I love black. Sometimes I think people don't feel "free" enough to use it as much as they want to. I think that black crown on wood cabinets would be just fine if you follow up the black accents enough in your space to make it enough of a statement. If the black is just floating there and not "talking" with other elements in your space it might look out of place. So make your space about the black accents.

On the other hand, if you suspect that it's "silly" and that you're truly unsure and don't like it much, trust your instinct. Instinct goes a lot farther than outside decorating advice.

I would go with your instincts too. If you are having a problem with it before the project is completely done, I am wondering if you will regret not addressing it now. "Make it look better" IMO, is a red flag: that to you, it looks bad.

In my honest opinion, it looks out of place. The hardware is not true black (it reads brown ORB to me), the countertop although it has black in it, reads brown, the backsplash is brown. To me, it looks heavy, and it draws attention to the ceiling (ordinary ceiling) and away from the countertops and backsplash (which should be the focus in a kitchen like this).

I don't know...it is all a matter of taste and I do agree that if you don't like it perhaps you should address it.

I think you've made attempts to tie things in with the black appliances and hardware so it really doesn't look 'off' to me to look at it...but as stated you should make it what you want...

i agree with palimpsest. if there was black in the granite, handles and backsplash, i would say it would work. but all those other elements are reading brown. if it were me, i'd change it to the matching wood.

Well, maybe a picture of the full kitchen would help. My husband seems to think it ties the appliances and everything in together. Keep in mind, this was obviously before the crown and the kitchen is and was still very unfinished . -

I guess my main question is, does it look bad? Like would you walk in my kitchen and go, wow, that crown looks terrible lol! I have all black appliances and I plan to go tonight and get a few more black accents. Would it look better if I added more black in the kitchen itself? Regardless, we can't afford to replace it right now, so I guess I will have to find a way to make it look nice.

Can you do the window trim in black, too? And/or paint the shelves by the window black. Just the shelf part, but not the back.

I think it looks silly in the first photo because it appears to hang out over nothing where the shelves are. So, embolden the shelves!

(I used the word "embolden"!??)

maybe if you change out the accessories on the shelves to black that would help also.

i definitely wouldn't walk in your kitchen and say the crown looks terrible. i just think you need to "ground" it a little by tying it into other things.

Would it be possible to do like a dark brown wash paint treatment on those black crowns? So the black lends some depth but the dark brown hedges the scheme toward those browner tones that you have in the hardware, the granite, the blacksplash. You definitely have black in your appliances, but the room does "speak" brown tones. Trying to "warm up" the black might actually create a result that is better, and more custom ;^D, than either just black, or splurging for hickory.

Also, to carry the black up at the upper levels, you might consider a fabric valance over the top of the window that has black, and possibly the dark and lighter brown tones, in it. If it's mounted at the same height as the crown, and then has, perhaps, swag "tails" that bring the black down, that might work toward finishing it off.

It's not that the black is wrong, it's that the black on the crown doesn't quite look like it was planned, or is an "authentic" part of the kitchen scheme. So, I guess what my advice is is to not stop here. Keep working with it, as long as changing it out remains cost prohibitive.

It's funny that you posted this just now because after our cabinet maker painted the crown molding on our cabinets for the THIRD time and it still didn't look as if it matched, I threatened to paint them black (the cabinets are white)!! That would definitely solve the problem of them looking as if we tried to match the color but were a bit off. The first two times we know the color was totally off, but the third time it ALMOST looked OK - in specific light!

Anyway, I gave up and am keeping them as they are regardless of what they look like! With your cabinets, I don't think the black looks bad, and definitely keep it if you like it, but I actually think I would prefer the same color of the cabinets (assuming your cabinet maker is better at matching colors than ours - haha)!

I'd recommend adding black light rail under the wall cabinets. I think something small, maybe .75", would really help define the black as a stylistic element of the kitchen. This incorporates the black more around eye level, so the larger crown above won't seem as drastic.

Just get a strip of something black about that size and have someone hold it under some of the wall cabinets for you to look at before you commit. It should be less expensive than replacing the existing black crown.

I think Fori's suggestions are perfect and relatively simple. You defninitely need some more touches of black to balance it out in the room, and I think the window frame would be great black as would the shelves.
Now I think I am going to look over my thread where I am pretty sure fori posted because I think this was great advice.............

I bought a few things and changed accessories, Will be sure to update with a new pic tomorrow!

i think i like the black. something about it is pleasing to my eye. however, i am with Fori. I would like it alot better if the window frame and the shelves (entire units) were black too. That would be enough to make it all come together i think. its kind of the look i've seen where the island and the hood over the stove are painted in a different color than the rest of the cabinetry. since you don't have a separate built in hutch or a wood mantle/hood, i think the shelves would be the area to do to give 'that look'. i might even do a little bit of distressing on the black too. i love the way that looks. you could take a fine sanding sponge and very lightly at first hit some of the areas that are higher. that would let the wood tone show underneath and might make it really blend in with the rest of the woodwork on the cabinets. i would try an area to see what it looks like. if you don't like it, its only paint and would be easy enough to do over.

I think the black crown is too chunky. I would make it the same as the cabinets and add a skinny strip of tark wood (or black) around the crown. Notice in the picture below it is a thin strip of dark wood.

Okay, so I bought something at Hobby Lobby and moved some things around. I am not showing the full kitchen because the rest of the kitchen does not have the crown up! Does this help at all??

The filigree over the sink helps a lot, but I think it's not just a problem with the color, but the fact that the color is flatly paint, and the cabinets have heart and sap wood, plus grain.

With your dark hardware and appliances, the dark crown seems to work. It's just too dark and too flat, especially because it extends over the little shelves, so is visually bigger than the cabinets.

I'd consider stripping the paint and trying a bronze brown paint that picks up the warmth of the heartwood and hardware, then rub some black wax or antiquing stain into the crevices to give it some dimension and bring in the black appliances.

Someone else on here had black crown molding on their cabinets, but I can't for the life of me remember who it was. Like someone mentioned above, it bothers me that the molding extends over the shelves. Besides that, I think it looks really good, especially now that you've added the black accents.

Laurie

I'm not loving it, I usually follow the 'if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all' rule, but you asked :)

To my eye, it's too heavy. It's visually odd that it extends over the shelves as others have said. I'd try and save up the $400 bucks and get the hickory, if that's a possibility. If not, the suggestions above could be your answer. Good luck!

I agree that it seems too chunky. Is it a two piece molding? Even if it isn't could you faux paint the upper part to match the cabinets so that you are left with a thin black line sandwiched between the wood tones?

To really tie in the black to the cabinets it needs to be more than just molding at the top. You need to have a black light rail, and you might think about creating a mini "hutch" in that cabinet to the right of the window by adding black corbels and removing the raised panels in the doors in favor of glass with the interior painted black. For sure, paint the OTR cabinet and open shelves black. The OTR also looks more of a mistake in stainless rather than all black. I would replace it with an all black model.

The black needs to look intentional not accidental. Without using black on the cabinets somewhere, it looks lost and an afterthought done just as the crown molding.

Thought you might want an update ;)

So we purchased these items back in February. We recently discovred that we were given two different black crown moldings with look very very similar but were actually just a tad bit off in measurement and in the design profile. Also, we ordered regular toe kick but they put down to give us a really expensive decorative wood bottom that we really didn't want because it didn't fit under our cabinets.

Soo...I called them up and told them what happened. We went down there today and met with the manager. He is refunding our money! AND ordering us all new crown and kick plates in the hickory color! AND we get the refunded difference for the kickplates, which means all new free crown AND a $140.00 giftcard!

How lucky am I?

Well that resolved itself nicely.

I do think the black had potential, though, so you weren't CRAZY to try it. =)

What a wonderful manager!! Sing his praises! It's so nice to hear that someone is getting good customer service. Congratulations on a satisfactory outcome!

Is that serendipity or what?

Though, as Fori said, the black did have potential- I would have done some faux painting to give it more depth and bring it closer to ORB- but now I can focus on my own renos- funnily enough I have hinges to paint ORB and am debating on repainting light fixtures... :>)

Isn't this fun?

LOL! I know it all works out. I am well aware that the black crown had potential, BUT I know that I don't want to stay in this house forever. Our remodel cost us maybe 6k total, not like the 30k kitchens I see around here :) I am only 22 so I know that there will be many more homes to come. I also know that Hickory was a bold enough choice and that not everyone will appreciate it the way we do, so I think neutralizing the crown will help in the end with resale value.

I appreciate your hickory. We just installed hickory, also. Post some pics of the change when you can. Your kitchen is beautiful!

I’m having black crown installed on my maple cabinets with olive leaf black knobs, I all ready have black granite countertops with copper looking specs. I was a little worried about the black molding. I painted all my doors black and my friend said I would be sorry, well after all done they loved it and I do also. Helped our neighbor do hers and one neighbor used navy. We all hate white doors now.