years ago

    A mood board is a great idea. Force yourself to prioritize. What is the one piece you really don't want to give up. I'm betting its the stove. (That would be mine! That stove is to die for!) So make everything work with that.

    On my monitor I hadn't seen pink in the granite. Now knowing that, I'd say the cherry color in the cabinet wood is just fine with the granite you chose. Is the color of the stove also present in the granite slab? If it is, you are good.
    its really hard to judge color from a photo posted online, so here's one 'rule' that may help you focus in on what you -may- want to consider changing. If the color, or any shade of that color is in your granite slab, you can use it in the room. An exact match is not interesting or necessary. Second, you usually want a dominant tome and then other colors you bring out of that slab will be accents, so you won't use so much of them. Now, there are a million caveats to that, and of course, breaking the rules can bring fantastically stunning drama, but I think if you start with that one rule as a starting place, your own vision will begin to materialize. Whatever feels good to you will work. Just keep at it until it gels for you. With all the ideas coming from folks here and what you can see because you're looking directly at the different colors and where they will be in relation to each other, and considering the light in the room, it will begin to come together and you'll get a feel for where you will or won't want to challenge color 'rules'.

    I should say all of the above goes out the window if you're going for a monochromatic look. LOL

    BTW, I love my miele vacuum and I didn't even know they make dishwashers, but I can wax poetic about my bosch dishwasher. In addition to how well it functions, I'm very sensitive to background noise and its sooo quiet.

    Since its the way your faucet will stay where you aim it that really attracts you to it, maybe look at upscale stylized commercial configurations. I don't have any experience to draw on, its just a thought.

  • cyn
    10 years ago

    I wrote my most recent post before seeing your most recent photos. My vote is for the original slab because nothing else has any movement. To me a kitchen is a place where you are always moving and I like to see that reflected somewhere in the kitchen itself. That's just my personal opinion. Cabinet color is great- you should have no regrets.
    To me, wood is nature and we see all colors up against wood in nature. So, I think any color wood on floors is good as long as there is come contrast between the color of the wood of the cabinets and the wood on the floor. Something to differentiate the horizontal from the vertical, you know.
    I also like to mix wood in a room, so for example I wouldn't hesitate to, for example, mix cherry and ebony.

    I'm currently choosing handles for the glass door in a bathroom and came across a link for 'pot fillers'. LOL I'd never even heard the term before.
    http://www.qualitybath.com/hansgrohe-pot-fillers-kitchen-faucets-listing-4166.htm

    You mentioned something about mixing a leather finish with a polished finish on the granite? In my limited experience, I thought granite is a very porous material and thus it is advisable to always seal it when using it as a counter top. My fear would be stains that won't come out. I imagine that any sealer would take away at least some of that leather feel you like. So, maybe you want to talk to a granite installer to quiz them about their experience. You may want to talk to more than one because, of course, they all have their own perspective. I'm in Maryland and know someone knowledgeable, if you'd like that reference.

  • bookworm4321
    10 years ago

    When I finally saw Fantasy Brown installed, I was so jealous. It is a beautiful stone. It didn't have any pink or yellow undertone. Since you cannot make the cabinets darker, do they have a reddish tone IRL? (When I posted pictures, they never true to real colors.)

    Your walls, floor and cabinets look traditional. I'm sure switching to another faucet would be easy. The Brizio, as well as others mentioned, would be more transitional.

  • isabel98
    10 years ago

    I like all of your original choices, don't change anything.

  • ineffablespace
    10 years ago

    I prefer the slab you chose originally to the later one.

  • homeimprovementmom
    10 years ago

    The Lacanche in Frangipane would be beautiful. The Lacnache is a wonderful range. People love them for a reason(s). They can be moved with you so truly chose the one you really cotton to. I will upload ours: Cluny in anthracite.

    The Karbon Faucet is a mis note and if you search GW, you will see posts about leaking. I love the look of that faucet though but it is a very modern and almost industrial looking faucet in person. Try Dornbracht. KWC.