Pic in kitchen...sorry about the poor quality, its a very crisp pic on my comp....will try to take better ones.

Natural light

I think it looks nice- kind of depends on how you want it to look though : ) I'd definitely bring the darker sample home and see how it compares in your space.

I have the Porch Swing on cherry in a vignette in my showroom. It's a warm gray, not a cool one. IMHO, that makes it easier to integrate into future designs style changes when they do go away from the current gray craze. It's more (hate the word) timeless. I took some pics the other day and I'll see if I cant find one to edit into the post here.

This post was edited by live_wire_oak on Wed, Feb 13, 13 at 11:30

Here's a more distant photo with the other elements of the kitchen. We're waiting on replacement parts for the counters to be templated currently, and then the walnut flooring will go down. (Everything's on plywood to be the same height.)

And here is a closer shot of the cabinet construction. This particular one has an integrated finished side on the right.

Thanks for the responses.

@Live_wire_oak-I would really appreciate it if you could put some pics up. The KD said that the QS does give it more of a warmer look, than the cherry.

I was trying to see what would work with the grey, depending on how dark/light things ended up. With what I had, I was thinking of mother of pearl/madre perla counter tops on the 2 islands and contrasting a quartz on the perimeter to better tie the cabinets together. And a lighter backsplash, nothing too dramatic, as I dont want things to look too chaotic. Not sure though.
Bringing dark door home soon.

Thanks again!!

I just had my kitchen done with Dynasty in that style door. I have Nutmeg on cherry. I love the color. The grey seems a bit washed out on here.

As much as I love the style of the cabinets and how they look, I didn't think about how straight the design is. I'm afraid they will get banged up as there is no eased edge on them. And also, looks like I'm going to be dusting my cabs as well as everything else in the house. But I do LOVE them.

I will post a picture as soon as I have the time to figure out how to! Maybe I should have my DH the computer whiz do it...

Live_wire: is that oak or QSO? Thanks for posting the pictures.

Momand3boys-would love a picture. We have an eased edge on our cabinets right now, which is nice, but I loved the crisp look of the regular straight edge. Both the panels fell out of the cabinet when I was taking the pictures onto the granite, on their sides, and neithers' edge was dinged. Hoping they endure less trauma when being used. Glad to hear that you do like them.

Thanks for responding.

I seriously considered Omega before we decided to go with a local cabinet maker. I looked at Porch Swing and Smokey Hills. I think Smokey Hills is a rich saturated grey and Porch Swing is light, almost a white wash. Note: I do have a very bright kitchen. I would have gone with Smokey Hills. However I wanted a dark perimeter and a lighter island, whereas your second cabinet finish of walnut is also dark.
You also said you love the richness of the brown. Do you want richness of brown and of grey? When you have looked at pictures of kitchens for inspiration have you loved kitchens with all dark cabinetry or with more contrast?
Think about, not only the individual components, but also how they will play together in the complete tapestry you are creating. You said you have evolved from white, to cream to gray, it is great to recognize that. And perhaps since that seems to be an evolution of lighter shades maybe Porch Swing is correct for you. Or, maybe not. It might be time to throw out the walnut island. Maybe it should be a Smokey Hills perimeter with a Porch Swing island? Perhaps you should bring in the walnut as a countertop instead of as a cabinetry finish?
Go back to your inspiration photos- not just for the exact finishes, but for the feel. Don't be afraid to stay the same, and don't be afraid to throw away anything. Sometimes the design doesn't feel right and you are working on the wrong component. I spent a lot of time worrying about if my kitchen would be too dark with the dark walnut cabinets I selected- when I finally threw out the butcher block top and decided to use my quartzite on both the island and the perimeter it all worked.
Lots of fairly esoteric advice here I hope I haven't caused more confusion.

Localeater-Thanks for the post. Very valuable insight. Thank you. As I was in my grey phase, I came across a Wm Ohs kitchen that I feel in love with. It was ironic that it had the exact same elements I was looking for. Grey perimeter, contrasting warm island. This has been my inspiration.
I am posting a picture. I do not have any exterior walls within the kitchen but the breakfast wall has 14 ft windows, which I am hoping will be light and bright enough.
Thanks again!!

Look at doing an Ebony Brush on top of the Porch Swing. It will give it a bit darker look than the Porch Swing but won't be nearly as dark as the Smoky Hills. That is too dark to work with your walnut. The current selling center should have a door on it with that combination for you to see.

BTW, that's Porch Swing on cherry, not oak. It gives it a sight warmer undertone.

Thanks so much LiveWireOak!
Will look into that.

{{!gwi}}

This post was edited by CallMeJane on Wed, Feb 13, 13 at 17:26

Callmejane - if you PM me, I'll send you some pictures. I won't have a chance to figure out uploading pictures for at least a few days.

CalMeJane - I am beginning to select the cabinets for my new kitchen. I am considering the porch swing and walnut stains for my cabinets. Did you end up going with these stain selections on your kitchen cabinets? If so, could you provide pictures of your kitchen?