Monday, October 24, 2011

Cabinet Dilemma

We are having a difficult time deciding on kitchen cabinets.  Our current choice is the maple cognac with the upgraded laminate in antique mascarello:

Another blogger posted a picture of a model kitchen with this combination but without the upgraded ogee edge we will have:

We will have vinyl flooring because we don't care for all that wood.  I think we were drawn to this because it's similar to our current kitchen:

 

However, the model of our floor plan's kitchen looks like this (with granite that we are not getting):



These are the espresso cabinets, which we both love.  We went to Lowe's and put the cabinet doors and countertop next to black appliances (which we are getting because DH does not like stainless) and it looked sleek, almost like built-ins.  

The dilemma is the railing and flooring.  In the model, they have a dark railing to match the cabinets:


We just don't know if we like the dark railings, especially upstairs where all of our current furniture is oak.  Then, what do we do with the flooring in the foyer?  We currently have selected a cherry laminate, so that would have to change along with the kitchen flooring.  We have already been to Rite Rug twice.  DH has said that if we have to go back, I might be going back alone or we are finding a babysitter as the kids have had quite enough of that place!  

The only wood furniture that will be downstairs is our kitchen table which is oak and pretty much matches the cognac cabinets.  All other wood furniture will be new (end tables, entertainment center, etc.).  

So, do we stick with what we've picked which looks similar to what we've had for the last eight years (and do love, btw) or do we go with something new and have to re-pick everything else?  WWYD?  Which combination do you like best and why?

11 comments:

  1. Wellll, Rachel--I like the first pic first but you know that I am biased! The granite with the Espresso looks really nice as well--I just don't like the color of the wood. The Espresso matches the railing (which, by the way, I love). If you do not have to give any more money to do a change order, then change your selections if that is what you really want to do. I'm kind of anal, and I like things to match, so I don't know how I would feel with the Espresso railings and Oak furniture. I say keep the cherry laminate flooring since you already have furniture to match. Please let us know what you decide on!

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  2. Since you have the cherry laminate flooring, I would see if they can get the railings to match that. For us, we have hardwood in the foyer and that is what they go off of for the railing. I am not sure I would like them to use our kitchen cabinets to determine the railing color.

    We went with the Cognac, too, but we have a dark colored Corian counter to go with it and hardwood floors. I like the first look but then I am more partial to warm colors than cool. To me, the darker cabinets are a sleek look, but more on the cool side than the warm side. With all your oak, I would think you are probably looking for something more on the warm color scale, so I would stick with the Cognac.

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  3. I love dark kitchens, but you see every spec of dust, every little scratch, they are not very forgiving...especially if you use your kitchen ALOT ...thats why we choose the cognac. And in the long run I think I would get tired of the dark wood.

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  4. Get the expresso! They look awesome and it breaks the "mold" (seems like a lot of people are getting cognac). They will look awesome off the black appliances.
    Get the railing stained to compliment the flooring.
    Keep in mind that your railing upstairs doesn't go into the bedrooms, so who cares if it matches the oak headboard? If someone points it out, kick them out of your house for being an a$$hole.
    my .02

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  5. Danielle - I know you are partial to the first combo, and I thank you for posting that picture. I loved being able to see the counters and cabinets together.

    Gina - I hadn't thought of the cool vs. warm colors. We are definitely more warm colors. We have a lot of carmel, burgundy and other earthy tones throughout our current house and we'll probably stick with that in the new house.

    Meghan - I didn't think of the dust and dirt factor. We have two dogs, two cats and three kids. I spend at least 80% of my waking hours in the kitchen, so the kitchen gets a lot of use.

    Thanks for your opinions ladies. I really appreciate it. I think we are sticking with the cognac!

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  6. Your stair rail should match the floors, so the cabinets don't matter. We are taking the Rushmore maple glaze butterscotch cabinets, so for me it seemed like matching the rail to floors was the only option. You can just do the same.

    I was considering the espresso cabinets in the bathroom until I went to Rite Rug and their espresso cabinet looked awful. Just from moving it around to match with other samples. The other cabinets had held up much better.

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  7. Love hearing all your ideas! Keep them coming please :)

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  8. I actually think its great your going with upgraded laminate and the ogee (it still looks awesome) and not falling into the granite. We are going to do that with better cabinets and now I want the ogee!. Anyway.. I think your choices will look great! I think if you changed to espresso and had black appliances your kitchen would be very dark. Those espresso cabinets are really dark. I also agree that the banister's should match your floors pretty close, not the cabinets. GL!

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  9. Good call on the laminate! We got it and love it! Several other bloggers have complained about their wood floors denting and chipping already. I have 3 kids and dog, and laminate was the perfect choice for us. =)

    What is the feel you are going for? If you are looking for warm and inviting, Go with your first choice. If you want sleek and sophisticated, go with the darker with ones.

    The other bloggers made a great point in bringing up how "forgiving" some of the woods are compared to others.

    I have the maple butterscotch (antique white) cabinets, so other than this, I have no experience with either set of cabinets.

    And yes, railing should match the floor.

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  10. Hi I m going with the same color cabinets and the same antiqe mascarello...what is the flooring color name? Tomorrow we have our flooring selections and i m not sure what to choose!

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    1. SuDe, our vinyl flooring is Canyon Creek Carrizo Chestnut and is a Level B upgrade. Good luck at your appointment tomorrow. Picking the flooring was stressful, but fun.

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