Cabinet and tile question (warm vs. cool colors)?

Our kitchen is somewhat dark (not dark colored, just not a lot of natural light). I want to keep the floor a nice warm chocolately tile - I've found a tile I really love. My husband is concerned about what we'll do with our cabinets next, because it's the next project we'll probably do. When we reface or replace the cabinets, if we have a warm chocolatey tile floor with black appliances, am I going to want to go with cool color cabinets, or stay in the warm category? IOW, should warm and cool be combined in a kitchen as primary things (like tile and cabinets), or should you choose warm or cool as a theme with the opposite as accents? Thanks.

Public Comments

1. I would stick with warm if I were you. My mother has nice, warm wood laminate on the floors - it's kind of honey colored - but left her cabinets a cool whitewash. The warmth of the floor makes the cabinets just look dirty, and the room doesn't look very pulled together. I'd stick with one or the other.
2. gold blue
3. I would stick with using one or the other for the main stuff...and then use the other for the littler accent stuff. You dont want too much going on....too much competing. If you have a dark floor, you might want to stick within the warm colors for the cabinets...just go with a lighter shade, really light. That way, the room wont look so sucked in with darkness. Your floor is dark, that is good...it will keep everything grounded. If that makes sense.
4. Stay with warm. Appliances too dark to add in a cool tone. A warm - perhaps knotty pine - for the cabinets would be a good choice because they are light and dark.
5. First things first, lets address your lighting issue. Regardless of what colors you choose you need to address the overall light level. If you add additional lighting you will have more freedom in choosing what colors will be appropriate. Remove all fluorescent lighting and replace with recessed or halogen track lighting. This will provide a better source of more pleasing light. Now with a chocolate tile floor and black appliances you should probably consider using a lighter tone for your cabinets. If your cabinets are in good condition and you are not reconfiguring the existing layout painting your cabinets could be an affordable and attractive solution. I recommend staying with a warm ivory tone. However, consider having the cabinet doors professionally sprayed with a satin oil-based paint (very durable). Also consider having a sheer chocolate colored glaze applied to the doors. If you are refacing your cabinets and replacing existing doors consider a light to medium maple tone wood The other consideration is what to do with your counter tops. With dark chocolate tiles, black appliances and maple or ivory glazed cabinets your best bet for counters will be medium colored material. Something that will pull all the colors and materials together! Possibly a granite or laminate that has a mixture of ivory, black and brown tones. Good luck!
6. If your floor is chocolatey brown and the appliances are black, you may want to try something lighter with the same tones as the floor so it flows. Here is a link to a pic of dark floors, black appliances and light cabints...its a small pic, but its effective.