I think the Colonial Gold is my favorite with your cabs. Love the Galaxy, but it looks too cool next to your warm cabs. The others are acceptable but a little loid for french country. I also think the MOP is very pretty, but it might be too busy with your granite. Do you have the two together?

Black iron or iron-look pulls and knobs with discreet twists or scrolling would look awesome in your kitchen and scream french country.

Thank you! I'm glad you like it. I've been getting less than stellar feedback on the colonial gold and MOP - not even as a combo, just in general w/my cabinets. I think it's going to look good. Just as you stated, the warmth of the cabinets is what makes the colonial gold tie-in the best. I do love the white galaxy, as it was my initial thought, but not the best look out of compared to CG.

I haven't physically looked at the MOP with the colonial gold. I did a little photoshopping and laid the pix together and it looked good. From what I've seen, the MOP looks good w/just about anything. I want to get the white mini bricks and grout in white so they don't pop so much. I just like how they'll add some shimmer to the kitchen.

As for the hardware. I was thinking of these birdcage pulls or the fluted ones. But I LOVE the Anne at home collection (in rubbed bronze) below it - just don't think it looks french country or farmhouse too much. Thoughts?

Anne At Home:

I like the Genesis with your cabinets best, but I fear it is not even slightly country. Takes all unexpectedly in a modern direction that I find interesting and really highlights the darker lines on the cabinet door. I've not seen detail on cabinets quite like that before, so it's cool to highlight it, and the splotching in the Genesis granite is more unusual than the speckling on the other slabs.

However, as I said, I don't think that takes the overall style of the kitchen in the direction you want.

Have you considered soapstone? That's a much more traditional look -- you see it in lots of farmhouse-type places, and it would also highlight the interesting dark lines on the cabinet doors.

Plus the black stone with thin white veining would be kind of like a negative version of the white cabinets with thin dark lines. Could be a cool pairing.

I like all the pull choices you showed, but I can't say whether one is more appropriate than the other. What I *do* know is get what you like and what looks good, even if it is outside of the design box you set for yourself. It is one thing to want "french country" and another thing entirely to end up with a kitchen you love regardless.

And that applies to the granite choice, too. :). Take a look back at some of your inspiration photos, remind yourself of your favorite ones, then ask yourself what, specifically, you like and don't like about the photos. Then carry that knowledge into your own kitchen design to create something you love.

You are suffering from what is called on GW "too many clowns". It was coined by florantha and went something like this--One clown in a room is entertaining, but a whole roomful of clowns is chaotic. It happens when you love everything so much that you have to throw it all into one room instead of picking and chosing. Somewhere the eye has to rest.

Clown 1: extremely ornate door style
Clown 2: very prominent glazing on door style
Clown 3: raised cabinet over micro hood
Clown 4: three glass doors with muntins on range wall
Clown 5: decorative trim between cabinets on the range wall
Clown 6: granite with a lot of movement
Clown 7: mother of pearl backsplash
Clown 8: ornate hardware

Other potential clowns: elaborate crown molding, tiled floor (if it's staying, it's another pattern), decorative island, island pendants, faucet, appliances, wall decor, decorative items on counters...

You get the point. I think it's especially important that you pare back because your kitchen is small. What you've picked out is appropriate (but still busy) for a much larger kitchen. You are not living in a manor.

Stuff I'd change:

Glass cabs around range. No reason to draw attention to a 30" stove and microhood.

No cabinet glaze. It adds too many busy lines to the room and is considered dated by more trend-focused people. I'd dress up the cabs with the first or second pull and matching knobs.

Granite or backsplash, not both. Trust us, we have seen the busy granite with small mosaic backsplashes done over and over and it never works. Even if the colors match, it creates too much pattern with the grout lines. An expensive mistake, so you have to decide which you love more. Also, the MOP is too white/silver with your cabinets. If you love MOP, use a cooler cab paint.

Function--drawers instead of doors. Search GW for the many reasons why they are so loved here. Also, imo, doors where you could have had drawers make the kitchen look dated and cheap, where you are striving to make your kitchen look expensive with your choices. Same with the microhood instead of an actual vent hood.

I hope you'll think about these things. It sounds like others are cautioning you but you "think it will look good". All those things are nice on their own, but look at the whole picture and consider the size of the room.

I ditto may flowers on every point.

I also mostly agree with may flowers, although I think that because your kitchen space is kind of visually open to the rest of the area that saves it from being too visually crowded.

but no for the MOP, it doesn't match your cabs color or style wise.

You have busy cabinets (they are already ordered, yes?) so I would go a little simpler on the hardware.

The colonial gold granite is a good match color wise if you want to emphasize the gold/yellow tones; on my monitor it looks like the White Galaxy can work if you want to take it a little cooler, but not sure that it will work with your floor. The others are too big & bold for your space and cab design.

My preference would be for a simpler or quieter counter surface to let the cabinets be the star.

It would be nice if someone could photoshop the counters and the floor as it really is (diagonal) to give a better sense of how things will work, or not, together.

I missed that the cabinets were ordered. In that case, you've got all your clowns. I would try to replace the microhood with a vent hood at this point because you are making that so much of a focal point.

Is the floor staying? It's going to be important that the granite works very well with the floor. I would get a granite with a little black because of the glazing. You have so little area to tile, and there's so much going on on the range wall, that I'd do a plain backsplash.

I agree with May_flowers too. Would you consider a quartz with very minimal pattern or soapstone? All of your granite choices are very busy and with anything on the counters, I think it will be overwhelming. I love your cabinets, but I agree that everything else needs to be quiet and simple.
Diane

Thanks all for the feedback! The cabinets and appliances were ordered, so there's not much I can change there. I agree with mayflower about the range hood, which was in the initial design, but then I have no where to place my microwave and I'm not willing to trade counter or cabinet space a vent. As for the floor, that wasn't even an option. The floor flows into the breakfast nook, which flows into the family room. Actually, the whole house (with the exceptions of a few bedrooms) have the same floor. It would kill the openness of the house to compartmentalize any part of the house. Besides that, we have no budget for it.

So my thinking on the gold granite is that it blends well with everything else in the house, like chandeliers (bronze w/orange glass) and the furniture in the adjoining rooms. It has to work with 2 other rooms, since you'll see it the most from those rooms than from the kitchen.

I do love the MOP, but I know it may not look awesome. What other backsplash would you use? I'm not a fan of the white ceramic subway tile with this combination. I'd like something to make it look more modern than traditional.

I think the 3rd and 4th pic on the hardware post is gonna be it. Not too detailed and the fluted handles match some of the fluted legs in my furniture as does the color.

I wasn't suggesting the floor go, just wanted to make sure it needed to be part of the decision.

"I'd like something to make it look more modern than traditional."

I don't think you mean modern in the sense of it being contemporary--your cab and pull choices are so traditional that you can't add contemporary elements. I think you want something that's not "old-fashioned" and you probably see subway tile, or any ceramic tile, as that.

I think it might be easier if you used a dark granite. You don't have dark elements in any of the rooms seen in the photo, and every room needs a little contrast. A few people have used leathered Antique Brown granite in place of soapstone, which would look nice with the glazed creamy cabs and pulls you've chosen and the tan floor. It would give you more options for backsplash since it reads solid. Fortunately, you don't have a lot of wall to tile.

[Traditional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Upper Marlboro Kitchen & Bath Designers Granite Grannies

Right, I don't mean contemporary since I do not like style at all. I do mean not so old-fashioned/ grandma's kitchen looking. Didn't know this finish existed. In general, I think light cabinets look best with really dark counters, but I want a light surface. My last house had beautiful blue pearl granite with dark wood cabinets, satin nickel mosaic handles, diamond pattern tan and drk brown backsplash and french pattern tan/brown travertine throughout the house. I looked beautiful, clean and not "old-fashioned" but not contemporary. This time I want a light kitchen. I have so much light coming in and want this area to bright and airy.

Do you think this backsplash would be too busy? The panel shown is 12"x12".

I like the cabinets with the colonial gold the best. Wait until your cabinets and granite are in before deciding on backsplash and hardware. I like pretty and your kitchen will be very pretty. Just don't jump ahead of yourself with the details. If you wanted a simple kitchen, you wouldn't have picked out the elements you did!! The folks that are steering you away from the details don't like what you like. And that is fine. I don't like contemporary at all so I will probably always try to find a way to soften things up a bit.
Good luck!!

No, that is not true, michellemarie. I love a lot of the elements in this kitchen, and I like pretty too. They just need to be combined tastefully.

I think the marble arabesque adds yet more lines and shape to the rectangles and diamonds that are already very strong. Are you doing an island too? Same door style?

Oooh, antique brown would be gorgeous with those cabinets! but I hear you, you want lighter. Have you looked at anything similar to River White? Not everyone likes the garnet inclusions, but some slabs have very little.

I am afraid that I don't think the arabesque tile is any better. I do agree with MichelleMarie about maybe waiting to pick backsplash and hardware. I don't agree with her criticism though -- having a design work is all about balance, otherwise it ends up looking like one of those women who have a ruffle or bow on every item of clothing -- it just gets to be overload.

No to MOP.

No to arabesque.

Of the posted pulls 3 and 4 are the best.

Along with mayflowers very well stated opinion which I agree with, is that not everything in your kitchen can be the star. Doing that also creates chaos. I see the cabinets as being the star and driving force in your design look and decisions. Not all other elements need to take a back seat but all other elements need to support, and not compete with, the cabinet choice.

For your backsplash, I agree with waiting until you see how the other elements wind up playing out. But perhaps a tile, similar in tone to the floor and set in the same diamond pattern. Depending on the counter chosen you could go a little darker than the floor.