Matching Counter Top....

I'm at the final stage of finishing my kitchen - choosing the counter top. Up to this point I have installed a cork floor (natural cork color) and I painted the cabinets a cream color. The walls will be painted a medium blue - maybe.

I haven't decided what type of counter I'm going to put in and that's not my concern at this point - what I'm having difficultly with is the color. What do you take into consideration when choosing color? Should the top match the paint, cabinets or floor (or all of the above??) Again, my cabinets will be cream, walls a med blue and the floor is a natural cork.

appreciate any and all opinions!

Merry Christmas!!

 

One tip about counter color is that you will want to make a selection that works well with cabinets and floor color. These two colors will not change. If you select a counter color that goes with blue, say has a lot of blue in it, then in the future when you are out of your 'blue phase,' you may feel stuck in a color rut.

Both cabinets and floor are neutral colors. The blue will provide the drama. What other colors are in your color scheme in your home? Is blue one of your colors you are using throughout your home?

There are so many different blues and lots of those are 'medium.' Greens and blues are a classic mix and both work well with cream. There are certain spicy reds that work well with natural colors of floor and cream in cabinets. A spicy red on the walls and a rich laminate that looks like granite (if granite is not in the budget) would be a classic color combo. Rich, reddish brown paint on walls to contrast with cabinets and to pick up natural tones of flooring, would provide contrast and work well with granite options too.

Collect paint and countertop chips and bring them home and study them at different times of the day under both natural and artificial light. Color selection is personal as it is a reflection of your personality. Colors should flow from other areas of your home for continuity.

 

Great feedback - thanks for your help (I'm going to consider the red / brick color)

 

Reds work great in kitchens and diningrooms. Red stimulates appetite!

 

No expert - We recently renovated our kitchen It was a complete ripout down to the studs. We did all the work ourselves and we had the same problems with color selection - we're no experts either.

Here's what finally worked for us. We installed cabinets with a cream colored glaze and a medium oak hardwood floor. We had already decided to go with a granite countertop so we shopped for a stone that provided a contrast with the cabinets but also picked up some of the cabinet color. The stone we decided on was a light gray with minimal blooms. Instead it has "sand" patterns of cream that match the cabinets. It also has flecks of rust color and swirls of a darker grey.
We painted the walls a color very similar to the rust flecks in the countertop. The point being that while the walls compliment the granite, we could change the wall color in the future without being concerned with the new color clashing with the countertops.

 

Great job pulling the rust color out of the counter and putting it on the walls. This is a wonder illustration of how to pull colors together.

 

good advice.......i'll just reiterate what 12pole said about counters being pretty permanent, so choose something neutral and/or versatile. that doesn't mean blah & boring. black granite with specks of other colors would be bold & contrasting, yet neutral and versatile, and allow for a variety of possible wall colors.

with light wood floors & cream cabinets, i'd go with something on the dark side for contrast.

don't forget to consider the color of your appliances.

 

Ah, yes, black is the ultimate classic neutral. It provides rich contrast, and it is a color off which you can spin just about any color off the color wheel.

 

I suppose, a counter top with same color blend as of the floor will provide the kitchen a more classy and decent look & feel. But still tastes vary with the people so....

 

Counter does not have to harmonize with the floor color. A contrasting color to the floor is complementary and can harmonize (blend) with other elements in the room.

Because kitchens and bathrooms tend to date those rooms, picking a color that provides opportunities for changing colors in the future is best. For example, I once moved into a home that had turquoise countertops from the 70's. The flooring was turquoise, lime green, and yellow plaid. Flooring tops worked great together, but they were very dated. The previous owner added to the madness by adding wallpaper that cream background and tiny little pink and blue roses. Of course, I ripped off the paper and replaced the counters and flooring with colors that would be noncommital to any color scheme. Because wall paint is easy to change, drama can be created on walls and with accessories, pulling colors in from your color scheme in other rooms.

A current popular Formica color is Butter Rum. It looks very much like real granite and offers a variety of brown tones that work well with just about any wood species and stain and a variety of floor coverings in earthy, neutral tones like tile and wood. These colors work well different hues from around the color wheel.

 

Thanks again everyone for the excellent ideas. We decided on a "Brick" red that will contrast nicely with the cream cabinets. Now we need to make a decison on counter top materials. Based on what has been suggested on color, we'll likely go with something neutral. Materals is another decision - we were thinking Granite. Do I have to go back to the Kitchen section to post my questions on types of countertops or can I simply add it to this thread? What I'm looking for is opinions on granite vs the alternatives -

As always, all feedback is appreciated.

 

We would be more than happy to discuss color of countertop selection in this thread and any other questions you may have about countertops. This thread is for 'Decorating & Design' topics, and the Kitchen Forum is for 'Planning, Building, Remodeling and Decorating.' So, as you can see, you can decorate either place.

Brick red and cream cabinets! Stunning. Now for the countertop! Granite!?! Stunning. Don't forget that black is the ultimate neutral. Again, a granite with touches that harmonize with your cream and your red along with black would be very stunning, too.

Let us know what other options you are considering.

 

The countertop is tougher than I thought - the advice on black may be right on the money. I know I can't use a color to matcvh the floor - now that the red paint in up, I can see why you are all recommending black C-top. Now we may also have to consider the color of our applicances - the white is not working (although it never did with the cream cab's).

So, we have Brick Red paint, black (or black with a fleck of color) C-top, cream cabinets, and possibly black appliances. The appliancses were not in the plan but it looks like they can't remain white. Any thoughts??

 

Black appliances would certainly be more appealing than white with cream cabinets. Black and stainless are the hot colors right now.

 

i don't see how you could possibly keep the bright white appliances with cream cabinets. it just won't work. black would be the way to go.