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What to do re: countertop and cabinets?
I posted on D&R as well. I feel so stressed about this. I felt rushed and I think I made the wrong decision.
We picked out countertops and cabinets with out builder today. I wasn't in love with the countertop we picked, but it is very basic formica and I hope to be replacing with a better surface in a few years. The pattern I wanted only came in a smooth finish and they said it would show scratches more than the matte finish.
I am really stressing about the cabinets. I chose maple with a lighter finish, but I'm thinking I want to go back and change it to the darker (cherry look) finish. If I do that I will have to change my counterop. I think it will be harder to choose flooring with lighter cabinets. Not sure why I think that, but I just do. We are going with vinyl flooring.
Dh is leaving in 10 minutes for his guy trip and I have to tell them by tomorrow if I want to change it. I really don't want to make the decision without him, but he said he doesn't care. Ahhhh!!
I guess I am wondering if you have cherry cabinets what color countertop and flooring do you have (if it isn't hardwood)? Are the darker cabinets harder to keep clean? I have a black wood dining table and it is a nightmare. I have to dust it every day. I am wondering if the cabinets are like that.
Re: What to do re: countertop and cabinets?
We had cherry cabinets in our condo. Our floor was a grey vinyl, and our appliances were black. We purchased darker furniture, and it looked really good. If it helps, even our sales agent saw our condo when we had it on the market and commented that it showed really well. Our countertop was also grey. I'll see if I can find some pics to show you the overall look.
I didn't have huge issues with dusting our cabinets, but then again, I don't dust those kinds of things all the time. We also had an allergen filter in every room of our condo, and I know that helped keep the dust down.
I really enjoy darker cabinets in freshly built houses. ?Typically, the new houses are painted in very neutral tons with 'tan' or 'cream' everything. ?With the darker cabinets, it helps to add warmth to the space. I just helped my best friend do this and we were very happy with the way it turned out. ?She had oak floors, cherry cabinets, stainless app., and a browny/blacky/tan marble put in.
?One thing she did do that she now regrets is that she put in the cherry wooden shades. ?We agreed that the shades should match the window frame, in her case, white. ?
In your case, of course, I would have to see, but I would be careful about having too much contrast b/w the cabinetry and counter. ??
?I'm sure whatever you choose will look good! ?Don't stress!
So I found some old photos- I suspect they are from a disposable camera. I scanned them into my computer, so they aren't the best quality, but I hope this gives you a good idea. We really LOVED the look of the cherry cabinets with the greyish countertops/grey floor. We also are not fans of stainless steel, so black works for us.
I say pick what you like, esp for cabinents. Like you said, it's way easeier to change the countertops. I think a beige granite look countertop would look good (b/c I'd love to have that in real granite!). My parents had dark cabinents and the dirt really didn't show, they have maple now and it's the same thing. I have white and those are a pita to keep clean!
This is the granite I like:
http://www.tuscanywoodwork.com/cherry/
The floor & cabinents in this kitchen are similar but it still works, IMO (plus I like the dark counter):
http://www.holtonks.net/Eubankswood/photogallery/Kitchen/pages/cherry-kitchen.html
I think the darker cherry looks much more modern and just better overall, but it's definately personal opinion. In our Townhouse we had a huge kitchen with a bunch of oak cabinets and every day I would walk in there and think it looked blah! Now we have a darker cabinet and I love it.
As far as dust in concerned, I don't think you should have to worry too much about the cabinets. It's not like they have huge surfaces (like a table top) to collect a bunch of dust. I just run a swifer duster over our cabinet faces about once a month and that works for us.
As for a floor and counter top I would go with something that looks like a stone color and then if and when you upgrade the countertops it will be easier to match the granite floor to a natural stone possibly with some black specks in there to give it depth.
Thanks for the comments.
I went back this morning and changed my selections. I feel much better now. I went with the darker finish and chose a different counter top that didn't have as much black in it. I am really happy with what I chose. Now onto brick, siding and flooring...