[ourmoneypit]

So the kitchen is on it's way. We have been trying to select a countertop from the myriad of choices out there, and have found a few that we like that seem to work well with the floor, but we can't make up our minds.

How does one decide? If the floor is darker ceramic-look with good color variation, and everything else is pale in comparison, will the eye be drawn to the floor? If one wants to have interest in the backsplash, does one choose a lighter countertop that works with the floor, but go darker on the backsplash?

What are the principles to keep in mind for this? While we realize that backspash decisions can wait almost indefinitely, the laminate choice for the counter really can't, and we need to know what impact our choice may have down the road.

Martine
(who, after spending several hours looking at counters, pulls and tiles on three consecutive days is ready to glue down newspaper and apply a lacquer)

[timberstone]

Martine~

While I have no pearls of wisdom to add here I wanted to let you know that I'm going through the same thing. I can't decide on counters! My new kitchen is almost in (except for old sink perched on stilts!) and I still haven't ordered counters. I hope somebody responds withsome gemthat will bring on my "AH HA!" moment.

Good luck!

Laura

[DesignDiva]

What is your flooring, and what is the look you are going for? That will help guide us in making some recommendations to narrow it down.

Once that happens, bring samples home and look at them with the door, floor and paint samples.

Make sure you have them in proportion or you won't get a true read. If you have a large space for floor, or lots of cabinets, don't use a tiny piece of sample of your flooring or door color to compare to the laminate sample.

[ourmoneypit]

This is the laminate color, to the right is the pattern. We staggered the layout so that the pattern is random; the large tiles are 16 x 16. I can't answer your 'look' question except to say that the rest of the house has 'natural' themes: a leaf motif counter in the powder room, leaf motif commercial grade wallcovering in a hallway, greens, taupes, grey-whites and some black cherry, and hardwood where there isn't the above laminate.

The cabinets are all white, and there is a lot of floor, and there will be a lot of cabinets and counter visible as you walk into the kitchen.

We aren't so much looking for a solution as we are tips and hints or guidelines for finding the solution ourselves...

HTH
Martine

[DesignDiva]

That's your flooring, right? With white cabinets, I think you would do best by getting something in a midtone (not too light, not too saturated in color) to continue the horizontal planes (countertop and floor) in a similar tone. If you go too light, the ctop will not contrast enough with the white cabinets, making the floor the dominant feature. If you go too dark, the white cabinets will be too much contrast and they will become the dominant feature. So you want a midtone to have everything read with a smooth flow. You can go slightly lighter than the floor, or slightly darker, or do a different color but with the same intensity, like a deep sage green or an old-brick tone.

I would also recommend a backsplash that incorporates primarily light to mid tones with a darker tone for hardware, say an oil rubbed bronze. It won't cause too much contrast but will make the midtones a bit more interesting and sprinkle the darker tone around the room.

[DesignDiva]

From Formica.com, here's some samples I would look at:

Giallo Granite
Bottlegreen Quartzite
Tuscan Marble (may be too light on a larger scale)
Perlato Granite
Metal Sun (may be too orangy in real life)
Autumn Indian Slate (may be too gray IRL)
Jasper Envision
Metal Earth
Saltillo Envision
Seasoned Corkboard

[ourmoneypit]

Thanks, Eva

I understand what you are saying about too dark or too light. We nearly chose an almost solid black. I found the look unpleasant, but couldn't explain why...now I understand. Probably also explains why we have been having such a hard time making a choice...

(edited for cross-post) The Tuscan marble was okay in saturation, but the hue (?) in real life is actually a little pink, whereas our floor has green undertones. I think I am expecting a Metal Earth sample in the mail...

Martine

[DesignDiva]

My top three choices, just going by the color on my monitor, would be the Saltillo or Jasper Envision or the Perlato Granite, with a backsplash in a sandy tumbled marble with dots and a liner of a darkish granite or glass.

[ourmoneypit]

evaperconti wrote:

with dots and a liner of a darkish granite or glass.

Hmmm...not quite sure what you mean by 'with dots'? In the tile body? Between the tiles?

Thanks for the suggestions and all the help, Eva...

[DesignDiva]

Dots are little (1" or 2" square) decorative tiles that you use as an accent in a field of plain tile. Liners are straight tiles used to create a border or edge.

Here's a pic with both a dot and a liner. The center diamond shaped tile is a dot, and the straight skinny tile with the beads on it is a liner.