All of your choices are modern and putting a more traditional molding on modern would be a design mistake. It won't tone down the modern and will just look wrong. The wood floors are the only warm element in the whole kitchen, and it leaves it feeling a bit on the cold side of modern because of that.

You say you want a more transitional look, so what are you willing to do to get that? A more medium toned stain on the cabinets could do that. A more golden toned granite could do that. A backsplash with some color could do that. More color on the wall could do that.

I'd personally recommend all of the above if you want to be in the transitional category rather than modern. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with modern design. I love it. But, even if you want modern, your choices are a bit too "safe" to make this be an A+ kitchen. It's a solid C+ to B-, and that's not a bad place to be if you're OK with it.

Don't let "resale" stop you from making choices that you love and will live with for 5 years when a simple coat of paint and a weekend's tiling can neutralize almost anything.

Thank you so much, you are confirming pretty much what I was worried about. I am not in the modern design type of neighborhood, but want to do what I like too. I think that deep down I am a suburbanite aching to live in something more like a downtown loft, so am trying to link the two. I have absolutely no plans of moving, but always want to keep options open because who knows what life is going to toss at you. If I do have to sell, I don't want every person who walks in to think "well, if it wasn't for that out of place kitchen".

Let me show you what I was thinking as far as crown, he did give us the option for the simple lines like pictured in the example above, but I think a more traditional crown would be OK.

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[traditional kitchen design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by boston kitchen and bath Venegas and Company
I am pretty set on the darker color of the cabinets, mostly because I want a contrast with the floor and my husband isn't willing to go light. The existing floors are a medium stain, so I don't want it to be too close. I have almost convinced him (hopefully)to paint the island in a contrasting color, pretty much anything lighter than the cabinets, I would be open to suggestions.

What is it to you that screams modern? I feel like the shaker cabinets can go either way, kind of the "little black dress" of cabinetry, it depends on how you accessorize to what sort of feel it evokes. I really like the granite, it has a very soothing feel with the linear wavy pattern. I was wondering about doing a more traditional door pull, but the cabinet guy and GC were all for the bar pulls (I think they looked at my other stuff and wanted me to go contemporary all the way, maybe they are right)? I love the sink so much, but can see that it may be one of the things that tips to a modern aesthetic. I am willing to paint in any color if I thought it would work. I love blues and think it would look great to have some blue accents with the dark cabinets. I am not set on the backsplash, I would love to do something more colorful actually, but don't know what direction to go.

Should I pick a direction and just GOOOO, or do a little more mix and match to make it more transitional? I am just terrified to do anything that isn't 100% "tasteful" so that is paralyzing me into being safe. When I put it all together, even I can see that it is a little too.....something. I want it to look like a place that somebody lives and enjoys, and I don't know that this is it.

I like your choices, but agree entirely with LWO, particularly re: the moulding and the fact that your kitchen might seem a bit cold. Would you consider not doing the glass backsplash? Something less reflective and shiny, with some colour perhaps?

If you are staying put for 3-4 or more years, don't worry about re-sale. Perhaps stop yourself from doing an all pink kitchen (but it doesn't look like you are considering anything that would frighten people off). LWO makes a good point about the ease of re-painting and tiling years down the road if needed.

I don't think your kitchen 'screams' modern, nor do I think it is so modern as to frighten people off (although I don't know your area of course). I think your choice of shaker cabs is appropriate and not 'too' modern. LWO had good ideas re: colour on walls and backsplash. I understand your desire to have contrast between the floors and cabinets. Perhaps a matte tile backsplash? You could do more traditional pulls I think if you want (also something relatively easy to change down the road if needed).

Adding something personal to your kitchen - art, family photos, plants, antique glass ware - can also warm a kitchen and make it more livable I think.

I'm not suggesting wholesale discarding your vision, just tweaking it.

What I'm seeing on screen for your cabinets is very dark. I'm not suggesting going natural maple. Just not quite as dark. And instead of a plain shaker, perhaps a shaker with a bit of detail to it.

Maybe this instead of that.

And the granite seems a bit stark white as well.

Maybe this (Colonial Cream, which still has your greys in it.) instead of that.

For the backsplash, maybe this, instead of that?

For lighting, this instead of that?
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Maybe do an accent wall in a muted red? I think your gray could work with all of these choices, but they are all subtly warmer and would give almost the same exact modern,look, but be more transitional in nature and give quite a different psychological feel because of their warmer color palette.

Hmmm, I guess I haven't given as much thought to the crown at the top of the cabinets as I should have. I think there are about 3 or so inches of some sort of molding that will be needed to have it hit the ceiling. Do you like the style of the first one that I posted? If it matters, we do have a more traditional crown in the greatroom and dining room that is next to the kitchen (to be honest, it is a pretty traditional house which doesn't feel cold to me nearly like the kitchen choices are appearing to me).

I like the cabinets and counters quite a bit, but I want to breathe some life and color into the kitchen so I would consider any backsplash, any material or color. My plan was a semi-colorful around the room backsplash with a focal point of mosaic tiles behind the range and hood where i got to get a little more colorful and interesting and gave the room some personality. But of course I can't figure out what that means.

If it helps, here are pics of the great room nearby and entry way, so you can see the "feel". There is a pony wall separating the two which I would love to take down, but no money to do so this time around. I love the archways leading into the living room to the left(there is another leading off the entry to the living room) and the wood molding around the windows on the right. The mantle will likely be changed at some point to match the wood of the windows and stair bannister. There is a nice warm rug in there now too, and we have changed some furniture, but the rest stayed. To me, it seems "warm" which is what seems to be missing in my current kitchen selections.

Maybe I need to go back to the granite place looking for something with warmer tones and go from there. We both had some sort of reaction to the River White that was hard to ignore. But I also know I was trying to find something that was really light. I like the blacksplash that you posted LWO, particularly with a granite with more earth tones. The pendant reads pink on my computer and I will be hard pressed to get my husband to agree to that, but that is probably my resolution. Our dining room is red, actually, so an accent wall in red may be a change that adds some vibrancy but still "fits". Maybe the rest in a nice pale green?

I think that without seeing the pictures first , LWO skewed into a direction that is more in keeping with what you have going on in the rest of the house.

Although I like the choices you made on one level, I don't see them connected to the pictures of the existing house, and they almost look to me as if the choices were made by different people. This isn't a criticism, just an analysis of what I am seeing. I think you should sit down an also think about why you are making these choices for the kitchen and if it somehow indicates a different direction you want to go.

Maybe I'm opening myself up to criticism, but I love your choices. But then we tend toward the modern side of transitional. My husband is from Holland so I'm reining in his modern aesthetic a bit. We're building our forever home, using as much universal and green design as we can afford. I live with a disability, so one objective is to make an accessible home that's more modern than nursing home, so while the nine cans in the kitchen may make some TKOers cringe, function trumps form when it allows me to see what I'm doing!

By the way, I love the River White. We're putting a remnant we found in our in-law bath. If we had found a bigger piece, we would have put it in our master bath. It's really pretty!

Here's what we're doing (still under construction, of course).

Maple cabinets in shaker style with espresso stain:

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Source: dejongdreamhouse.blogspot.com via Jen on Pinterest

Close up of molding:

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Source: dejongdreamhouse.blogspot.com via Jen on Pinterest

Hardware (all pulls), for universal design:

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Source: dejongdreamhouse.blogspot.com via Jen on Pinterest

Countertops: Hanstone Specchio White Quartz. We first looked at Vetrazzo for the recycled glass, but the quartz is easier to maintain and still has 24% recycled glass:

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Source: dejongdreamhouse.blogspot.com via Jen on Pinterest

Marcas Areia Cork from US Floors:

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Source: usfloorsllc.com via Jen on Pinterest

Backsplash: Solistone Mardi Gras in Carrollton

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Source: dejongdreamhouse.blogspot.com via Jen on Pinterest

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Source: dejongdreamhouse.blogspot.com via Jen on Pinterest

ET2 Fizz Pendants over the outer island:

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Source: dejongdreamhouse.blogspot.com via Jen on Pinterest

Paint will be SW Oyster Bay:

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Source: dejongdreamhouse.blogspot.com via Jen on Pinterest

After seeing the rest of the house, I really have to say that your selections are much too modern to be in keeping with the home. Yes, shaker cabinets can be pulled to both traditional and modern, but the cold espresso color that you've picked combined with all of the other modern elements is really out of place. It's too dark, cold, and stark. You either need a much lighter and warmer color with shaker or a more traditional cabinet to bring the design to the transitional, or all of those other choices need to be much more traditional. The cabinets are the built ins that will go with the house so that's why I think you should change the doorstyle. That doesn't mean that you need to go to an arched raised panel door--although that does go well with your arched openings and would look very much at home. Just consider something a bit warmer or more detailed than a plain shaker.

Natural cherry shaker? A warmer shaker? Maybe a simple raised panel in a dark stain---but not too dark? Or a more detailed recessed panel? Or a warmer base wood like a quartersawn oak or even plain oak, which would tie into the rest of the oak in the house? (And the plain oak would save you money over a maple or cherry.)

These all work with "transitional" better than the espresso shaker you've chosen but are still simple door styles. The dark are all dark enough to go with your vision, but provide a bit more detail that works with your home. And again, on a granite, choose something with warmer undertones rather than cooler ones. THe yellows and woods that you have in the rest of the house do not really work with the cool color palette you've picked out for your kitchen.

If you choose the door and granite more in keeping with your home, then choose the simple modern backsplash to go with your modern sink and modern pulls and it will all read as more transitional because of the cabinet and granite choices. I wouldn't choose a "framed feature" tile, as that is a more traditional rather than transitional look. Keep it simple, with maybe a liner or just another shape in the same color as an accent and that's it. You mentioned green as a possible color, so maybe a warm (rather than cool) green would work well with the other colors in the home.

ICFgreen, the big difference between your selections and kellienoelle's is the setting. Your home itself is much more modern, and you are creating the surrounding space to complement your choices. Her choices are not "bad", but they are dissonant with the rest of the home, and that's the big reason they feel "wrong" here. Pal said it best. They belong in another house, not this one.

To make these choices work in that home, kellienoelle would have to redo the fireplace, remove the crown molding in all of the rooms, replace the doors, replace the window trim, redo the stair ballusters and the list goes on.... All of the details in the home are mostly traditonal with only the slightest tweak towards transitional. You cannot just place a modern kitchen into that setting and have it feel at home. You can take the inspiration and tweak it to fit though. But, something has to give in the choices to make it work.

live wire oak is completely correct. I love your choices as they stand ALONE but they do not work with the rest of your home. There is, however, lots of room in the middle ground and lwo suggests.

Ne

ICF - we have the same taste, I have been following the progress of your kitchen and oohing and aahing over your choices. It is all coming together beautifully. I also believe that you are a new build, no? So maybe you were able to design the entire house towards a more modern look. I can see the objections that everybody else is bringing in putting an ultra modern kitchen in a traditional house. So, I will just have to figure where the two can meet and exist happily under one roof.

As far as the cabinets go, what is that middle one on the bottom? I like that. I looked at quartersawn oak and didn't care for all the graining. I was drooling over a natural stained mahogany sample at the cabinet makers, until he said that the upcharge is 35%. I am actually paying extra to have the "flat" panel, so this would be a change that actually may save a few bucks. Maybe then the traditional crown would look more at home and it would blend with the rest of the house. Maybe use a cup pull instead of the bar pulls. Would the darker stain appear less cold and stark with those choices? How about something like this(still in the dark stain though)?

I love those greens you chose, I really love that third one and think that would look great behind the hood, or even all around if I could afford it (although I wonder if that would look too busy?), or maybe mix it with the green glass subways. What type of tile is it? Now off to search the internet for different, warmer, light colored granites.

So, what do you think? Is this a better direction to go?

"To make these choices work in that home, kellienoelle would have to redo the fireplace, remove the crown molding in all of the rooms, replace the doors, replace the window trim, redo the stair ballusters and the list goes on.... All of the details in the home are mostly traditonal with only the slightest tweak towards transitional."

And to further complicate things, I actually really love the wood trim around the windows, the bannisters, my 6 panel oak doors and I am stubbornly refusing to paint white to match the rest of the trim even though it doesn't "match". I even want to replace the fireplace mantel to match (although I would love to also replace the brick, but not quite sure with what - project for another day) .

See, I have split design personalities! I like modern kitchens, but warm, comfy, stuff in the rest of the house!

How would that colonial cream granite look with a green backsplash?

kellie,
when you descriped what you are going for, I immediately thought of a kitchen that belongs to an interior designer friend of mine.

The backsplash behind the cooktop is actually a piece of glass which covers over walls painted green.

I think it looks fairly warm.

That is beautiful, I like everything about that. Do you know what type of wood that is? It has a pretty heavy graining pattern but looks lovely. What an interesting idea with that glass sheet as a back splash, I have never heard of that. I wonder it compares to a "normal" backsplash costwise. I would think that it would be relatively inexpensive, but have quickly discovered that isn't always the case.

She did a wonderful job of keeping a modern look but making it look warm as well. As I am discovering, that isn't quite so easy. Does she want to come out and design my kitchen (ha)

The fifth cabinet above is quartersawn oak. And the kitchen that mamadadapaige posted is also oak, but not quartersawn. The more prominent graining of the oak adds a level of warmth that maple will not, even if they are in the same darker stain. You could definately do a plain oak shaker door in a dark stain with a bit more traditional crown molding in your home. I'd keep watch on the stain undertones though. The first door that you posted have a cold greeny undertone while the ones that mamadadapaige posted have a warm redish undertone that can work with the rest of the tones in your home.

And yes, that raised panel door that you posted could also work. The Bleeker Street glass tile is NOT too busy with the simple cabinet styles shown here. It would be too busy if you tried to bling it up by making it a "feature" behind anything. Just by itself with no other players, it creates a textural look that isn't busy at all. It just reads as "interesting". With a warmer granite and dark, but not cold and dark, cabinets, it would be a great combo!

Note the counter that mamadadapaige's pic has. It's light, but it's a warm toned cream instead of a stark white. The kitchen also has some visual interest because of the mixed styles of slab doors but shaker drawers. That's the reverse of what's usually done. I think the slab doors would be a little much with the other traditional details in your home, but the shaker drawers with "detailed" shaker doors in an oak would work well.

Maybe I need to reconsider oak, I had posted a cabinet staining thread and it seemed that the consensus was that oak will take dark stain quite nicely. I am stubborn so resisted listening, but I guess a picture is worth a thousand words after all. I did mention oak to the cabinet guy yesterday and he said "you don't want oak", but that may have been because all that he was looking at was my "ideas" that were modern. I really do like the look of the oak in the kitchen above, plus it would match the grain of my floors. If I did the raised panel doors (like I posted above) in oak instead of the flat panel (as originally planned), would it still have a semi-contemporary look or am I headed into a traditional category that I have been trying to steer clear of with the cabinets. My husband was so excited when I pointed out a way to cut a few hundred bucks, I would hate to take it back.

So, love that tile for the backsplash, need to find it at about 1/3-1/2 of the price if I am planning on using that around the entire kitchen.

How about this backsplash with some sort of light granite with creamier undertones (White Springs, Typhoon Bordeaux, Colonial Cream?)

It is a very subtle hint of color, but it is in my price range, so that is nice.

Cristile at Amazon

Tile Express.

Glass Tile Warehouse @ Amazon

Glass Tile Home @ Amazon

Aquarelle from Wayfair @ Amazon

LWO, thanks for the clarification. I was excited to see elements that appeal to me, and then thrown by the support for it. We do have a new build, will a more modern slant throughout (of course, I wouldn't have known that unless I was on GW. I don't really have a design sense, I just know what I like). So, I will sit back and learn from the experts :-)

Kellienoelle, if you are interested in the tempered glass backsplash, we had considered it before finding ours, and we were told to check with auto detailing places for the best deal.

I am going to owe you all a consulting fee. ICF, I am just going to have to live all of my modern design fantasies through you until I move I suppose. And like you, I am have a hard time putting a "label" on what I like especially since I am all over the place!

So, here is an attempt at tossing some of these ideas together. But the cabinets may be in the more traditional style that I posted above. Thoughts? Does this seem more "tranitional".

It is a good thing that I am not in charge of Christmas Eve dinner because I fear that everybody would go hungry!

And if I go this route, can I keep that awesome sink that I love? Or do you think that it would still be too modern?

If you choose the raised panel door that you showed--maybe in the oak, and the stain isn't so dark or cool toned, then most of your other accessories can be more on the modern side--such as your sink---and the whole look will read as "transitional". I'd stay away from the bar pulls though and go with something more classic like a simple bow pull, and in brushed nickel rather than chrome. Keep the other modern pieces from being way out there modern. The light you showed would work, as would the tile that you imposed on the mamadadapaige kitchen. The almost colorless tile that you showed is too cold. When shopping for items, including the cabinet stain, take a couple of pieces of plain white printer paper with you and lay it against the item and isolate it from the background and see what the undertones really are. Don't forget to get actual samples from cabinet makers and granite yards to be able to compare it in your light in your kitchen. You may find that you want to upgrade some lighting because of choosing dark cabinetry, so think about that while you have renovation happening as it's the best time to deal with it. You've got to add under cabinet lighting at a minimum if you don't already have that.

I'll take my consult fee in home made cookies please!

Kellie, I love the look in your latest post, especially the tile and pendant lights ( maybe because I have similar style tile and the same lights.) Don't know if you checked on the price of those light but they are expensive. I splurged on them and absolutely love them. They give off fabulous light -both down light and general light. You won't be sorry. However, the bulbs that came with them were obviously very cheap because all 3 burned out within the first 4 weeks they were up. They were easy to replace though. Also FYI I was able to get the lights at a local discount lighting store cheaper than any of the numerous on line discount lighting websites.
Your kitchen is going to look fabulous.

kellie, I also meant to add in my previous post that you might want to check out Hickory hardware's Greenwich Collection pulls. They have just a gentle curve to them and they project out a little further than most bow pulls but they won't catch your clothes like bar pulls do. They come in satin nickel and other finishes and a multiple lengths form 3 to 23 inches. I thought they were reasonably priced.(A local hardware store sold them at 30% off suggested retail)here are some close up pics
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Thanks guys, I actually really like the warmer tones as much (or more) as I liked the blues/grays. I think I started down a road and ran with it without thinking about the bigger picture. As far as pulls, I was thinking maybe just cup pulls, although I do like the ones that badgergirl posted too. We are straddling that budget so we'll have to see what is available with no charge. The bars were an upcharge so it was nice to make a choice that was less expensive for a change. I am hoping that the quarter sawn oak isn't too much of an upcharge, I went to look at just factory finish cabinets at Lowes today and do like the look of the grain. It is warm, but quiet enough. Sent my request to the cabinet guy so fingers crossed that all will come in on budget.

Another question is do I paint the island a lighter color to decrease the darkness in the middle of the room or just keep consistent throughout. I am leaning toward the latter actually.

Badgergal, I stole the lights from you! I loved it so much in your pics. And I saw the price, so it will be a splurge for me as well. They will be likely be a 2013 item, with a cheapo $20/per pendent fill in until my savings account replenishes. But I can live with that knowing what is in the future.

As far as lighting, we have been pricing/thinking of this. Due to the dark color of the cabinets, this was a big concern of mine, lighting is everything! We currently have some recessed (6 of them) and an overhead over the sink. We are pricing the pendants over the island and lights in the glass front upper cabinets (total of 6). We cut the under cabinet lights in the interest of budget and in talking to people who said that they rarely use them. Maybe I should reconsider? How hard is that to add in after the fact if we decide that we need them later? We do have a window over the sink and then the bump out of the eat in area is virtually surrounded on three sides pretty much floor to ceiling with windows/doors, so it does get some natural light.

Anyway, updated pic and I think it looks pretty good (although I am now thinking that the curve/bow pulls may be a better option seeing it in place - maybe less surface so less shine). Walls will need to be decided on, but that is an easy fix. Cookies will be forthcoming when I have a new oven that doesn't take the temp setting as a mere suggestion!